5 Tourist Traps in Lapland and Where to Go Instead

Lapland is an incredible place to visit but as locals, we also know that not every popular experience is worth the hype.

As locals, we see the same mistakes every winter: travellers paying for things they could easily do themselves, choosing tours based only price or popularity, or spending their entire holiday in the busiest tourist spots.

Here are five common tourist traps we think are worth reconsidering, plus what to do instead.

1. Paying for a Northern Lights “guarantee”

Nobody can guarantee the aurora. The Northern Lights depend on solar activity, darkness, cloud cover and your location. Even with a clear sky and strong aurora activity, you might simply be unlucky. So if you see a tour promising guaranteed Northern Lights, look carefully at what that actually means.

Go instead: Choose a tour that focuses on getting away from city lights and checking the weather and aurora forecasts OR choose a tour that is not all about aurora, but more about experience in total, like northern lights tour with snowmobiles.*

Local tip: If the forecast is good and you have a rental car, you can also hunt for the Northern Lights independently. Just remember that driving conditions in Lapland in winter can be challenging. Read more about driving in winter in Lapland here.

2. Spending your whole holiday at Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village is fun, especially for families, but it can easily take over your entire Rovaniemi itinerary. It is also much smaller than many first-time visitors imagine and there is no point to build your whole holiday around it.

Go instead: Spend a few hours at the Village, then explore elsewhere. Ounasvaara, the city centre, local restaurants and the surrounding nature offer a very different side of Rovaniemi and Lapland in general.

Local tip: Santa Claus Village is particularly busy around Christmas. If you want a calmer experience, visit earlier in the day and explore something else afterwards.

3. Choosing the cheapest reindeer or husky safari

The cheapest option isn’t always the best value. Very short safaris, large groups and rushed experiences can leave you feeling like you’re being moved through an attraction rather than experiencing Lapland. Also many all-in-one tours mean very big crowds and very fast rides and no actual experience with the animals.

A 50€ reindeer safari and a 150€ reindeer safari can be completely different products. Check the duration, group size, transport, time spent with the animals and what is actually included. Very short safari might technically include a short reindeer ride, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the experience you imagined when dreaming about a Lapland holiday.

Go instead: Look at the actual duration, group size and time spent with the animals, not just the headline price. A smaller, more personal experience can be worth paying a little more for. And you know, reindeer rides are very boring, but meeting with reindeers is very fun. Here is good example of fun walk-along with reindeers tours*, that you should try out when in Rovaniemi.

4. Trying to see “all of Lapland” from Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is a great base, but Lapland is enormous. Driving several hours every day just to tick places off a list can turn your holiday into a road trip you never planned.

Go instead: Pick one area and explore it properly or split your trip between two destinations. Levi, Ylläs, Pyhä-Luosto and Inari all offer a very different atmosphere from Rovaniemi. Read more about areas in Lapland on our full Lapland destination guide.

5. Assuming the most Instagram-famous place is the most authentic

Some of Lapland’s most photographed spots are also its busiest. If you’re looking for wilderness, silence and a more local experience, following Instagram’s most popular locations isn’t the best strategy. Actually many places look very similar or even better than these instagram destinations, they are just not famous and full of people.

Go instead: Get slightly off the beaten path. Visit smaller villages, walk local trails, eat at independent restaurants and ask locals where they actually go. Leave some space in your itinerary for things that aren’t on every “Top 10 Things to Do in Lapland” list. Many amazing destinations are just next to the famous places, maybe like 10 minutes drive or walk away.

The local rule?

You don’t have to avoid the famous places completely! Just don’t build your entire Lapland trip around them. Some tourist attractions are popular for a reason. The trick is knowing when they’re worth visiting and when there’s something better just around the corner.

So, What Are the Biggest Tourist Traps in Lapland?

If we had to reduce it to five simple rules:

1. Don’t pay extra for a “Northern Lights guarantee”.
2. Don’t spend your entire trip at Santa Claus Village.
3. Don’t automatically choose the cheapest, most booked safari.
4. Don’t try to see “all of Lapland” from Rovaniemi
5. Don’t assume the most photographed place is the best.

The best trip is usually a combination of a few well-chosen experiences, some independent exploring and plenty of time to simply enjoy the Arctic surroundings.