5 Things You Can Do In Finland During Christmas

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas. Escape heads to the North Pole and discovers Christmas isn’t just for kids.

# Explore Helsinki’s Christmas traditions

Australian-based company 50 Degrees North, which specialises in tailor-made itineraries for regions beyond the 50th parallel north, can provide you with private local guides to escort you around all of this country’s Christmas treats. Start in the Finnish capital and head to the Old Market Hall, circa 1888, and taste the fresh local produce Finns enjoy on their Christmas table.

Think herring, pork legs, and salmon among the bear fat soap and reindeer kebabs here. Head to the sixth-generation Ekberg bakery for your Christmas cake; shop at Stockmann for department store gifts; and stroll the shopping mall Kamppi or visit the pop-up Christmas market of 150 Finnish design brands.

For Christmas carols and services, visit Temppeliaukio Church or “the rock church” which is etched into granite, as well as the grand Upenski Cathedral. Stay in the stylish and centrally-located art-deco Hotel Lilla Roberts in the Design District.

# Cross the border for Christmas markets

Make like a Finn and jump aboard a Tallink Silja mega-ferry to neighbouring Estonia for Tallinn’s famed Christmas markets, voted Europe’s best for 10 consecutive years. What makes these markets so special is that Christmas was banned under its former Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1991.

Today, you’ll find a bustling marketplace serving mulled wine with 21 per cent local vodka; ginger bread; woollen mittens and leather gloves among a range of quirky and affordable Christmas treats. Dine on a traditional Christmas meal of blood sausage, sauerkraut and roast potatoes.

At the end of Christmas, all of the city’s festive trees are collected from homes, made into sculptures and burned to save their “soul”. Stay in the Old Town’s elegant Hotel Schlossle, a beautiful 14th century hotel and short walk from the markets.

# Get crafty

Fly to Santa’s hometown of Rovaniemi and head to Hornwork, where you can partake in a craft session, using reindeer horns and other parts of this iconic Nordic animal, with eccentric and renowned art teacher Irene Kankaanpaa. Reindeer lose their antlers once a year, and Irene and her husband Ari use all parts to make handicrafts, tools, bags and clothes.

Visitors are invited into their home to partake in a Finnish feast such as smoked-salmon soup and a Lappish cheese and berry dessert, and learn about the traditional Lappish way of life and the importance of reindeers to this culture.

# Sleep in an igloo

It doesn’t get any cooler than this. At Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle, in Rovaniemi, there’s 71 glass igloos and an onside restaurant. One side of your snowdropped shape igloo is made of timber, while the other is wall-to-ceiling glass, replete with a button to melt the snow off the roof. Lay in bed and look out for the Northern Lights. It’s super toasty inside with reverse-cycle airconditioning, heated floors and plush reindeer hides on the wall. In summer, you can laze under the Midnight Sun or watch the changing leaves in autumn and spring.

# Indulge in decadent dining

The Finns embrace seasonal produce and you’ll discover some delectable delights at Rakas Restaurant at the Arctic Treehouse Hotel. Rakas, which means “love” or sweetheart” in Finnish, is a popular Rovaniemi establishment which serves local delicacies such as reindeer and berries. Try their signature cocktails including the Blueberry a’la Rakas made from Laplandia Blueberry Vodka, Blueberries, Rosemary, and Soda Water. Back in Helsinki, Jurri Restaurant, which means “the root” or “heart”, serves a three-course seasonal tasting menu. Sample one of three beers made in its craft brewery.