Finland

An unspoilt wilderness and outdoor adventure paradise. Summer and winter bucket list experiences galore – husky dog sledding, igloos and the Northern Lights – plus the real home of Santa.

An extraordinary real-life ‘ice castle’ that you can stay over in and/or dine in. It’s rebuilt every year, using giant blocks of ice cut from a nearby frozen sea.

Traversing across the tundral plains and through boreal forests of Finnish Lapland’s unspoilt wilderness is special. Doing it on a sled pulled by husky dogs is thrillingly unforgettable.

A retired, 3,500 icebreaker that carries guests as it ploughs through the Bothnian icefields. Swimm off the back, and snowmobile home.

The iconic igloo has been used by generations of Inuit for shelter, where air pockets in the ice insulate the inside up to 16°C degrees. Here’s your chance to sleep in one.

Snowmobiling at up to 100km/h is the high-octane way to experience the Arctic wilderness, allowing you to cover huge distances and get a feel for just how remote and vast the area is. Options range from ‘try it out’ experiences lasting several hours, to multi-day camping-out adventures.

Lapland’s vast wilderness is about as far from civilisation as you can get in mainland Europe, with star-studded, inky black skies, and offers Scandinavia’s best displays. Pair the Northern Lights with snowshoe safaris, reindeer sled rides, ice fishing, husky dog sledding – or an outdoor Finnish smoke sauna.

The ‘official’ home of Santa Claus and the place to meet Father Christmas in person. This miniature theme park, with rather elaborate Christmas grotto, is also home to several Santa-themed attractions.

Finns have used saunas for centuries – for hygiene, warmth and community. The traditional ritual alternates between intense heat and icy cold plunges into nearby frozen lakes. Sounds painful, but if heat up enough first, you won’t feel cold – only exhilaration and a deep physical, emotional and spiritual cleanse. Best experienced in Lapland wilderness.

A small winter activity theme park, offering a mix of reindeer and husky sleigh rides, snowmobiling, ice slides and ice skating. There’s a reindeer farm and husky farm close by too.