3 Best Hotels in Lapland, Finland

Having reopened post-pandemic under family ownership in downtown Rovaniemi, the Arctic City Hotel is a comfortable base for travelers exploring the Arctic Circle region or taking a city break before heading farther north. The recent installation of air-conditioning represents a welcome addition to the compact but cozy rooms—some with hardwood floors, others with soft carpets. The hotel has two restaurants: the Bull Bar and Grill, with a menu that includes American-style burgers, and Monte Rosam which offers local Lapland fare and steaks and serves as the hotel's breakfast venue. Guests also get free sauna access.

This spa center in rural Lapland, close to the Urho Kekkonen National Park and its numerous hiking and skiing options, offers rooms with casual Scandinavian style and more rustic cabins with fireplaces, as well as a glass-dome swimming area crammed with foliage, fountains, waterslides, wave machines, and a hot tub. The solarium, saunas, and Turkish baths are adjacent. Guest rooms have blond- and dark-wood fittings and slate-blue carpets. The Angry Birds Activity Park is another family attraction. Buses to and from Rovaniemi stop at the hotel.

This cozy inn (formerly Hotel Kultahovi) on the wooded banks of the swiftly flowing Juutuajoki River on the edge of Inari, has reopened after extensive renovations and a change of ownership, offering new interiors, views of the rapids from its great restaurant, and a plethora of activities. The hotel has two sections: the traditional, original hotel block and the more modern riverside section. Rooms in both are newly furnished, and there is a nice view of the rapids from the excellent award-winning, Lapp-themed Aanaar restaurant. Husky safaris, snowshoe outings, and aurora viewing are among the winter activities offered in hotel packages, and at other times wonderful day hikes are possible along marked riverside trails.