After crossing the border into Norway for a freezing, unforgettable King Crab safari on Day 3, the second leg of our Arctic journey took us from tearing through the snow on engines and sleds to marveling at some of Norway’s most iconic winter architecture.
Day 4: Kirkenes back to Finland Levi
Day 4 was spent mostly on the road, it bring us from Kirkenes (Norway) back to Finland and we stopped at Levi for the night.
Kirkenes is a quiet and peaceful town in the far northeastern norway, very close to the Russian border~ Even though theres limited things to do in kirkenes but we just love the peacefulness of this small town and it just feels really relaxing.
After breakfast, we proceeded to Levi, finland. It was a long bus ride (almost half a day!) from Kirkenes to Levi, we stopped by the same pitstop yesterday for lunch and a break. We chanced upon this really nice restaurant called Papana and tried the sausage and fries for lunch, luckily we just ordered 1 set to share among both of us as the portion was quite huge. not sure why but it is really good and i do recommend anyone of you to stop by this restaurant!!
When we reached Levi, Finland, it was almost 5pm in the evening, we checked- in the hotel (Sokos hotel) and had dinner and some time to roam around. Levi is a ski resort , however due to limited time, we did not really had a chance to ski there, but it was nice enough to visit the shops and the small christmas market there before they close.
Day 5: Husky dog sled experience, Afternoon in Levi and proceed to Rakka
If the snowmobiles were about pure adrenaline, day five was about connecting with the wilderness. We spent the morning on a husky sledding safari. There is an incredible, raw energy to a pack of sled dogs—they are deafeningly loud and excited right up until the brake is released. The moment they start moving, they go completely silent, entirely focused on pulling you through the serene, snow-draped pine forests
We had lunch at levi and continued shopping before heading to our next location for the night which was about 3 hours plus bus ride away.
We reached Santa hotel Rakka in the evening and spent the night relaxing. The hotel is really new and cozy here, this is one of the hotel is i would really want to stay again in future! The hotel is facing the wilderness with no light pollution, and we managed to catch a glimpse of the aurora that night, not really visible fully by eyes but at least we caught in from our warm hotel room !
Day 6: Tromsø, Architecture, Northern most town in norway
By day six, we had made our way deeper into Norway to the island city of Tromsø, often called the “Paris of the North.” It was more than 2 hr bus ride away , and along the way, we had to stop at this beautiful fjord (Skibotndissa) for some photos and just nice the sun was rising so it makes the sky and the scenery really nice!
We reached Tromso at almost 2pm and the sun was already setting, our first stop was the iconic Arctic Cathedral. With its striking, triangular white architecture meant to resemble icebergs and the Northern Lights, it looks incredibly dramatic set against the deep blue Norwegian twilight.
Since we are not able to check in the hotel yet, we went to the mall for some shopping! The malls in the arctic often seems quiet and it is really nice for us to shop and treasure the peace there since the malls in Singapore are always so crowded.
name of the mall: Jekta Storsenter
We stayed at Raddison Blu hotel for 2 nights in Tromso, it is conveniently located in the city area and walkable to the shopping area~ after checking in , we had some free time to shop and loiter around before driving out for the Sami tent experience. Sadly we have no luck for the northern lights anymore due to the cloud and snow 🙁
Day 7: Panoramic Tromsø & The Fjellheisen Cable Car
We dedicated day seven to seeing Tromsø from above. We rode the Fjellheisen Cable Car up Mount Storsteinen. Stepping out onto the viewing deck, the panoramic views of the snowy city, the fjords, and the surrounding mountains were breathtaking.
After soaking in the views (and the freezing winds!), we headed back down into the city. We spent the rest of the day wandering through the snowy streets, admiring the festive Christmas lights and decorations that lit up the town. There’s something incredibly comforting about finding a warm café, wrapping your hands around a steaming cup of hot chocolate, and watching the snow fall outside in a city as beautiful as Tromsø.
That evening, we went on a yatch to hunt the northern lights, this was an additional add-ons which was not included in our original tour package. We managed to catch a glimpse of the lights on the yatch , it was too crowded 🙁
Miss other parts? Read it here:
Part 1 – Finland, Norway Winter Day 1-3
Part 3 – Finland Norway Winter Day 8-10
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