Best of Lapland & Norway in Nutshell
Experience thrilling winter adventures, such as husky sledding, reindeer safaris, and snowshoeing, while indulging in authentic Scandinavian culture. Travel to Western Norway's largest ski center and one of the best skiing destinations in Norway.
Tour Itinerary
When you arrive in Helsinki, meet your driver for a private transfer to your hotel in the city center.
Rest of the day at leisure to explore on your own.
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a modern, vibrant city by the Baltic Sea made up of beautiful islands and public spaces. The atmosphere is laid-back yet, at the same time, refreshingly exciting, with many restaurants, shops, and nightclubs. The best thing to do to recover from a long journey is to take a traditional Finnish Sauna.
Overnight in Helsinki
Private Airport Transfer
Helsinki Highlights Tour
Join a group city tour of Helsinki with a knowledgeable guide. Visit Helsinki's main attractions, including Sibelius Monument, Esplanade Park, Old Market Hall, Market Square, Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral, Senate Square, Havis Amanda and Helsinki Cathedral, etc. along with photo stops. Your guide will share the city's stories, Finnish history, and culture along the way. Your tour will end at Helsinki Market Square. You can explore the city on your own, taste the local food, and enjoy Finnish ice cream.
Santa Claus Express Finland, the route to winter wonderland
Embark on a journey from Helsinki to Lapland. You’ll travel through wintery landscapes, passing cities and forests with snow capped trees. The Santa Claus Express takes you comfortably to Rovaniemi. The unique Finnish nature awaits you and invites you to experience the magic of winter in Lapland. The Santa train takes you to the doorstep of Santa himself, the arctic circle and the Finnish winter wonderland.
Make your way to Helsinki Central Station to board a12-hour trip on the double-decker night train - The Santa Train. Onboard you may taste the delicious food on the menu of the restaurant car and wake up in the morning refreshed having breakfast delivered to your very own sleeper cabin.
Breakfast- Onboard Train - Upstairs Cabin (en suite toilet and shower)
Upon arrival in Rovaniemi, make your way to your Hotel. As you'll arrive early in the morning, check-in won't be possible yet, but you can leave your bags and explore the magical capital of Lapland.
Santa Claus Safari
This family favorite safari combines nature, culture, and the warm spirit of Christmas. The day starts with a snowmobile safari to a reindeer farm filled with Lappish culture. You’ll get to take a reindeer sleigh ride and attend a special ceremony of crossing the Arctic Circle. Later the trip continues by car to the Santa Claus Village – an ideal spot for a little Christmas shopping. You will also have an opportunity to send postcards from Santa’s post office. During the day, you get to meet Santa Claus himself and enjoy a delicious lunch in a cozy restaurant. And to top it all off, you will receive a Diploma for crossing the Arctic Circle!
Night Snowmobile Safari in search of the Northern Lights
Evening snowmobile safari is a special experience with the chance to see Northern lights or starry sky. This evening departure on a snowmobile safari will be a special experience to discover the magic of snowy forests at night. Given extra light by the white snow reflection or the stars and the moon, we follow the snowmobile trails away from city lights and look for a spot to admire the sky. The guide will light up a bonfire in a traditional Lappish teepee (kota) where you'll enjoy an arctic picnic while waiting for the northern lights to appear.Everyone can grill traditional Finnish "makkara" sausages on the fire and enjoy hot berry juice to keep you warm. For taking proper photos in darkness, you can bring along a tripod for your camera. The riding time on snowmobiles is approximately 2 hours.
Overnight in Rovaniemi
Breakfast, Light Meal
Pick up your morning adventure with Huskies from Self-Guided or Musher-driven Safari:
Husky Safari 10 km
Guide your sled dog team through the white wilderness. After a short drive from town, you’ll arrive at a husky kennel, where friendly huskies will enthusiastically welcome you. Before departing on the safari, you will be instructed how to control the sleds. This safari allows you to experience something unique: the ties between the musher and the dogs formed on a joint expedition into the wilderness. You soon learn that behind its icy-blue gaze, a husky is a friendly canine character who works closely with people. Once you return to the kennel, you can enjoy hot berry juice by an open fire and chat away with the musher about these amazing northern animals.
Husky Park and musher-driven safari 5 km
Arctic Circle Husky Park has operated next to Santa Claus Village for several decades. At the moment there are about 100 huskies in the park, twice or three times a year puppies are born, so there are always puppies or at least youngsters in the park. After a short security briefing, you will hop into a musher-driven sleigh, which can take 2 adults and a child. Just sit back to enjoy a thrilling husky ride!
The musher will stand behind you on the runners and you will get a feeling that dogs are pulling you at their discretion. The duration of the ride is about 20 min. and the distance is about 5 km. After the safari, you can warm up by an open fire in our yard and also spend time in the park meeting the other dogs.
Evening SnowHotel Tour & Chill and Dine at Ice Restaurant
Visit to Arctic SnowHotel where everything is made of snow and ice & offers a chance to dine in the Ice Restaurant an absolute must when in Rovaniemi.
Begin with a guided tour and get to explore the magnificent structures first with a guide and hear about how all the magic happens when the Ice Restaurant is rebuilt every year. Enjoy a dining experience like no other, surrounded by stunning ice décor beyond your wildest dreams. This experience is perfect for adventure seekers, food lovers, and cultural explorers looking for a unique Arctic experience—perfect for memorable celebrations and stunning photo opportunities.
- Overnight in Rovaniemi
- Breakfast, Dinner at Ice Restaurant
Morning at Leisure. Afternoon transfer to your Glass Igloo accommodation.
Once-in-a-lifetime experience. The glass-roofed, air-conditioned igloos offer a whole new and interesting opportunity for experiencing Lapland’s ever-changing nature while enjoying the comforts of a hotel room. Welcome to enjoy magical northern lights, spectacular midnight sun, plentiful autumn colors, and frosty and beautiful winter polar night in our glass igloos! The glass-roofed, air-conditioned igloos offer a whole new and interesting opportunity for experiencing Lapland’s ever-changing nature while enjoying the comforts of a hotel room. A traditional Finnish sauna is also available for use. In addition, you can turn on an “Aurora Alarm” to alert you if the Northern Lights appear.
- Overnight in Glass Igloo
- Breakfast, Dinner
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Rovaniemi airport for flight to Bergen in Norway. Upon arrival in Bergen, you will be transferred to your hotel. Rest of day is at leisure.
Walk along Bergen harbor, the historic old wharf area with timbered houses, formerly the homes and warehouses of merchants, explore the fish and flower markets, and enjoy a meal in one of the many cafes and restaurants of this lovely historic Hanseatic town.
- Overnight in Bergen
- Breakfast
Guided food and culture walk
In the afternoon, Experience the city of Bergen with all your senses. This tour takes you through Bergen's history and gives you a taste of local cuisine as well as its history. Bergen is on UNESCO's creative city list for the gourmet city. Your local English-speaking guide will take you through the old part of the city and have five stops with tastes and experiences. We will visit Bryggen, which is on UNESCO's list of world heritage. Another tasting is in a small restaurant that used to be a public bath. The food served should be enough for lunch, and the last stop will be at the oldest existing cellar in Norway, where a special story will be accompanied by a beer.
The Floibanen funicular
Escape the city by taking the funicular to the top of Mount Flyen for panoramic views of the fjord and the seven mountains that surround Bergen, as well as an excellent spot to watch the sunset! The journey up to the peak of Mount Fløyen (320 m above sea level) takes 5–8 minutes and is an experience in itself, cutting through the steep mountainside and forests, and revealing the city below. Mount Fløyen has many hiking opportunities and is a perfect starting point for a wonderful walk in the city's mountains.
- Overnight in Bergen
- Breakfast, Lunch Food Tasting
Norway in a Nutshell® – Winter tour
After breakfast, leave your main luggage (1pc per person) at the hotel reception before 6:30 am and it will be delivered Porter Service to your hotel in Oslo. Travel light and pack your overnight bag according to the number of nights you will be away from your main luggage. Walk from your hotel to Bergen train station to board the train to Voss.
Go skiing in Voss with SkiTicket - An excellent deal for both beginners and advanced skiers!
Voss is one of the most "active" towns in Norway, known for outdoor adventures and action sports. When you arrive at Voss Station, take the Voss Gondola to the slopes in just 10 minutes! The Voss Gondola is located at the station, so transfer from the train is super easy.
Optional: Add ski rental or an expert instructor
- Overnight in Voss
- Breakfast
After breakfast, take the Gondola down to Voss station, to continue the journey by coach to Gudvangen. A coach journey offers beautiful views of the Nærøydalen valley from Stalheim Canyon road, one of the highlights of Western Norway.
You will continue your journey on the Norway in a Nutshell tour by boat to Flam. The journey goes out from Aurlandsfjord into the Nærøyfjord, the narrowest fjord in Europe, now included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Surrounded by mighty mountains up to 1,800 meters high, this branch of the Sognefjord is amazingly beautiful.
In the afternoon, you will continue your trip on the Flam Railway, one of the best parts of the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour. The 20-kilometer train journey from the fjord village of Flåm up the Flåm Valley to the mountain station of Myrdal takes around 55 minutes. Enjoy some of Norway's most beautiful mountain scenery, which includes snow-capped mountains, roaring waterfalls, and quaint villages. The train moves slowly or stops at the best views along the route.
At Myrdal, quickly transfer to the Bergen Railway in Flam to continue your scenic journey to Oslo.
- Overnight in Oslo
- Breakfast
Oslo Sightseeing
Today embark on the scheduled 5-hour Oslo Discovery Tour & explore Oslo's must-see attractions. Feel the cozy atmosphere in the city center, admire stunning views over Oslofjord from Holmenkollen Ski Jump, and get in touch with the art of the most prolific Norwegian sculptor as you stroll through Vigeland Park encompassing more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite, and wrought iron. On Bygdøy Peninsula you will enhance your Oslo experience by visiting 2 unique museums: the Fram Museum and the Norwegian Folk Museum.
- Overnight in Oslo
- Breakfast
Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel.
Take an Airport Express Train (FLYTOGET), offering the simplest and fastest journey to and from Oslo Airport (19 mins).
- Breakfast
- Airport Express Train Tickets
Customer reviews
Regards,
Sigi Foggi
