Levi - the largest ski resort in Finland

Arrival

If you want to go to Finnish Lapland, you will probably arrive by plane at Kittilä Airport. As I mentioned in a previous article, there is no more relaxed airport than Kittilä. Airports are usually always a bit stressed. In Lapland there is no stress, not even at the airport. In addition to the flight, we booked a transfer, which took us directly to the Villa Rytmi in Levi.   

Our accommodation

We stayed at the Villa Rytmi which is located about 500 m outside the center. The cross-country skiing tracks are about 300 m away. It was important for us to rent a house which is a little out of the way, but that you could still go shopping on foot. Driving a car is a no-go for us on Lapland holidays.

The house is equipped with all the amenities that are needed for a pleasant stay. The kitchen had a good equipment and there was a dishwasher too. A must have in such a house is the fireplace. There is nothing cozier than being able to sit by the fireplace. The bedrooms and the bathrooms were good too. Of course, the house has a sauna – I think all houses in Finland have a sauna.

Where did we find this great house? I can highly recommend the travel agency Travel Scandinavia; they always have great offers. We have booked through them several times and will certainly do so again on our next trip to Finland.

Levi

Levi is a great ski resort in Finland. The village is located at the foot of the 531 m high Levi-Tunturi. There are plenty of slopes for skiing with all levels of difficulty and a large network of cross-country ski trails. Good restaurants, great hotels, a spa and of course some great log cabins round off this place. I will now introduce you first to our accommodation and then to some of the activities we did.

Sledge dogs

One of the most popular activities is certainly a ride on a dog sled. We have done this once before in the village of Äkäslompolo, but as this time my parents were also on the trip, we wanted to do it again. We also booked this excursion through our travel agency, but there are several ways to book such excursions. There are information points in the center and they will gladly give you information.

When you arrive at the Husky Farm, you will notice that the dogs have been waiting impatiently. It is quite noisy, and the dogs are rather restless at first. Again, I would like to mention that it is very important for the huskies that such activities are booked. It's not that the animals are exploited, no, they need this exercise. For the dogs, pulling weights through the snow and running long distances is part of their daily training.

Normally, there are always to people on a sledge. One steers the car, or rather you don’t have to steer but simply push the brake and the other one on the sledge is allowed to cuddle up in blankets. It is quite exhausting because it is very cold. Don't be surprised if your eyelashes freeze. Make sure you dress warmly enough.

Snowmobile

There are various excursions by snowmobile. This time we decided to rent a snowmobile and explore the surroundings on our own. There were two of us on one snowmobile and my boyfriend did most of the driving as it takes strength in the arms.

You are allowed to rent a snowmobile if you are allowed to drive a car. In addition, an alcohol test (breath test) will be implemented to make sure that you are in good health condition. The price for a day rental is between 200 – 300 EUR. There are several providers and different sizes of snowmobiles. The price includes helmet, extra jacket and extra trousers which you can put on over your clothes and thick gloves.

Cross-country skiing

Cross-county skiing is something that belongs to the Finns. Especially when you live in the north and have such good conditions. Many people told me in advance that cross-country skiing is not that easy. I thought myself, it can’t be that hard. I thought wrong. As soon as I stood on the skis, I fell. I got up, and I fell again. This game went back and forth about 5 times then I slowly got the hang on it.

It’s not going to be my favorite sport, but I think it’s certainly a very good whole-body workout. I’m glad I tried it.

Restaurant

One restaurant that has remained very much in my memory is the Restaurant Ravintola Riihi in Levi. It is located a little bit outside from the village. We passed by there by chance when we were on our cross-country skis. It’s a small hut and it doesn’t have a lot of food but what was great was that there is a fireplace in the middle of the room. You could buy a sausage in the restaurant and then you could roast it yourself afterwards on the fireplace. I thought that was cool. The restaurant provides real Lapland atmosphere.

The perfect restaurant for an awesome breakfast is the restaurant Pannukakkutalo Pancake Restaurant. There you can eat sweet or savory pancakes. I promise, there are incredibly good. What’s also amazing is the delicious hot chocolate to drink. You can choose the color of the hot chocolate. Great idea!