You’re on your Finnish honeymoon, and your spouse has just become enamored of a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Time to be concerned? Relax. The odds are those eyes belong to a gorgeous husky ready to take the two of you on the dog sledding adventure of your life.
Finland is the ideal honeymoon destination for couples whose hearts beat a bit faster at the thought of genuine adventure in a picture-perfect snowy wilderness. There are thermal pools for snuggling, catching sight of the magical Northern Lights, and the unspoiled landscape of Lapland, where snowmobiling, skiing, and sledding doesn’t get any better unless a glass of wine follows it by a blazing fire.
Whether snuggling in a sauna in Helsinki or laying in a glass-covered snow igloo beneath the stars, Finland is where to heat up a honeymoon.
Best Hotels and Resorts for a Finland Honeymoon
Hotel F6
In the midst of Finland’s capital, Helsinki, Hotel F6 is designed for delightful romance. This cozy 76-room boutique hotel is a home away from home, surrounded by much of the city’s hotspots. For a bit of tranquility, it has a beautiful greenhouse in its courtyard, where the kitchen’s herbs are grown.
A buffet breakfast is included with any stay. Many of the nearby restaurants have room service arrangements with the hotel. The rooms have an expresso machine to handle any coffee emergency.
Couples can request the Love Package, which includes champagne, chocolates, and breakfast served in the room.
The Stay in Love Package is designed for newlyweds. Prepare to be pampered with premium champagne and chocolates, snacks, breakfast in bed, and late checkout. Hotel F6 will offer discounted rooms to wedding groups.
Wilderness Hotel Muotka
Wilderness Hotel Muotka in Lapland is a haven for outdoor excitement. Accommodations include log cabins, igloos, wilderness rooms, and special Aurora rooms for a one-of-a-kind viewing of the magical Northern Light, or the Aurora Borealis. Reindeer here are a common sight.
The Wilderness Hotel serves buffet-style meals, and the bar is open until 1:00 a.m. The heated sauna is available daily.
The hotel specializes in every type of outdoor activity. The husky safari, led by those blue-eyed beauties, offers sleigh rides for two through this incredible wilderness. Couples can visit a reindeer farm, enjoy snowmobiling, and track down the best sites and camps for the Northern Lights.
Snowmobiles will also take guests ice fishing, and the catch-of-the-day may be prepared on the spot by a fire. Great cross-country skiing allows couples to move through the snowy Instagram-worthy landscape.
Arctic Light Hotel
Arctic Light Hotel in Lapland has been named one of the best hotels in Finland. Its 57 rooms are individually and creatively decorated with arctic themes. Breakfast is included in the stay.
For a special, romantic, holiday getaway, the Christmas Cabin promises seclusion and a spacious living room steps from the main hotel. It has Christmas-themed decorations all year.
The Artic Restaurant serves locally sourced food, including beef, salmon, and crab.
Winter activities include hunting down the Aurora Lights, husky-led sleigh rides, snowmobile excursions, ice swimming, and a sauna to get warm again.
When the sun never sets, summer is a great time to visit Artikum Village with its beach along the Ounasjoki River. As the midnight sun shines down, this is a wonderful place for a picnic or a swim.
Santa Claus Holiday Village
Santa Claus Holiday Village in the Arctic Circle town of Rovaniemi has apartments and private cottages, including breakfast. The resort has three restaurants and a lobby bar. There is no shortage of reindeer and husky safaris, and the Village also offers ice fishing and snowmobiling. Guests can visit the Ranua Zoo filled with Arctic animals and other species. Pickup and drop-off from the Village to the zoo can be arranged.
For honeymooners who can’t decide between a relaxing hot sauna and a hot dinner, the Village can help with that difficult decision with its sauna and meal package. The sauna experience itself lasts for an hour and a half and includes a traditional Finnish sauna, a snow sauna, and a hot tub. Afterward, guests can savor a three-course meal.
For a different kind of romantic dinner, the Village’s Three Elves restaurant will serve guests in their private glass igloo. Fortunate dinners may get to see the Northern Lights while they eat.
Naturally, at the Santa Claus Holiday Village, Santa will pay a visit to the private cabins. No queuing in line here. This is where Santa comes to you.
Hotel Lilla Roberts
Lilla Roberts is a modern hotel in one of Helsinki’s best neighborhoods close to restaurants and shopping. One hundred and thirty comfortable rooms face the street or the courtyard.
The larger ones have a handy Nespresso machine. Three meals a day are available at the nearby Krog Roba Restaurant, and guests can enjoy a relaxing cocktail at the in-house Bar Lilla e which hosts a DJ every other Friday evening.
The hotel’s wedding night package includes room service breakfast, delicious handmade chocolates with fresh fruits or berries, champagne, and late check-out.
Food Culture in Finland
Much of Finland’s cuisine is determined by its climate and limited growing season. They are best known for their grains, and a good porridge is always warming, as are delicious bread and pastries.
In Helsinki, check out the Patisserie Teem Aura for their exceptional baked goods consisting of croissants, buns, and wonderful sourdough bread.
Finland has fresh fish in abundance. They are served in all restaurants, with a special nod to the popular salmon soup. If unsure about any fish, visitors should try the smoked version first. A popular menu item is boiled new potatoes with herring, as is mashed potatoes with reindeer meat.
Muru is a classic romantic restaurant in Helsinki that is known for its excellent cuisine. The best part of dinner at Muru is the cozy wine room with hundreds of different types of wine. Couples can sit, relax, and sample different wines by the glass while enjoying a charcuterie platter. The huge wine cellar was awarded the Best of Award of Excellence in 2017.
Further north in Lapland, dining and sauna go together. Laanilan Kievari in Saariselkä serves homegrown, organic food with its wine. They also offer wine and beer tastings. But why stop there? Following an excellent dinner, couples can retreat for some ice swimming, then warm up and snuggle in one of the two saunas. This is a fabulous way to revel in both a great meal and the fabulous outdoors of Lapland. A successful foodie honeymoon means never having to choose.
Top Things to Do in Finland
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress located outside of Helsinki is the result of wars fought by Finland against Sweden and Russia. The protective walls are six kilometers long and contain 100 cannons, tunnels, and a relaxing park for strolling. The fortress also has a museum and guided tours.
Old Market Hall
Old Market Hall in Helsinki offers total food emersion, from quality restaurants to delicacies such as fish, fresh produce, cheeses, and coffee, to delightful treats such as truffles and Finland’s famed salmon soup. This food hall was built in 1889 for improved food handling.
Nuuksio National Park
Nuuksio National Park is a magical place during both winter and summer. There are forests, valleys, and more than 80 lakes to explore for the perfect Finland hiking experience. Swimmers are welcome. Are a matter of fact, Lake Holma-Saarijärvi has a lovely beach. For bird lovers, the park is also a haven for woodpeckers.
Wonderful accommodation in the park can be found at Haltia Lake Lodge with comfortable rooms and a restaurant. As a treat for outdoor lovers, the lodge has a luxury glamping option.
These tents provide nature’s pleasure with all the comforts of home, including a toilet and a small kitchen. The lodge’s sauna is always available.
Saariselka
At 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, Saariselka is about as north as Finland gets without stepping on Santa’s toes. It can be reached via flight or train from Helsinki. This is a prime skiing destination as well as a fabulous place to see the Northern Lights. There are plenty of lodgings and restaurants.
The 134-room Holiday Club Resort is the northernmost resort in the world surrounded by the grand spectacle that is Lapland. It is the perfect destination for a relaxing getaway. The resort has a pampering spa, and spa guests do not need to be guests of the resort. Come in to enjoy the jacuzzi, swimming pool, and sauna. Spa treatments include massages and skin enhancers.
Average Cost of a One-Week Honeymoon Trip to Finland
For an average visit, couples should plan on spending $180 per day on a Finnish honeymoon. That includes $31 on meals and $32 on transportation and accommodation around $128 per day. An average honeymoon (not budget and not overly expensive) would cost about $1,897.
A Finland honeymoon certainly is not inexpensive. For a less expensive honeymoon, travel during the spring and fall instead of summer and winter, which are the busy seasons. And save on accommodations by staying at one of the many free travel huts that are available to hikers.
Best Time to Visit Finland
Spring months, when Finland begins to warm up, is a great time to visit the north for its superior snow sports. The months of July and August are the warmest Finnish months. The days are long, and the landscape is blooming. August marks the beginning of the long Finnish nights when the viewing of the Northern Lights is at its best, and this time lasts through October. This is also the time for hiking, exploring, and even swimming.
Snow enthusiasts cannot lose during a Finnish winter in Lapland. The skiing and snowmobiling are at their finest, and a warming sauna feels like an embrace.
Getting to Finland
Most of the US flights to Finland land in Helsinki. Flights originate from New York, Seattle, Boston, Newark, and Chicago. Airlines that fly this route are British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airlines, and Delta. Flights take approximately 12 hours. The cost ranges from $800 to over $1,000.
KLM, Finnair, Air France, and British Airways fly north to Lapland. Flights usually make multiple stops, and airtime can vary from 17 hours to over 30 hours.
