Kemi is a port and paper town at the very top of the Gulf of Bothnia, the northernmost arm of the Baltic. The sea here is only faintly salty and freezes solid every winter, in places to a thickness of a metre. That ice is Kemi’s great attraction, and the town has two ways of showing it off: a ship that breaks it and a castle built of it.
It is about 115 kilometres from Rovaniemi — an hour and a half by road or by train — and makes the most ambitious of the standard day trips. The icebreaker in particular is expensive and limited in capacity, and sells out months in advance for the peak weeks. Packages from Rovaniemi include the transfers.
What to see and do: Kemi: Icebreaker Sampo & SnowCastle
Cruise on the icebreaker Sampo
The Sampo was built in Helsinki and entered service in 1961, keeping the shipping lanes of the northern Baltic open for the Finnish state until 1987, when Kemi bought her for tourism. A cruise lasts three to four hours. You feel and hear the hull ride up on the ice and crush it, tour the engine room and the bridge, and eat on board.
Float in the frozen sea
Midway, the ship stops in the ice field. Passengers climb down onto the frozen sea to walk around the ship, and those who wish put on bright, buoyant survival suits and float in the open water behind the stern, among the broken floes. The suits are fully waterproof and worn over your clothes.
The SnowCastle
Kemi has built a castle of snow every winter since 1996, with a restaurant, a chapel and hotel rooms carved in snow; the design changes each year. Alongside it, the SnowCastle resort now has an indoor section kept below freezing all year round, so there is snow and ice to see even in July. The outdoor castle is usually open from about late January to early April.
Seaside glass villas and the harbour
On the shore by the SnowCastle stand glass-fronted villas facing the frozen sea — another aurora-watching option. The inner harbour and its old customs warehouses make a pleasant short walk.
Other icebreakers
A second icebreaker experience sails from a small harbour across the nearby Swedish border, with shuttle buses from Kemi and Rovaniemi. Its programme is similar, and fares are lower than the Sampo’s. Take your passport or identity card.
How to get to Kemi: Icebreaker Sampo & SnowCastle
- Trains run between Rovaniemi and Kemi several times a day and take about an hour and a half. The Sampo sails from Ajos harbour, about 11 kilometres from the town centre, so you will need a taxi or the cruise operator’s transfer.
- By car, follow the E75 south-west; allow an hour and a half in winter conditions.
- The simplest option is an icebreaker package from Rovaniemi, which includes the coach both ways and makes a long but straightforward day of ten to eleven hours.
Insider tips
- The Sampo’s season depends on the ice: cruises usually start in late December and continue into April. There are only a few sailings a week.
- Book as early as you can — for Christmas, New Year and February half-term, several months ahead is not too soon.
- The cruise is not cheap; expect to pay several hundred euros per adult. Check current fares when you book.
- Children can take the cruise, but there are minimum height or age limits for floating in the suits. Check before you book.
Best tours & tickets for Kemi: Icebreaker Sampo & SnowCastle
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Kemi: Icebreaker Sampo & SnowCastle:
Full-day trip to Kemi from €506 From Rovaniemi: Icebreaker Sampo Cruise with Ice Floating
The big-ticket day out. You are driven to Kemi on the Gulf of Bothnia to board the Sampo, which kept shipping lanes open in this sea from the early 1960s until 1987. The ship stops in the pack ice so you can walk on the frozen sea and float beside the hull in a survival suit. Sailings are limited and sell out far ahead.
- Cruise on a real former government icebreaker
- Float in the sea among the ice floes
- Transfers to Kemi included
Icebreaker cruise from €325 Icebreaker Cruise with Ice Floating and Walking on Ice
The main alternative to the Sampo: a cruise on another icebreaker that sails from a small harbour on the Swedish side of the Gulf of Bothnia, with shuttle buses from Kemi and Rovaniemi. The programme is similar — breaking ice, floating, walking on the sea — and fares are lower. Bring your passport or ID card.
- About three hours at sea
- Ice floating and a walk on the ice
- Lower price than the Sampo
Guided visit with transfer from €37 Rovaniemi: Arctic SnowHotel Visit
A visit to the hotel that is built from snow and ice each winter beside a lake at Sinettä, about half an hour from Rovaniemi. You tour the carved rooms, the ice restaurant and the chapel, and can try the ice bar. Open only in the snow season, roughly mid-December to the end of March.
- Snow rooms, ice sculptures and an ice bar
- Rebuilt from scratch every winter
- Transfer to Sinettä included
Ice floating from €125 Rovaniemi: Ice Floating in a Forest Lake with Combo Options
The most-booked ice-floating experience, with daytime and after-dark departures. In the evening it doubles as an aurora watch from the water; by day you float under a pale winter sky. Suits are worn over your own warm clothes.
- Floating in a survival suit
- Day or evening departures
- Can be combined with other activities
