Thieves know that travellers like to keep their money around their waists, so that is not the place to keep it. Try taking a bandanna and folding it into a triangle, sew up the two open sides, leaving a small gap of about an inch, at one end. Stuff the money you wont be using that day inside then tie it around your neck as a scarf. The money for the day you can simply keep in your pocket. Always spread your money around a bit, so if your wallet is stolen you still have your money that's in your pocket, if that goes you have money in your bag. etc. Photo by Lastonein
We had a bus to catch to Inari in the North scheduled for 11:45, so the plan was to see the museum in town - Arktikum - It focuses on Arctic areas and Finnish Lapland’s history and modern day life, as well as a multimedia show about the Northern Lights, exhibitions on the Sami culture and the wild life in the area. Open Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00. Cost 12Euro for an adult. It is clearly marked on the city map that the hotel reception supplies, and is within walking distance. However, we got up slowly and instead walked up and down the pedestrian street, visited the most Northerly McDonald's, and the town mall where the Lordi restaurant is. If you remember they are a rock band that won the Eurovision a few years back, and they all dress up like some kind of fantasy monster like creatures. The restaurant is decorated accordingly. Opposite the restaurant is a supermarket, and an Aloco - the outlet where you can buy alcohol in Finland. So we stocked up and then went back to the hotel and caught a taxi to the central bus station. This I admit is a flaw in my planning - the bus to Inari leaves from the central bus station which is a walkable distance but not with luggage, so this adds extra cost - Taxi fare 10Euro.The bus left promptly at 11:45. It is a very comfortable bus with a toilet, and one are at the back with a table and 4 chairs around it, so try and catch this space for your trip. The ride to Inari takes 5 hours, it costs 93Euro per person one way, and makes several stops. There are about 3 stops just for a cigarette and to use the toilet, and then there is a slightly longer stop(30 min) in Ivalo. Ivalo is one of the options for staying in the North, but once I had seen it I was glad we chose Inari. Ivalo, although small, is about 3 times the size of Inari, which is very small, and the main road is very wide and long, so getting around on foot would have been more challenging. Although if your purpose is just to have a place to lay your head and then go out every day on excursions, Ivalo would be fine. There is also the cute Hotel Kultahippu which has a warm wood paneled, lobby, which features a bar, slot machines and a fireplace. The bus delivers the post/mail to all the small villages along the way, and the bus trip gives you the opportunity to see the wide open spaces of Finland, with trees, trees, more trees and ice covered lakes and rivers. Extremely beautiful. We arrived in Inari. Basically a one street village, where everyone is friendly, and they all know each other. The bus drops you off right outside your hotel, whether you stay at the Inari Hotel of the Kultahovi, where we stayed. There is also a camping ground with cabins a little out of town, and a relatively new Bed and Breakfast, Villa Lanca, opposite the Inari Hotel. How to choose where to stay: Inari Hotel is in the "centre" of town, and has an active bar and pub scene on weekends. The B&B is also central, clean and new, but quieter and more personal. The pro of camping is the price, the con is the distance from town, although they offer all the trips and excursions. The Kultahovi, my choice and favorite: small enough to be intimate, a 5 minute walk from the "centre", and if you get a room like ours you will be very satisfied. Ask for a room in the new wing - the river hotel I think they call it, with a sauna in your bathroom and a sliding door leading on to your own porch, which faces the river and forest. They too provide all the trips and excursions, as well as having a classy restaurant, and a small library. There is also a computer you can use paying by the time you use.
If you are running low on cash and traveling in Greece, drop in on your local University. The University students in Greece get hot free meals. You do need to show your student card to enter, or, hang around the cafateria until a helpful student offers to get you in!
Save your money on those fancy bus tours, take a local bus that does a circular route, and that way you will probably get to see things a little further out of the city centre. It is always nice to see where the people really live, and not just the touristy areas in the centre. For example 3T in Helsinki, and tram 19 in Munich. It is cheaper than a tourist bus and you will be sitting with locals.
You can leave Helsinki on a SAS flight at 12:00 to Rovaniemi and arrive at 13:30. Now as I have only planned one day in Rovaniemi, maximize your time by going directly to the Santa Village by taxi (+/- 12 Euro) which is only 2km from the airport, instead of going all the way into town and then out again to Santa. Once in the Santa village you can leave your luggage at the reception, and also pick up a map of the village there. Entrance is free. An hour is enough time in the village if you are not with kids, and if it is not Christmas time. There are many souvenir shops, a few restaurants, and the attractions which are a snow park, meeting Santa( free, but no self-taken photos, photos sold starting at 30 Euro), send a letter "from"Santa to your kids (6Euro) and a museum. But of course the place is magical just to walk around, as the Christmas carols are softly played over head. Avoid the high seasons here. We were told that around Christmas you can wait 2 hours in line for Santa, when we just went straight in. You can also buy a certificate to signify that you have crossed the Arctic circle. The certificate is 12 Euro from the restaurant and 6Euro from the reception. Then it is on to Roveniemi by bus(2.90Euro). Tell the bus driver the name of your hotel and he will indicate where to get off. Stay at the City Hotel. It is warm, welcoming, reasonably priced and in the middle of town.Take a walk up the pedestrian street, or just get some rest until the evening. Then you can do one of the evening activities on offer, like sledding, searching for the Northern Lights, or what we did, have a ski lesson.We used the ski school at the nearby Ounasvaara Ski slops.
