Levi is Finland’s most visited ski resort — but skiing is just the beginning. From watching the Northern Lights dance overhead to driving a husky sled through a snow-covered forest, Levi offers some of the most extraordinary experiences in Europe. Here are the 25 best things to do in Levi, Finnish Lapland.
⭐ The 25 Best Things to Do in Levi
1. 🌌 Watch the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights are the reason many people come to Levi — and rightly so. Levi sees aurora on roughly 111 nights per year, and on a clear night you’re just five minutes’ walk from the village centre into genuine darkness. No tour required. Check the forecast at space.fmi.fi, wait for a clear night, and walk out. The experience of watching curtains of green light ripple across an arctic sky in silence is one of the most powerful things you’ll ever see.
2. 🐕 Husky Safari
Drive your own team of husky dogs through a snow-covered Lapland forest — one of the most exhilarating and memorable experiences in Finnish Lapland. You stand on the back of the sled, the dogs pull, and the forest rushes past in complete silence apart from the sound of paws on snow. Most safaris are 2 hours, include a campfire stop with sausages and hot drinks, and are suitable for all fitness levels. Book in advance — popular slots sell out quickly.
3. 🦌 Reindeer Sleigh Ride
Glide through a snowy Lapland forest pulled by real reindeer — deeply Finnish and genuinely magical. Meet and feed the reindeer, learn about Sámi reindeer herding traditions, and settle into a warm sleigh for a forest ride that children and adults find equally extraordinary. The pace is gentle, the atmosphere is peaceful, and the memories last forever.
→ Full reindeer experience guide
4. 🎿 Ski or Snowboard
Levi has 43 slopes, 27 lifts and Arctic powder snow from November to April. The terrain suits beginners and intermediates well — the fell is wide rather than steep. What makes skiing in Levi unique is the polar night — most slopes are flood-lit and skiing under the Northern Lights during kaamos is an experience impossible to replicate in the Alps. The gondola gives fast access to the summit and longer runs.
→ Full skiing guide · Ski pass prices · Ski lessons
5. ☕ Visit the Secret Cafe (Café Panorama Laavu)
Levi’s most talked-about hidden gem — a tiny forest shelter near the summit with an open fire, hot drinks, crepes and panoramic views stretching to the Pallas fells. The 300-metre walk from the summit car park takes you through tykky-covered trees into a scene that feels completely removed from the resort below. Hugely popular on TikTok and Instagram — visit on a weekday morning to avoid the weekend crowds.
→ Full Secret Cafe guide with routes and maps
6. 🏨 Stay in the Snow Village (Ice Hotel)
Built from 20 million kilograms of snow every winter, the Snow Village near Levi is one of the most extraordinary places in Europe — an ice hotel, ice bar, ice restaurant and ice chapel, all sculpted anew each season. Sleep in an ice suite at -5°C, drink from ice glasses in the SnowBar, and eat dinner at an ice table. A day trip from Levi takes about 25 minutes each way.
7. 🛷 Snowmobile Safari
Drive your own snowmobile through Lapland wilderness on a guided safari — fast, powerful and deeply satisfying. Snowmobile safaris cover terrain inaccessible any other way, deep into the forest and across frozen lakes. Most safaris include a campfire stop. A driving licence is required to drive your own machine; passengers can ride without one.
→ Full snowmobile safari guide
8. 🧖 Finnish Sauna
The sauna is not optional in Levi — it’s a daily ritual. Most apartments include a private sauna that you heat yourself, use at your own pace, and exit into the arctic cold. The contrast of intense heat and -20°C air is genuinely extraordinary and deeply restorative. For the full experience, find a lakeside sauna with ice swimming — lowering yourself into frozen lake water is shocking for exactly two seconds and then euphoric.
9. 🏔️ Take the Gondola to the Summit
The Gondoli2000 gondola lifts you from Levi centre to the 531m summit in minutes — and the views from the top are one of the best free experiences in Levi (gondola ticket required, but no additional summit fee). In winter the panorama of snow-covered fells stretching to the horizon is breath-taking. The gondola also provides the easiest route to the Secret Cafe.
10. 🏎️ Ice Karting
Race go-karts on a frozen ice track with studded tyres — sliding, spinning and laughing through corners at speed. One of Levi’s most popular adrenaline activities and completely accessible to non-skiers. Competitive, fun and genuinely different from any karting you’ve done before. Sessions run throughout the day.
11. 🎣 Ice Fishing
Drill a hole through a frozen lake, drop a line, and wait in the silence of the Lapland wilderness. Ice fishing is meditative, surprisingly addictive, and the moment a fish tugs is genuinely exciting. Guided tours include all equipment, a warm hut or campfire, and usually a meal cooked from the catch. Also possible self-guided with a licence from the local fishing cooperative.
12. 🥾 Snowshoeing
Strap on snowshoes and walk into a winter forest that’s completely inaccessible any other way. The silence is extraordinary — no engine noise, no crowds, just the creak of snow underfoot. Guided tours typically end at a campfire with grilled sausages and hot drinks. No experience needed, suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
13. ⛷️ Cross-Country Skiing
Levi has 230 km of groomed cross-country trails through forest and open fell landscape — some of the best in Finland. No trail fee required. Trails range from short easy loops around the village to multi-day routes into the national park. Equipment hire is available in the village centre.
→ Full cross-country skiing guide
14. 🌅 Hike to the Fell Summit
Walk to Levi’s 531m summit on foot — via the 766-step staircase from Hotel Levi Spa or along marked fell trails. The views from the top are some of the finest in Finnish Lapland. Particularly spectacular in September ruska season and in the blue light of February. Free to access — no ticket required if you walk up.
15. 🦌 Reindeer Farm Visit
Visit a working reindeer farm, meet the herd, learn about the Sámi culture of reindeer herding, and feed the animals by hand. A quieter and more personal experience than the sleigh ride — ideal for families with children who want to spend more time with the reindeer. Some farms offer combined sleigh ride and farm visit packages.
16. 🐴 Horseback Riding in the Forest
Ride Icelandic horses through snow-covered Lapland forest on a guided trek — a slower, quieter alternative to snowmobile safaris. The horses are remarkably sure-footed in snow and the forest experience on horseback is genuinely different from any other activity in Levi. Available in winter and summer.
17. 🍽️ Eat Reindeer in Levi
Try sautéed reindeer (poronkäristys) — the most traditional Finnish Lapland dish, served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam in almost every restaurant in Levi. Rich, tender and genuinely delicious. Also worth trying: reindeer soup, smoked reindeer, and Arctic char.
18. 📸 Aurora Photography
Photographing the Northern Lights in Levi is genuinely achievable without professional equipment — modern phone cameras handle aurora surprisingly well. The key ingredients: a clear night, a dark location 10 minutes from the village, and patience. A tripod and a camera with manual settings transforms the results dramatically.
→ Full aurora photography guide
19. 🛷 Sledging (Pulkka)
Find a hill, grab a pulkka (Finnish sledge), and slide. One of the simplest and most universally enjoyable activities in Levi — completely free on natural hills, cheap to hire a pulkka from resort shops. Children love it and adults rediscover it. The hill near the gondola base is a favourite.
20. 🌲 Spot Tykky Trees
Tykky are trees bent and sculpted into extraordinary shapes by the weight of accumulated snow — a phenomenon unique to northern Finland and one of Levi’s most photographed winter landscapes. The forest around the Secret Cafe and the fell summit trails are full of tykky trees from December to March. No tour required — just walk into the forest.
21. 🏂 Learn to Ski for the First Time
Levi is one of Europe’s best places to learn to ski — dry Arctic powder snow, a well-organised ski school with English-speaking instructors, gentle beginner slopes and a magic carpet lift at the base. Children from age 3 and adults at any level are catered for. Most first-timers are linking turns by day 2.
→ Ski lessons guide · Beginner skiing guide
22. 🌙 Ski Under the Northern Lights
During the polar night (kaamos) from late November to mid-January, Levi’s slopes are lit by floodlights and the sky overhead is dark enough for Northern Lights. Skiing while the aurora ripples above you is one of the most unique experiences in all of winter sport — completely impossible to replicate anywhere in the Alps.
23. ⛸️ Watch the World Cup Slalom
Every November, Levi hosts the opening slalom of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season — raced in complete polar night darkness under floodlights. The atmosphere is extraordinary: the best slalom skiers in the world, tens of thousands of spectators, concerts in the village and -10°C arctic air. One of the most unusual sporting events in Europe.
24. 🛁 Sit in an Outdoor Hot Tub Under the Stars
Many cabins and some apartments in Levi come with an outdoor hot tub on the terrace. Sitting in steaming water at -20°C while looking at a sky full of stars — or watching the Northern Lights directly overhead — is one of those simple experiences that stays with you. Best in January and February when the nights are longest and darkest.
25. 🆓 Explore Levi for Free
Not everything in Levi costs money. Northern Lights watching, fell hiking, snowshoeing on marked trails, sledging on natural hills and berry picking in summer are all free. The 230 km cross-country trail network has no trail fee. The village itself — the Christmas lights, the pedestrian street, the fell views — is free to explore.
→ Full guide: free things to do in Levi
📅 Best Activities by Season
| Season | Top activities |
|---|---|
| December–January | Northern Lights, husky safaris, skiing under polar night, reindeer, Snow Village, Secret Cafe |
| February–March | Best skiing, snowmobile safaris, snowshoeing, ice fishing, spring sunshine + aurora |
| September–October | Ruska hiking, first Northern Lights of the season, berry picking, peaceful fell walks |
| June–July | Midnight sun hiking, golf, canoeing, mountain biking, fishing |
❓ FAQ — Things to Do in Levi
What is Levi most famous for?
Levi is most famous for skiing (Finland’s largest ski resort), Northern Lights, husky safaris and reindeer experiences. It’s also known for the Secret Cafe, the annual FIS Alpine Ski World Cup slalom races and the polar night (kaamos) atmosphere during midwinter.
Is Levi good if you don’t ski?
Absolutely — many visitors never go near the slopes. Husky safaris, reindeer experiences, snowmobile tours, snowshoeing, the Secret Cafe, Snow Village, Northern Lights watching and the sauna experience are all outstanding non-skiing activities. Levi is a complete destination without skiing.
How many days do you need in Levi?
A minimum of 4 nights is recommended to do Levi justice — enough for skiing, one or two safaris, a Northern Lights evening and the sauna experience. 5–7 nights lets you slow down and explore more. Two nights is possible but you’ll leave feeling you’ve barely started.
What are the best free things to do in Levi?
Northern Lights watching, fell hiking, snowshoeing on marked trails, sledging and berry picking (summer) are all free. The 230 km cross-country trail network has no trail fee. Walking the village, enjoying the Christmas lights and exploring the forest are all free.
🏨 Where to Stay in Levi
A central Levi apartment puts you within walking distance of all 25 activities on this list — slopes, safaris, restaurants, the gondola and the village. Leviloma apartments include private saunas, fully equipped kitchens and central locations.
📖 See Also
- First time in Levi — complete planning guide
- Northern Lights in Levi
- Skiing in Levi
- Levi with kids
- Levi for couples
- Free things to do in Levi
- Plan your trip to Levi
Leviguide.com – your complete guide to Levi, Lapland.