We live in Rovaniemi, and every winter we watch couples arrive with one suitcase of thermals and a very long wish list. The ones who leave happiest are rarely the ones who booked the most. They are the ones who booked the right three or four things, on the right days, and left room to simply be together in the snow.

So here is the five-day honeymoon plan we would give our own friends: one serious Northern Lights hunt, one day with huskies and reindeer, a private sauna with an ice hole, and a sleigh ride to a campfire as a back-up aurora night. Every activity is bookable on this page.

How we built this five-day honeymoon plan

When friends ask us how to do Rovaniemi as a couple, our answer is always the same: fewer activities, better spaced. A honeymoon in Lapland is not a race to tick off every husky, reindeer and snowmobile in town. It is long dinners, slow mornings with the blue light outside the window, and three or four evenings and days that you will still talk about in twenty years. So this plan has four booked activities over five days, with deliberate gaps between them.

The logic is simple. The anchor is the Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 because the aurora is the one thing almost every couple dreams of, and a small group of 2–8 people with a guide who is also a photographer is the most personal way to chase it without paying private-tour money. We put it on night three, not night one: you arrive rested, and you still have two more evenings left if the clouds win. A daytime husky and reindeer day goes on day two, the private sauna and ice hole on day four, and a cosy sleigh ride to a teepee campfire on night five doubles as a second aurora chance.

Everything in this plan starts from Rovaniemi and, except where we say otherwise, includes pick-up within 10 km of the city centre and warm winter overalls, boots and gloves. That matters on a honeymoon: you are not renting cars at minus twenty or wondering whose mittens are whose.

Days 1 and 2: arrive slowly, then huskies and reindeer

Day 1 — arrival and nothing booked

We leave the first day empty on purpose. Flights into Rovaniemi land at all hours, bags get delayed, and the first evening is better spent walking along the frozen river, eating something hot and getting used to the dry cold. Buy proper wool socks if you forgot them. Go to bed early; tomorrow starts in the morning.

Day 2 — Kuoksa Husky & Reindeer Adventure

The Kuoksa Husky & Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is our favourite daytime pick for couples because it puts two very different Lapland moods into one five-hour outing. First you each get instructions and drive a husky sled yourselves for about 5 km: loud, fast, slightly chaotic at the start when the dogs are screaming to go, and then suddenly quiet once they settle into a rhythm. After that comes a 2–3 km reindeer sleigh ride, which is the opposite in every way: slow, silent, just the sound of hooves in the snow. Lunch is open-fire salmon soup in a teepee, with drinks.

Book this if you want one big daytime experience with animals and a proper meal included. Skip it if you are travelling with a strict budget; the cheaper swaps are in section four. Note the booking cut-off of one day before, and that in bad weather the husky part can be shortened and guide-driven for safety.

Afterwards, go back to your hotel, warm up and have an early dinner. Tomorrow is the late night.

Days 3 to 5: aurora night, private sauna and a sleigh ride

Day 3 — slow day, then the Northern Lights hunt

Sleep in. Have a long brunch. Walk to the Arktikum or just sit in a café watching the light turn pink and blue in the early afternoon. You want energy for the evening, because the small-group Northern Lights hunt5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is not a quick look from a hill. The start time varies between 17:00 and 21:00 and is confirmed by email by 14:00 on the day, and the hunt typically lasts 4–10 hours because the guide follows the clearest skies, sometimes close to town and sometimes far into the quiet countryside. Warm drinks and light snacks are included, so are winter clothing and professional DSLR photos of the two of you, delivered online a few days later. Bring your passport.

The part honeymooners love is the guarantee: if no Northern Lights photos are captured, you get a 100% refund. It does not make the aurora appear, but it takes the sting out of a cloudy night. One honest note: the aurora usually looks stronger on camera than to the naked eye, so do not expect a neon sky every time. On a good night, though, standing in the dark snow together while it moves overhead is exactly the honeymoon photo you came for.

Day 4 — Private Wooden Heated Sauna and Ice Swimming

After a late night, you need a day that is warm in every sense. The Private Wooden Heated Sauna and Ice Swimming5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 gives you a traditional wood-heated sauna to yourselves, a hand-cut ice hole for the cold plunge, towels, a light snack and drinks, and instructions on how to do it safely. There are morning, afternoon and evening departures, so we suggest the afternoon slot after a lazy morning. Clothes are optional at this private sauna, which is very Finnish and, for a honeymoon, rather convenient. Swimwear is fine too.

The ice hole is optional. A quick dip after a hot round, back into the heat, repeat once if you feel brave: that is the whole ritual. It is as much about the quiet afterwards as the plunge itself. It needs at least two people, so it fits a couple exactly.

Day 5 — Northern Lights Tour Sleigh Ride (your back-up aurora night)

On the last evening we keep things cosy rather than intense. On the Northern Lights Tour Sleigh Ride5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 you sit together in a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile to a secluded forest spot, where a campfire waits in a teepee with local snacks and hot drinks. It starts in the evening and lasts about four hours. If the aurora did not show on night three, this is your second chance; if it did, this is simply a beautiful last night by the fire. If your flight leaves on day five, swap this onto the evening of day four and move the sauna to the morning.

What to choose if you only book two, three or four activities

Not every couple wants a full programme, so here is how we would trim it.

Only two activities: the small-group aurora hunt5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 plus the husky and reindeer day. That covers the Northern Lights and the animals, and leaves the rest of your trip for slow wandering, restaurants and your hotel.

Three activities: add the private sauna and ice swimming. It is the most Finnish thing on the list and the one couples tend to remember with the biggest smile.

Four activities: the full plan above, with the sleigh ride as a second evening outdoors and a back-up aurora chance.

On a tighter budget: swap the husky and reindeer combination for the Nulkki Husky Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €189, 5 km self-driven) and swap the small-group hunt for the Northern Lights hunting tour by bus5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €109, also with a refund if no aurora photos are captured). You lose the small-group feel, but the plan still works. For a reindeer-and-aurora evening in one, the Northern Lights Tour Reindeer Safari5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €179) is a gentle alternative to the sleigh ride.

What the honeymoon plan costs

Prices below are the "from" prices per adult at the time of writing. Live prices show in the booking window and can change by date.

Our 5% reader discount applies to every single booking in the table, not just one, so on the full plan for two it saves you roughly €86. Any celebration package comes on top; its price is shown when you open it.

Book your whole plan in one go

Each button opens the live calendar right here on the page. Book them one after another while you have your dates in front of you, and type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off — on every activity you book.

Day 2: Kuoksa Husky & Reindeer Adventure →

Night 3: Small Group Northern Lights Hunt →

Day 4: Private Sauna and Ice Swimming →

Night 5: Northern Lights Sleigh Ride →

Our tip: book the aurora hunt and the husky day first, because those are the ones couples most regret missing. Remember the code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on each checkout. If you want more ideas before you decide, browse our full guide to activities in Rovaniemi.

Upgrades: private aurora, celebration packages and proposals

If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip and the budget allows, the private version of the Northern Lights hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €1,990) gives you the guide, the photographer and the car for the two of you only. Note its stricter cancellation: free up to seven days before.

For the celebration side, there are in-room packages you can add to the stay. Anything for you – Love Celebration with Sauna5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 includes a decorated room, a three-course dinner served in the room and a private sauna and jacuzzi; if you book it, you could drop the separate sauna day and use day four for something else. Forever yours – Love Celebration5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is the simpler room-decoration version. Planning to pop the question rather than celebrate a wedding? The Romantic Lappish Proposal5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 covers the set-up, a three-course dinner and champagne, and the Romantic Lappish Dream Proposal with Snowmobiles5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 adds a private snowmobile ride to a prepared spot. These are room packages, so check prices and which accommodation they apply to in the booking window.

For more couple ideas, read our romantic winter activities in Rovaniemi and our take on the private aurora hunt for honeymoons and proposals.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best activity for a honeymoon in Rovaniemi?
For most couples it is a small-group Northern Lights hunt: a guide and photographer chase clear skies for you, you get professional photos of the two of you under the aurora, and there is a full refund if no Northern Lights photos are captured. It is from €199 per person.

How many nights do we need to see the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi?
Nobody can promise the sky, but giving yourselves at least two or three evening chances makes a real difference. That is why our plan puts the aurora hunt on night three and keeps a cheaper aurora tour on night five as a back-up.

Is a husky ride romantic or just for adventure lovers?
Both. On the husky and reindeer combination you drive your own sled for 5 km, then switch to a slow 2–3 km reindeer sleigh ride and a salmon soup lunch in a teepee. The contrast between the fast dogs and the quiet reindeer is what makes the day memorable for couples.

Do we have to swim in the ice hole on the private sauna evening?
No. The private sauna is yours either way and the ice hole is optional. Most people try one quick dip after a good sauna round; if you do not want to, simply cool off outside in the snow air and go back in.

Can we book a celebration or proposal set-up in Rovaniemi?
Yes, there are in-room love celebration packages (decorated room, and in the Anything for you package a three-course dinner served in the room plus a private sauna and jacuzzi) and proposal packages. Prices and the rooms they apply to are shown in the booking window.

Does the 5% discount work on every activity in the plan?
Yes. Book each activity separately and type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout every time; the 5% comes off each booking, so on a two-person plan of about €1,712 it saves you roughly €86.

Our pick for a Rovaniemi honeymoon

If you book only one thing, make it the Professional Small Group Northern Lights Hunting Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 on your second or third night, so you still have back-up evenings. Pair it with the husky and reindeer day and the private sauna, and you have the honeymoon most couples imagine when they picture Lapland: animals by day, fire and sauna in between, and the sky doing its thing at night.

Check dates for the small-group aurora hunt →

Type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off on each booking. Congratulations, and enjoy every quiet minute of it.