Trips to Finland have become quite commonplace for residents of the Russian Federation, especially in its northern regions. Inexpensive rest and shopping are what attract Russians. One of the tourist centers of Finland is Ivalo. It simply fascinates with natural beauties, captivates with interesting sights, makes it possible to engage in various sports and shopping.
Meet Ivalo
By and large, Ivalo is not a city, but a village located in the province of Lappi. Ivalo is part of the municipality of Inari and is the largest settlement in it with a population of almost 4 thousand people.
Ivalo (Finland) is compactly located on the banks of the Ivaloyoki River. Ivaloyoka originates in mountain glaciers and flows into Lake Inari near the town of Ivalo.
Ivalo, the northernmost Finnish city, is 38 km from Inari, 164 km to the Norwegian border and 300 km to Murmansk.
How to get there
The easiest way to use the airport is Ivalo (Finland). This is the northernmost Finnish airport, which is also the oldest airport in Lapland. The airport operates year-round, taking on average about 100 thousand tourists.
From Ivalo to the airport - 11 km, however, from the airport you can take buses to many Finnish cities.
Another option to get to Ivalo: by car along the highway E-75 (No. 4). The road passes through Norway, Helsinki. From Murmansk you can get on the road R-12.
However, many Russians living in the Murmansk region prefer to travel on tour buses provided by local travel agencies. The cost of the trip is 2 thousand rubles, it will take about 4 hours to travel.
Documents
A Russian tourist will be able to visit Ivalo if he has:
- Schengen visa
- insurance;
- green card on a car.
Weather
The choice of clothing is determined by climatic conditions and weather. Weather in Ivalo (Finland) depends on the season:
- January is the coldest month of the year, the average temperature is -14 0 , at night the air freezes to -25 0 ;
- since April, warming has come;
- July is the warmest month, the average air temperature is 18 0 .
Going on a trip, you need to choose the right clothes and shoes - this is the key to comfort and good mood.
Entertainment
The village of Ivalo is located beyond the Arctic Circle, it is surrounded by a rich untouched nature - this determines the nature of the entertainment of tourists.
In summer, fishing and canoeing are popular along numerous rivers. During hiking or cycling trips tourists climb to the observation deck, which offers beautiful views of the lakes and forests. Often you can meet professional photographers.
Another entertainment is the game of gold miners. The Ivaloyoki River in the 19th century became a place of industrial extraction of gold sand, now a gold museum is opened on its shore in the village of Tankavaara. Here, tourists can try to find their own nugget in the river waters themselves or take part in the Finnish gold diggers championship. The championship is held annually in August.
If the sights in Ivalo (Finland) are studied, you can go to the neighboring town of Inari, where the Siidi Museum of Sami culture is located. Here is the tourist area of Juuta - the center of Upper Lapland. From Inari, tourists go on hikes to the Pielpayarvi church abandoned in the wilderness or cruises on the lake.
For those who are interested in birds, a special ornithological tower has been set up for observation at the mouth of the Kaamajoki River. Birds in huge numbers live on lakes and in the coastal part of rivers.
But mostly tourists come to the city of Ivalo (Finland) in the winter. At this time, you can admire the bewitching northern lights, ride a reindeer or dog sledding, do all kinds of sports - and this is worth mentioning in more detail.
Winter pokatushki in Saariselkä
Snowboards, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobile safaris - all this is offered in the Saariselkä ski resort, which is 30 km from Ivalo.
Saariselkä is 250 km of pistes of varying difficulty for beginners and families with children. In numbers, the ski resort located on the slopes of the Iisakkipää and Kaunispään hills is as follows:
- 12 tracks, part illuminated at night;
- the longest track is 1500 m;
- height difference of the slopes 180 m;
- availability of instructors, equipment can be rented.
Gym, cafes and restaurants, gas station, shops and hotels - all this makes staying in Saariselkä boring.
Car lovers
Only in Ivalo (Finland) you can get to the test site of the world famous company Nokian Tires, where they test the tires produced by the company.
The landfill occupies 700 hectares and operates during winter colds, from November to May.
What can be seen:
- 0.5-1 km long trails help to study the properties of tires in traction with compacted snow.
- High hill is another place where rubber quality is checked. The tracks vary in steepness and tortuosity.
- Several times the quality of Nokian Tires tires is studied on the ice surface. There are several different routes for this. 2 tracks are designed to test grip on steep turns. The track is 2.3 km long and 0.3 km in diameter and is designed to assess stability retention. Three tracks laid along the frozen lake Tammijärvi. Finally, another route allows you to determine controllability on the Arctic ice track, where direct sections and turns are combined.
- Tests are conducted on snowy roads to determine tire properties. The 12 km long route consists of ascents, descents, straight sections and turns.
Hotels
Having decided to spend several days in Ivalo, you can choose the right hotel and book a room on one of the tourist sites.
One of the most comfortable is the four-star Ivalo Hotel (Finland). The rooms are decorated in a Scandinavian style, breakfast is included in the room rate.
There are good three-star hotels in Ivalo, among them Tunturikeskus Kiilopaa, Naverniemi Holiday Center, Guesthouse Husky.
As well as several two-star hotels. This is Kultahippu, Kamisak Husky and Horse Farm.
There are small hotels such as Ivalon Majatalo, Nanguvilla, Korpikoto, Pajakoski, Holiday Home, li Kultahippu Hotel, Hoviranta, Visapirtti, Näverniemi Holiday Center.
Many tourists choose cottages, such as Lake Cottage, or Ukonjarven Holiday Village, or Camping River Camping.
The shops
The largest store is S-Market (Petsamontie, 2), where you can purchase products of excellent quality. Cheeses and coffee, dairy products and sweets, food for children and much more - everything is always fresh and tasty. There is also a department with men's and women's clothing, as well as an alcohol department, where Russian tourists are attracted by a curiosity - cloudberry liquor.
Nearby there are several grocery stores - K-market (Ivalontie, 17) and Siwa (Petsamontie, 5). All stores are open from 8 to 21 hours.
Sportswear of famous brands can be purchased in stores:
- Sportia (Ivalontie, 8).
- Tekstili nikula (Ivalontie, 11).
Shops are open from 9 to 17.30, and on Saturday - until 14.00.
Especially popular are clothing stores during sales, which are arranged on Christmas Eve, after the New Year holidays and at the end of each season. Ivalontie street also has floral, souvenir, furniture stores, there is no car shop in Ivalo (Finland).
Souvenirs
What a trip without souvenirs! These are mandatory expenses during the trip, bringing a lot of joy.
The most popular gifts are items with the image of Moomins. Cute characters from Tove Jansson's books have long lived their own lives. They decorate dishes, sweets, clothes, and plush toys - the same Moomins - will be a wonderful gift for a child.
A great souvenir is a real Finnish knife. Knives are sold not as weapons, but as household items, so there will be no problems at the border.
Fishermen will be delighted with the tackle made in Finland, which are of high quality, and sauna lovers with bath accessories.
Fur clothing is another popular brand in Finland, which you should pay attention to in the Ivalo gift shop. Slippers, vests, plaids decorated with national patterns, soft and fluffy - such gifts always cause genuine joy. Lapland hats with four ends look funny.
Finally, a nice gift from Ivalo (Finland) - all kinds of liquors infused with natural berries, and cloudberry candies.
Deer antler souvenirs, smoked salmon and moose milk cakes are all wonderful gifts that will remind you of a trip to Ivalo.