Winter Driving in Lapland – What You Should Know

Are you planning to visit Lapland during the winter season and considering renting a car? As amazing as a road trip in the winter wonderland may sound like, the arctic weather is no joke, and there are many things to consider before hitting the icy arctic roads. Here’s a list of things to consider before hopping on the driver’s seat, as well as other transportation options in Lapland.
1. Make sure you are in fact comfortable and experienced enough to drive in extreme winter conditions. The winters here are long & especially in December and January you are dealing with darkness for most of the day. The Roads in the Arctic north can be icy, full of snow and animals like reindeer or moose may jump out into the road. Yes Lapland is a winter wonderland, but driving here is no joke.
2. Don’t assume that all roads are clear and maintained. Many are not ploughed in the winter at all, others may only be cleared occasionally. Ask locals for the best routes & allow for extra time.
3. Don’t stop your car in the middle of the road for taking pictures. Always park your car in the designated parking place. It’s always magical view during winter time but Don’t just stop the car in the middle of the road for taking pictures. It will put you and others in danger.
4. Do not rely on google maps! Google maps does not take into consideration whether a road is maintained over the winter or not! It will sometimes direct you to roads that are open only in summer and in a sudden moment you are stuck on deep snow. Plan your route in advance. Ask locals for suggestions.
5. Areas are remote and distances are long. Please remember that many areas here are remote. Distances are long and it might take a while for help to get to you. If you are not sure whether you should drive here in the winter, don’t! It’s not worth putting yourself and others in danger for.
6. When the road are slippery, braking takes longer and the driver’s incorrect assessments result in immediate consequences.
7. Especially in winter pay attention to visibility from the car before heading out. Remove the snow all around – also from the roof. Clear ice from the side and back windows, mirrors, and windscreen. Check if the windscreen wipers are frozen.
8. Never drive faster than what is safe for the current conditions of the road. When driving in bad weather you should, above all, slow down and keep a decent safety distance.
9. Use Transportation and transfer services. There are plenty of tour operators who offer transport as part of their service, public transport or taxis available as well to get you from A to B.

10. Always leave with a full tank if you are headed anywhere further than your local shops – next gas station may be 200 km away.

11. Don’t Throw boiling water on Car windshield. Many people don’t have ideas about cleaning the car in winter. Tourists often pouring boiled/hot water on the ice which is extremely dangerous. You need to use the ice scraper which might take little bit time.

Lapland winter snow road conditions Finland By Jasim Sarker

Driving in Lapland During Winter

Tourists got lost and several accidents were recorded during recent years. According to the officials, Tourists who got lost on the wrong roads have employed rescue services all over Lapland in recent years. Many motorists use popular map applications.  For example, further north, foreign tourists have gone to the ski slopes guided by the Google Maps and have driven as far as they could. On the other hand, in southern Lapland, especially between Oulu and Rovaniemi, the google maps and some other application directs to the shortest, smallest and, especially in winter, very poor condition road. Many tourists rent cars from the car rentals and they are not aware about the roads in the area they are travelling. 




Winter Tyres in Lapland:

You will not be able to rent a car in Finnish Lapland without the correct tyres. The car company would be illegal if they rent cars without winter tyres during the winter, they are obligatory by law. So don’t worry about the tyres. Driving on the snow with the correct tyres is not that different from driving on a road without snow. You just have to go slow and pay attention (the speed limits are lower during the winter). Traffic is very calm; in most places outside cities there is hardly any traffic. Winter tyres are required by law from November to March. (Studded tires allowed from Nov 1 to March 31). So there is no way you could get a rental car out of the garage without proper winter tires and in the Lapland region that means practically always studded tires.

Watch Out reindeer and the Roadside

Pay attention to the reindeer; they are less during the winter (in the summer they are all over the place, at least in Eastern Lapland), but you might still see some jogging on the road and they really do not know how to avoid cars.

Ice, Snow and Darkness

What makes driving difficult is if it’s snowing heavily. Especially if it’s dark and snowing heavily, driving is very tiring. Main roads here are cleared of deep snow on a day to day basis and even hourly if it’s very bad snowfall so you’re not driving through feet of snow. Only a thin layer so the spikes on the tires work very very well here and give good traction in snow and icy conditions.

Avoid Google Maps Oulu-Rovaniemi navigations

Recently the rescue service of Lapland published updates on social media, in which it urged to avoid the route offered by the popular Google Maps from Oulu to Rovaniemi. The application has instructed to use narrow and poorly maintained gravel roads, which are rarely maintained in winter. Safer option is to take the road via Kemi (see below).
Oulu Rovaniemi winter driving Road- Visit Lapland
The choice of route is quite strange, because you can get from Oulu to Rovaniemi along the highway in almost the same time as using direct routes. The journey is 15 kilometers longer, but according to the navigator, only a couple of minutes slower. In winter conditions, main road maintenance is also significantly better than small roads. Especially tourists choose the route offered by the navigator.

Renting a car in Lapland

Rental cars are very common in Lapland. You can rent a car to get around different parts of Lapland as the distances are longer and it takes time. Booking usually require a credit card for the booking. Car rentals also require security deposit to rent a car. There are some local car rentals where it might be possible to rent a vehicle. For booking you need official ID/ Driving license in addition to the credit card. There are different online car rental booking sites where you can look for the vehicles. In winter the rental services are very busy so try to book in advance. Prices usually goes higher in the December-January time and the availability is very low due to the increasing demand.

Emergency or Breakdown in Cold weather

In case of an emergency or a breakdown in cold weather, carry along warm clothes and shoes, reflective vests or reflectors – the reflective vest is a better option as it makes you visible to passing traffic even in bright conditions and a flashlight. Always make sure you have emergency numbers on hand, a full phone battery, a blanket, headlamp and shovel in your car. Consider taking extra clothes, warm drinks and food in case you get stuck and have to wait for help.  If you get lost or have an accident You might be out of the mobile network coverage. Then you will just have to wait for someone to pass by which may be a long time. Winter emergency car kit should include a “contained” candle and matches. The candle will help keep the interior of the car warm in the event of a breakdown. In any breakdown situation contact immediately the car rental/ insurance services. In Finland emergency rescue number is 112.

Off-Road and delayed Rescue service

Depending on the conditions, the road may be in very poor condition and narrow, and the oncoming big logging trucks will not make the situation any easier. When a car goes off the road, the rescue service has a long way to go and several units have to go to the scene. The rescue service of Lapland urges accuracy when using map applications – those who blindly trust the application can end up on small roads and ditches. Tourists who got lost on the wrong roads have employed rescue services all over Lapland in recent years. The increase in independent tourists has also increased the number of cases. When bad weather strikes, the situation can become dangerous.

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