This is my ultimate guide to Levi, Finland for first-time visitors and solo snowboarders/skiers! This is the third stop in my Snowboarding Around the World trip that I took last season. You might be wondering why I wanted to go to Finland and it was for a few reasons. First, I wanted to see if I could catch the Northern Lights. Second, I wanted to visit Santa Claus’ village. Third, I saw all these amazing beautiful snowboarding places on Instagram that I wanted to check it out myself!

• Related Article: The Ultimate Solo Snowboarder’s Guide to Traveling to Chamonix, France (without a car)
• Related Article: The Ultimate Solo Snowboarder’s Guide to Traveling to Les 3 Vallées, France (without a car)

 

Things to Buy In Preparation for Your Trip

These are the items that I bought specifically for my trip…

1. Apple AirTags: I put one in my suitcase, my camera bag, my snowboard bag, and in my purse
2. Lock: I use this when I want to lock up my snowboard to the ski racks. Also good if you are staying at a hostel and want to lock up your bags.
3. Snowboarding Backpack: I got this backpack because I wanted something small and waterproof. This is definitely good if you drink a lot of water. Otherwise, I feel like there’s not much room for any of your stuff. I would say this is a great backpack if you just need water, but if you like to bring extra lenses, clothes, etc., there won’t be room for it.
4. Tall Waterproof Boots: Since I’m going to be living in the snow, I figured I would finally spend some money on some decent waterproof boots. I like these a lot since they are lightweight for traveling.
5. Stylish Winter Boots: I wanted to buy another pair of boots that were more for the city for when I want to go out. and these definitely fit the bill! They are a tad bit heavier than the ones above but they look so cool that I couldn’t resist getting both pairs of boots.
6. Down Coat: Since I was lugging A LOT of stuff, I could only afford to bring one decent coat and I ended up purchasing this one. Yes, it was an investment but I wanted something that can last me multiple seasons and that will keep me super warm. I will say that it’s a little snug so if you plan on layering a lot underneath, I would go up one size.
7. Snowboard: I didn’t buy this snowboard specifically for this trip, but in case anyone was wondering what board I’m riding, it’s the Bataleon Push Up.
8. Lotion for Dry Skin: Do NOT underestimate how dry your skin will get being up on the mountain all the time. I’ve tried a bunch of different lotions and this is the only one I keep buying.
9. Bandage: If anyone else has the same issue with their fingers cracking, this was a godsend. Never used this before in my life but now I carry it with me every snowboarding season.

 

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Why Did I Pick Levi Ski Resort?

Levi was actually not my first choice of Finnish ski resorts. I really wanted to go to Ruka but there was no convenient way to get there from Rovaniemi/Santa Claus’ village. My friend and I would have had to do something crazy like take a bus, then a train, and another bus and it was just too much work for the time we had. I think it would have taken us 8-10 hours or something like that. So, I researched other ski resorts and stumbled upon Levi. It was farther up north but it was way more convenient to get to. All we had to do is take one 2.5 hour bus ride. 

Second, I was also hoping that there would be a better chance to see the Northern Lights if we were farther up north. Levi is farther north than Ruka so I was crossing my fingers. But unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and it was cloudy the entire week we were in Lapland.

 

Where Should You Stay Levi, Finland

When I originally booked Levi, I wanted to find a place that was as close as possible to the lifts so we could just walk there every morning. I assumed we would board all three days, but we ended up snowboarding only one day since it was too cold to really enjoy ourselves. 

If people are interested though, this is the place that we booked and it was super convenient to restaurants and about a 10-minute walk to the lifts. It cost us $373.32 for three nights. Just be warned that the unit is super small. Like the size of your college dorm room. It’s a little tight for two people, but if you’re by yourself, it’s definitely enough room. 

 

 

How to Get To and From Levi as a Solo Snowboarder

How to Get To Levi, Finland (without a car)

If you’re traveling internationally, the easiest airport to fly into is Helsinki and then from there you can take another flight to Kittila airport (KTT) which is the closest airport to Levi. 

If you want to do what I did and visit Santa Claus’ village first, you’ll want to fly into Rovaniemi (RVN). From there, you can take a bus from Rovaniemi bus station to Levi. The bus cost us 37 euros (~$44 USD) and took about 2.5 hours. You get dropped off at a small bus stop, but it’s at least near the center of town (unlike my experience in Les 3 Vallées).

Warning about Finnair

I need to take a moment to air out my grievances about how much I dislike Finnair. For some background, I booked my flights to and from Finland using my Alaska Airlines miles (now Atmos Rewards). My ticket was 7,500 miles from GVA to HEL to RVN, and another 7,500 miles from KTT to HEL. Both were great redemptions, especially since cash tickets were in the hundreds of dollars.

During my flight from GVA to HEL, we were delayed about 30 minutes for no apparent reason. There were blue skies outside and everyone boarded on time, yet we sat at the gate for at least 30 to 40 minutes. My friend and I thought we were going to miss our connecting flight. Luckily, we made it, but unfortunately our bags did not.

The worst part is that I checked all of my luggage because I was tired of carrying it around. Both pieces of luggage didn’t make it, and I had nothing with me except the clothes I was wearing.

Finnair delayed my bags for two full days. For those two days, I had nothing and had to repurchase a lot of essentials. I thought I would be fine because this has happened to me twice before and I was reimbursed under the Warsaw Convention. However, for some reason, Finnair seemed to think they were above the law and refused to reimburse me for what I had to buy. All they offered was 50 euros.

I was completely taken aback. My bags were missing for two days, and they were offering me a measly 50 euros. This is not a warm climate country. I was literally in one of the coldest places on Earth, and they didn’t seem to care at all.

To make things worse, once I finally received my bags, my snowboard bag had a rip in it. I then had to file another claim for damages, and all they offered was to have it taken somewhere to be sewn up. I am absolutely disgusted by Finnair and their customer service. Fair warning: Finnair is a P.O.S., and you should avoid flying with them if you care about your belongings or receiving any form of compensation for their mistakes.

If you’re wondering about the Warsaw Convention, you can read more about it here. I’m not entirely sure how it’s currently being enforced, but it’s still good information to know.

Getting Around Levi

Getting around Levi was pretty easy. It’s a small ski town and everything is walking distance. My friend and I walked to restaurants, supermarkets, the ski resort, the bus stop, etc. You’ll have no problems getting around as a solo traveler.

How to Depart Les 3 Vallées

Even though we didn’t fly into KTT, that’s the airport we flew out of and it’s pretty convenient. We took a bus from Levi to the airport and it only took about 30 minutes. You can check the bus times on Google Maps.

 

Skiing/Snowboarding Levi

Level of Difficulty of the Slope (USA vs. Finland)

The first thing you might notice once you hit the slopes is that there’s a different rating system in Finland. Below is a quick chart of each runs equivalent.

USA	Finland
Green	Green
Blue	Blue
Black	Red
Double Black	Black

 

The Resort

To be honest, I was expecting a little more from Levi, but it might not be its fault. First, it was extremely cold during the time we went, so we didn’t really feel compelled to stay out and explore much. A few other things you should probably know:

• Resort: The resort is pretty small compared to most of Europe. The runs aren’t long at all, and many of them are fairly flat. I would say the resort feels more like a hill than a mountain.
• Lifts: About two-thirds of the lifts are T-bars, and if you know me, you know I cannot successfully ride a T-bar without falling off to the side. Granted, this would have been the perfect place to practice since the hill wasn’t very steep, but the thought of falling in negative-degree weather wasn’t very appealing. On top of that, some of these T-bar lifts are the only way up certain runs. If you can’t get on the T-bar successfully, you’re stuck at the base of that run.
• January: When we went in early January, it completely slipped my mind that the sun wouldn’t be out for very long that far up in the Arctic Circle. It started getting dark around 1:30–2:00 pm and was pitch black by 4:00 pm, so your time on the mountain is very limited this early in the season.

 

Levi Lift Tickets

Levi is not a part of the Ikon Pass or Epic Pass so we had to buy our tickets there. It cost 58 euros at the window (in 2026) but if you buy it online through their website, you can save 1 euro. 

 

Where to Dine/Après-ski in Levi

We only went out once for dinner during our stay in Levi. We had a kitchen at the place we were staying so we decided to cook most of our meals at home. If you’re wondering about après-ski, we didn’t see your typical big party, but there are definitely bars and lodges around town for a drink afterwards. Maybe later on the season when the sun it’s out, there might be a party but in January, it was way too cold to be hanging out outside.

Levi Town

• Reindeer Restaurant: The one restaurant that we did go to was called Nili-Poro Restaurant. They are know for reindeer so we wanted to go check it out. We didn’t make any reservations and just walked in. The wait was about 20-30 minutes which wasn’t too bad considering how popular the restaurant was. We ordered the reindeer sampler and the fish sampler.
• Supermarkets: There are two supermarkets that we went to. Both are decent in terms of groceries, but if you’re looking to buy alcohol, I suggest you go to S-Market. In Finland, to buy alcohol harder than 8%, you have to buy it from a liquor store and there’s one attached to to S-Market called Alko. I’ve pinned them all here.

On The Mountain

• Panoramic Restaurant Tuikku: This was a pretty cool ski lodge. Definitely had hot drinks for you to warm up and the decor was pretty fun. The cashier recommended that we get this fish shot (not actual fish) to help warm us up and it did the trick. It’s definitely worth a stop.

 

General FAQs

Do You Need Euros?

This is up to you. I didn’t need cash the whole time I was there. 

Is English Spoken Widely?

Yes, everyone speaks English. 

Is it Safe Traveling There As a Solo Snowboarder or Skier?

Yes! It’s definitely safe if you are a solo snowboarder or skier. I know I had a friend with me for this portion but I could have done this by myself. The only thing I would be cautious about is that if you’re not good on T-bars, I wouldn’t go down those trails but you might get stuck there with no one to really help you.

 

Best Ski App Ever

If you like maps, definitely check out Levi’s Resort app (Apple or Google). I was so impressed by their 3D map of their resort that I started raving about to anyone that would listen. Literally the best ski trail/mountain map I have ever seen. It puts all the other famous resorts to shame. Whoever designed this app should design every ski mountain app! 

 

Conclusion

Levi Ski Resort was cool to check out, but I probably wouldn’t go back just for snowboarding. If I do return, I’d aim for March, when there’s more daylight and a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Otherwise, I think Ruka will be my next ski resort in Finland. Hopefully this gives you some insight into whether Levi is worth a visit. Okay, on to the next resort!

 

Levi Pictures