Get 10% off every booking with code LH10
Book now

Icebreaker cruise from Rovaniemi: which ship, and is it worth the day

Aerial view of a red and black ship making its way through broken white sea ice

Illustration photo: a ship in sea ice in the Russian Arctic, not one of the ships described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If your dates might change, take one of the Kemi ships: both can be cancelled free of charge until the day before, and Arktis costs less than Sampo because meals and exhibitions are extra. The Swedish ships cost less again, make a shorter day and let smaller children float, but the listings from Rovaniemi cannot be cancelled or changed, and you need a passport. On a stay of three nights or fewer, think twice about giving a whole day to the bus.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

SampoArktisPolar ExplorerArctic Explorer
From Rovaniemi, bus included €506 €411 €425 €350
Sails from Kemi Kemi Axelsvik, Sweden Axelsvik, Sweden
Whole day 9 h 40 min to 10 h 45 min About 10 h About 8 h 30 min About 8 h 30 min
Cruise 3.5–4 h 3 h 3 h 2.5 h
Floating from 140 cm 140 cm 125 cm 125 cm
Free cancellation Until 24 h Until 24 h None None
Passport or ID Not asked Not asked Required Required

Every price is per person and includes the bus from Rovaniemi. No cell is marked: the cheaper Swedish days are also shorter and cannot be cancelled, so the lowest figure is not simply the better buy.

Where these figures come from
  • Sampo: A ship tour and the SnowCastle exhibitions in the price, lunch only on the afternoon cruise.
  • Arktis: A three-hour cruise with the floating; meals and exhibitions extra.
  • Polar Explorer: Seven decks with an audio guide and a film, sailing from Axelsvik in Sweden; lunch extra.
  • Arctic Explorer: The same company's smaller ship, explored with a digital guidebook.

Tripadvisor ratings, 18 Rovaniemi operators

Highest first
Snowtrail Safaris 5.0
Nordic Odyssey 5.0
Nordic Adventures 4.9
Arctic GM 4.9
Book Lapland 4.9
Bearhill Husky 4.9
Arctic Attitude 4.9
StayLapland 4.8
Wild About Lapland 4.7
Wild Nordic 4.7
Lapland Winter Park 4.6
Safartica 4.5
Nordic Unique Travels 4.5
Apukka Resort 4.4
Lapland Welcome 4.3
Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park 4.3
Arctic Circle Husky Park 4.2
Raitola 3.4

Ratings read from Tripadvisor. The shaded compartment left of the divider holds any score below 4.0. We record the score only; review counts and review text are not part of our comparison.

No icebreaker sails from Rovaniemi. Four are sold from the city with a bus: two by the company that sails from Kemi, and two by a Swedish company that sails from Axelsvik across the border.

To Kemi: Sampo and Arktis

The Icebreaking Company sells both Kemi ships from Rovaniemi with the bus included: Sampo from 506 euros and Arktis from 411, in both cases 104 more than the same cruise from Kemi.1234 The bus takes about an hour and three quarters each way. For the morning cruises it picks up at four places in the city between 05:45 and 06:20 and is back between 16:00 and 16:30. Sampo includes the SnowCastle exhibitions and, on the afternoon cruise, lunch on board; Arktis includes neither. Both can be cancelled free of charge until 24 hours before.

To Sweden: Polar Explorer and Arctic Explorer

Polar Explorer Icebreaker sells its two ships from Rovaniemi with the shuttle to Axelsvik included: Polar Explorer from 425 euros for a three-hour cruise and Arctic Explorer from 350 for two and a half, each a day of about eight and a half hours. Those listings cannot be cancelled or changed for any reason.56 The company’s own site sells the cruise alone, at 325 and 250 euros, adds the shuttle during booking at a price it does not show until then, and carries a banner offering free cancellation up to 72 hours before.78 The Swedish listings ask for a passport or ID card and let children from 125 centimetres float.

Choosing from Rovaniemi

If there is any chance your plans will change, the Kemi ships are the ones you can cancel, and Arktis is the one to choose if the floating and the ice matter more than lunch and the exhibitions. The Swedish ships suit a family with a child between 125 and 140 centimetres, or a traveller who wants a shorter and cheaper day, provided the date is certain and the passport is packed.

The ships themselves are compared in icebreaker cruises from Kemi, and every departure town in icebreaker cruises compared.

Tours you can book

  • Arctic Explorer from Axelsvik, with the shuttle from Rovaniemi

    Run by Polar Explorer Icebreaker

    From €350per person

    Length8.5 h

    Listed on Viator · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)

  • Icebreaker Arktis with the bus from Rovaniemi, meals extra

    Run by Icebreaking Company

    From €411per person

    Length10 h

    Listed on GetYourGuide · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)

  • Polar Explorer from Axelsvik, with the shuttle from Rovaniemi

    Run by Polar Explorer Icebreaker

    From €425per person

    Length8.5 h

    Listed on Viator · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)

  • Icebreaker Sampo with the bus from Rovaniemi, exhibitions included

    Run by Icebreaking Company

    From €506per person

    Length10–11 h

    Listed on GetYourGuide · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)

Questions people ask

Can we see the aurora on the same day?

Only if you have energy left. The morning buses to Kemi pick up before half past six, so an aurora tour the same night makes a very long day for adults and a hard one for children. Keep the cruise and the aurora on different days if the week allows, and give the cruise a day when the aurora forecast for the night is poor.

Could we drive ourselves instead?

Yes. For the Kemi ships you can start at the SnowCastle area, where parking is free, and take the operator's bus to the harbour, paying the Kemi price rather than the Rovaniemi one; you cannot drive to the harbour itself. The Swedish company also sells its cruises without the bus, and its listings ask drivers to be at the Axelsvik terminal at least half an hour before the ship leaves.

Can we bring a pram or a baby?

On the Swedish ships, the company's listings say prams may come on the bus but access on board is not guaranteed, and that infant seats are available. The Kemi pages say nothing about prams, and all four cruises are ruled out for guests with reduced mobility. With a baby, ask the company before booking, and ask what happens to the booking if the answer is no.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

More about Lapland Handbook →