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Icebreaker cruise from Kemi: which of the three ships

The icebreaker Sampo, its name on the dark hull, lit up in the frozen sea at dusk

Photo: the icebreaker Sampo in the ice at dusk.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Book Arktis if the floating and the ice are what you want: it is the cheapest cruise from Kemi and can be cancelled until a day before. Pay for Sampo in the afternoon, when the extra buys lunch on board as well as a longer cruise and the exhibitions. Take Polar Explorer only if a child between 125 and 140 centimetres wants to float, and bring a passport.

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.

ArktisSampoPolar Explorer
Price €307 – the lowest price per person €402 €395
Cruise 3 h 3.5–4 h 3 h
Lunch Extra Afternoon cruise Extra
SnowCastle exhibitions Extra Included Not included
Floating from 140 cm 140 cm 125 cm
Cancel for free Up to 24 h Up to 24 h No

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price per person. Only price is marked, as arithmetic. Arktis is cheapest because meals and exhibitions are left out, not because the ship does less on the ice.

Where these figures come from
  • Arktis: Three hours at sea with the floating and a certificate; meals and the SnowCastle exhibitions cost extra.
  • Sampo: Three and a half to four hours with a guided tour of the ship, the exhibitions and, in the afternoon, lunch on board.
  • Polar Explorer: A six-hour trip with a bus across the border to Axelsvik for a three-hour cruise with an audio guide and a film.

Three icebreakers are sold from Kemi: the two that sail from the town’s own harbour, and one that takes a bus across the Swedish border.

Sampo against Arktis

Both leave from the same harbour, with the same pickups in Kemi from seven in the morning, the same floating and the same free cancellation until a day before. Sampo costs 95 euros more.12 For that, the cruise runs half an hour to an hour longer, a guide shows you round the ship, the entry to the SnowCastle exhibitions is included, and on the afternoon cruise so is lunch on board. On the morning cruise, lunch is not part of it, so the extra buys less.1

Over the border

Polar Explorer Icebreaker sells a trip from Kemi and Tornio to its ship at Axelsvik in Sweden, six hours in all with a three-hour cruise, for 395 euros. It lets children from 125 centimetres float, against 140 on the Kemi ships, but it needs a passport or ID card, and as sold on Viator it cannot be cancelled or changed.3

The same cruises sold from other towns, with what the bus adds to the price, are compared in icebreaker cruises compared.

Tours you can book

  • Icebreaker Arktis from Kemi: three hours at sea with floating in the ice

    Run by Icebreaking Company

    From €307per person

    Length3 h

    Listed on GetYourGuide · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)

  • Polar Explorer from Axelsvik in Sweden, with a bus from Kemi or Tornio

    Run by Polar Explorer Icebreaker

    From €395per person

    Length6 h

    Listed on Viator · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on Viator(opens in a new tab)

  • Icebreaker Sampo from Kemi, with a ship tour and floating in the ice

    Run by Icebreaking Company

    From €402per person

    Length3.5–4 h

    Listed on GetYourGuide · Price read Sep 28, 2026

    Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)

Questions people ask

Can we drive ourselves to the ship?

Not to the harbour. The Kemi listings say driving your own car to the harbour is not allowed, and suggest starting at the SnowCastle area, where parking is free, then taking the operator's bus the short way to the ship. Arrive well before the check-in time printed for your cruise, since the bus to the harbour leaves on schedule.

Is there anything to eat on the morning cruises?

Not included. Lunch comes with Sampo only on the afternoon cruise, and on the morning cruises the Kemi listings offer breakfast at the SnowCastle area restaurant by advance reservation only. With a seven o'clock pickup, eat before you leave or book the breakfast when you book the cruise, so that nobody starts a long morning at sea hungry.

What should we wear?

The ships are warm inside, but the Kemi listings ask for warm outdoor clothing and shoes so you can go out on deck, and suggest sunglasses in spring, when the snow reflects the light. The survival suit for the floating is provided. Polar Explorer asks for warm clothing and winter boots as well.

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.

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