Icebreaker cruises in Lapland, all four ships compared
The Sampo and the Arktis sail from Kemi in Finland, the Polar Explorer and the Arctic Explorer from Axelsvik in Sweden. Same frozen sea, different days out: here is where each bus picks you up and how long you are on board.
Two harbours, four ships
Kemi and Axelsvik lie about 70 km apart on the northern Gulf of Bothnia. Each operator runs two ships, and each ship has its own season and programme.
Sampo
Kemi, Finland · The Icebreaking Company
Built in 1960 and in tourist service in Kemi since 1988. Morning cruise 3.5 hours, afternoon cruise 4 hours with the lunch buffet on board. Exhibitions in the SnowCastle area are included.
Arktis
Kemi, Finland · The Icebreaking Company
The newer ship from the same harbour and check-in. Three hours on board with two indoor decks and a café. Lunch, exhibitions and photos are extras.
Polar Explorer
Axelsvik, Sweden · Polar Explorer Oy
Three hours on a 78-metre ship with seven decks, room for 185 passengers, a short film in the onboard cinema and a restaurant. Passport or ID needed.
Arctic Explorer
Axelsvik, Sweden · Polar Explorer Oy
The smaller ship at the same terminal: 2.5 hours, four decks, 80 passengers, an e-guidebook and a small café.
Every cruise in one table
Sorted by number of reviews; tap the price or reviews header to re-sort. For the Axelsvik ships the pickup town is an option you choose when booking.
| Photo | Cruise | Ship | Pickup from | Time on board | Whole day | Ice floating from | Price ↕ | Reviews ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Polar Explorer cruise Polar Explorer Icebreaker | Polar Explorer | Optional shuttle (e.g. Rovaniemi, Kemi) or own car | 3 h | 3–8.5 h, by option | 125 cm | €325per person | ★ 4.7 (490) | Book now |
 | Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi Icebreaking Company | Arktis | Rovaniemi (4 hotel stops) | 3 h | 10 h | 140 cm | €411per person | ★ 4.4 (401) | Book now |
 | Sampo cruise from Rovaniemi Icebreaking Company | Sampo | Rovaniemi (4 hotel stops) | 3.5 h (morning) or 4 h (afternoon) | 10–11 h | 140 cm | €506per person | ★ 4.6 (245) | Book now |
| Arktis cruise from Kemi Icebreaking Company | Arktis | Kemi (hotels, station, SnowCastle) | 3 h | 6 h | 140 cm | €307per person | ★ 4.4 (227) | Book now |
| Sampo cruise from Kemi Icebreaking Company | Sampo | Kemi (hotels, station, SnowCastle) | 3.5 h (morning) or 4 h (afternoon) | 6.5–7 h | 140 cm | €402per person | ★ 4.7 (83) | Book now |
 | Arctic Explorer cruise Polar Explorer Icebreaker | Arctic Explorer | Optional shuttle (e.g. Rovaniemi, Kemi) or own car | 2.5 h | 2.5–8.5 h, by option | 125 cm (operator) | €250per person | ★ 4.9 (16) | Book now |
| Sampo cruise from Haparanda/Tornio Icebreaking Company | Sampo | Haparanda / Tornio | 3.5 h (morning) or 4 h (afternoon) | 8–8.5 h | 140 cm | €435per person | ★ 5.0 (6) | Book now |
| Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio Icebreaking Company | Arktis | Haparanda / Tornio | 3 h | 8.5 h | 140 cm | €340per person | ★ 4.5 (6) | Book now |
| Sampo cruise from Oulu Icebreaking Company | Sampo | Oulu (3 stops, afternoon only) | 4 h (afternoon, with lunch) | 10 h | 140 cm | €536per person | ★ 5.0 (1) | Book now |
| Arktis cruise from Oulu Icebreaking Company | Arktis | Oulu (3 stops, afternoon) | 3 h | 10 h | 140 cm | €411per person | ★ 4.0 (1) | Book now |
Cruise prices here are per adult and come live from GetYourGuide, taxes and fees included. Compare them with the whole-day column: the cruises with a bus from Rovaniemi or Oulu include the transfer in the price.
Where the bus picks you up
Rovaniemi, Kemi, Tornio, Haparanda and Oulu are pickup towns, not harbours. Which ships you can reach, and how early you leave, depends on where you stay.
From Rovaniemi
All four ships. The Kemi buses leave from 05:45 for the morning cruise, and the day lasts about ten hours.
Rovaniemi pickupsFrom Kemi
The shortest days: hotel pickup in Kemi, 15 minutes from check-in to the harbour.
Kemi pickupsFrom Tornio and Haparanda
The border towns sit between both harbours. Watch the one-hour time difference.
Border town pickupsFrom Oulu
Afternoon cruises on the Sampo and the Arktis, with pickup in Oulu from 09:40.
Oulu pickupsThe cruises start in late November or early December, but the sea does not always freeze that early. Polar Explorer’s terms say ice is not guaranteed until mid-December and walking on the ice may not be possible until early January; the Kemi operator says the same about early-season cruises. In the 2025–26 winter the first walk on the ice from Axelsvik was on 3 January. A December cruise still sails and you still float, but the ship may follow a channel that is already broken. If the walk on the ice matters to you, choose January to March. Our ice calendar goes through the season month by month.
What the reviews keep coming back to
Most travellers rate the day highly. The critical reviews of these cruises cluster around a few points that the listings mention only in passing, so here they are in plain words.
- The float is short. No operator states how long you stay in the water, and on a full ship guests go in group by group. Reviewers often say it was over faster than they expected. The cruise itself is the longer part of the experience.
- From Rovaniemi it is a long day. The Kemi bus leaves Rovaniemi up to four hours before the cruise starts, and you are back around ten hours later. If you can sleep in Kemi or Tornio, the day is much shorter.
- Photos and food cost extra. The professional photos are sold separately by both operators. Lunch is included only on the Sampo afternoon cruise; on the other cruises it is an extra or bought on board.
- Early-season ice can be thin. In December the ship may sail through ice that is already broken, and the walk on the ice can be cancelled. Both operators intend the floating to take place on every cruise when conditions permit.
Planning pages
Floating, season, cancellation, children, clothing and prices, one page each.
Ice floating
How it works, what the survival suit does and what happens when the ice is thin.
Read more
Best time and ice
Seasons per ship and the dates when walking on the ice became possible.
Read more
Booking and cancellation
The operators’ own terms next to the terms on the product pages.
Read more
With kids
140 cm or 125 cm: which ship lets your child float.
Read more
What to wear
The survival suit goes over your clothes. What to wear under it.
Read more
Prices
Every cruise sorted from the lowest to the highest price.
Read moreNot the operators’ website
The Icebreaking Company in Kemi and Polar Explorer Oy in Sweden each show only their own ships. This site is run independently and compares both. Each booking through a link here earns us a commission from the booking platform, paid out of its margin; the price you pay stays the same. More about this site.
Questions about the icebreaker cruises
Answers from the operators’ pages and the product listings.
Which icebreaker cruise is the easiest from Rovaniemi?
All four ships can be reached from Rovaniemi by shuttle bus. Kemi, where the Sampo and the Arktis sail, is the closer harbour: the bus takes about an hour and three quarters each way and the whole day lasts around ten hours. Axelsvik in Sweden, home of the Polar Explorer and the Arctic Explorer, is 168 km from Rovaniemi by road, so the bus ride is longer, and you need a passport or ID card.
What is the difference between the Sampo and the Arktis?
Both sail from the same harbour in Kemi with the same check-in at the SnowCastle area. The Sampo was built in 1960 and is also a museum ship; its morning cruise lasts 3.5 hours and its afternoon cruise 4 hours with a lunch buffet. The Arktis is the more modern ship, its cruise lasts 3 hours and lunch, exhibitions and photos cost extra. The Arktis season also starts earlier, on 1 December.
Polar Explorer or Arctic Explorer?
Both leave from the terminal in Axelsvik. The Polar Explorer is the larger ship with seven decks, a cinema and a restaurant, and the cruise lasts 3 hours. The Arctic Explorer is smaller with four decks and a café, and the cruise lasts 2.5 hours. Both include floating in a survival suit and, when the ice allows, a walk on the sea ice.
Is there enough ice in December?
Not always. Early December cruises run in any ice conditions, and both operators say walking on the ice may not be possible early in the season. Polar Explorer lists the first days with ice walking in recent winters: 3 December 2023, 19 December 2024 and 3 January in 2025–26. For the best chance of thick ice, plan for January to March.
How long are you in the water during ice floating?
Neither operator states a time. Ice floating happens at a stop on the cruise, and reviewers describe guests going into the water group by group. Expect a short float rather than a swim; reviewers who mention it often found it shorter than they expected.
Can children do the ice floating?
On the Sampo and the Arktis children need to be at least 140 cm tall. On the Polar Explorer and the Arctic Explorer the smallest survival suits fit from 125 cm, and children float together with their parents. There is no minimum age for the cruise itself on either ship.
Are photos included?
Usually not. Both operators offer professional photos as a separate service, and the Arktis listings name the photo service as not included.
Do I need a passport for the Polar Explorer?
Bring a passport or photo ID card. The terminal in Axelsvik is in Sweden, and although there is no regular border control between Finland and Sweden, the listings ask for ID.
Is this the official website of the icebreakers?
No. laplandicebreaker.com is an independent comparison site and is not run by The Icebreaking Company or Polar Explorer Oy. Bookings go through GetYourGuide.
Kemi or Axelsvik, morning or afternoon
The table lists every cruise with its pickup town, time on board and length of the day.
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