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Icebreaker Arktis cruise from Kemi

The newer of the two Kemi icebreakers: three hours on the frozen sea, with the earliest start of the Kemi season.

Top picks
Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi
Icebreaking Company · 10 hours in total; 3 hours on board Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi
★ 4.4 (401) from €411
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Arktis cruise from Kemi
Icebreaking Company · 6 hours in total; 3 hours on board Arktis cruise from Kemi
★ 4.4 (227) from €307
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Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio
Icebreaking Company · 8.5 hours in total; 3 hours on board Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio
★ 4.5 (6) from €340
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Compare all 4 options

The Arktis belongs to the same company and sails from the same harbour as the Sampo. On board there are two indoor decks and a café. The ticket is leaner than the Sampo’s: the cruise, ice floating, a walk on the ice when conditions allow, and the diploma.

3 hOn board, 09:15–12:15 or 13:15–16:15
1 DecFirst cruise of the season; last on 31 March 2027
140 cmMinimum height for ice floating
6 hWhole day with pickup in Kemi, the shortest in Kemi
PhotoCruisePickup fromTime on boardWhole dayFree cancellationPriceReviewsBook
Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi
Icebreaking Company		Rovaniemi (4 hotel stops)3 h10 hUp to 24 hours before€411per person★ 4.4 (401)Book now
Arktis cruise from Kemi
Icebreaking Company		Kemi (hotels, station, SnowCastle)3 h6 hUp to 24 hours before€307per person★ 4.4 (227)Book now
Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio
Icebreaking Company		Haparanda / Tornio3 h8.5 hUp to 24 hours before€340per person★ 4.5 (6)Book now
Arktis cruise from Oulu
Icebreaking Company		Oulu (3 stops, afternoon)3 h10 hUp to 24 hours before€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.

Arktis cruises by pickup town

Each card shows the pickup town and time on board first. Open a card for pickup stops, inclusions and the ice conditions note.

Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi
Icebreaking Company

Arktis cruise from Rovaniemi

Bus from Rovaniemi to Kemi and a 3-hour cruise on the Arktis with ice floating. Lunch, exhibitions, photos and a welcome drink cost extra.

  • Duration: 10 hours in total; 3 hours on board
  • Language: English
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €411 ★ 4.4 (401 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full cruise details

Highlights

  • Three hours on the Arktis, the newer of the two Kemi icebreakers
  • Ice floating and, when the weather allows, a walk on the frozen sea
  • Two indoor decks and a café on board

About this cruise

The bus leaves Rovaniemi three to four hours before the cruise: from 05:45 for the 09:15–12:15 cruise, from 09:25 for the 13:15–16:15 cruise. Back in Rovaniemi it is around 16:00–16:30 or 18:25–18:55.

The ticket covers the cruise, ice floating and the diploma. Lunch, the SnowCastle exhibitions, the photo service and a welcome drink can be added for a charge.

What’s included

  • Return shuttle bus from Rovaniemi
  • 3-hour cruise
  • Ice floating in the Gulf of Bothnia
  • Cruise diploma

Not included

  • Lunch or breakfast buffet
  • SnowCastle exhibition tickets
  • Photo service
  • Welcome drink

Pickup and check-in

Santa’s Igloos (Joulumaankuja 8), Santa Claus Village (Joulumaantie 20), Arctic TreeHouse Hotel (Tarvantie 3) or Scandic Pohjanhovi (Pohjanpuistikko 2).

What to bring

  • Warm clothing
  • Warm shoes

Know before you go

  • Ice floating needs a minimum height of 140 cm.
  • Walking on the ice may not be possible on cruises early in the winter season and depends on the ice.
  • All programmes depend on the weather and can be changed to suit the conditions.
  • The cruise is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
  • Ice floating is optional and needs normal physical health; it is not recommended during pregnancy.

Not suitable for

  • Wheelchair users
  • People with reduced mobility

Pickup times, inclusions and conditions as the operator lists them on the booking platform. Timetables can change from season to season.

Arktis cruise from Kemi
Icebreaking Company

Arktis cruise from Kemi

A 3-hour Arktis cruise with pickup in Kemi, the shortest day of the Kemi cruises with a bus transfer.

  • Duration: 6 hours in total; 3 hours on board
  • Language: English
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €307 ★ 4.4 (227 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full cruise details

Highlights

  • A 3-hour Arktis cruise with ice floating
  • Pickup at Hotel Merihovi, Scandic Kemi, Hotel Toivola, the station or the SnowCastle area
  • Diploma at the end of the cruise

About this cruise

This is the shortest day among the Kemi cruises with a bus pickup. The ticket covers the transfer, the cruise, ice floating and the diploma; the buffet, exhibitions, photos and a welcome drink are extras.

What’s included

  • Return shuttle bus in Kemi
  • 3-hour cruise
  • Ice floating in the Gulf of Bothnia
  • Cruise diploma

Not included

  • Lunch or breakfast buffet
  • SnowCastle exhibition tickets
  • Photo service
  • Welcome drink

Pickup and check-in

Pickup by shuttle bus at the stop you choose. Check-in for the cruise is always at the SnowCastle area in Kemi (Lumilinnankatu 15); the bus to the harbour at Veitsiluoto takes about 15 minutes. Private cars cannot drive to the harbour.

What to bring

  • Warm clothing
  • Warm shoes

Know before you go

  • Ice floating needs a minimum height of 140 cm.
  • Walking on the ice may not be possible on cruises early in the winter season and depends on the ice.
  • All programmes depend on the weather and can be changed to suit the conditions.
  • The cruise is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Not suitable for

  • Wheelchair users
  • People with reduced mobility

Pickup times, inclusions and conditions as the operator lists them on the booking platform. Timetables can change from season to season.

Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio
Icebreaking Company

Arktis cruise from Haparanda/Tornio

Pickup at four stops in Haparanda and Tornio from 06:35 (Finnish time) for the morning cruise.

  • Duration: 8.5 hours in total; 3 hours on board
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €340 ★ 4.5 (6 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full cruise details

Highlights

  • Pickup in Haparanda and Tornio, about an hour by bus to Kemi
  • 3-hour Arktis cruise with ice floating
  • Morning or afternoon departure

About this cruise

Morning pickups start at Cape East in Haparanda at 06:35 and end at Hotel Olof in Tornio at 06:55; the cruise runs 09:15–12:15. All times on the listing are Finnish time (UTC+2).

What’s included

  • Return shuttle bus from Haparanda or Tornio
  • 3-hour cruise
  • Ice floating in the Gulf of Bothnia
  • Cruise diploma

Not included

  • Lunch or breakfast buffet
  • SnowCastle exhibition tickets
  • Photo service
  • Welcome drink

Pickup and check-in

Cape East (Sundholmen 1, Haparanda), Haparanda Stadshotell (Torget 7), Köpmansgatan 10 (Haparanda) or Hotel Olof (Hallituskatu 16, Tornio).

Know before you go

  • All times on the listing are Finnish time (UTC+2).
  • Ice floating needs a minimum height of 140 cm.
  • Walking on the ice may not be possible on cruises early in the winter season and depends on the ice.
  • All programmes depend on the weather and can be changed to suit the conditions.
  • The cruise is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Not suitable for

  • Wheelchair users
  • People with reduced mobility

Pickup times, inclusions and conditions as the operator lists them on the booking platform. Timetables can change from season to season.

Arktis cruise from Oulu
Icebreaking Company

Arktis cruise from Oulu

Afternoon Arktis cruise with pickup in Oulu. A new listing without reviews yet.

  • Duration: 10 hours in total; 3 hours on board
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €411 ★ 4.0 (1 review)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full cruise details

Highlights

  • Afternoon cruise 13:15–16:15 on the Arktis
  • Pickup in Oulu from 09:40
  • Ice floating and diploma

About this cruise

Same Oulu stops as the Sampo afternoon trip: City Hall at 09:40, Scandic City at 09:45, Nallikari at 10:00. Optional lunch at the SnowCastle restaurant before check-in is an extra.

What’s included

  • Return shuttle bus from Oulu
  • 3-hour cruise
  • Ice floating
  • Cruise diploma

Pickup and check-in

Oulu City Hall (Kirkkokatu 2a), Scandic City (Saaristonkatu 4) or the Nallikari bus stop at Aalto Hotel.

Know before you go

  • Ice floating needs a minimum height of 140 cm.
  • Walking on the ice may not be possible on cruises early in the winter season and depends on the ice.
  • All programmes depend on the weather and can be changed to suit the conditions.
  • The cruise is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Not suitable for

  • Wheelchair users
  • People with reduced mobility

Pickup times, inclusions and conditions as the operator lists them on the booking platform. Timetables can change from season to season.

Extras you add yourself

The Arktis listings name four things as not included: the lunch or breakfast buffet at the SnowCastle restaurant, tickets for the SnowExperience and the gemstone gallery, the photo service and a welcome drink. All of them can be booked in advance or bought at the SnowCastle reception. The Sampo ticket includes the exhibitions and the welcome drink, and on its afternoon cruise also lunch, so compare the two by what you would add anyway.

When the ice is already broken

The Arktis runs from the first day of December, earlier than the Sampo. Early in the winter the sea ice can be thin, and the listings say that walking on the ice may not be possible then. When a reviewer wrote that the ship was cutting through ice that was already broken, the operator replied that ice thickness and conditions change, so the ship sometimes sails through broken ice. If a solid ice field matters to you, look at January to March on our ice calendar.

Health and the floating

Ice floating on the Arktis is optional. The listing asks for normal physical health, says the crew can decide whether a guest may take part, and does not recommend it during pregnancy. Children need to be 140 cm tall. Details are on our ice floating page.

Check-in and harbour

Check-in is at the SnowCastle area in Kemi, the same as for the Sampo. From there a bus takes about 15 minutes to Veitsiluoto harbour, which private cars cannot enter. The ship is not wheelchair accessible.

FAQ

How long is the Arktis cruise?

Three hours on board, either 09:15–12:15 or 13:15–16:15. With the bus from Rovaniemi or Oulu the whole day lasts about ten hours, from Kemi about six.

What is not included on the Arktis?

Lunch or breakfast, the SnowCastle exhibitions, the photo service and a welcome drink. They can be added in advance or bought on the day.

When does the Arktis sail?

From 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2027, according to The Icebreaking Company.

Is the Arktis newer than the Sampo?

Yes. The operator calls the Arktis the more modern of its two icebreakers. The Sampo dates from 1960.

Related on this site

Sampo

The 1960 icebreaker from the same harbour.

From Kemi

The shortest day on either Kemi ship.

Best time and ice

What December means for the ice.

Kemi or Axelsvik

All four ships with their pickup towns and the length of the day.

Open the ship comparison