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Riisitunturi by car, by coach or with a guide

Three ways to the same trailhead, and what each one leaves to you.

The short answer

You can drive to Riisitunturi yourself, but Metsähallitus warns that Google Maps and other navigators often give incorrect directions, and the parking area is part of a paid parking trial from autumn 2026 to spring 2027. The middle way is a coach or bus seat without a guide, sold by BookLapland and Experience Tours Lapland; BookLapland includes winter overalls and boots, Experience Tours Lapland does not. A guided tour adds a guide on the trail and, on most listings, food at a campfire.

Tours on this page
Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group
BookLapland · 8 hours Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group
★ 4.8 (157) from €62
Book now
Guided Hike or Bus Only
Experience Tours Lapland · 9 hours Guided Hike or Bus Only
★ 4.7 (86) from €59
Book now
Snowy Giants Small-Group Trip
Wild about Lapland · 8 hours, back in Rovaniemi around 16:00 Snowy Giants Small-Group Trip
★ 4.8 (338) from €190
Book now
Compare all 3 options

See which Riisitunturi tours still have seats on your dates

The operators count about two hours of driving each way from Rovaniemi, Lapland Activities two and a half. Whoever drives, that is most of the day. The table puts the two transport-only options next to the guided tour with the most reviews.

PhotoTourGuidePickupGearFoodPrice p.p.ReviewsBook
Snowy Giants Small-Group Trip
Wild about Lapland		YesOutside centre onlyClothing, bootsCampfire snacks, hot drinks€190★ 4.8 (338)Book now
Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group
BookLapland		Guide or coach onlySelected hotels or officeOveralls, bootsBBQ (guided option only)€62★ 4.8 (157)Book now
Guided Hike or Bus Only
Experience Tours Lapland		Guide or bus onlyHotelNot includedSausages (guided only)€59★ 4.7 (86)Book now

Prices are per adult as GetYourGuide shows them when this page loads, taxes included. Where a listing sells a coach seat and a guided hike, the price shown is its cheapest option, so open the listing to see what the guided day costs.

Transport only, or a guide

The top of each card shows guide or coach and the walking distance. Open it for the full list of inclusions and the operator's health and age limits.

Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group
BookLapland

Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group

Either a heated coach with a driver-host and the trail at your own pace, or a 4x4 small group with a guide and a campfire BBQ. Overalls and boots come with both.

  • Duration: 8 hours
  • Language: English, Spanish
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €62 ★ 4.8 (157 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Two options: a heated coach with a driver-host and no hiking guide, or a guided small group in a 4x4 with selected hotel pickup
  • About 4 km of snowy trails, walked at your own pace on the coach option
  • Arctic winter overalls and, if needed, winter boots come with both options
  • The guided small group adds a campfire BBQ with a hot drink

About this tour

On the coach option, the driver-host handles the winter roads, gives a briefing on the recommended route, viewpoints and timing when you arrive, and you walk the roughly 4 km on your own. No guide goes with you on the trail. The meeting and return point is the Book Lapland office in Rovaniemi.

The small-group option travels in a heated 4x4, adds a local guide on the trail and ends with a BBQ and a hot drink. The operator gives about two hours of driving each way.

What's included

  • Return transport from Rovaniemi to Riisitunturi National Park
  • Heated coach or 4x4 vehicle, depending on the option
  • Arctic winter overalls for temperatures down to -40 °C
  • Winter boots if needed
  • English-speaking driver-host
  • Route, timing and practical briefing at Riisitunturi
  • Small group only: local guide, selected hotel pickup, BBQ and hot drink

Know before you go

  • The recommended walking route is about 4 km on snowy trails.
  • Normal mobility and moderate fitness are recommended.
  • The coach option is self-guided.
  • Small-group pickup details are confirmed by e-mail before departure.

Not suitable for

  • Wheelchair users

Guide or coach, pickup, walking distance and inclusions as the operator states them on the booking page.

Guided Hike or Bus Only
Experience Tours Lapland

Guided Hike or Bus Only

A guided hike on a 4.3 km trail with photos and a campfire break, or the bus ride alone and the park at your own pace. Winter clothes and shoes are not included.

  • Duration: 9 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €59 ★ 4.7 (86 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • Two options: a guided hike, or a self-guided bus tour; pickup and drop-off with both
  • The guided hike follows a 4.3 km trail with a campfire break halfway
  • Professional photos and campfire sausages with hot drinks on the guided option only
  • Winter clothes and shoes are not included

About this tour

The guided option drives about two hours to the park and walks a 4.3 km trail, with sausages and hot drinks at a campfire halfway. The guide takes photos during the day, and the whole trip runs about 8 to 9 hours.

The bus option takes you to the park and back, and you explore on your own. Bring a water bottle and snacks. If the weather is unsuitable, the operator lets you cancel one day before.

What's included

  • Pickup and drop-off
  • Transport
  • Guided option only: professional photos, campfire sausages and hot drinks

Know before you go

  • Dress warmly in layers and wear good winter shoes.
  • Bring a water bottle and snacks.
  • Snow conditions vary, especially in early winter and spring, and may differ from the photos.
  • You can cancel one day before if the weather is unsuitable.

Not suitable for

  • People with back problems
  • Wheelchair users

Guide or coach, pickup, walking distance and inclusions as the operator states them on the booking page.

Snowy Giants Small-Group Trip
Wild about Lapland

Snowy Giants Small-Group Trip

A guide for the whole day, at most 8 people, winter clothing and boots included. Hotel pickup only for accommodation outside the city centre.

  • Duration: 8 hours, back in Rovaniemi around 16:00
  • Language: English
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start
from €190 ★ 4.8 (338 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide
Full tour details

Highlights

  • A guide for the whole day; hotel pickup for accommodation outside the city centre, a walk of about 4 km in the park
  • Limited to 8 participants
  • Winter clothing, boots and equipment are included; snowshoes may come along
  • The guide carries a camera and takes photos of you

About this tour

The operator places Riisitunturi about 150 km east of Rovaniemi and plans roughly two hours of driving each way. In the park the group walks about 4 km to the spots where the spruces carry the heaviest snow, and the guide may bring snowshoes if the snow calls for them.

Around the walk there is a campfire with a snack, biscuits and hot drinks. Pickup times are confirmed by e-mail at least a day before and can shift with the weather.

What's included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off for accommodation outside the city centre
  • Equipment, professional winter clothing and boots
  • Campfire snacks, biscuits and hot drinks
  • Photography
  • Professional guide
  • Taxes and fees

Know before you go

  • Some walking is involved.
  • The tour runs in all weather conditions.
  • Pickups start before the stated time; the exact time comes by e-mail at least a day before.

Not suitable for

  • People with heart problems
  • People with pre-existing medical conditions

Guide or coach, pickup, walking distance and inclusions as the operator states them on the booking page.

Driving yourself

Entry to the national park is free; Metsähallitus confirms that trails, campsites and other services in national parks remain free of charge. What a drive costs you is the rental car, fuel and parking. Metsähallitus warns on its directions page that Google Maps and other navigators often give incorrect directions to the park, so follow the route described on luontoon.fi rather than the first suggestion of your phone. In spring the thaw on the Riisitunturintie road usually blocks access to the trailhead from the end of April to mid-May.

The parking area at Riisitunturi is part of a paid parking pilot from autumn 2026 to spring 2027. Metsähallitus gives the fee as 1 euro per hour or at most 5 euros per day; how to pay is explained on luontoon.fi. Reviewers who went by tour describe very icy roads, and one notes that the guide could not even park the van in the conditions that day. If you have not driven on snow and ice before, a day trip of about four hours behind the wheel is a lot to take on.

The coach or bus seat without a guide

BookLapland sells a heated coach with an English-speaking driver-host. Before you set off on the trail, the driver-host explains the recommended route, the viewpoints, the timing and where to meet again, and you walk about 4 km at your own pace. The listing says plainly that this option does not include a guide. Professional winter overalls rated to -40 °C and boots if needed are part of it. The coach leaves from and returns to the BookLapland office in Rovaniemi.

Experience Tours Lapland calls its version a self-guided bus tour; winter clothes and shoes are not included, and the campfire sausages and the photos belong only to its guided option. Bring a water bottle and snacks, as the operator advises. On both, no guide waits for you on the fell, so keep an eye on the time yourself.

The guided day

A guided tour picks you up in Rovaniemi on most listings, walks with you, and stops at a fire. Wild about Lapland caps the group at 8 and lends winter clothing and boots; its pickup covers only accommodation outside the city centre. Every other guided tour is compared on the comparison page.

Reviewers of the small-group vans describe a long ride: one counts almost three hours each way in a van with two rows of seats facing each other and little legroom, another two and a half hours with a toilet stop on the way. If you get carsick sitting backwards, ask for a forward-facing seat when you are collected.

Which one suits you

Drive yourself if you are used to winter roads and want to choose your own start time. Take the coach or bus seat if you want the lowest price and are fine on the trail alone; only the BookLapland coach comes with overalls and boots. Book a guided tour if you want food, a guide who knows the fell and someone else to deal with the ice on the road.

The road and the ride in the reviews

Comments on the drive are mostly about its length and the ice. The critical one blames the guide for driving without snow chains.

“… The journey to the location took about two and a half hours, and the return trip was roughly the same. There was also short stop during the transport, so everyone had the chance to use the restroom if needed, which made the long ride comfortable. During the tour itself, which was about five kilometers long, Jake shared many interesting facts and stories about the Snow Monsters. …”
David · Germany · March 2026 Snow Monsters by Coach or Small Group · BookLapland
“… there wasn't much snow so we didn't quite see what we came for, but the nature was amazing anyways, the hike wasn't too hard even for people who are not in shape. We got all the equipment, snacks and drinks which was nice. … The only thing I didn't like was the van, it was crammed with two rows of seat facing each other so there was no room for our legs and for almost 3 hour drive one way it was not ideal.”
Barbara · Croatia · January 2025 Fell Hike with Edited Photos · Beyond Arctic
“Unfortunately, i found that the guide to not be so competent. With the weather conditions, having snow chains is important, she couldn't even park the van.”
Verified traveller · France · October 2026 Guided Hike or Bus Only · Experience Tours Lapland

Reviews of Riisitunturi day trips, quoted from GetYourGuide.

Questions and answers

Can I drive to Riisitunturi from Rovaniemi?

Yes. Metsähallitus warns that Google Maps and other navigators often give wrong directions to the park, so use the route on luontoon.fi. Parking is part of a paid trial until spring 2027.

Is there an entrance fee for Riisitunturi National Park?

No. Trails and services in Finnish national parks are free. During the parking trial, drivers pay for the parking area.

Is there transport to Riisitunturi without a tour?

BookLapland and Experience Tours Lapland sell a coach or bus seat without a guide. You are driven to the park and back and walk the trail on your own. BookLapland includes overalls and boots, Experience Tours Lapland no winter clothing.

How long is the drive to Riisitunturi?

The operators plan about two hours each way, Lapland Activities about two and a half. Reviewers mention a short break on the way.

Related on this site

Prices

Coach seats and guided days ordered by price.

The trail

What you walk once you are at the park.

What to wear

Clothing for the coach option and for drivers.

Coach or guide, side by side

The home page table marks every transport-only option.

Open the tour table