Kemi is a small town just at the base of the Finnish Lapland where it touches the Gulf of Bothnia. The place might not exactly be on someone's itinerary more than being a stopover on way further up to Lapland or while returning from there. Even I had just passed through Kemi on my way to Rovaniemie twice — in June and December 2021. But I finally got some time to explore the town during my mid-summer 2022 bikepacking trip. While I may tell about that trip in a separate post, I will here focus on what to do if you happen to be in Kemi.
How to reach?
Kemi is well connected to Helsinki and most other major cities in Finland through buses and trains. Almost all busses and trains on the way to Rovaniemie from Helsinki stopover at Kemi. It might also be possible to hop on the only overnight train service from Helsinki to Rovaniemie. Kemi also has its own airport but the number of connections is limited.
What to do?
- Kemi snow castle: A 'mirage made of diamonds' emerging from the sea. The primary crowd puller to this town is the snow castle that is erected every winter since 1996 from the ice and snow sourced from the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. In fact, it is the largest snow castle in the world. The castle is said to be adorned with beautiful sculptures made of ice. Not only that, but you might also be able to sleep on a bed of ice here. As of July 2022, I am yet to visit the castle. Maybe the upcoming winter on my 'half-yearly trip to Lapland'.
- Snow experience 365: In case you could not make it to the winter snow castle, there is a smaller castle that can be experienced throughout the year. Similar to the winter ice castle but smaller and obviously built indoor, even this has a couple of beautiful ice sculptures to admire. You might also be able to enjoy a drink sitting on an ice table and stool. Tip: do not miss the ice slide. It's fun! [W: experience365.fi]
- Icebreaker Sampo: This is a unique cruise that starts from Kemi and traverses the Gulf of Bothnia breaking the frozen sea en route. The northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia is among the few places on earth where the sea completely freezes. The three-hour cruise also includes an experience of floating on the icy waters dressed in a survival suit. [W: experience365.fi/icebreakersampo/]
- Kemi church: It is a Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church dating back to 1903.
- Kemi museums: Kemi might be a small town but it has been historically important due to its location. It has seen several wars including the two world wars, the winter war and the continuation war. You can learn more about the history of Kemi at the Kemi history museum. The same building also houses an art and gem gallery. While I was visiting in June 2022, they had an interesting concept of presentation — a gem matched to the colour of a painting. Another interesting collection under the same roof is that of comics. Here you can get yourself familiarised with comics that were once popular in Finland.
Where to next?
- Sweden: Just about 30 km west of Kemi is the Swedish border. The border town of Haparanda-Tornio is in itself a unique experience. I stayed in Sweden and ate in Finland. You can freely cross the border. But beware, crossing the border also mean crossing over to a different time zone and that can mess up your plans. From Haparanda, you can get bus and train connections further into Sweden.
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