Ruka Finland is a picture perfect resort town in Lapland, Finland. It is small enough to feel warm, welcoming and familiar but big enough to have everything you could need for a stay. It’s got a lovely community feel to it and with some great activities (including husky dog sledding, visits to Father Christmas’s secret cottage and big indoor play centres) nearby it makes for the perfect trip for all the family to enjoy. We visited with kids as guests of Crystal Ski who offer fantastic ski package deals to the area. Read on to find out everything you need to know with our ultimate ski guide to Ruka, Finland. Â
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We have put together our ski guide based on our time spent there. You can use the headings below to skip through to the bits that are useful to you or read it all for one big blast of our ultimate ski guide to Ruka, Finland.
Table of Contents
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Getting there and around
The closest airport is Kuusamo which is around 25 minutes away so a really easy transfer.
There is a ski bus that goes fairly regularly which is worth looking in to if you are going independently.
We had transfers as part of our ski trip with Crystal Ski.
Through Ruka there are a couple of free bus routes that takes you around the different layers of the town. These run around every hour and are useful for getting out and about.
There’s also the gondola to reach the ski school area of the town.
What to do in Ruka, Finland
Ruka is a small town and it’s easy to get around. Although the cold can sometimes bite (it was down to -22 when we visited but regularly gets in to the -30s).
It’s got a lovely feel with a good mix of restaurants, shops and activities on offer. It feels very family-friendly.
Skiing
There’s great skiing in Ruka with lots of blue runs so if you’ve not skied before you’ll find it easy to get going here.
For established skiers there’s lots of reds and blacks. There’s also different terrains to try including off piste and Ruka Park where there are a few challenging obstacles and jumps.
There is an established ski school in Ruka which was great. They are probably focused more on technique than going off over distances but it was really good for the children. Our youngest in particular who was the least experienced really grew over the week and is more confident following his time here.
The instructors were very good at bringing the smallest ones inside for a drink halfway through the lessons on particularly cold days to help them warm up.
They provide lessons for all ages and all abilities. Find out more about the ski school (including prices) here.
There’s a lovely area with reindeer and huskies to spot on the way down. And little elf houses which are lit up to make it even more interesting.
Santa’s Cottage – Ruka, Finland
Just on the edge of Ruka, Santa’s Cottage at Pohjolan Pirtti gives you an opportunity to meet with Father Christmas and Mrs Claus in the magical setting of their home.
Have a go at sledging, get initiated in to elf school, learn a traditional Finnish Christmas song and eat as much gingerbread and chocolate as you like.
This is a lovely experience, about 30 minutes out of town and in a remote setting that makes it even more fairytale like. We loved it.
Read our review of our trip visiting Santa’s Cottage in Pohjolan Pirtti here or find out more at their website here.
Lammintupa
My absolute favourite thing to do near Ruka is a visit to Lammintupa Winter Village.
Here they have reindeer to feed and have a ride with, skiddoos and best of all husky dog rides. The latter is the best experience, incredibly exhilarating and just so special. Heading through the forest, pulled on a sleigh by these beautiful creatures it really does make a trip to Lapland so special.
It’s not cheap but also not ridiculously expensive and well worth it.
Read about our adventure with husky dogs and reindeer at Lammintupa here or find out more at their website here.
Angry Birds Activity Park at the Holiday Club Kuusamon Tropiikki
Around 20 minutes outside of Ruka is the Holiday Club Kuusamon Tropiikki. This is the perfect retreat if the temperatures drop and you want to have some time inside to warm up.
There’s some lovely pools here but there’s also an Angry Birds Activity Park which is an indoor play centre packed full of everything kids will love.
Onsite there’s a couple of zip wires, some go-karts with a race track, lots of play areas to run around and tunnels to climb through, a great foam pit to throw yourself in and a whole section dedicated to video games.
There’s water available and while it’s not cheap {they had a special Christmas deal when we visited of €10 per person}, it’s the perfect place to let kids run about and have some fun.
You can combine it with a trip to O’Leary’s restaurant, see review below in our restaurant section. Find out more here.
Rosa & Rudolf Activity House
This small soft play centre in the centre of Ruka (in the same building as the K-Market) is a good place to burn off some energy indoors.
It’s fairly expensive to purchase on its own but is free to enter with a ski pass.
It’s probably best suited to under sixes but there’s enough here for little ones to run around for a while.
Ski rental in Ruka
There are a number of places to hire skis in Ruka and all the prices are linked –
Piste Rental Shop & Ski Passes & Ski Service
We rented from the Piste Rental Shop & Ski Passes & Ski Service and they were fantastic at helping us get kitted out.
The ski rental shop is large and well set out so you can move from station to station getting the right gear as you go.
We found it to be all really good quality and a great service. They are also in a really good location, right at the base of the gondola in the centre of town. Definitely recommended. Find out more here.
VuosselinPortti Rental Shop & Ski Passes
This is located close to the children’s ski slopes. They don’t have the biggest variety of products but they will have everything you need to get you started if you’re a beginner.
Sport House, Ruka
This is slightly out of the town but has a comprehensive list of everything you could need including snowmobiles. Find out more here.
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Where to stay
Ruka Suites – self catering
We stayed at the Ruka Suites as part of our stay with Crystal Ski which were self catering apartments in the centre of the town.
These were well kitted out with everything we needed including dishwasher and oven in the kitchen and every apartment comes with its own sauna.
They were comfortable and perfect for a family stay.
Read our review of Ruka Suites here or find out more here.
Scandic Rukahovi – hotel
If you’re looking for a more traditional hotel stay the Scandic Rukahovi in the centre of Ruka looks great.
Find out more here.
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Where to eat
There’s a really good selections of restaurants and bars in Ruka. For a smaller sized resort it does well in the eating out stakes. Some of our favourites are:
Rukan Kuksa
Rukan Kuksa is my favourite Ruka restaurant, it really is outstanding.
The decor has a cool, mountain / forest vibe and the food is all local to this area of Lapland.
We had some amazing dishes here including fish caught locally and some fantastic veggie food like a beetroot burger that was so good.
Rukan Kuksa is such a comfortable place to hang out and to try Finnish food, many of it foraged from the wild was such an experience and one not to be missed.
Find out more at their website here.
Hanki Baari
I love Hanki Baari for its laid back vibe.
It’s the perfect hangout post skiing with bottomless coffee and a cupboard full of board games and packs of cards.
The food is great here too with an always changing menu and some great veggie and vegan options. We tucked in to vegan BLTs, a mee goreng (that was so good) and some creamy pasta. But there was reindeer casserole and chicken pasta if you are meat eaters.
It’s a really nice place with a very cool, relaxed feel. Find out more at their website here.
Koti Pizza
Koti Pizza is a fantastic pizza restaurant which is always packed.
They offer a takeaway service or you can sit in (don’t worry if it’s full, service is fast and there’s a good turnaround).
The pizzas are great with hand pulled dough and fresh ingredients. We loved making up our own with toppings including avocado and lots of different veggies.
There were some great vegan options too (including vegan cheese) and they are well priced (their pizzas are large).
Find out more at their website here.
O’Leary’s Kuusamon at the Holiday Club Kuusamon Tropiikki
Around 20 minutes outside of town and a taxi drive away is O’Leary’s Kuusamon at the Holiday Club Kuusamon Tropiikki.
If you’ve got kids there’s plenty at this resort from swimming pools to the Angry Birds play centre but you can come here simply for O’Leary’s.
This was pretty busy when we visited and the food was great. From fish and chips to tacos there’s plenty of variety on the menu and we particularly loved the use of Oumph, the vegan meat substitute, which made for a delicious burger.
It’s a great place for a family meal. Find out more here.
R U OK Burger
R U OK Burger is a great burger bar in the centre of town. It’s not the cheapest but definitely good for a splurge mid week.
The menu is simple with beef burgers and a portabello mushroom burger on the list too.
The food is great, really tasty burgers and some great sides in the form of chunky chips, sweet potato fries and halloumi chips.
It’s a really fun, casual restaurant to hang out and regroup after skiing all day with delicious food.
Find out more at their website here.
Ski Bistro
Located next to the Family Park, the Ski Bistro is a great place to hang out after ski lessons.
It’s large and warm with an open fire and rocking chairs next to it. It’s perfect for hot drinks and a slice of cake (they have great ones) but also for hot lunch after a morning out on the slopes.
Ruka Thai
Ruka Thai is a fairly new restaurant located in the same building as Ruka Suites (towards the edge of it, near to Koti Pizza).
Closed on Monday it’s got a varied menu of Thai food and it all looked great.
Subway
For a quick, cheap lunch Subway is a good option. This is a nice outlet with some spectacular views across the treetops.
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Where to shop
If you’re self catering then the K-Market in the centre is a good place to stop off and you can easily get by for a week here.
It’s not the largest but if you’re happy to make do there’s enough there (we got pizzas to cook up in our apartment, had all the bits for Mexican fajitas one night, plenty of chocolate for the children (and us) etc).
You can take the No.2 ski bus (free with ski lift pass or when boarding with ski equipment) down to the S-Market just outside of the town.
This is bigger than the K-Market with more choice but not massively so. We went once towards the beginning of the trip and made do at the K-Market after that.
Next door to the S-Market there is a small, well priced alcohol shop where we picked up some cloudberry liqueur (what else?) and some wine.
There are some great souvenir shops in Ruka, our favourites are Pitäjän-Pirtti for lots of Lapland items (check out our suggestions of what to buy below) and Ruka Shop in the centre of town for clothes and other treats.
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: What to buy
There are some lovely items you can pick up easily in Finland and in Ruka.
Here are some of our top picks. Cloudberries are unique to this region and so interesting to try. You can pick up cloudberries in various form from jam to wine to lollies (try Pitäjän-Pirtti for these). It’s a lovely souvenir to take home and a little taste of Finland.
The wooden cups (kuksa) are also synonymous with this region and are used to sip drinks from. These are a great reminder of a trip to this area of the world.
Look out for lovely Moomin products everywhere (even in the supermarket you can pick up Moomin mugs, even Moomin liquorice).
Read more: The best souvenirs from Lapland
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Video
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Costs
Compared to some of the Scandinavian resorts we found Ruka to be fairly well priced.
The supermarkets were slightly more than a UK equivalent but only slightly. Here are some of the costs around the town for some of the various activities, services and products to give you an idea {correct as of 2019}.
Ski Costs
- Kids Ski Hire for 6 days– 6-11 year olds (skis, helmet & boots) – €72
- Adult – (Skis & Boots ) for 6 days – €95 (helmet €42)
- Lift pass – adult 6 days – €200
- Lift pass – child 6 days €126
- Kids group ski lessons for 5 days, 1.45 hours a day – €160
- Adults group ski lessons – 5 days, 1.45 hours a day – €175
- Private tuition -30 minutes kids €34
- Private tuition – 1.45 hours for adults €114
In the shops in Ruka Finland
- Bread from the bakery – €.85 for a baguette in the K-Market
- A dozen eggs – €1.85 in the K-Market
In the restaurants
- Burger from R U OK Burger – €13.50
- Takeaway medium margarita Pizza for 1 from Koti Pizza – €10
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Top Tips
- It goes without saying that a winter trip to Lapland can bring very cold weather. Check out our packing list for Lapland to make sure you take everything you need.
- Make sure you have enough activities for indoors in case the weather makes it harder to get outside.
- We had a couple of afternoons indoors after ski school where the children could do some colouring, reading and a gingerbread decorating kit we brought from home.
- It would be useful to come armed with a pack of cards and small board game.
- Try to book up some of the activities before you get out to Lapland, for example if you know you want to visit Santa’s Cottage book early as it does sell out.
- When the temperature really drops phone batteries can drain almost instantly. Make sure you have a camera that can cope with cold weather.
Ski guide to Ruka, Finland: Reading list
Read more about our skiing trip to Ruka with Crystal Ski here.
Read more great posts about Lapland
Wondering where in Lapland to go? Read our guide on which holiday to Lapland would suit you best here (on our sister site Family Hotel Expert). We also have a full Lapland with kids guide here on Globalmouse Travels. Read all about our wonderful week skiing in Ruka here. The best ski resorts in Europe for families.
Please let us know if there’s anywhere we’re missing in our round-up, or if our reviews help your plans. We love to hear from you.
