Making the most of Kemi
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Kemi is about 10 km from the harbour, with taxis available.
Bring a printable map.
See Kemi’s cruise schedule.
Kemi is an industrial pulp-mill town. Visitors are chiefly drawn by two winter attractions: the world-famous Lumilinna Snow Castle & Hotel and a Sampo icebreaker cruise. Its character is more Finnish than Lappish, and the city also has shops, restaurants and bars.
Kemi Snow Castle is the world’s largest snow castle, constructed annually in Kemi since 1996. The first castle welcomed about 300,000 visitors. Its area has ranged from 13,000 to over 20,000 square meters, with towers above 20 meters, walls longer than 1,000 meters and up to three storeys. SnowRestaurant has ice tables and reindeer-fur-covered seats, plus ice sculptures. The ecumenical SnowChapel seats 50-100 and has hosted weddings for couples from as far as Japan and Hong Kong. The snow castle also includes a SnowHotel with double rooms…
Getting around
Taxis can be booked by phone or found at ranks, and accept major international credit cards as well as cash. Basic fare is usually 4.50 euros, rising by kilometer according to the meter and passenger number.
Finnish Railways runs an extensive rail network.
Car hire is available in Finland but normally expensive, with rates generally above € 80/day.
Nearby places
Rovaniemi and its world-famous Santa Claus Village are around 80 minutes north of Kemi by car on Highway 4.
Money
Finland uses the euro (EUR), made up of 100 cents. There are no 1 or 2 cent coins; totals are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Staying connected
Finland’s official languages are Finnish ( 93%) and Swedish (7%), and English is widely spoken.
For police and all other emergency services, call 112.
Free customer WiFi cafes are uncommon where people connect at home and work, but nearly every public library provides free Internet access and WiFi hotspots are increasingly widespread across the country.
Opening Hours and
Weekday opening
Weekday hours: from 07.00 - 09.00 to 20.00 - 21.00
Saturday opening
Saturday hours: from 09.00 to 15.00 - 18.00
Sunday opening
Sunday: closed.