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
From the harbor it is about 10 km to Kemi. Taxis are available.
Printable map to take along.
Cruise schedule for Kemi.
Kemi is an industrial town dominated by pulp mills. Most of its tourists are drawn by two wintery sights: its world famous Lumilinna Snow Castle & Hotel and the unique chance to cruise on the Sampo icebreaker. By its character, Kemi is far more like a Finnish town than a Lappish town. The city also boasts an array of shops, restaurants and bars.
Kemi Snow Castle, The biggest snow castle in the world, built yearly in Kemi, Finland since 1996. About 300,000 people visited the first snow castle. The area covered by the castle has varied from 13,000 to over 20,000 square meters. The highest towers have been over 20 meters high and longest walls over 1,000 meters long, and the castle has had up to three stories. The SnowRestaurant has ice tables and seats covered with reindeer fur, as well as ice sculptures. The ecumenical SnowChapel with 50-100 seats has seen numerous weddings, of couples from as far as Japan and Hong Kong. There is also a SnowHotel in the snow castle, with double rooms…
Getting around
Taxis can be obtained by telephone or from taxi ranks. Payment can be made using major international credit cards as well as cash. The usual basic fare is 4.50 euros. The fare rises gradually on a kilometer basis, as indicated by the meter, and depending on the number of passengers.
Finnish Railways operates the fairly extensive railroad network.
Car rental is possible in Finland but generally expensive, with rates generally upwards of € 80/day.
Nearby places
The City of Rovaniemi and its world famous Santa Claus Village are approximately 80 minutes drive North from the city, using Highway 4.
Money
The Finnish currency unit is the euro (EUR), divided into 100 cents. Finland does not use the 1 and 2 cent coins; instead all sums are rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Staying connected
Finland has two official languages, Finnish ( 93%) and Swedish (7%), but also English is widely spoken in Finland.
112 is the national phone number for all emergency services, including police.
Cafes which offer free WiFi for customers are sparse on the ground in this country where everybody logs on at home and in the office, but nearly every public library in the country has free Internet access. WiFi hotspots are also increasingly common.
Opening Hours and
Weekdays
from 07.00 - 09.00 to 20.00 - 21.00
Saturdays
from 09.00 to 15.00 - 18.00
Sundays
closed