Things to do in Ruka

Ruka is a purpose-built ski resort on a 492 m fell, roughly 190 km from Rovaniemi, a drive worth planning for rather than squeezing into a day trip. The pedestrian village clusters restaurants and rental shops around the base of 34 marked runs, with a panoramic chairlift running through both the winter and summer seasons.

Winter brings alpine skiing, cross-country tracks and snowmobile safaris departing from Ruka itself; in summer and autumn the same slopes switch to hiking trails and mountain biking. Ruka sits outside Oulanka National Park, a few kilometres short of its northern boundary, though it works as a base for reaching the park and the Karhunkierros trail.

Cabin accommodation is the norm here rather than hotel rooms, and most cluster within walking or short driving distance of the lifts.