LEVI

Above the Arctic Circle, this lively resort encapsulates the wild heart of Finnish Lapland - and hits its stride in winter, with snowy woodland walks, frozen lakes and reindeer encounters.

- Simon Ingram

Picture Arctic Finland in winter and you're picturing Levi. Or rather, Levi's the destination that delivers what you're envisaging-an atmospheric dead-of-winter dose of cosy wildness. Without the bustle of Rovaniemi, the 'official' home of Santa, or the isolation of northern outpost Saariselkä, this small resort manages to strike a sweet balance.

You get the log cabins, frozen lakes and the endless, snow-bowed conifers. Revving snowmobiles and yowling huskies. Christmas lights and - hopefully-Northern Lights, too. Santa, obviously. But you also get a spa, a choice of supermarkets, a good selection of restaurants, a fully fledged ski resort clustered around a hill and even a tattooist (if that's your thing).

That all of this is crammed into a tangle of streets home to a year-round population of just 600 makes Levi quite a find on a practical level. It's also very accessible, only 15 minutes from the little airport at Kittilä and two hours from Rovaniemi.

But none of this practicality is at the expense of Nordic winter magic at its most elemental. Its fairy lights peering idyllically out into the polar night, Levi and its surroundings have charm in spades.

DAY ONE HUSKIES, WALKS & SAUNA

Morning