What a Kemi icebreaker cruise costs
An icebreaker cruise with ice floating costs from ~$344 on Arktis up to ~$451 on Sampo, and more if you start in Rovaniemi. The gap pays for a longer cruise and a meal, not for better ice. Below, the four tours side by side and the costs the fares leave out.
Four fares in one table
The table puts the three cruises on our home page next to one extra, the Sampo day trip from Rovaniemi. Each price is the regular "from" figure per person on GetYourGuide, so the date you pick can move it a little.
Two companies share this stretch of frozen sea. Icebreaking Company sails Sampo and Arktis out of Kemi, while Polar Explorer Icebreaker runs its own ship from Axelsvik on the Swedish side of the border.
| Tour | From | Cruise | Whole day | Start point | Included | Free cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sampo (our pick) | ~$451 | 3.5–4 h | 6.5–7 h | Kemi hotels and station | Welcome drink, ship tour, floating, lunch on the afternoon cruise, SnowCastle exhibitions | 24 h |
| Polar Explorer | ~$365 | Varies by option | 3–8.5 h | Shuttle from Kemi or Rovaniemi | Hot drinks, tour of 7 decks, audio guide, film, floating | 45 days |
| Arktis | ~$344 | 3 h | 6 h | Kemi, SnowCastle area | Transfer to the harbor, floating, certificate | 24 h |
| Sampo from Rovaniemi (extra) | ~$568 | 3.5–4 h | 10–11 h | Rovaniemi hotels | The Sampo program plus the bus, lunch only in the afternoon | 24 h |
Read across the rows and the Kemi fares climb with the length of the cruise and with food in the price. The Swedish ship sits between the two Kemi boats on price but asks for a far longer notice period if you cancel.
What Sampo's higher fare pays for
Sampo from ~$451 is the most expensive cruise that starts in Kemi, and the extra buys time on the water. Its cruise runs 3.5–4 hours against 3 hours on Arktis, with a guided walk through a ship built in 1960 for the Finnish state fleet.
The afternoon departure at 13:30 includes lunch on board, and everyone gets a non-alcoholic welcome drink. The ticket also covers the exhibitions in the SnowCastle area, which Arktis passengers pay for separately.
The morning Sampo cruise has no meal, so that is where the value thins out. Guests rate Sampo 4.7 from 80+ reviews on GetYourGuide, yet value scores 4.2, the lowest of its ratings. Our comparison of the three ships says what the old icebreaker is like inside.
Sampo with lunch on the afternoon cruise
The longest cruise from Kemi puts a ship tour and floating in one fare from ~$451 that also covers the SnowCastle exhibitions. Free cancellation until 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Arktis, the lower fare with meals left out
Arktis from ~$344 is the cheapest way onto the ice from Kemi. The fare covers the transfer to the harbor plus the floating, and you leave with a certificate after a 3-hour cruise with two indoor decks and a modern café.
Food is where the saving shrinks, since meals at the seaview restaurant are not in the fare. The SnowExperience and gemstone exhibitions also cost extra, and you can pay for them ahead of time or at the SnowCastle reception.
Add a buffet and the exhibitions and Arktis creeps up toward Sampo, for a shorter cruise. If the floating is all you are after, it keeps the bill down. Arktis scores 4.4 from 220+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
Polar Explorer and its 45-day rule
Polar Explorer from ~$365 is priced on GetYourGuide with the shuttle from Kemi or Rovaniemi. The fare covers hot drinks, a guided tour through seven decks, an audio guide in 16 languages and the film in the onboard theatre, plus the floating.
Meals come from the cafeteria at your own cost. The Viator listing for the same ship is the own-transport version that meets you at the Axelsvik terminal, so its figure is lower. Check which option you are booking before you compare.
The bigger cost is the cancellation rule. On GetYourGuide this listing cancels free only up to 45 days before, against 24 hours for both Kemi ships. Our guide to the drive to Axelsvik explains the border and the time zone.
The Rovaniemi day trip costs the most
If you are based in Rovaniemi, the Sampo day trip from Rovaniemi at ~$568 is the dearest way in. You get the same Sampo program with a coach transfer on top (roughly 1 h 45 min in each direction), so expect 10–11 hours door to door. The morning departure includes no meal.
It scores 4.6 from 240+ reviews, with value at 4.1. Reviewers call it expensive but rarely regret going. Our Rovaniemi day-trip guide weighs the bus against a train and a night on the coast.
Extras to budget for
Phones stay behind when you climb into the water, so any picture of you afloat is taken by the crew's photographer. One Sampo reviewer paid about 25 euros for the photo service.
Food is the other variable. Breakfast or lunch at the SnowCastle restaurant costs extra on Sampo's morning cruise and on Arktis, and on Polar Explorer you pay in the cafeteria.
Budget for warm layers too if you do not own them. A thin city jacket fails fast at around −10 °C (14 °F) on the open ice, and our packing guide for the frozen sea lists what to bring.
Value scores and cancellation
GetYourGuide asks reviewers to rate value on its own, and the numbers follow the fares. Arktis and Polar Explorer sit around 4.4 on value, while Sampo drops to 4.2 and the Rovaniemi day trip to 4.1.
Cancellation can matter more than a few dollars when the ice decides the day. Both Icebreaking Company cruises cancel free up to 24 hours ahead and let you reserve now and pay later on GetYourGuide.
Polar Explorer's 45 days is a long lock-in for a trip that hangs on the weather. Read our guide to thin ice and windy days before you lock in a date that far ahead.
If your dates are fixed and you want the most in one fare, Sampo's afternoon cruise is the easiest to understand. If your plans may shift, stick to the two Kemi ships and their 24-hour window.
Which fare fits which trip
Pick Sampo if you want lunch in the price and the longest stretch on the water. Pick Arktis if floating is the point and you would rather spend the difference on dinner in town.
Polar Explorer suits travelers with fixed plans who want a bigger ship with more to explore indoors. The Rovaniemi day trip suits anyone without a night to spare near the coast, as long as the long bus ride does not put them off.
Whichever fare you pick, conditions out on the bay decide whether you get to walk on the ice and float. Our month-by-month guide shows when the ice is usually thickest, and the floating guide explains what the suit is like.