Top Ten Scandinavia Classic Adventures

Photos: Top Ten U.S. Rivers for Rafting

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The small hamlet of Inari is the best base for exploring Finnish Lapland. Hit the water in the town's nearby swamp—once a hideaway for eccentric philosophers and assorted hermits who lived in log cabins on the swamp's many islands. Hire a boat (available for day trips or longer sojourns). After your paddle, a walk along a nearby 4.34-mile track will take you to a 17th-century wilderness church—built in an attempt to spread the gospel to the animist Lapps—and the calming warmth of a local sauna.

All this snow got you feeling festive? Hop on a bus and head to Rovaniemi, where locals authorities have built a Santa Claus village, complete with Santa, reindeer, and a special postal service for Christmas.