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Ski Holidays in Pyha
Rubbing shoulders with the spectacular Pyhä-Luosto national park, Pyha has everything you’d expect of a classic Lappish resort: cosy log cabins, snowy pine forests and a chance to enjoy a reindeer safari or traditional sauna-ice swimming session. The skiing is good too – floodlit into the early evening with a mix of long, child-friendly cruisers and mighty moguls.
- Flight Time
- 3.5 hours
- From London
- Nearest Airports
- Kittilä, Kuusamo
- Rovaniemi
- Time zone
- GMT + 2 hour
- Language
- Finnish
- Currency
- Euros
- Ski Season
- Dec - April
Pyha Stats
Lovely Pyhä is an authentic Lappish resort on the south east corner of the beautiful Pyhä–Luosto National Park. Famous for its dense pine forests, frozen lakes and waterfalls, as well as being a top spot to see the northern lights, the area is sacred to the Lappish people - ’Pyhä’ (pronounced ‘poo-ha’) translates to ‘holy hill’.
Lousto is another small ski resort located to the north of the park. The two ski areas aren’t connected but Lousto is worth visiting for its famous Amethyst mine.
This winter spot is compact and uncommercialised, with uncrowded slopes and cosy log cabins. It feels like a world away from home, but isn’t too hard to get to; the nearest train stations are Rovaniemi and Kemijarvi and both have direct bus connections to the resort, as does Rovaniemi airport.
The whole place has a magical, festive feel, and is perfect if you don’t want to focus on the skiing 24/7 as there are so many other things to get stuck into. A trip here is a proper Lapland experience, where you travel north of the Arctic Circle to find the Sami culture still embedded with reindeer farming and Santa myths. Husky rides, reindeer safaris, ice swimming and snowmobiling are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to must-do activities here.
Since being taken over by the brains behind nearby ski resort Ruka, this has become a popular place for its small but sweet ski area on top of everything else. Thanks to massive investments, floodlit pistes and fast chairlifts are a given nowadays and you can access the top of the fell from the village via the PyhäExpress in a speedy 4 minutes. Your ski pass also includes Ruka which has a further 34 slopes to sink your teeth into. Good things really do come in small packages- Pyhä won the Finnish Ski Resort of the Year 2011 at the World Ski Awards and is appearing more and more on peoples lists of ‘places to visit’.
Pyha Transfer Times
What's the ski area like in Pyha?
Which other ski resorts are near to Pyha?
The nearest ski resorts to Pyha include Ruka, Levi, Yllas, Saariselka.
Ski Area Facts
Beginner Slopes
Intermediate Skiing
Advance & Expert Terrain
Snowboarding Trails
What is Pyha like for Beginner skiers?
What is Pyha like for Intermediate skiers?
What is Pyha like for Advanced skiers?
What is Pyha like for snowboarding?
What is Pyha like for off-piste skiing?
What is Pyha like for cross country skiing?
Pyha Restaurants
As well as the usual international favourites, there are lots of interesting delicacies including sautéed reindeer, wood grouse and fresh fish from the lakes – you might even come across a Finnish cloudberry if you’re lucky. Restaurant Tsokka is famous for its winning waffles and if you have a sweet tooth, Kopara does an incredible blueberry pie. For some good old Alpine comfort food, Racca does a good fondue and raclette and Ski Bistro’s pizzas might hit the spot. Serving up the best of Lappish delicacies, Glacier a la Carte is so popular it’s worth booking a table for and you can sample sautéed reindeer at Huttu-Uula, when in Lapland…!
Where to eat in Pyha and on the mountain
Huttu-Uula You can’t miss this restaurant, right at the end of the Polar piste. Warm up indoors where it can seat up to 100 or enjoy the fresh finish air outside on the terrace, which has room for another 100 people. Huttu-Uula is perfect for families, with a great children’s menu and a nursery room. With favourites like pizza and steak as well as more traditional dishes like sautéed reindeer, there should be something on the menu to keep everyone satisfied.
Pyha Après Ski
Pyhä’s nightlife is friendly and fun – there are a handful of bars but no clubs or discos (Ruka might be your answer if you want the best of Finnish après). Ski Bistro often has live music, or you can try out the unusual Ice Bar which is always busy but it’s the Carlsberg House on the Polar slope that’s the official hotspot for après ski. It’s the place to go after the slopes with their priority being to keep everyone hydrated and on good form with cheap drinks deals and loud music till the early hours. For a more relaxed vibe, Sportbar is a chilled pub space with sports screens, pool and even karaoke now and again, if you fancy yourself as the next Beyoncé.
Bars Late Night Clubs and Cafes in Pyha
Carlsberg House You’d struggle to find a more convenient stop off point than the Carlsberg House – right in the middle of the Polar piste! It’s open from 11am where you can ski in for tasty snacks and drinks. The fun starts at half 3 when it’s après ski O’clock... music, drinks, ski movies and more!
Pyha Activites for Non-skiers
Lapland’s huge selling point is that it’s Santa’s home and children will love the excursion trips to Santa’s secret getaway. This is also a super place to see the Northern lights first-hand. Must-try pastimes include husky sledging, reindeer safaris and over 400km of snowmobiling trails, some of which wind through the National Park.If you don’t fancy the slopes or want a different flavour of adrenaline, there’s also Icelandic horse-riding, ice-fishing, ice-karting and ice-climbing to try. Yet another activity to add to the endless list on offer is the option to visit the Amethyst Mine where you can even dig for your own gems. The local wellness activities of choice include traditional Finnish Saunas and ice swimming – you can even combine the two at the Perhe-Luosto smoke sauna...
Arktikum If you’re keen to know more about Lapland’s past, be sure to visit Arktikum in Rovaniemi. The museum is 2 hours’ drive from Pyha resort and has plenty of interesting exhibits about the history of the area’s people, animals, and culture. There’s also a science centre here where you can swot up on arctic geology and the facts behind climate change.
Joulukka Pyhä resort’s about 2 hours from Rovaniemi, where Joulukka pick you up and drive you out into the wilderness to meet Santa. There’s an excellent choice of activities to take part in at Santa’s woodland hideaway, including having a peek at mission command, training to be Santa’s helper, and making decorations with the elves.
Santa Park The Santa Park at Rovaniemi can be reached in around 2 hours from Pyhä. Visitors have the chance to meet Santa, graduate from Elf School and whip up some tasty gingerbread in the Elves’ kitchen. There’s an ice gallery and underground passage across the Arctic Circle – meanwhile kids will love the sleigh ride, Angry Birds play area and giant snow globe.
Metsäkyly Forest Retreat If you're based in Pyha, take a road trip to discover the Metsäkyly sauna complex by Lake Sieri – 150km from the resort. Guests select from a variety of programs, including some offering forest walks and meals, chilling in the sauna and Jacuzzi or jumping into the ice pool.
Clothing Food & Souvenir Shops
Best Time to Visit Pyha
What's Pyha like at Christmas?
There’s nothing better than travelling to Santa’s home over Christmas in Pyhä. Visit this relatively unknown gem that offers great skiing, plenty of family activities and more festive spirit than Rudolf himself.What's Pyha like in the New Year?
Celebrating your New Year in Pyhä involves fantastic firework displays, snow-sure conditions and activities ranging from reindeer safaris to ice-climbing (you might not even need the fireworks though as this is a super place to spot the northern lights...).What's Pyha like in Half-Term?
Picking to spend your February Half Term in Pyhä is more than just a wise decision, for an affordable price you get phenomenal snow conditions, uncrowded slopes and barrow-loads of winter wonderland activities to get to grips with.What's Pyha like at Easter?
Easter in Pyhä is perfect, with family-orientated slopes without the slush plus heaps of other things to do as well as skiing.Pyha Snow Conditions
Snow Report, History & Forecast
View our detailed Pyha snow report to see skiing confitions now. Our Pyha snow history shows you what snow depths have been in recent years month-by-month. If you're visiting soon, use the Pyha snow forecast to see predicted snowfall over the coming days.
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Ski Accommodation in Pyha
We have 207 ski holidays in Pyha. Search all Pyha ski deals or pick your preferred accommodation type below:
Ski Extras
How much is a ski pass in Pyha
Maximum and minimum adult Pyha lift pass prices ranged from to for 6 days access to the Pyha ski lift system at the start of the 2025 winter season. Our lift passes are part of a packaged Pyha holiday with accommodation, so prices vary depending on chalet or hotel suppliers. Confirm price for the lift ticket before booking your holiday.
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Getting to Pyha
Most of our ski holidays to Pyha packaged with flights include airport transfers. We can also arrange private transfers to Pyha from nearby airports
How long does it take to fly to Pyha from the UK?
Flights from London take about 3.5 hours to Kittilä, Kuusamo, Rovaniemi. This table shows approximate transfer times to Pyha from the nearest airports, smaller airports can be more prone to delays.
| Airport | Distance | Transfer Time |
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How long does it take to drive to Pyha from the UK?
Browse our self-drive ski holidays which include your car channel crossing, or go choose accom-only and book your car ferry or tunnel later.
How long is the transfer from nearest Finland / Lapland train station to Pyha?
The transfer time from alpine train stations are generally shorter than from airports, Call us for details of Pyha transfers.
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More Pyha Information
Visitor centre Naava The Pyhä-Luosto National Park is served by an excellent visitor centre, Naava, where you can find the most useful and up-to-date information about trails, conditions and activities in the area. The centre has its own nature exhibition, wifi access and a café inside – meanwhile events are put on occasionally throughout the year. Entry is free!
Pyha Ski Holiday Resources
Need help choose your Pyha ski holiday? Call us on 020 7770 6888 or click Enquire - we love to help!
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