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- Terminal address: Axelsviksvägen 291C, 95295 Båtskärsnäs, Sweden.
- Free parking is available at the cruise terminal. No parking reservation is needed.
- Boarding starts 30 minutes before departure and closes 10 minutes before departure.
- If you travel with our shuttle, be at your pickup location 10 minutes before the shuttle departure.
- Bring a valid passport or national ID if your route crosses the Finland-Sweden border.
- Dress warmly. Survival suits for the ice floating activity are provided on board.
Click to watch the video of the itinerary of the day!
How to prepare for the floating activity
How can you prepare for the floating activity? Watch this video so you know what’s going down in our dressing room!
There are two ships: Polar Explorer and Arctic Explorer. Both sail from the same terminal and both include ice floating in survival suits when conditions allow.
- Polar Explorer is the flagship: 3-hour cruise, 185 explorers, restaurant, cinema, full guide team, and optional business class.
- Arctic Explorer is the best-value ship: 2.5-hour cruise, 80 explorers, small cafe, no restaurant, no cinema, and no business class.
The public timetable has three cruise windows during the season. Your booking confirmation is the authority for your exact departure.
Polar Explorer
- Early season: 11:00-14:00 CET.
- Morning: 10:00-13:00 CET.
- Afternoon: 14:00-17:00 CET.
Arctic Explorer
- Early season: 11:15-13:45 CET.
- Morning: 10:15-12:45 CET.
- Afternoon: 14:15-16:45 CET.
Shuttle products start earlier because the displayed start time may be your pickup time, not the ship departure time. Finland is one hour ahead of Sweden, so check whether your time is Finnish time or Swedish time.
You can arrive by your own transport or book a product with shuttle transfer.
By car
Use this address for navigation: Axelsviksvägen 291C, 95295 Båtskärsnäs, Sweden. The terminal coordinates are 65.7700815, 23.3698463.
Approximate driving times listed on icebreaker.fi:
- Rovaniemi: 168 km, about 2 h 15 min.
- Kemi: 73 km, about 1 h.
- Tornio: 45 km, about 35 min.
- Luleå: 100 km, about 1 h 15 min.
- Haparanda: 45 km, about 35 min.
- Kalix: 23 km, about 20 min.
By shuttle bus
Shuttle pickups are available from Rovaniemi, Kemi, Tornio, Luleå, and Haparanda depending on the product and date. You choose your pickup and drop-off location during the reservation process.
The Rovaniemi shuttle is a full day plan. The confirmed Polar Explorer Rovaniemi product is about 8 hours 30 minutes from pickup to return.
First pickup times from the current 2026-2027 schedule:
- Rovaniemi shuttle: 07:25 early season, 06:25 morning, 10:25 afternoon, Finnish time.
- Kemi/Tornio shuttle: 09:05 early season, 08:05 morning, 12:05 afternoon, Finnish time.
- Luleå/Haparanda shuttle: 08:00 early season, 07:00 morning, 11:00 afternoon, Swedish time.
Exact inclusions depend on the ship and product you book. For Polar Explorer, confirmed inclusions include:
- 3-hour icebreaker cruise.
- Hot drink on board.
- Guided tour through 7 decks.
- Live English guide and audio guide in 16 languages.
- Film in the Icebreaker Cinema.
- Ice floating in survival suits, conditions permitting.
- Walk on the frozen sea, conditions permitting.
- Cruise & Swim Certificate signed by the captain.
- Round-trip shuttle when you book a shuttle product.
For Arctic Explorer, the cruise is shorter and simpler: 2.5 hours, ice floating when conditions allow, small cafe, no restaurant, no cinema, no business class, and no full guide team.
Polar Explorer has an onboard restaurant. Lunch is optional and can be added to your booking. In the current Bokun setup, lunch should be shown as EUR 30 per person.
Polar Explorer also offers an optional business class upgrade when available. Business class includes the VIP Panorama Lounge, drinks and snacks, a private guided 7-deck tour, and priority for the ice floating activity.
Arctic Explorer has a small cafe. It does not have a restaurant, cinema, or business class.
- Warm thermal layers.
- Winter jacket and warm trousers.
- Hat, gloves or mittens, and a neck warmer.
- Insulated, waterproof winter boots with good grip.
- Valid passport or national ID.
- Camera or phone, with battery kept warm when possible.
- Snacks for a long shuttle day if you are travelling from Rovaniemi.
For the floating activity, we provide survival suits. Avoid skirts, dresses, and high heels on board
Ice floating is optional and always supervised by the crew. You wear a survival suit over your clothes, and the suit keeps you floating in the water. You do not need to know how to swim.
The confirmed minimum height for the activity is 125 cm. The crew makes the final decision on the day if weather, ice, health, or fit makes floating unsuitable.
There is no luggage storage on the ship, and large bags are difficult to carry due to narrow pathways and steep stairs. You only need your phone and wallet during the cruise.If you have luggage, you can safely store it in our onshore storage, just ask a guide for help.If you’re arriving by shuttle bus, you may leave your belongings on the bus.
Walking on the frozen sea is possible when the ice is thick enough. This is always the captain's decision and cannot be guaranteed for every departure, especially early in the season or during changing weather.
You are welcome to bring your own camera or phone for photos and video. Some older OTA material mentions photos taken during floating, but the current public page should not promise a paid photography service unless operations confirms the exact service for the season.
Drone flying from the ship or ice should not be promised as a normal guest activity. Treat drone use as restricted and by prior agreement only. Confirm the final public wording with operations before publishing this section. Yes, flying drones is allowed in our area, but only when the ship is stopped.
Please note:
You fly at your own risk; we are not responsible for any accidents or losses.
A drone license is required to fly in Sweden.
Is it cold? Do I need to know how to swim?
You’re not the only one asking—we hear this at least 2,038 times a day!
The good news: you’re wearing a survival suit for a reason. Made of insulating neoprene, it’s designed to keep you warm and help you float. The suit has multiple layers to block the cold and traps air inside, giving you extra air for floatation. It’s not meant to be tight, so don’t worry if it feels loose.
No swimming skills required—just relax and enjoy the experience!
Can kids join the swim?
Yes, if they’re at least 125 cm tall. If you’re not sure, just stop by the dressing room and our guides will help check.
Safety comes first, so we always look at each child’s situation individually.
This is a real industrial icebreaker. Expect stairs, thresholds, outdoor decks, winter conditions, and movement around the ship. The ship is not wheelchair accessible.
If you have a heart condition, serious back problems, recent surgery, epilepsy, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or if you are pregnant, check with your doctor before taking part in ice floating. You can always stay on board and watch.
The expedition runs in real Arctic conditions. Ice floating and ice walking depend on weather and ice, and the captain may change, pause, or cancel an activity for safety. If severe weather affects the departure itself, the team will contact guests using the details in the booking.
For public customers, the booking fee is EUR 30 per person and is non-refundable. More than 30 days before departure, the booking fee is retained. Within 30 days before departure, the service cost is forfeited.
If cancellation insurance applies and the cancellation is made at least 48 hours before departure, cancellation is free except for the insurance fee itself. Partner bookings may follow different terms. Always check the terms shown in your booking confirmation.
For questions, contact us at info@icebreaker.fi or +358 207 437 100. For groups and charters, use sales@icebreaker.fi.