Rovaniemi is undoubtedly the most popular destination in the Finnish Lapland. It sits right on the Arctic Circle, around 900 km north of Helsinki. It is the most convenient place in Finland to get to watch the midnight sun in summer and the auroras in winter. Rovaniemi also happens to be the "official" hometown of Santa Claus and you can meet him at his office throughout the year. As of July 2022, I made two visits to Rovaniemi — first during the mid-summer weekend in June 2021 and then again in December 2021 a week before Christmas and I had a contrasting experience either time. Not only because of the contrasting weather but the vibe of the place. During my June visit, the town was literally empty like most other Finnish cities during mid-summer. The Friday I reached there and the Saturday next, only a few restaurants were open and most stores closed early. Even the public transport was not operational on Saturday and threw my plans in jeopardy. In December however, I could hardly find cheap accommodation thanks to the high demand. There were tourists all around. For the first time in Finland, I saw and travelled in a crowded city bus where many passengers had to go standing.
Enough of my experiences! Let me show you Rovaniemi from my perspective.
How to reach?
Rovaniemi has its own international airport and is the third busiest airport in Finland after Helsinki and Oulu. The majority of the traffic is due to international charter flights. While there are a few direct connections to some European cities, you can fly in from anywhere via Helsinki. Rovaniemi is also connected to Helsinki by train several times a day including an overnight sleeper train known as the Santa Claus Express. It is also possible to carry your car on the overnight train. The cheapest option however might be to take the bus. It takes about 13 hours for the trip. Tickets for trains can be purchased from www.vr.fi and for busses from www.matkahuolto.fi or www.onnibus.com. To be noted, Onnibus does not list connections that are outside their partner operators while Matkahuolto does and may be helpful for finding busses in Lapland. The Matkahuolto app can be used to find inter-changeable connections between trains and buses.
Where to stay?
Being among the popular tourist destinations, Rovaniemi has no dearth of places to stay. All sort of options is available for all budgets. During my trips, I stayed at the Wherever Mini Hostel and the Guest House Arctic Heart and I would recommend them both if you are tight on budget and/or travelling solo. The other cheaper option would be the Hostel Café Koti. All the three places are at a distance of 1 - 1.5 km from the railway station, bus station and the city centre. During the summer months, it is also possible to pitch a tent at the Ounaskoski Camping site on the banks of river Kemijoki across the city centre. Pitching a tent is actually a cheaper option for accommodation in Finland. Arctic Snow Hotel, as the name suggests, provides a unique experience of staying in a room made of ice and snow. Don't worry you would be sleeping in warm sleeping bags. The Arctic Snow Hotel and several other places also have options to spend the night in a glass igloo or rather glass-domed cabins watching the auroras from the warmth of your bed.
What to do?
- Visit the Santa Claus Village (SantaClausVillage.info): Let's start with the primary crowd puller of this city. The Santa Claus Village is located around 8 km away from the city centre. Here you can meet Santa Claus in his office throughout the year, have a chat and get a picture clicked. Around Christmas, there are a lot of visitors and you might have a lesser time to share your wishes. I meet him during my summer trip and had a nice chat with him about my stay in Finland and about India. The interesting part was when he told me he did visit my hometown, Tura. I got into the flow and was about to ask him when but soon realised it must be during Christmas. Apart from meeting him, you can also cross the Arctic circle and get a certificate (though you have to pay a price of EUR 5 or so) or post a postcard to your loved ones. All posts made from Santa Claus' official post office bear a special postal mark. In case you or any of your close ones could not make it to meet Santa himself, you can arrange for a video call or request for a personalised letter from Santa himself to be sent during Christmas.
- See the midnight sun and the auroras: The two trips I made to Rovaniemi were mainly due to these two natural phenomena. For around a month from June-July, the sun literally never sets and there's daylight throughout. On the other hand, during the winter months, it is mostly dark with only about two hours of daylight around noon. At night, however, the sky lights up with the aurora provided there are no clouds. In Rovaniemie, both phenomena can be observed from the vicinity of the city centre, the best places being Arktikum Park/Arboretum, Jätkänkynttilä (“Lumberjack’s Candle”) Bridge and Ounasvaara fell. For the auroras to be visible from the city centre, it has to be of sufficient intensity so it would be recommended to go outside the city where there is less light pollution. I would recommend the Arctic Road Trips with whom I had went hunting. Read more about my experiences of seeing the aurora and how to hunt them on my other blog posts here and here.
- Hike, bike, or ski in Ounasvaara fell: The Ounasvaara fell on the other side of the river Kemijoki is the hub of sport activities. There are hiking and biking trails maintained throughout the year and ski trails maintained in winter. Just as I mentioned, the top of the fell is one of the best places to see the might night sun and the aurora. The top has a watch tower and a fireplace and can be reached easily from the city centre by walking for about 4 km. The trail to the top starts on the left after crossing over the Jätkänkynttilä Bridge.
- Know more about the arctic region: The Arktikum science centre and museum provide ample information about the nature, culture and history of Rovaniemie and Lapland. It tells the story of how Rovaniemi was almost reduced to the ground during the second world war and it's rise back. The science exhibits are an eye-opener about how we have been degrading the arctic region. The arboretum outside has a collection of plants found in the region.
- Admire the art at Rovaniemi Art Museum: Rovaniemi Art Museum located within the Korundi House of Culture exhibits art inspired by life in Lapland. The Rovaniemi culture pass acts as a discounted single entry pass to Korundi House of Culture, Arktikum and Science Centre Pilke.
- Sleigh rides: One of the major touristic activities in Rovaniemi and in other parts of Lapland is to try the reindeer or husky-pulled sleighs. There are several companies that offer rides at farms in and around Rovaniemi. The Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park organises such rides within the Santa Claus Village. Not only do you get to enjoy the ride but also meet and maybe cuddle them afterwards.
- Snowmobiling: As with the sleigh rides, this is another touristic thing in Lapland. The Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park and other operators organise snowmobile trips around Rovaniemi. The trip can also be arranged at night and include aurora hunting.
What and where to eat?
When in Rovaniemi or Lapland in general, one thing that you must try is reindeer meat. Sauteed reindeer meat with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam is probably the most sought-after dish. I tried my first plate during my summer trip at the Frans & Chérie, restaurant in the city centre. Another restaurant that I would recommend is Lapland Restaurant Kotahovi in Santa Claus Village. While at Santa Claus Village, you can also try salmon cooked traditionally on an open fire and hot berry juice at Santa's Salmon Place. The interesting thing about this place is it is located within a cone-shaped traditional Lappish teepee or shelter. The fire cooking the salmon is at the centre and you sit surrounding it.
How to get around?
While you always have taxis to move around, walking or biking might be the best way to see the city since most things are close by. You can rent a bike from the hotel or hostel you are staying at or from the places mentioned here. Also to be noted, not all taxi operators are available across Finland. Lähitaksi is said to be the 100% local taxi in Rovaniemi. For visiting the Santa Claus village, you can take the bus no. 8 which starts its journey from the railway station and passes through the city centre. The timetable for this bus and all other city buses can be found on rovaniemi.digitransit.fi. Else, like me, if you happen to be in Rovaniemi around midsummer when there are limited city busses, you can take the long-distance busses that go towards Ivalo-Inari and get down at the Napapiiri bus stop (tickets are more expensive than the city bus).
Next stop?
Rovaniemi is the hub of all other destinations in Finnish Lapland. From here you can get connecting busses towards Kilpisjarvi and Nuorgam, the two destinations in the two northern extremes of Finland and places en route like Levi, Enontekiö, Ivalo, Saariselkä, Sodankylä, etc. However, there might only be a couple of services per day and usually leave in the morning, so better reconfirm on the Matkahuolto website. Interestingly, while writing this post (July 2022), I also found out that there are direct busses to Karasjok, Tromsö and North Cape in Norway. Beyond Rovaniemi, there is a single service to Kemijärvi.
How much would you end up spending?
From my trips to Rovaniemi and other cities in Finland, I have observed that I end up spending about EUR 100 per day including travel, accommodation and food. Rovaniemi, like any other touristic place, tends to get expensive during the peak seasons around Christmas and the new year. The cost will also proportionally increase based on the type of activities you choose during your stay here. It is also advisable to get the travel tickets early as the train ticket prices sky-rocket as the travel days get nearer. Comparatively, the bus ticket prices do not change as much but there are limited seats available.
Before ending the post, there is one thing that I would like to mention if you are visiting Rovaniemi to meet Santa Claus. There are actually two Santa Claus in the village — you can meet one at his office and the other at the Christmas house building (check the second pic). I suggest you meet both of them and decide who is the real one!
Till then do check out the pics from my trips to Rovaniemi on Instagram.
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