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.
Rovaniemi — The hometown of Santa Claus | Exploring Lapland by public transport
City of Snowman - Kemi | Exploring Lapland by public transport
Kemi is a small town just at the base of the Finnish Lapland where it touches the Gulf of Bothnia. The place might not exactly be on someone's itinerary more than being a stopover on way further up to Lapland or while returning from there. Even I had just passed through Kemi on my way to Rovaniemie twice — in June and December 2021. But I finally got some time to explore the town during my mid-summer 2022 bikepacking trip. While I may tell about that trip in a separate post, I will here focus on what to do if you happen to be in Kemi.
How to reach?
Kemi is well connected to Helsinki and most other major cities in Finland through buses and trains. Almost all busses and trains on the way to Rovaniemie from Helsinki stopover at Kemi. It might also be possible to hop on the only overnight train service from Helsinki to Rovaniemie. Kemi also has its own airport but the number of connections is limited.