Everything you need to know to visit Rovaniemi, Finland

There is nothing as thrilling as spending a weekend up north, where the temperatures hit as low as -30 degrees celcius and the snow reaches up to your knees. Yes, these really are the conditions in Rovaniemi, a city found in the Arctic Circle of Northern Finland However, do not be scared! It really is an experience worth at least a weekend of your time. There is definitely some fun to be had in the land of saunas, reindeer and Santa Claus! Here is everything you need to know to visit Rovaniemi, Finland.

Where to stay (on a budget):

When you are in Finland, it is essential to live out the full Finnish experience by staying in a place with a sauna!!! This, however, should be quite easy to find. You have options to stay in places that are very lavish, such as the Outdoor Igloos and Glass Igloos that have glass ceilings perfect for viewing the northern lights. There are also more remote accommodations such as the Appuka Resort and Parpalandia Cottages that are great for “into the woods” cabin experiences (for example, some cottages may have outhouses!). There are family friendly places to stay, such as the Santa Claus Village, which you can read about here. Finally, there are quite a few hotels and hostels right in the city centre of Rovaniemi, such as Golden Circle Suites, Scandic Hotels, Hotel Rudolph and more. Definitely take a good look at all the details, location and access to your chosen accommodation!

• My recommendation: I would highly recommend a place like Golden Circle Suites – it was a very cozy hotel with a sauna in each room, located in the city centre of Rovaniemi. This meant it had easy access to some great café’s, restaurants, pubs, the shopping mall, and was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season
  • Tip: It is also possible to add breakfast to your booking, which is great option if you need some food to get you started for the day! Just keep in mind, it is a cold breakfast, aside from hot tea and coffee.

When to go

Rovaniemi is a special place to travel to for the true Nordic experience in the winter. Every winter is different, which means snow could arrive as early as November 1st, or as late as December 1st. Additionally, snow could melt in April, or in May. Therefore, your best bet to visit Rovaniemi is between December and March. However, since December hosts the Christmas season, prices go up dramatically for this month.

Another thing you may want to consider is the timing of the Northern Lights. Although it is not guaranteed that you will see them on any day of the year, there are months where you have a higher chance in seeing them. These months are September, early October and March.

What to do

There are many things you could do in Northern Finland to enjoy the (cold) winter wonderland that it is. Here are some ideas:

• Husky ride across the Finnish Lapland
• Reindeer ride in a sleigh like Santa Claus
• Ice fishing on a forest lake
• Skating along the icy sea
• Visiting the Santa Village
• Polar dip, paired with a sauna experience
• Snowmobiling the Finnish Lapland
• Hunting the Northern Lights
• A guided hike to the Korouuma waterfall
• A small hike up Syvasenvaara Fell to see the view over Rovaniemi
• Lumberjacks Candle Bridge
• Arktikum – science centre

I did the reindeer + husky + Santa village day tour and then a separate aurora lights tour (found on Tripadvisor)

My personal recommendation: Tours are the best way to see the north because you can do a few activities in a short amount of time. This is because you don’t have to figure out how to get to very far and remote places on your own, you are given the tools, guidance, and supervision by experts who do these activities daily, and are given the proper snowsuit attire to enjoy your time out in the cold (no, normal winter jackets and snow pants may not be enough to keep you warm!!!). Additionally, if you rent a car, you are driving in snowy, icy weather. If you don’t have experience with this, it could be unsafe to drive. You can book these tours on a site like Trip Advisor.

• Another alternative would be to take the bus each day to the Santa Village, where many of the activities can be booked and the pickup location is here. Companies that pickup at the Santa Village include Wild Nordic, Parpalandia, or Appuka Adventures.
• Visit Lapland Adventures departs from Rovaniemi City Centre

How to get around

If you need to travel between around Rovaniemi, there is a bus service.

• Line 8 – goes between Rovaniemi City Centre, starting at the Railway Station and making stops until the Santa Village (a.k.a Arctic Circle).
• Line 11 – Rovaniemi City Centre to the airport
• Line 5 – goes to the Hospital
• Line 4 – goes to the University of Lapland
• Santa Claus Bus – takes you to the Santa Claus village, of course!

You can find schedules here: www.linkkari.fi. Keep in mind that on weekends there is reduced service on these buses (they come every hour).

There are also taxis. If you can’t call for one, then no worries, hotel receptionists and restaurant staff can call one for you! Here are trusted phone numbers for taxis off of the Rovaniemi website.

Taxi Lähitaksi Rovaniemi, tel: +358 200 88 000; email: info@lahitaksirovaniemi.fi 

Rovaniemi Taxi Service, tel: +358 60 030 030 / +358 29 009 1090; email: info@rovaniementaksipalvelu.fi

Menevä Taxis, tel: +358 800 02120; email: myynti@meneva.fi

Although I would not recommend renting a car for the sake of cutting costs, efficiency, and a better polar experience, you have plenty of options for car rentals. The cheapest price upfront for a 3-day car rental for 4 people is 211 Euros. This does not include fuel costs and parking costs!

Tips:

• People are very friendly! And many speak english
• You NEED to come prepared with full winter gear – I had snowpants, my winter jacket, a hat and mittens and we STILL WORE the snowsuit they gave us ON TOP of all our clothes
  • As the Finnish say – it can never be too cold, as long as you dress appropriately!
• Places may be closed or have shorter hours on Sunday’s!
• There’s a good restaurant we went to near the arctic light hotel in the Rovaniemi City Centre – it was Finnish seafood and absolutely delicious!
• According to the Santa Claus Village website, the SANTA’S EXPRESS BUS LINE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED