offwegooo.com
Travel guide
Rovaniemi
4 days · 7 things to do
Best time to go: December to March for snow and northern lights, July to August for the midnight sun
offwegooo.comPrint it, fold it, take it with you
Welcome
Rovaniemi, in a few days
A town of about 65,000 on the Arctic Circle, where two rivers meet, Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland and the home of Santa Claus, who receives visitors all year in his village 8 km from the centre. Around it: husky and reindeer farms, snowmobiling on the frozen Kemijoki and frequent northern lights on clear winter nights.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Santa Claus Village free · 2 to 3 hBuilt in 1985 on the Arctic Circle, 8 km north of the centre, around a cabin put up for Eleanor Roosevelt's visit in 1950.
- Afternoon · Husky sledding safari · 2 to 3 hFarms around the town keep dozens of huskies each; a typical outing covers 10 to 15 km of forest trail, two to a sled.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Arctic City Hotel€120 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · SantaPark · 2 to 3 hAn indoor park opened in 1998 in a cavern under Syväsenvaara hill, with an ice gallery, an elf school, gingerbread decorating and a Christmas train.
- Afternoon · Ounasvaara hill free · half a dayA wooded hill of 204 m across the Kemijoki from the centre, with a small floodlit ski area, cross-country trails and a toboggan run.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Santa's Hotel Santa Claus€140 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lumberjack's Candle Bridge and the Kemijoki free · about 30 minOpened in 1989 over the Kemijoki, its pylon topped by a flame lit all night recalls the log floaters who worked the river for decades.
- Afternoon · Arktikum · 2 to 3 hA museum of 1992 with a 172-metre glass gallery reaching towards the Ounasjoki, covering Lapland, Sámi culture, Rovaniemi's rebuilding after 1944 and the Arctic.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Scandic Rovaniemi City€130 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Ranua Wildlife Park · 2 to 3 h80 km south of Rovaniemi, a 2.8 km boardwalk passes some fifty Arctic species in wooded enclosures, from brown bears to wolverines and lynx.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Scandic Pohjanhovi€140 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Salmon and lake fish: perch, whitefish and vendace, smoked, fried or cured.
- Karjalanpiirakka: Karelian pasties, a thin rye crust around rice porridge, eaten with egg butter.
- Lohikeitto: a creamy salmon soup with potatoes and dill.
- Rye bread and forest berries: bilberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, picked in late summer.
- Coffee and korvapuusti: Finns drink more coffee per head than anyone, with a cardamom and cinnamon bun alongside.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Budget ahead: eating out and drinking cost a lot, and most wine and all spirits are sold only in the state Alko shops.
- Mosquitoes are thick in Lapland in summer, above all in July: bring a strong repellent.
- Sauna has its customs: shower first, sit on a towel or paper seat, and expect nudity in single-sex saunas.
- Winter means deep cold and short days: dress in layers and plan time outdoors around the light.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Finnish
| English | Finnish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hei |
| Thank you | Kiitos |
| Please | Ole hyvä |
| Yes | Kyllä |
| No | Ei |
| Excuse me | Anteeksi |
| Goodbye | Näkemiin |
| Do you speak English? | Puhutko englantia? |
| I don't understand | En ymmärrä |
| How much is it? | Paljonko se maksaa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Missä on vessa? |
| The bill, please | Lasku, kiitos |
| Help! | Apua! |
| Cheers! | Kippis! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €160 a day, mid-range
Best seasonDecember to March for snow and northern lights, July to August for the midnight sun
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingIncluded in the bill, nothing more expected
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo vaccinations required. Make sure tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date. Ticks carry encephalitis in some coastal areas and on the Åland Islands, so check yourself after summer walks.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/rovaniemi
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.