Rovaniemi, Finland Journey Information

Rovaniemi wasn’t at all times often known as the house of Santa Claus. It solely took on the title within the Nineteen Eighties, 4 a long time after town was destroyed throughout World Struggle II. As Rovaniemi rebuilt itself and have become a tourism vacation spot — spurred by a go to from Eleanor Roosevelt in 1950 — it entered a brand new chapter, one which grew to become firmly related to the person within the pink swimsuit (outdoors of native traditions and folklore) when Santa Claus Village opened in 1985.

Situated on the Arctic Circle, Santa Claus Village is an amusement park that welcomes a whole lot of hundreds of tourists yearly. Whereas assembly Santa and sending a letter from the well-known Santa Claus Submit Workplace are definitely festive methods to have fun the winter season (or everytime you select to go to), there are a number of extra causes to journey to the capital of Finnish Lapland.

“Wherever we stay in Rovaniemi, nature could be very shut,” says the chairman of Rovaniemi Guides, Kati Nivala, who has been a tour information within the metropolis since 2009. Strolling from town middle, she says, you could be “within the forest, or by the lake, or by the river” in simply 10 minutes. Mountaineering, trying to find the northern lights, ice floating, canine sledding, and cross-country snowboarding are all actions that may immerse you within the nice open air — however be sure you carry the right apparel.

“An important factor to consider earlier than touring to Rovaniemi is to organize for the climate,” says Kyle Miller, the Finland Pack Chief for Flash Pack. “Whereas a large down coat is good, it’s a lot smarter to decorate in layers. A pleasant wool base layer, adopted by a down coat, and, lastly, a water-resistant coat will see you thru in type.”

Should you’re hoping to embark on an extra-memorable, albeit chilly, winter trip this yr, Rovaniemi is the right alternative. Right here’s every thing that you must know to plan your journey. 

Greatest Inns & Resorts

Arctic Mild Resort

Miller calls Arctic Mild Resort the “greatest lodge inside the metropolis.” The boutique property presents its friends a formidable (and complimentary) buffet breakfast, and the 57 visitor rooms are outfitted with Ritual toiletries, bathrobes, and slippers. In true Finnish vogue, there’s additionally a sauna on property.

Arctic SnowHotel

Should you’ve ever wished to sleep inside a lodge utterly made from ice, you’ll need to ebook a keep at Arctic SnowHotel between Dec. 15 and March 31. At any given time, the temperature inside the lodge (which is carved to look completely different every year) is between 23 and 32 levels Fahrenheit, although friends keep heat and comfy inside their sleeping baggage. An alternative choice could be to ebook the glass-roofed igloos — open to friends from Sept. 1 — and go to sleep underneath the celebrities and northern lights.

Arctic TreeHouse Resort

Vacationers who’d fairly sleep among the many timber ought to look no additional than the Arctic TreeHouse Resort. The standalone tree homes have been constructed with expansive home windows, and the bigger Arctic GlassHouses even include their very own fireplaces, saunas, and kitchenettes.

Resort Vartiosaari

Billed as a “personal island lodge expertise,” the 11-room Resort Vartiosaari is positioned on an island in the course of the River Kemijoki, simply 10 minutes from Rovaniemi’s metropolis middle. The Scandinavian-style rooms function impartial colours, pure woods, and loads of gentle, and friends are inspired to find Finnish sauna tradition throughout their keep.

Lapland Inns Sky Ounasvaara

Sky Ounasvaara comes really useful by Nivala. The property is comparatively distant and sits atop Ounasvaara, a hill, ski resort, and recreation middle. One of the crucial notable options of the property is the truth that greater than half of the rooms have their very own saunas — which is a welcomed exercise after a day trip snowboarding, biking, or climbing.

Issues to Do

Go on a husky safari.

“Husky safaris are a well-liked alternative and for good motive. There’s something magical about whisking via the Lapland surroundings at velocity, led by an lovable workforce of huskies,” says Miller. There are a number of completely different ones to select from — together with each personal and group excursions.

See the northern lights.

In response to Nivala, you don’t must ebook a tour to see the aurora borealis: “Should you can see the celebrities within the sky, it’s also possible to see the northern lights, if they’re lively.” Should you do need to head out of city to probably spot them, you could find every thing from snowmobiling and snowboarding excursions to these particularly created with images in thoughts.  “2024 is without doubt one of the greatest years in a long time to see the northern lights, too,” provides Miller.

Spend a day cross-country snowboarding.

“Snowboarding could also be an underrated exercise for Rovaniemi, however it’s additionally an area spotlight; it’s such an essential a part of Finnish tradition,” says Miller. “It’s all about immersion in nature, the Finnish manner, and it feels actually genuine.” Arctic Fox Expeditions leads excursions throughout frozen lakes and thru snowy forests.

Discover Santa Claus Village.

Is Santa Claus Village touristy? Positively, however Nivala says it’s “well worth the bother,” including that grabbing a photograph with “the one and solely ‘actual’ Santa” is a spotlight for a lot of vacationers.

Go to native museums.

Nivala recommends carving out time in your journey schedule to go to Arktikum and Pilke. The previous is a science middle and museum that covers the character, tradition, and historical past of the Arctic and its folks. Pilke, however, is devoted to educating folks in regards to the forests in Finnish Lapland.

Greatest Buying

Buying Malls

Nivala says you could find “every thing that you just want” within the procuring malls positioned in Rovaniemi’s metropolis middle. Rinteenkulma and Sampokeskus each have a roster of retailers and boutiques promoting clothes, footwear, sporting gear, souvenirs, and extra.

Prisma

To know a vacation spot, the perfect place to buy is commonly the native grocery retailer. “In all honesty, I believe a enjoyable place to go is Prisma, which is simply our principal grocery retailer. But it surely’s precisely this sort of neighborhood staple that’ll offer you a real snapshot into native life and tradition. For instance, right here in Lapland, our principal grocery retailer has a complete aisle devoted to cross-country snowboarding wax,” says Miller.

Greatest Eating places

Restaurant Nili

For conventional Finnish meals, Nivala suggests Restaurant Nili. “It isn’t very massive, however it’s very fashionable. So I’d advocate you make a reservation,” she says. The menu options gadgets like reindeer, salmon, and braised bear steak.

Gustav Kitchen & Bar

“Gustav’s is positioned within the coronary heart of town middle and makes use of high-quality native components for a real culinary delight,” says Miller. Anticipate recent, hearty delicacies from the kitchen — lamb shank, scallops, portion of the sourdough Knut bread, named after Gustav’s grandfather, and selfmade butter.

Ravintola Roka

“Ravintola Roka is a road bistro providing scrumptious Finnish fare at an inexpensive worth,” says Miller, who warns that “it might probably get busy, so purpose to reach early if you happen to can.” The road meals menu consists of a wide range of sandwiches (reindeer included), and the bistro presents conventional Finnish salmon soup, salad, steak, and a few completely different desserts.

Greatest Time to Go to

“Whereas most locations on the planet have 4 seasons, I usually joke that Rovaniemi has 12,” says Miller. “Every month presents a totally completely different expertise, from altering native landscapes to the climate.” For a real winter wonderland, plan your journey between December and March.  “In March, the times are already getting loads longer. There’s plenty of sunshine and there is plenty of snow… You possibly can go snowboarding, downhill snowboarding, cross-country snowboarding, snowmobiling… husky excursions, reindeer excursions — every thing remains to be accessible,” explains Nivala.

Don’t sleep on the shoulder seasons, although. “Most individuals image Lapland when it comes to snow-covered forests in January, however September can be a good time to go to this area [with] every thing from scenic river journeys to woodland saunas,” says Miller. Nivala agrees, sharing that mid-August till November is a good time to go to, particularly if you wish to see the aurora. Her reasoning is two-fold: one, the nights shall be getting darker, and, two, there’s a scarcity of ice on the rivers and lakes: “So if there are auroras within the evening, they mirror from the water, and that’s one thing that could be very good to see,” she says.

Tips on how to Get There

Vacationers coming from outdoors of Finland sometimes fly into Helsinki Airport (HEL). From there, you may both fly to Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) or take the prepare. The primary possibility is fast; Finnair and Norwegian each serve RVN, and the flight is about an hour and a half. The prepare is one other risk. The ​InterCity prepare from Helsinki to Rovaniemi takes anyplace from 8.5 to 10 hours through the day, and the in a single day routes find yourself being round 12 hours lengthy.

Tips on how to Get Round

Should you’re planning on staying within the metropolis middle, you don’t want a automobile. Every little thing is both walkable or accessible by bus (the one type of public transport in Rovaniemi). One-way bus tickets, which could be bought from the motive force, value €3.60 for adults and €1.80 for kids. Timetables and routes could be discovered on-line.