On my trip to Finland this November, I knew I had to visit Rovaniemi. While I spent most of my time in Oulu, the main reason for my visit to Rovaniemi was to cross the Arctic Circle! But it was also a fantastic way to get a taste of what Finnish Lapland is actually like. Here’s what all you should see and do in Rovaniemi!

Rovaneimi: Visiting Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village is a real place, located about 8km from the center of Rovaneimi. This is where Santa lives, where he gets his mail, and where you can cross the Arctic Circle! A lot of the focus here is for kids. But I had so much fun and this was the real highlight of my trip to Rovaniemi! I loved it!

First things first, one of the most exciting things about Santa Claus Village is crossing the Arctic Circle! During the summer, you can see the line on the ground demarking where the crossing is. In winter, the pavement is likely to be covered in snow, so they string lights between the poles of the Arctic Circle to show where it is.

Of course, you can’t visit Santa Claus Village without meeting Santa himself. There will probably be a line to see the big man himself, but you just can’t miss it if you’re at the North Pole. You’ll need to put any jackets and purses into a bag that you leave on the side. You aren’t allowed to bring any cameras or phones to take pictures with Santa. They will take photos of you with Santa, which you can buy after. It’s €32 for the main photo, or €47 for both photos and the video of you meeting Santa. I thought it was a pretty steep price and decided not to pay for a photo. It was still a fun experience, and Santa was very nice!

The Santa Claus Post Office is another place you can’t miss at Santa Claus Village in Rovaneimi. This is where all the mail addressed to Santa at the North Pole comes to, and you can see all the letters divided up by which country they came from. You can also buy postcards and stamps to send mail with the unique North Pole stamp! It’s really cool and I sent a few postcards.

You should also make sure you see Roosevelt Cabin while at Santa Claus Village. This was the main cabin that existed when Eleanor Roosevelt visited Rovaniemi and the Arctic Circle in 1950. If you get the chance, walk down to see the Husky Dogs. This closed at 2pm when I was there in November and I missed it, which was a bummer!

Most of the rest of Santa Claus Village is shops, restaurants/cafes, and accommodation. There are a huge range of different accommodation options and different areas. If you’re going shopping and want to get any Arctic Circle gear, this is where to be!

Getting to Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village is 8km from the center of Rovaneimi. So if you’re not staying at Santa Claus Village, you’ll need to drive or take the bus. Bus number 8 runs from the train station in Rovaniemi through town to Santa Claus Village. The journey takes about half an hour. A single ticket costs €3.50. There is also a seasonal “Santa Claus Express” bus that does a similar route but costs more money.

What to Do in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is a main hub in Lapland with lots to do. There are options for skiing, husky safaris, visits to reindeer, and Northern Lights tours to name a few. If you’re traveling on a budget and not bothered about these, I still think Rovaniemi itself is worth visiting for a day!

The main attraction in Rovaniemi is Arktikum. This museum is huge, with literally so much to see and learn about. It’s also housed in a magnificent building with a huge glass dome roof, looking out on the river! There are exhibits on the local nature/wildlife, history of Lapland, climate, and more! One of my favorite parts was a dark room where you could lie down and look up at a projection of the Northern Lights. Arktikum is a must in Rovaniemi. Tickets cost €15 for adults or €9 for students—it’s well worth it.

The Kemijoki River runs through Rovaniemi. There is a really nice walking path that follows the river along—I loved seeing everything so pretty all covered in snow! If the weather is nice, you can also swim around here in the summer.

Rovaniemi Church is a small parish church, built in 1950. If you’re nearby, definitely check it out. The ceiling is beautiful! There are also two memorials in the graveyard. One for the Rovaniemi citizens who died in exile during the war, the other for soldiers in World War II.

There’s a fair few options for eating in Rovaniemi. I absolutely loved brunch at Café 21—their avocado toast was excellent, and really reasonably priced for Finland. Bull Bar and Grill also came highly recommended to me, especially for burgers. They even have reindeer burgers! Unfortunately I just didn’t have enough time to check out more options.

Where to Stay in Rovaniemi

I stayed at an apartment for my two nights in Rovaniemi. I booked the apartment through Booking.com and it was €60/night. Split between two people, this was only €30 per person per night, which is very reasonably priced for Finland! The kitchen was small but had everything we needed for cooking, and it was really nice having a large living room! Note that the apartment is on the fourth floor, and there’s no elevator (so if you have suitcases you will have to haul them up multiple flights of stairs). The location was perfect as well. A 10-minute walk from the bus station, and a 20-minute walk into the center of Rovaniemi. There’s also a small supermarket literally next door, which was really convenient for buying our own food. I would definitely recommend this place!

Planning Your Trip

Rovaniemi has its own airport, or the city is easily connected by train and bus to other cities in Finland. You can search for flights on Skyscanner, or book train tickets through Trainline. I traveled from Oulu to Rovaniemi and booked my tickets online through OnniBus. While I’d definitely recommend North Side apartment, you can search for hostels here, or sign up to and book accommodation through Airbnb here. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Rovaniemi is a very popular destination in Finland, and is the main stop for tourists visiting Lapland. Crossing the Arctic Circle and meeting Santa at Santa Claus Village is a must! But there’s enough to do in Rovaniemi itself to keep you busy as well. This is one place you must visit in Finland and a real highlight of a trip to Lapland! I hope this helps in planning a trip to Rovaniemi!

Have you been to Rovaniemi or Santa Claus Village before?!

You might like my other posts on Finland:

A Quick Guide To Oulu, Finland

How Much Does It Cost To Travel Finland For 1 Week?

What To Do With 1 Day In Helsinki

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