rovaniemi

Many people plan a trip to Rovaniemi in winter with one main thing on their mind… spotting Finnish Lapland’s fickle but phenomenal Northern lights!

This guide will go over when and how you can see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi.

This includes tips for spotting them independently as well as my own personal experience seeing the Northern lights on a tour.

This post also goes over all the ideal conditions for seeing the Northern lights so you have a baseline understanding of what to expect.

Plus, I’ll give you some recommendations for Northern lights hotels outside the Rovaniemi city center, and explain how to use aurora apps to have the best chance of spotting the Northern lights.

When Can You See the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi?

Note: I’m going to geek out a bit on science of the Arctic Circle for a bit — but if you just want a quick and easy answer, you can generally see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi from the end of August to the beginning of April.

While that is the general band of when you can see the aurora, my friend who lives part-time in Finland has let me know that the best months are generally September, October, and March, as this is when there is the least likelihood of clouds impeding your view.

Any time there are enough nighttime hours to have true darkness, you have a chance of seeing the Northern lights in Rovaniemi!

Keep in mind that Rovaniemi is juuuust below the Arctic Circle. In fact, Santa Claus Village, 8 kilometers north of the city center, actually runs right through it!

What does that mean? Well, the Arctic Circle is essentially the latitude line on the map above which the sun does not completely set, but rather hovers just above the horizon, on the longest day of the year (aka the summer solstice).

That means that if you visit any point north of the Arctic Circle on June 20th or 21st (depending on the year), you won’t experience a true night at all!

At some places further north, like Abisko and Tromso, you won’t experience a sunset for several weeks… or more than four months, in the case of Svalbard!

The inverse of that is that during the winter, the sun won’t rise, either…. meaning lots of hours to try to spot the aurora!

In Rovaniemi, this period of polar night is quite short — just two days — but in places further north in Finland, it can last up to two months!

So, as you can imagine, the length of days varies quite a bit in Rovaniemi; the sunrise and sunset hours change dramatically throughout the course of a year.

In general, you can see the aurora borealis starting about two hours after sunset and two hours before sunrise. Otherwise, it is a little too bright to properly see any aurora.

Tips for Spotting Rovaniemi’s Northern Lights

While the Northern lights are theoretically visible at any point there is darkness in Rovaniemi, in actuality, there are several other factors to consider.

The main thing that you need to think about when trying to spot the Northern lights during your visit to Rovaniemi is cloud cover: it’s the biggest enemy to seeing the aurora.

This is because the aurora borealis occurs 100 to 300 kilometers above the ground.

If you have clouds just a few kilometers above the ground blocking the night sky, you simply won’t see the lights, even if the most magical display in the world is actually happening above the clouds!

So, you need a clear night to actually see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi. Unfortunately, this is somewhat harder than it sounds!

While Rovaniemi is inland and thus not quite as cloudy as coastal spots like Tromso, it can still get quite cloudy in the winter and that can impact your ability to see the aurora.

I’m writing this post during my January 2024 visit to Rovaniemi. As of today, I’ve been here for one week and it’s only been possible to see the aurora twice due to the cloud cover, despite quite a bit of solar activity.

Oh, yeah. The other thing you need besides a dark night and a cloudless sky is solar activity.

The aurora borealis is caused by solar activity, when solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) emit particles that make their way towards Earth.

They’re then pulled towards the Earth’s poles through electromagnetism, which is why you have a much better chance of seeing the Northern lights around the Arctic regions than anywhere else in the world.

When the solar particles interact with the atmosphere as they are pulled towards Earth, they create bursts of color: typically green, but other colors vary depending on what gas they’re interacting with and how high in the atmosphere the interaction is occuring.

Later in the post, I’ll explain aurora forecasting apps and let you know tips for using them that I learned from trial and error as well as expert tips from my Northern lights tour guide.

Seeing the Northern Lights Without a Tour

It is definitely not required to take a Northern lights tour in order to see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi.

… But it certainly helps, as you are a lot more mobile and your guides will work their hardest to find the aurora.

That said, taking Northern lights tours can get expensive: at at least 100 euros a pop, they can add up, especially if you take multiple excursions to try to see the lights.

Luckily, if the Northern lights are strong enough, you might be able to see them in Rovaniemi so long as you get away from some of the light pollution of the city center.

In the city center, I’d recommend the area around the Arktikum Museum if you are trying to spot the Northern lights.

Not only is the architecture of the museum really cool to capture in aurora photos as it provides a really cool tonal and visual contrast to the lights, but the museum area has a pretty clear view to the northern horizon, where you’ll see the majority of the lights’ activity.

It’s also on the edge of the city center bordering the river, so you won’t have a ton of light pollution in that direction.

That said, this isn’t the ideal spot to see the Northern lights because there is still a good deal of light pollution which will impact your eye’s ability to perceive the aurora (and your camera’s ability to capture it).

There are some other cool spots to try to see the lights in Rovaniemi but outside the city center, like Ounasvaara Hill (about an hour’s walk to the top from Rovaniemi city center or accessible by a 10-minute taxi).

There’s also he observation tower at the top of Syväsenvaara Hill (which is tricky to reach, but it does have epic views).

I really love the observation tower at the top of Syväsenvaara Hill!

I walked there several times, as it was close to where I was staying at my friend’s house in Rovaniemi (and it’s right next to Arctic Treehouse Hotel).

However, it is a bit difficult to find the path leading up to the observation tower when everything is covered in snow.

There is a not insignificant risk that you could get lost or turned around while trying to find it, which is potentially extremely hazardous in winter temperatures. Do so at your own risk!

There are some other ideas for where to see the Northern lights around Rovaniemi here; keep in mind you will need to rent a car to get to the majority of these spots.

If it’s in the middle of winter and a lot of snow has accumulated, you should only rent a car if you are familiar with how to drive in the snow.

The road conditions can get quite hazardous for the inexperienced (seriously, my friend who lives in Rovaniemi tells me about tourist accidents all the time!).

Seeing the Northern Lights With a Tour

The easiest way to (almost) ensure you see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi is by taking a Northern lights tour.

Depending on the tour you take, you’ll spend 4 to 8 hours chasing the Northern lights as far as reasonably necessary within the time limits of your tour to try to see the lights.

I took this exact tour and can recommend it highly: our guide, Genis, was really kind and helpful and we even stayed a little longer than planned because there was a ton of cloud cover and we had to go a little further than we planned.

However, once we got to our final spot at a frozen lake, we were able to see the lights and all was worth it!

Even better, on our way home the Northern lights went absolutely crazy to the point where we were even able to see it out the window.

Even though at this point we were running a half hour behind, our guide stopped quickly to let us out to admire the lights dancing overhead.

This is the exact tour that I took and that I recommend to others visiting Rovaniemi.

It’s affordable but excellent, and its small group focus makes it a really enjoyable experience.

A small group is extra important if you want photos of you with the Northern lights overhead, because they can be fickle and fleeting.

The more of you there are on the tour, the less your guide can help you take photos in that (potentially) short time span!

On my tour, our group was 8, which was not too many and we were easily able to get as many photos with the Northern lights as we wanted.

Northern Lights Hotels Near Rovaniemi

While not the cheapest option, another way to have a better chance of spotting the Northern lights in Rovaniemi is by staying at a Northern lights hotel.

Staying at one of the hotels outside the city center, especially that offers glass igloos, aurora cabins, or other similar accommodations that have settings out in nature with panoramic views, means that heading outside to try to see the aurora doesn’t take much effort at all!

Here are a few recommendations near Rovaniemi:

• Arctic Treehouse Hotel: Not far from Santa Claus Village or the Rovaniemi city center, this is a great compromise between being close to the city’s attractions yet out in nature. The treehouses are on a hill that offers a great, unobstructed northerly view. There’s a designated shelter point for warming up while you’re waiting for the aurora! You can also walk about 10 minutes uphill to the observation tower for another viewpoint.

• Apukka Resort: One of the best Northern lights hotels options in Finland, Apukka is about 30 minutes from the city center which makes it the perfect place to see the Northern lights away from the city’s light pollution. There’s a variety of room types including glass igloos with panoramic windows! It hosts activities like dog sledding (which I did with Apukka – it was great!) and reindeer sledding on-site as well.

• Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle: Close to Santa Claus Village, this igloo hotel isn’t particularly remote but it does offer an escape from the worst of the light pollution of the city while still being close to the amenities of Santa Claus Village like its souvenir shops and restaurants. There are also dog-sledding and reindeer tours you can do here but the tours at Apukka are much nicer.

Note: While these accommodations are an amazing experience, keep in mind that a lot of what you see are marketing materials where everything is portrayed in the best light possible.

Photos of the aurora borealis use long exposure to make the colors more vivid than you would see with your naked eye; don’t expect to see neon squiggles overhead, bright as Tokyo city lights!

More often, the aurora borealis looks like a faint-colored, fast-moving, odd-shaped cloud. It’s more likely that you’ll spot it because of its movement than because of its colors.

While you can see the Northern lights from out of a window in exceptional conditions (like the below photo I took from a car window!), more likely, you’ll have to go out for a walk to properly see and photograph the aurora.

The panoramic windows of a glass igloo can give you a good indicator of if the lights are out or not.

That said, don’t expect to have a rave-like show in your room.

This isn’t to dissuade you from staying in one; I just want to give you accurate expectations, especially as the price tag is so high!

Using Aurora Forecasting Apps

Whether you’re trying to see the Northern lights with a tour or independently, checking out an aurora forecasting app is a good way to have an idea of what the lights will be like.

I use the My Aurora Forecast & Alerts app. It’s free, and you can get it here for Apple and here for Android.

The app will calculate a percentage chance of seeing the aurora and alert you if your percent chance is above their 30% chance threshold or if other people nearby using the app have checked in and reported sightings.

But the app is also useful for digging into the numbers and analyzing the data that’s given to you, including a few key factors.

• Kp-index: This is perhaps the most poorly understood part of seeing the aurora, as many people simply think high number = you will definitely see the lights and think no further than that. The Kp-index solely measures the geomagnetic storm’s intensity and does not factor in cloud cover, wind direction (Bz), or other factors that may impact your ability to see the aurora. It also gives a reference for how far south the aurora may stretch, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate to a much more dramatic view at higher latitudes like Rovaniemi.

• Solar winds: The higher the number, the stronger the chance of aurora activity. As a rule of thumb, numbers above 400 km per hour are good, and even better as it approaches 500.

• Bz: The more negative this number is, the stronger the chance of aurora activity, because it means that solar particles are being pulled towards the earth and creating the Northern lights.

These apps won’t guarantee you seeing the Northern lights but they will help you understand the factors that go into the phenomenon of the aurora borealis.

This will hopefully give you more insight as to when is a good time to take a hike somewhere dark to see the lights or book a Northern lights tour.

In general, I would book a Northern lights tour based on forecasted clouds as opposed to anything else like Kp-index or geomagnetic storms.

Like I mentioned above, you can have the most spectacular aurora in the world… and see nothing if there’s low clouds overhead, blocking out your entire view.

Tip: Rather than booking direct with a company offering Northern lights tours in Rovaniemi, I book through GetYourGuide which gives you a free 24-hour cancellation option.

This way, you can book a tour and reschedule it with 24 hours or more notice if the forecast isn’t looking favorable.

Lately, I’ve noticed that GetYourGuide offers a 1-hour cancellation policy at a surcharge; this may be worth it if you want extreme flexibility.

Honestly, generally, 24 hours should be enough notice to decide whether or not the forecast is worth a Northern lights attempt, since tours do give you the option to branch out quite a bit and attempt to snag a hole in the cloud cover.

That said, it is an option I just wanted to make you aware of!

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

eternalarrival.com

Rovaniemi, Finland is the largest city in Finnish Lapland and one of the most popular touristic destinations in all of Finland.

While Helsinki in winter is a delight, Rovaniemi in winter is even more magical!

From its dancing Northern lights to its endless list of enthralling winter activities, Rovaniemi is a true bucket list destination for many.

We’ll get into all the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter in just a minute — first, we’ll talk a bit about where to stay.

Where to Stay in Rovaniemi

Budget: Guesthouse Arctic Heart

If you’re on a tight budget while visiting Rovaniemi or you simply like to save on accommodations so you can splurge on activities or food, this is a great and highly-rated option.

There are private single and double rooms as well as 4-bed, single-gender dormitory rooms if you are a solo traveler who doesn’t mind staying in a hostel-type setup.

The amenities are minimal, but there are things such as a shared kitchen and laundry facilities. Some of the private rooms have electric kettles, etc. for preparing tea and coffee.

Check availability, prices, and reviews here!

Mid-Range: Arctic City Hotel

This mid-range option is not too expensive and has great ratings and a prime location in downtown Rovaniemi.

The rooms are spacious and comfortable with modern, unique decor elements that add some flair. Breakfast is included with your stay, and there’s an in-house restaurant that also serves room service.

Best of all, the hotel has not one but two saunas available for use! There is also a room option with your own private sauna (check out the junior suite with sauna).

Check availability, prices, and reviews here!

Luxury: Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle

Want to stay in a glass-roof igloo? Of course you do!

These climate-controlled igloos are located about 5 miles outside of central Rovaniemi in a beautiful winter wonderland.

The igloos are climate-controlled and well-heated, and include a private bathroom with a rain shower, bathrobe, and slippers.

Each igloo has its very own tablet which you can use to contact the front desk with any needs — and also get Northern lights alerts so you can wake up and see the lights dancing above! They even have a button you can press to defrost the glass for the perfect view.

The premium igloos for two even include a private sauna, and there are also family igloos for four with an alcove for two more people to sleep.

This property is located close to Santa Claus Village, about a 5 minute walk away, and shuttles are provided to Rovaniemi city center.

Check availability, prices, and reviews here!

21 Best Things to Do in Rovaniemi in Winter Time

Go chasing the Northern lights.

Due to Rovaniemi’s position just 4 miles south of the Arctic Circle, this is one of the best places for Northern lights tours in all of the Nordics!

While it is certainly possible to see the Northern lights in Rovaniemi, a dedicated Northern lights hunting tour outside the city will give you far better results.

These Northern lights tours are typically small group tours conducted in a minibus. Your seasoned Northern lights spotters will bring you away from the light pollution of Rovaniemi and into the Finnish wilderness.

There are several options for Northern lights tours in Rovaniemi: let’s go over a few of the most popular.

One option is a basic Northern lights tour which will last about 3 hours. This tour brings you to frozen lake about 15 miles away from Rovaniemi where you’ll camp out and wait for the aurora to appear while enjoying a campfire and BBQ dinner.

Considering the sky-high price of restaurants in Rovaniemi, this tour is a great deal! The tour includes a dinner of fire-roasted sausages, traditional Arctic fish soup, Lappish bread, and traditional blueberry tea.

In addition to dinner, the tour also includes cold weather clothing to borrow if needed, pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, and a guide to help you spot the aurora.

Book your small group Northern lights tour here!

There are all sorts of other ways to experience the Northern lights in a more unique way, including a sauna and Northern lights experience, a photography-focused Northern lights tour (where a professional will take photos and also help you capture your own photos), and a snowmobile and Northern lights tour.

No matter which tour you pick, you have a fairly good chance of seeing the lights — but of course, being a natural phenomenon, there are no guarantees.

Because Rovaniemi is located inland and not on the coast like other Northern lights destinations like Iceland and Tromso in Norway, you have less chance of cloud cover obstructing your Northern lights views.

In fact, Tromso Northern lights tours often have to drive all the way to Norway to even see the lights (this was the case with the last Northern lights tour I took in Tromso!).

Visit Santa Claus Village.

This is one of the essential things to do in Rovaniemi in winter if you have kids. If you don‘t have kids and Santa Claus Village doesn‘t appeal to you, feel free to skip ahead to the next section: there’s still plenty to do in Rovaniemi!

Santa Claus Village is one of Rovaniemi’s biggest draws. While older kids and adults may find it a bit cheesy and Disney-esque, the kids are sure to have a blast in this festively decorated atmosphere!

You can visit Santa Village and Santa‘s Post Office either independently or on a guided tour.

If you want to get to Santa Claus Village independently, you can either drive if you’ve rented a car (take Highway 4 north towards Ivalo, about 8 miles away), hire a taxi (approximately $30 USD each way), or take the local bus #8 from Rovaniemi train station.

There is no entrance fee to Santa Claus Village, although you will want to budget for food and Lapland souvenirs on your visit.

If you’d prefer a guided experience that also includes a visit to the Arctic Circle (complete with a certificate), a Christmas buffet lunch, and getting to meet some reindeer, you can book a tour.

Book your tour of Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle here!

Another fun way to visit Santa Claus Village is to take a trip that includes both Santa’s Village and a snowmobile ride to the nearby reindeer farm!

Your kiddos can meet Santa Claus and his elf helpers, send a postcard to friends from home at Santa’s post office, and then have a tasty lunch.

After visiting Santa Claus Village, you can take snowmobiles to the reindeer farm. Don’t worry, kids of any age can do this part of the tour!

Kids under the age of 14 can ride behind in a sled pulled by the snowmobile, while parents and young adults can drive (so long as they have a valid driver’s license!).

Once at the reindeer farm, you can go on a sleigh ride pulled by reindeer. Like the other tour mentioned above, you’ll cross the Arctic Circle and receive an ‘official’ certificate as a souvenir to take home with you as a memory from this day.

Book your Santa Claus Village & snowmobile tour here!

Visit the Arctic SnowHotel.

One of the most unique winter activities in Rovaniemi is visiting the Arctic SnowHotel! It is one of few snow hotels in the world (there are others near Abisko, Sweden and Tromso, Norway).

While staying in a snow hotel is really expensive, it’s rather affordable to visit this stunning Lapland hotel for a tour!

In particular, this tour offers excellent value because it not only includes a tour of the snow hotel and the glass igloos but it also includes a 3-course dinner meal of Lappish-inspired cuisine.

For this year‘s menu, the starter is a forest mushroom soup, the main course is one of 4 choices (roast elk, Arctic salmon, chicken breast, or cold-smoked tofu), and the dessert is a lingonberry-caramel custard. Delicious!

The tour includes transportation from your hotel to the snow hotel (about 30 minutes away), as well as a guided tour of the hotel and its unique features like its snow sauna, carved ice sculptures, ice bar, ice restaurant, and of course — its rooms!

You even have the option to add on your own snow sauna experience with time in a private jacuzzi!

This snow hotel is created from scratch each year and opens annually on December 16th, so it’s only available for a few short months each year — don’t miss this top thing to do in Rovaniemi in winter if you can help it!

Book your visit to the snow hotel with 3-course meal here!

If you just want to visit the snow hotel with no meal included, you can also book that here, but personally I think the visit plus meal options offer better value per dollar!

There is also another snow hotel in Kemi which you can visit as part of a longer day trip, but I’d suggest the snow hotel closer to Rovaniemi to save time and money.

Go on a husky safari with a team of enthusiastic dogs.

One of the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter is go dog sledding!

Dog sledding is one of my favorite activities and I’ve gone in a handful of destinations around the world (including a Tromso husky safari and an Abisko one too)… it’s something I do every time I’m in the Arctic in winter!

Tours will bring you to a husky farm in Apukka, Finland where you can first meet all the lovely huskies who live here year-round.

Your experienced guides will give you a demo of husky sledding and how to self-drive a husky sled safely, for both you and the huskies!

It is really a team sport: you will be running and pushing the sled up hills and generally actively helping your huskies pull the sled, so don’t expect to just sit back and enjoy a husky ride!

Book your self-driving husky sledding experience here!

If you’re traveling with kids, there are also family-friendly options that do not involve self-driving your husky sled.

Instead, this tour has you and your family being carried by your team of huskies on a short sleigh ride, led by an experienced musher.

This tour also includes ample time for husky meet-and-greets, and the ride is followed up with some snacks and hot beverages.

Try your hand at ice fishing.

Another fun activity you can try when visiting Rovaniemi in winter is ice fishing!

There are several different combinations of activities, such as snowshoeing and ice fishing, snowmobiling and ice fishing, or this combo hiking, snowshoeing, ice floating, ice fishing and BBQ tour.

Whichever combination piques your interest, it’s a great way to combine two (or more!) unique Lapland activities into one guided experience.

Enjoy a snowmobile safari through the Lappish wilderness.

One of the most fun ways to experience the Finnish wilderness is on a snowmobile ride!

Don’t worry if you’ve never ridden a snowmobile before — it’s quite easy to get the hang of, and you can take a snowmobile tour so you’ll be guided through the landscapes without worrying about getting lost or stuck in the snow.

Book your snowmobile safari here!

Take a traditional Finnish sauna.

One of the most typical ways to experience a touch of Finnish life is to have a sauna experience!

Whether that’s taking a sauna at your hotel (most hotels include a sauna) or booking a special sauna experience, there’s nothing more quintessentially Finnish than sauna!

Try ice floating under the Northern lights.

Ice floating? Wait, hear me out!

This unique winter activity in Rovaniemi is perhaps one of the most surprising ways to see the Northern lights!

On this tour, you can fit in an icy lake where a hole has been dug out so people can float in the icy water.

And if you’re worried about getting cold: you wear an insulated, buoyant suit that keeps you warm no matter how cold the water is!

Guests reported staying relatively warm and dry as they floated in the icy lake and say it’s a must-try in Rovaniemi. I haven’t gotten to do this yet but it’s on my bucket list for my next trip to Finland!

Learn more about the ice floating experience here!

Go on a reindeer safari at a Sami reindeer farm.

The Sami people are the Indigenous people of Sapmi, which covers the Northern reaches of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

For millennia, the Sami people have been reindeer herders, which is a difficult job that involves herding reindeer across a variety of unforgiving terrains without losing track of them.

While traditionally, herding and harvesting reindeer for their meat was one of the main ways that Sami people made a living, now tourism is also an important part of the economy for Sami people.

Rather than herding their reindeer all over an icy landscape in search of food for the reindeer to forage, some reindeer herders set up a reindeer farm for the winter season and offer tourist activities like feeding the reindeer and going for reindeer sleigh rides.

On a reindeer sled experience, you’ll get the chance to meet Sami reindeer herders and ask them questions about what it’s like to be a reindeer herder — and see what it’s like for yourself!

Book your reindeer safari experience here!

Go snowshoeing outside the city center.

If you like to get active on your travels, going snowshoeing is one of the best things to do in Rovaniemi in winter!

Going on a guided hiking and snowshoeing tour is an excellent way to get acquainted with the Finnish nature.

This tour includes a guide and a pick-up/drop-off transfer to a forested area full of nature trails that cross the Arctic Circle, where you can snowshoe past frozen rapid rivers and waterfalls, and possibly even spot some arctic wildlife!

It also includes a forest campfire BBQ where you can enjoy sausages, marshmallows, and blueberry tea as a delicious lunch to fuel up after your hike!

Book your snowshoeing experience here!

Try cross-country skiing.

If you’ve never tried cross-country skiing, Rovaniemi is a great place to give it a try!

There are plenty of well-groomed cross-country ski trails outside of Ounasvaara, also a popular downhill ski areas near Rovaniemi.

This guided tour is a good thing to try if you’ve never cross-country skied before — they will teach you the motions you need to do in order to glide smoothly across the ski trails!

Tours include pickup and drop-off, a guide, winter clothing and ski suit rental, all ski equipment you’ll need, and a treat at the end of hot beverages and cookies to replenish your energy after your trek!

Book your cross-country ski tour here!

Chase frozen waterfalls in Korouoma National Park.

One of the benefits of Lapland getting so cold is the opportunity to see some truly otherworldly landscapes… like frozen waterfalls!

One of the best places to spot frozen waterfalls in Finland is in Korouoma Canyon, located in a national park.

If you have a rental car, you can drive there independently. If not, you may want to take a guided tour like this one.

Book your frozen waterfall experience here!

Stay in a glass igloo.

Finland is known for its incredible glass igloos from which you can watch the Northern lights in bed! While many are located further north, there are a handful of options near Rovaniemi.

I listed one above in the Luxury section of the Where to Stay section, Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle. If that doesn’t quite fit the bill, here’s another choice!

Another popular glass igloo option near Rovaniemi is Apukka Resort, 15 minutes away from Rovaniemi.

Because it’s located a bit outside of the town of Rovaniemi, you’ll be able to enjoy beautifully clear night skies without the light pollution of the city — better chances of the Northern lights, while still getting to enjoy all the fun winter in Rovaniemi activities!

This magical place is truly unforgettable: beyond just glass igloos, they also have an ice sauna as well as moveable saunas that are portable and transported on skis!

There are also private sauna and Jacuzzi experiences, with either an electric sauna or the traditional wood-heated sauna.

But the coolest thing about staying at Apukka Resort is how you can stay in glass igloos that offer you incredible views of the Northern lights dancing overhead through the clear ceiling.

All glass igloos also include an en-suite bathroom so you won’t have to worry about going outside in the cold in the middle of the night! A free breakfast is also included with every night’s stay.

Check reviews, room types, and availability here at Apukka Resort here!

Check out the Arktikum Museum.

One of the coolest places to visit in Rovaniemi is the Arktikum Science Center and Museum. It’s a really interesting place to visit for adults and kids alike, with interactive features as well as informative exhibits.

There are four permanent exhibits which focus on the drastic seasonal shifts in the Arctic (land of both the polar night and midnight sun), life in the North, the changing Arctic climate, and the Arctic Ocean’s history.

They also have a rotating temporary exhibits that change typically once per season. The upcoming year will feature an exhibit on Antarctica.

Tickets cost 15€ for adults and 5€ for children 7-15 (children under 7 are free).

Learn all about arctic wildlife at Ranua Wildlife Park.

Ranua Wildlife Park is located about a one-hour drive away from the city of Rovaniemi, but if you want to see some arctic animals, this is the place to do it!

This unique wildlife park is home to over 50 different species of arctic animals, including polar bears, arctic foxes, lynxes, and wolverines!

The Ranua Wildlife Park takes you on a 1.5-mile walk on a boardwalk through a forested winter wonderland where you can see all sorts of animals along the way.

The Ranua Zoo houses all of its animals in habitats that replicate their natural arctic landscapes to the furthest extent possible… which is fairly easily, since it’s the second northernmost zoo in the world!

This makes the Ranua Zoo a far more ethical zoo option than many others which house arctic animals in non-ideal living conditions.

If you’ve rented a car for your time in Rovaniemi, you can drive to Ranua Wildlife Park.

Alternately, you can opt for a guided tour, which includes pick up and drop off, transportation, entrance fees to the park, and a guide in the park who can teach you about all the animals you see.

Book your day trip to Ranua Wildlife Park here!

Go downhill skiing at Ounasvaara.

Generally, Rovaniemi isn’t the place to go for downhill skiing in Finland — that would be Levi, about 100 miles away.

However, there is Ounasvaara Ski Resort not far from Rovaniemi if you want to do some downhill skiing as opposed to cross-country skiing (which is a lot more popular in the Rovaniemi area).

Lift tickets are approximately €42.50 per adult for a day pass or €31 for a 2-hour night skiing pass, but there are other options: you can check more pricing details here.

Getting to Ounasvaara from Rovaniemi is not too hard, with public transportation options available from the city center, or you can also take a taxi or drive.

Enjoy art and music at the Korundi House of Culture.

Another place in Rovaniemi that is worth visiting is the Korundi House of Culture.

This center is home to the Rovaniemi Art Museum and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, as well as shops and a cafe.

Tickets to the Rovaniemi Art Museum cost 11€ for adults and 6€ for children, making it one of the more affordable activities in town — and it’s even free on Thursdays between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM!

The Orchestra is also rather affordable as well. Performances typically fall on Thursday and Friday nights and ticket options typically cost around 35€; book tickets online here.

Walk along the Kemijoki River… and maybe go for an ice dip!

Rovaniemi is located at the convergence of the Ounasjoki River and the Kemijoki River.

These rivers both tend to freeze over (in full or partially) during the winter, making it even more beautiful.

Take a stroll along the waterfront street, Koskenranta, and admire the scenery.

See if you can spot the hole dug on the other side of the river for swimming in the ice hole.

Some brave Finns may even be taking a dip…

… And you can too if you’re feeling up to it — there is a heated changing room and a steam room available to warm up in afterwards for a small fee of about 5€.

Visit the Luosto Amethyst Mines.

One of the more unique things to do in Rovaniemi in winter is take a day trip to the amethyst mines in Luosto.

Located about 60 miles from Rovaniemi, visiting these mines in winter is even more interesting because the roads shut down between Lampivaara and the mine, so you’ll have to take the mine’s dedicated Sno-Cat, The Amethyst Pendolino.

This tour includes a guide who will tell you all about the history and geology of the area, as well as stories about the amethysts that have been excavated here.

You’ll even have the chance to dig for your own amethyst with the proper tools, assisted by expert amethyst miners.

The tour also includes a BBQ lunch (including options like salmon soup, reindeer sandwich, and sausage) and hot beverages, in addition to all the necessary transportation.

Book your amethyst mine tour here!

Check out the Pilke Science Centre.

Another fun place to visit in winter in Rovaniemi is the Pilke Science Centre in downtown Rovaniemi.

The Pilke House focuses on an ecosystem very near and dear to Finnish hearts: the forest!

It looks at the forest not only through a scientific lens but also a cultural one, exploring the relationship of Finns (and humans in general!) to their forest environments.

Adult tickets cost 7€, tickets for children aged 7-15 cost 5€, and children under 7 are free. Family tickets are also available for 20€.

Go on a horseback ride through the snow.

Horseback riding in the Arctic? Why not! This 3-hour horseback tour is a great option for horse lovers who want the chance to ride wherever they travel.

Enjoy riding atop a Irish cob horse for a 1-hour horseback ride through a forested, glistening winter wonderland, admiring the beautiful Finnish countryside a short distance from Rovaniemi.

You’ll also get the chance to brush the horses and learn a little about their life on the farm and how the horses are well-adapted to the cold environment.

Book your arctic horseback ride here!

Enjoy delicious Nordic cuisine in Rovaniemi’s best restaurants.

Nordic cuisine is a fascinating mix of ingenuity and local ingredients, and you simply must try some Finnish cuisine while you visit Rovaniemi.

In such an extreme environment, limited ingredients are available, and seasonality — as well as preserving the ingredients that are available during the few times of abundance — plays a huge role in Finnish cuisine.

Ravintola Nili is one of the best restaurants in Rovaniemi that serves up traditional Lappish dishes prepared with seasonal ingredients.

If you’re feeling adventurous, try the surprise menu, which offers 4 courses for 59€ — a rather good value for Rovaniemi!

Gustav Kitchen & Bar is another great choice, with an excellent selection of wines and dishes ranging from 15€-25€, all utilizing local Finnish ingredients.

If you have a special occasion, you can reserve one of their two heated igloos!

There is no additional charge for reserving one of the igloos, but they require a minimum 200€ spend, and can fit a party of up to six.

Things to Know Before You Visit Rovaniemi, Finland

Renting a car is likely not necessary.

Rovaniemi is a compact, walkable city with excellent public transportation. Additionally, most guided tours provide transportation.

If you rent a car in Rovaniemi, chances are it will just sit around unused, racking up parking costs and being more of a hindrance than a help.

The exception for this is if you plan to visit different national parks independently, aurora hunt independently, etc., but if you follow a typical Rovaniemi winter itinerary

If you do decide to rent a car, I recommend searching with Discover Cars, which browses through a database of over 500 rental car agencies to find the best price for your rental.

Click here to compare prices on rental cars!

Book everything — especially flights and accommodations — well in advance!

Rovaniemi is the most popular winter destination in Finland, and one of the most popular Arctic destinations period. It’s also a rather small city with limited accommodation options.

You’ll want to book everything in advance, especially if you’re on a budget. Just make sure you opt for things with flexible cancellation policies, because we‘re still in a pandemic!

I like booking my tours with Get Your Guide because of their great cancellation policy (within 24 hours) and my accommodations with Booking.com (cancellation policies vary but are always stated explicitly on the website).

How to Get to Rovaniemi, Finland

By Flight

The most common way to arrive in Rovaniemi is by plane. Typically, people fly first into Helsinki, and then connect to a flight to Rovaniemi Airport.

Finnair is the airline with the most flights to Rovaniemi, followed by Norwegian Airlines.

If you’re flying from Europe, there are seasonal flights to Rovaniemi from Istanbul, Dusseldorf, Brussels, London, Paris, and Dublin.

Once you arrive in Rovaniemi, it’s quite easy to get into town. Remember, as mentioned above, I generally don’t recommend renting a car, since Rovaniemi city center is so walkable and you will mostly rely on guided tours for your winter activities.

Just take the Rovaniemi Airport Shuttle for 7 euros which will drop you off at many hotels in downtown Rovaniemi as well as in the Santa Claus Village area.

Your hotel may also offer a shuttle, so inquire with them as well.

By Train

You can arrive in Rovaniemi by train from other places in Finland such as Helsinki.

Generally, the train is more expensive than flying, but for some people it may be a good option. You can check details on trains here.

As of June 28, 2022 there are three trains daily: two take approximately 8.5 hours and cost 102 €, arriving in Rovaniemi at 16:46 and 22:47, taking up most of a day.

There is an overnight option which takes 13 hours, but the majority of the travel takes place overnight which can save you time.

It is a higher price at 126€ for a seat or about 300€ for a two-person private sleeper car, but remember, you won’t need accommodation that night so it may shake out to be better for the budget!

Allison Green

Allison Green is a former teacher who has been travel blogging since 2016. She has a Masters in Teaching and a B.A. in English and Creative Writing. Her blog posts merge her background as an educator with her experience traveling to 70+ countries to encourage ethical, meaningful travel. She has been a speaker at the World Travel Writers Conference and her writing, photography, and podcasting work has appeared in National Geographic, CNN Arabic, CBC Canada, and Forbes, amongst others. Now a full-time traveler, she has lived in Prague, Sofia, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

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