--- title: "Ivalo – what is there, and how you get there | Mixroutes" description: "Ivalo, Finland: Ivalo is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Lake Inari in…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/ivalo" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/ivalo.md" image: "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/2018-07_Ivalo_085.jpg/3840px-2018-07_Ivalo_085.jpg" --- Village in Lapland, Finland # Ivalo Ivalo is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Lake Inari in the Arctic Circle. ![Ivalo](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/2018-07_Ivalo_085.jpg/3840px-2018-07_Ivalo_085.jpg) Ivalo · Wikimedia Commons The place Ivalo is a village in the municipality of Inari, Lapland, Finland, located on the Ivalo River 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Lake Inari in the Arctic Circle. It has a population of 3,998 as of 2003 and a small airport, located 11 kilometres southwest from Ivalo. 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Ivalo is a very popular resort named Saariselkä. The closest border crossing into Russia is about 50 km from Ivalo: the Raja-Jooseppi border station is staffed by Finland's authorities. Adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivalo), CC BY-SA 4.0. See ## What Wikivoyage says to see Although quite large, Ivalo is not that well-known by tourists. The village was destroyed during the Lapland War 1944–1945. Most tourist businesses offer services for outdoor activities and visiting the nearby areas. The northern limit for spruce is near the town. Here are still some big spruces, while few non-planted ones grow much to the north. From [Wikivoyage: Ivalo](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ivalo), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Do ## Things to do The Ivalo River (Ivalojoki) through the town was the site of a gold rush upstream in the 1870s, and some gold panners still try their luck. The former "Crown Station" Ivalojoen Kultala has been restored and is open for visitors (no fee). There is also an open wilderness hut and a rental hut at the site. From [Wikivoyage: Ivalo](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ivalo), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Eat ## Where to eat Hotels are your best bet, although there may also be some restaurants. From [Wikivoyage: Ivalo](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ivalo), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Go there ## Getting to Ivalo **Airports:** Ivalo (IVL), 8 km · Kittilä (KTT), 154 km · Emperor Nicholas II Murmansk (MMK), 210 km\ - Kittilä → Ivalo 156 km · quickest by road, 3h 45m · €25–35 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/kittila-to-ivalo) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Kittil%C3%A4&to=Ivalo) - Rovaniemi → Ivalo 253 km · quickest by road, 4h 8m · €29–41 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/rovaniemi-to-ivalo) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Rovaniemi&to=Ivalo) - Oulu / Oulunsalo → Ivalo 425 km · quickest by road, 7h 35m · €50–75 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/oulu-oulunsalo-to-ivalo) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Oulu+%2F+Oulunsalo&to=Ivalo) - From anywhere The planner compares every way there from wherever you are. [Plan a trip](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Ivalo) Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds. Not yet researched ## No local-transport research exists yet for Ivalo Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Ivalo. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more. What Wikivoyage says about moving around - Get in The only scheduled services are twice daily flights to Helsinki (1:40) on Finnair, although there are many charter flights from all over Europe during the Christmas/New Year peak tourism season. - Get in There will be a minibus or coach (depending on how many passengers have pre-booked), which meets every incoming Finnair flight. From [Wikivoyage: Ivalo](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ivalo), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09. The nearest places where the work is done 1. [Lofoten](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/lofoten) NO 7 ways of moving, 12 sources 532 km 2. [Turku and the archipelago gateway](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/turku) FI 11 ways of moving, 13 sources 945 km 3. [Iniö and the Turku archipelago ring road](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/inio) FI 9 ways of moving, 30 sources 963 km 4. [Nagu / Nauvo and the Turku archipelago inner ring](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/nagu) FI 10 ways of moving, 19 sources 978 km 5. [Kumlinge and the Åland archipelago](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/kumlinge) FI 11 ways of moving, 40 sources 986 km If you know how people move in Ivalo – the stand, the rule, the fare – [tell us](https://www.mixroutes.com/report?key=blog%7Civalo&title=Ivalo&sub=Field+notes&back=%2Fnotes%2Fivalo), and the note gets an entry. 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