--- title: "Rovaniemi – what is there, and how you get there | Mixroutes" description: "Rovaniemi, Finland: Rovaniemi is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland. Nearby: Santa Claus Village, University of Lapland, Santa Park.…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/rovaniemi" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/rovaniemi.md" image: "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Rovaniemi_Church_1.jpg/1920px-Rovaniemi_Church_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail" --- City in Lapland, Finland # Rovaniemi Rovaniemi is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland. ![Rovaniemi](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Rovaniemi_Church_1.jpg/1920px-Rovaniemi_Church_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) Rovaniemi · kallerna The place Rovaniemi is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately 66,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 70,000. It is the 17th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 11th most populous urban area in the country. Adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovaniemi), CC BY-SA 4.0. What is there ## Worth seeing in and around Rovaniemi 10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name. 1. Santa Claus Village Santa Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi, a city in the Lapland region of Finland. It was opened in 1980. 7 km · amusement Park in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_Village) 2. University of Lapland The University of Lapland is a public university in Rovaniemi, Finland. It was established in 1979 and is the northernmost university in the European Union. 1.8 km · university in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Lapland) 3. Santa Park SantaPark is a Christmas theme park and visitor attraction in Rovaniemi in the Lapland region of Finland. SantaPark was opened 28 November 1998. 6.9 km · Amusement Park in Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Park) 4. Arktikum Science Museum Arktikum is a museum and science centre in Rovaniemi, Finland, which opened in 1992. The building is also a popular cultural destination and venue for meetings and conferences and has a cafe and library to serve the customers. 900 m · museum and science centre in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arktikum) 5. Rovaniemen keskuskenttä Keskuskenttä is a multi-purpose stadium in Rovaniemi, Finland. It is currently used for football matches, football training and sport classes of nearby schools and daycare centres. 500 m · Multi-purpose stadium in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovaniemen_keskuskentt%C3%A4) 6. Lappi Areena Lappi Areena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Rovaniemi, Finland which hold concerts, trade fairs and sporting events particularly ice hockey. The arena was built in 2003 and has a capacity of 4780 people for concerts and 3500 for ice hockey matches. 2.3 km · indoor arena in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lappi_Areena) 7. Rovaniemi Library Rovaniemi Library is the main municipal public library of the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. The library building is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. 600 m · library in Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovaniemi_Library) 8. Lordi's Square Lordi's Square is a square in central Rovaniemi, Finland. Next to the square are located a shopping centre called Sampokeskus and a small boulevard. 300 m · square in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordi%27s_Square) 9. Rovaniemi Church The Rovaniemi Mother Church is a church located in the city center of Rovaniemi in Lapland, Finland. The 850-seat church, designed by architect Bertel Liljequist, was completed in 1950. 600 m · church building in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovaniemi_Church) 10. Lappia Hall Lappia Hall is a performing arts venue and conference centre in Rovaniemi, the capital city of the Finnish Lapland region, situated close to the Arctic Circle. It is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in the modernist style. 600 m · theatre and congress centre in Rovaniemi, Finland · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lappia_Hall) Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0. See ## What Wikivoyage says to see Most tourists come to Rovaniemi for precisely one thing: Santa. From [Wikivoyage: Rovaniemi](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Rovaniemi), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Do ## Things to do Various Arctic safari companies can arrange all sorts of cold and snowy activities like snowmobile safaris, husky sledding and reindeer sledding. Most of the tour operators have summer activities available too. Try e.g. a wild moose safari; you'll get half of the price back if you don't see a moose. In total, there are nearly a hundred companies that serve travellers with a variety of activities! From [Wikivoyage: Rovaniemi](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Rovaniemi), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Eat ## Where to eat Considering the size of the city, Rovaniemi has a remarkably wide range of restaurants. You will find anything from sushi to bear meat and from hamburgers to traditional delicacies. As elsewhere in Lapland, the traditional restaurant meal is sautéed reindeer (poronkäristys), consisting of slices of reindeer meat stewed in a frying pan with butter and water. 1. Alvari food 2. Korundi Kitchen and Café Lapinkävijäntie 4 (at Culture House Korundi). 3. Lapin Krassi Raidetie 1 (on the way to Saarenkylä from the airport, in a small industry park), jouko@lapinkrassi.fi. 4. Restaurant Rinne Feenix Koskikatu 25,. 5. Roka Street Bistro Non-expensive 25-seat street food bar and bistro. From [Wikivoyage: Rovaniemi](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Rovaniemi), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Go there ## Getting to Rovaniemi **Airports:** Rovaniemi (RVN), 8 km · Kittilä (KTT), 139 km · Oulu (OUL), 175 km\ **Stations:** Rovaniemi Airport, 8.1 km · Rovaniemi railway station, 1.2 km\ - Kittilä → Rovaniemi 134 km · quickest by road, 2h 8m · €15–21 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/kittila-to-rovaniemi) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Kittil%C3%A4&to=Rovaniemi) - Oulu / Oulunsalo → Rovaniemi 175 km · quickest by road, 3h 30m · €23–33 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/oulu-oulunsalo-to-rovaniemi) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Oulu+%2F+Oulunsalo&to=Rovaniemi) - Ivalo → Rovaniemi 253 km · quickest by road, 4h 7m · €29–41 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/ivalo-to-rovaniemi) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Ivalo&to=Rovaniemi) - From anywhere The planner compares every way there from wherever you are. [Plan a trip](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Rovaniemi) 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 Rovaniemi 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 Rovaniemi. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more. What Wikivoyage says about moving around - Get in There are also scheduled flights from international destinations and a remarkable number of seasonal charter flights, mostly from the UK. - Get in However, Santa Claus Bus provides a minibus shuttle service between the airport and hotels in the city centre at a fare of €7 per person one way. - Get in Unless you like driving long distances or visit destinations along the route, a good alternative is to take a ferry from Travemünde to Helsinki, then board an overnight train (see above) from Helsinki and unload your car in Rovaniemi, ready for any local trips. From [Wikivoyage: Rovaniemi](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Rovaniemi), 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 515 km 2. [Turku and the archipelago gateway](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/turku) FI 11 ways of moving, 13 sources 694 km 3. [Iniö and the Turku archipelago ring road](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/inio) FI 9 ways of moving, 30 sources 712 km 4. [Nagu / Nauvo and the Turku archipelago inner ring](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/nagu) FI 10 ways of moving, 19 sources 726 km 5. [Kumlinge and the Åland archipelago](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/kumlinge) FI 11 ways of moving, 40 sources 735 km If you know how people move in Rovaniemi – the stand, the rule, the fare – [tell us](https://www.mixroutes.com/report?key=blog%7Crovaniemi&title=Rovaniemi&sub=Field+notes&back=%2Fnotes%2Frovaniemi), and the note gets an entry. [The place page for Rovaniemi](https://www.mixroutes.com/places/rovaniemi) [All the notes](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes) [Every note on Finland](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes#c-FI) --- This is the markdown version of https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/rovaniemi, for search crawlers and AI assistants. The HTML page is the canonical copy. Mixroutes is made by Lascade LLC, Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Index of every page: https://www.mixroutes.com/llms.txt