Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle, is the capital, transport hub and main commercial centre of Lapland, Finland's northernmost province. The city is 2,613 km (1,623 mi) south of the North Pole. It is a highly popular tourist destination and is considered to be the official home town of Santa Claus.
Rovaniemi is a transport and tourist hub for Finnish Lapland. Sitting on the Arctic Circle does not harm the latter role, and Joulupukki, presenting himself as Santa Claus to foreigners, has understood that this is the place to meet people. Tourist businesses have also flocked here. Easily reachable, Rovaniemi still has rivers, a fell, mires, vast forests, Midnight Sun and Northern Lights: much of what Lapland means to most people. As the capital of Finnish Lapland, the city has several important museums, cultural venues and educational institutions. It has the feel of a university town when you get to the right venues.
Being not too big of a town, the best way to get around the city quickly is on foot. However, some of the main attractions are far away and buses are sparse; most households have a car. Local transportation is provided by city of Rovaniemi and the services are collected under the Linkkari portal. A route planner for local transport is available. Mobile tickets can be bought using the Waltti or Routes and Tickets app. Most local buses have a blue-green livery with a white reindeer figure. The most useful line is line 8 from the railway station via the city centre to the Santa Claus Village and (some departures) to the airport.
Most tourists come to Rovaniemi for precisely one thing: Santa. 1 Santa Claus Village (Joulupukin pajakylä) (8.5 km north from the city centre; bus line 8). All year. Located right on the old computed place of the Arctic Circle (now computed to be 2 km north), this is a tourist trap if there ever was one – but few tourists can miss the chance to meet Santa Claus. Apart from meeting him, there are other attractions like small-scale sledding hills for kids, the Santa Claus' Main Post Office with special stamps, several souvenir shops, and restaurants. The village also hosts several "safari" companies that organize various activities.
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! 1 Lapland Safaris, Koskikatu 1 (on the west bank of the river, next to Hotel Pohjanhovi), ☏ +358 16 331-1200, fax: +358 16 331-1233, info@lapinsafarit.fi. 2 Lapland Escape, Laajakaista 3, ☏ +358 40-819-3409, bookings@laplandescape.com. Daily.
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. A "bowl" of mashed potatoes is placed on the plate and the hole is filled with stewed meat. This is garnished with lingonberry jam and sometimes slices of pickled cucumber. It's worth trying once at least – you should be able to find this dish in most better restaurants around town.
1 Roy Club, Maakuntakatu 24 (near Lordi's Square), ☏ +358 16 313-705. Karaoke daily 22:00–04:30, nightclub Su–Tu 00:00–04:30, W–Sa 23:00–04:30. Known as Roippari by the locals. Small nightclub established in 1985 and open every single day of the year. Awarded as the Best Bar in Finland 2016. Karaoke pub in the ground floor, nightclub in the cellar. Age limit 18. €3. 2 Oliver's Corner, Koskikatu 9 (by Lordi's Square), ☏ +358 40-686-5000. pub Su–Tu 14:00–02:00 W Th 14:00–03:00, F 14:00–04:00, Sa 12:00–04:00; nightclub W–Sa 22:00–04:00. Irish style pub with a cosy nightclub and customers typically over 25 years. The place is often crowded and the line outdoors might get long.
Rovaniemi is a safe city. You're unlikely to face any major dangers. For hiking or off-the-beaten-path destinations, follow common advice: tell somebody about your plans and a hard deadline, and know what you are doing. 12 Lapland Police Department (Poliisilaitos), Hallituskatu 3A, ☏ +358 295-466-250 (police matters), +358 295 416 930 (licence services), +358 295-416-941 (lost matters). M–F 08:00–16:00 (police matters). (updated Apr 2023)
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Sep, Rovaniemi typically sees ~15°C daytime highs and 14 rainy days.
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