Santa’s village, an Arctic museum, a city fell and the wild places within a day’s reach.
Rovaniemi’s sights fall into three groups. On the Arctic Circle, eight kilometres north of the centre, are Santa Claus Village and SantaPark. In the city itself are Arktikum — the one museum nobody should miss — and the forested hill of Ounasvaara. And within a day’s reach are the wild places: a canyon of frozen waterfalls, an Arctic zoo, a frozen sea.
Each has its own detailed guide below, with what to see, how to get there, practical tips and the tours that go there.
Santa & the Arctic Circle Meet Santa on the Arctic Circle, any day of the year
Eight kilometres north of the city centre, a cluster of log buildings sits right on the painted line of the Arctic Circle. Here you can meet Santa Claus in his office, send post with a special Arctic Circle postmark from his Main Post Office, ride behind reindeer and huskies and shop for Lappish crafts. Entry to the village is free and it is open every day; you pay only for activities, souvenirs and the official photo with Santa.
Santa & the Arctic Circle Santa’s home cavern, deep inside a hill
A Christmas theme park built underground in the rock of Syväsenvaara hill, about two kilometres from Santa Claus Village. Inside are an Elf School, a gingerbread bakery, an ice gallery, a small train ride, an elf show and Santa’s own office. One ticket covers everything, and it is all indoors — a blessing in deep cold. It opens for limited seasons only, mainly around Christmas.
Santa & the Arctic Circle A hotel carved from snow, rebuilt every winter
On the shore of Lake Lehtojärvi at Sinettä, about half an hour north-west of Rovaniemi, a complete hotel is built from snow and ice each December: sculpted bedrooms, an ice restaurant, an ice bar, a chapel and even a snow sauna. Beside it stand heated glass igloos for watching the sky in comfort. Day visitors are welcome in the snow season, and you can stay the night in either.
Rovaniemi city The museum that explains the Arctic
Rovaniemi’s outstanding museum and science centre, recognisable by the 172-metre glass corridor that points north towards the river like a gateway to the Arctic. It houses the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland and the Regional Museum of Lapland, with exhibitions on polar nature, climate, the Sámi and other northern peoples, and the wartime destruction and rebuilding of the town.
Rovaniemi city Alvar Aalto’s town between two rivers
Rovaniemi was burned almost to the ground in 1944 and rebuilt to a plan by Alvar Aalto, whose library, theatre and town hall form one of Finland’s notable modernist ensembles. The compact centre has the shops and restaurants of Koskikatu and Lordi’s Square, the 1950 church with its great fresco, and a riverside promenade leading to the Lumberjack’s Candle Bridge, whose lit pylons are the city’s emblem.
Rovaniemi city The city’s own fell: skiing, trails and aurora views
The forested hill across the river from the centre is Rovaniemi’s backyard. In winter it has downhill slopes, a web of cross-country ski tracks and a marked winter walking trail; in summer there are hiking and biking paths, a summer toboggan run and viewpoints over the two rivers. The open top is one of the best places close to town to look for the northern lights or the midnight sun.
Rovaniemi city Northern contemporary art in a wartime survivor
A red-brick mail-truck depot from the 1930s — one of the very few buildings in the centre to survive 1944 — now holds the Rovaniemi Art Museum and the concert hall of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. The changing exhibitions concentrate on Finnish contemporary art with a northern accent.
Rovaniemi city Hands-on in the northern forest
Next door to Arktikum, in a strikingly modern timber building, Pilke is an interactive science centre about the northern forests and how they are used. Children can climb into a real forest harvester simulator, try their voice at forest karaoke and explore a tree from root to crown — it is the most child-friendly museum in town.
Wild places & day trips Walls of frozen waterfalls in a wild gorge
About 100 kilometres east of Rovaniemi, in the municipality of Posio, an ancient fracture valley some 30 kilometres long cuts through the forest. In winter the streams trickling over its cliffs freeze into spectacular icefalls, the tallest tens of metres high and tinted blue, green and brown. A circular winter trail of around five kilometres passes the three most famous.
Wild places & day trips Polar bears and Arctic animals in the forest
An hour’s drive south of Rovaniemi, the Arctic zoo at Ranua keeps around 50 northern species in spacious forest enclosures along a boardwalk of nearly three kilometres. It is the only place in Finland to see polar bears, alongside brown bears, lynx, wolverines, wolves, moose, Arctic foxes and a fine collection of owls. It is open every day of the year.
Wild places & day trips Break the sea ice, then float in it
The port of Kemi lies on the Gulf of Bothnia, around 115 kilometres south-west of Rovaniemi. In winter the retired icebreaker Sampo takes passengers out to crunch through the frozen sea, stopping so they can walk on the ice and float among the floes in survival suits. Back on shore, the SnowCastle resort shows off snow and ice architecture, part of it indoors all year.
Wild places & day trips Rapids, bogs and pine forest 20 minutes from town
The nearest proper wilderness to Rovaniemi lies beside the main road north at Vikaköngäs. Well-marked trails from one to around ten kilometres cross the rapids of the Raudanjoki on a suspension bridge and wander over duckboards through old pine forest and open mires, with lean-to shelters and fireplaces along the way. It is free, open all year and beautiful in every season.
Wild places & day trips A waterfall, a log flume and ancient forest
Some 75 kilometres east of Rovaniemi on the road to Posio, the Auttijoki river drops 16 metres through a rocky gorge. Beside the falls runs a restored timber flume built to carry floated logs past them. A circular nature trail of about 3.5 kilometres climbs through old-growth forest to an observation tower, crossing the river on a hanging bridge.
Most visitors build their days around safaris rather than sights, and slot the sights into the gaps. Our itineraries show how. Places outside the city are far easiest with a tour that includes transport.
Husky safaris, aurora tours and the icebreaker run with limited places, and December to March fills up months ahead. Compare and reserve in a couple of taps — most tours can be cancelled free of charge.
