18 Unmissable Things to do in Rovaniemi, Finland
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Looking for the best things to do in Rovaniemi? Known as the capital of the Arctic, it’s one of the most magical places on earth. I’ve listed all the things to do in Rovaniemi that you’re not going to want to miss out on.
Rovaniemi is known for being the gateway to the Arctic.
It’s one of the most magical places in Finland, and to be honest, one of the most magical places on Earth.
If you’re visiting Rovaniemi or Finnish Lapland for the first time, you’re going to want to know the best things to do. And you’re definitely not going to want to miss out on anything listed in this post!
From meeting the ‘real’ Santa Claus to spotting the Northern Lights, Rovaniemi is a trip you’re not going to forget for a while.
Listed below are the top things to do in Rovaniemi for tourists. Rovaniemi is best visited with someone or family (although we did meet one solo backpacker along the way!)
⚠️ Let me warn you; visiting Rovaniemi and Lapland is NOT cheap. Make sure you have some savings to go with you and really make the most of it! ⚠️
Visiting Finland? Check out my other posts!
- What to Wear in Lapland: Finland Winter Packing Guide
- 16 Fun Things to do in Helsinki in Winter
- 18 Unmissable Things to do in Rovaniemi, Finland
- 11 Top Tips for Visiting Finland for the First Time
- 16 Fun Things to do in Helsinki in Winter
Things to do in Rovaniemi: The Capital of Lapland
1. Go on a husky ride
Undoubtedly, one of the best things to do in Rovaniemi is to go on a husky ride.
And I challenge anyone to tell me it isn’t!
We didn’t really know what to expect when we boarded our wooden sleigh in the snow to the sound of excited dogs, but wow, did it exceed every expectation!
As you enter the husky farm, you’ll be greeted by friendly faces and wagging tails jumping up and down wanting to meet and please you.
Huskies are historically known as working dogs and can pull up to 136kg of weight without stress or discomfort.
The dogs need exercise and have a lot of energy to burn, so they love pulling you along through the snow on the sled!
We did our husky ride from Apukka Resort, and I couldn’t fault it. They treated the huskies like the kings they are and showed us just how much love they receive from everyone around them.
You’ll board your handmade wooden sleigh, be taken on a bumpy 6km husky ride through the forest, and if you’re lucky, get to play with our furry friends afterwards (this was my favourite part).
💸 The trip costs about £110 ($140 USD), and is worth every penny.
You can book the trip through Apukka if you are staying there, or if you’re staying elsewhere, you can book it online here.
You absolutely need a good camera for this activity. Ours is a little more advanced, but if you want to take high-quality photos, make sure you invest in a good camera. This doesn’t have to be thousands of pounds, and our favourite is the Canon EOS 6D Mark II.
PSST: Finland isn’t the only place to have an incredible dog sledding experience! Check out Tromso Dog Sledding for dog-friendly tours in the incredible Tromso, Norway! (Plus, Tromso is another place where you can see the Northern Lights!)
2. Stay at the Apukka Resort (even for one night)
The Apukka Resort is located around 20 minutes from the main centre of Rovaniemi, and is worth staying in, even if it’s only for a night.
It is on the pricier scale of things, but it’s an experience in itself.
If you have a bigger budget to spend, you can stay in a glass igloo and watch the snow fall from underneath your duvet.
But if you don’t, staying in a small cottage at Apukka is just as special. Our room had a fully working kitchen, bathroom, heated floors (dreamy) and was located in the same place as the igloos (we just didn’t have a glass roof).
💸 We visited in February 2022 and paid just over £100 ($130 USD) for the night.
Still pricy, but it beats £400 a night igloo.
Need somewhere to stay in Lapland? I highly recommend this hotel, it was one of the best experiences of my life!
Amazing reasons to stay at Apukka:
☁️ The views. You are totally surrounded by nature. No towns, cities, crowds of people. You’re in the heart of the Finnish countryside.
🌅 The sunset/sunrise. With little to zero buildings around, you get a 360 view of the sunset/sunrise. If it’s clear enough, you’ll be treated to bright purple skies as the sun goes down. It really is something.
🔮 One of the best chances of seeing the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi. Due to Apukka being further out into the countryside and past the edge of the Arctic Circle, you have a higher chance of spotting those sought-after Northern Lights. On a clear sky, they’ll light up the sky and you’ll be able to see them from anywhere on the resort.
🛷 Endless activities. If you stay at Apukka, you can book your activities directly through the hotel. Even though we only stayed for a night and then moved to Rovaniemi centre, we booked all of our activities through Apukka.
🏂 A totally free snow slide with sledges. Apukka has their own mini hill to slide down, with tons of rubber rings and sledges to choose from. And it’s completely free!
🐟 THE FOOD! Oh my God, the food.
Apukka put on an INCREDIBLE buffet of food every lunch and dinner time, with traditional Finnish elements, as well as your standard western food.
Plus, it’s only around £30 and includes all of your drinks (non-alcoholic), starters, desserts, coffee and cheese. Oh, and it’s unlimited.
No brainer, right?
Book your stay at Apukka here!
3. Go on a reindeer sleigh
Lapland is just full of bucket list experiences, isn’t it?
Where else can you meet huskies and sit in a sleigh pulled by reindeer?
Our reindeer trip was again, incredible, and we had the most amazing time getting to know these four-legged beauties.
The reindeer were used to be around humans, so they were friendly and enjoyed interacting with us.
To ensure the reindeer are comfortable and happy, the sleigh ride is only short (approx 15 mins each way) and you’ll stop off at a campsite, drink hot chocolate and cook sausages over the fire.
Again, we did our trip from Apukka, but you can look at other operators. However, Apukka had a great tour guide who told us about the origins of the site and some Finnish traditions, as well as how much they loved the reindeer!
💸 The trip cost roughly £100 ($130 USD) and lasted 2 hours.
You can book your once-in-a-lifetime reindeer experience here.
Us being us (if you don’t know me and my blog yet, pretty much everything goes wrong for us), had a crazy reindeer running alongside us, who gave us a few laughs throughout the trip.
We quickly learnt reindeer do not respond well to accidentally trapping their sleigh next to a tree 😂 ‘Porsha’ wasn’t the brightest of the bunch.
🗺️ My worldwide must-have: A portable power bank. Don’t get caught short and lose your phone battery whilst travelling! If you’re solo travelling, you’re going to rely on it to get you from A to B.
4. Visit Santa Claus at Santa Claus Village
If you’re as big of a fan of Christmas as we are, you’re not going to want to miss the Santa Claus Village.
Famously known as one of the best things to do in Rovaniemi, you can visit Santa and his elves 365 days a year for FREE.
Yep, a free thing to do in Rovaniemi!
(Which is a godsend when you’ve been in Finland for a few days. Scandinavian prices do not go well with my bank account).
If you’re staying in Rovaniemi city centre, you can catch the Santa Claus bus or the number 8 bus from the main railway station. The journey takes around 15 minutes and will drop you right off at Santa’s door.
Santa Claus Village resembles a theme park made up of everything Christmas. From snow slides to reindeer, husky sledging to ice bars, giant igloos, pizza buffets, souvenir shops and everything Christmas related, it’s a big kids’ perfect day out.
We also spent a lot of our time walking around the grounds of Santa Claus village, as it’s surrounded by forest. That’s a day out in itself!
Just be sure to wrap up warm, as you’ll be spending most of your day outside. You can check out my essential Lapland packing list here.
5. Spot the Northern Lights
When visiting the Arctic Circle and Rovaniemi, seeing the Northern Lights is going to be one of the highest priorities on your list.
Unfortunately, no matter the time of year you visit, there are no guarantees to see them.
We spent 7 days in Rovaniemi, and the Northern Lights showed their face the night before we arrived, and the night after.
Typical.
But, we did try our best, and still had an incredible time doing so.
We booked our tour through Wild About Lapland, and even though we didn’t see the Northern Lights, we were taken around 45 minutes from the city centre and further into the heart of Lapland.
This meant being surrounded by nothing but incredible landscapes and wilderness, which was blissful in itself.
The tour brings hot chocolate and sausages for you to cook over a campfire, and you learn about the science behind the lights from a local Finnish tour guide.
You also get to test your night photography skills in the snow (see Tom’s amazing attempt below!)
So even if you don’t see the lights, just being in the Finnish countryside late at night is pretty cool. I’d still recommend it!
And who knows, you could be luckier than us and see them the first night you arrive!
✨ Check out Beyond Arctic’s detailed guide about chasing the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi here.
6. Experience a sauna like a local
If you need to know anything about the Finnish, it’s that they LOVE a sauna.
With temperatures regularly dropping to near -30°C during winter, a popular evening activity is to jump into a sauna and warm-up.
Most Airbnbs and hotel rooms will include their own saunas.
Bigger resorts like Apukka will have onsite saunas that you can use freely.
Just don’t be shocked if you see a few naked people in them. Swimsuits aren’t a thing in Finland.
Bit of an over-packer? I have the answer! I use these handy packing cubes for every trip, meaning I can pack nearly 2 times as much as I could without! They are so worth investing in!
7. Enjoy Rovaniemi town centre
If you have some spare time, you can take a trip to Rovaniemi’s town centre.
Almost totally destroyed during the Second World war, Rovaniemi is now a busy city centre known as the capital of Lapland.
Walk across the famous Lumberjack Candle Bridge (or just view it from the riverside), drink a pint in an Irish pub or do a bit of shopping in the mall.
We had a walk around Rovaniemi, and stopped off for a coffee and a cake at a cute independent shop in the centre.
There isn’t a huge range of things to do in Rovaniemi city centre, but I’d say it is worth seeing.
🗺️ My worldwide must-have: Solo travelling on your worldwide trip? Stay safe by carrying your cash or card in a money belt. I know it sounds silly, but Europe can be chaotic and pickpockets are known to work in busy areas. it’s better to be safe than sorry!
8. Walk through the woodlands in the snow
One of my favourite things to do in Rovaniemi was to just walk around the woodlands.
If you visit during the winter months, the snow can lay as deep as 2 metres, meaning it’s a whole load of fun to walk through 😂
It’s also nice to take some time out and just appreciate where you are, and surround yourself with nothing but trees.
For me, this was one of the most special things about Lapland and Rovaniemi.
Apukka Resort has a lot of surrounding woodland, and you can even walk down to a frozen lake. If you’re staying at Santa Claus Village, or are planning on visiting for the day, I’d recommend taking some time away from the village and heading into the forest!
(It’s pretty special, I promise!)
🗺️ Booking hostels? I always use Hostelworld as their deals are usually the cheapest. They also have reviews from other backpackers, and explain the vibe of the hostel (party, chill, social…) so you know exactly what you’re booking.
9. Visit a giant igloo
But maybe avoid this one if you’re a bit claustrophobic.
If you visit Santa Claus Village, you can pay extra to walk round a giant igloo, fit with an ice bed, ice bar and giant snow slide.
I’ll be honest, it was pretty cool to be in a giant house made of snow and ice.
Once in a lifetime, right?
🗺️ My worldwide must-have: A wheelie backpack! Check out my favourite, the Osprey 65L wheeled backpack. It’s dreamy for long-term trips and when you need more than a carry-on!
10. Post your Christmas mail ready for December
If you pay a trip to Santa Claus Village, you’ll have the opportunity to post some mail to your loved ones, just in time for Christmas.
Whether you visit in January or July, your mail is posted directly from Lapland to arrive for Decemeber 25th.
And it’s pretty special coming straight from Santa’s Post Office, isn’t it?
Postcards and letters will be officially marked with Lapland stamps, and cost under £5 to buy and send!
Plus, walking around Santa’s post office is an experience in itself. You’ll get to see all of the thousands of letters Santa receives on a daily basis, and how the elves work tirelessly to reply to all of them.
Send your Christmas wishes in, folks!
11. Try some traditional Finnish food
Whilst I’m not a huge fan of fish dishes, Tom was living in foodie heaven throughout the duration of us staying in Rovaniemi.
Finland is known for it’s fresh fish, rye bread and rice pies, and if you hunt out the local favourites, you can experience some delicious Finnish cuisine.
If you stay at a resort like Apukka or Santa Claus Village, you’ll get to taste some Finnish food in their restaurants.
Or, if you’re like me, just dig into original Western food that we all know and love.
Yes, I did eat pizza and lasagne whilst in Finland.
13. Take a trip to the Ranua Wildlife Park
Another highly recommended thing to do in Rovaniemi is to visit Ranua Wildlife Park.
The park is open daily from 10-4pm, and is the only place nearby where you can spot polar bears and other rare Arctic animals.
The wildlife park is home to over 200 animals, and is set up in spacious enclosures in the middle of a forest.
There’s also a large Finnish restaurant on site, serving lunch and dinner buffets.
You can get to the Ranua Wildlife Park from Rovaniemi city centre by driving roughly 60 minutes south.
Visiting Finland for the first time? Check out my post: 11 Top Tips for Visiting Finland for the First Time
14. Drive a snow-mobile
Where else would you want to speed around on the snow in a snow mobile?!
One of the most incredible experiences and things to do in Rovaniemi is to rent a snow mobile and go for a drive.
You must have a driving license, and trips of a few hours can cost upward of £100, but if you’re a driving fan, it’s not one you’re going to want to miss.
Most major resorts will have their own snow mobiles to rent, or you can rent directly from Rovaniemi city centre.
15. Try snow-shoeing
I can just hear you now…what the heck is snow shoeing?!
Believe it or not, snow shoeing is a popular thing to do in Rovaniemi and other snowy locations.
Snow shoes give you a little bit of extra assistance when walking over thick snow, as the large footprints spread out your weight when travelling.
You can book a tour to snow shoe in Lapland and spend a few hours walking through the forest at ease with the funny looking webbed plates on.
One for the bucket list, right?
16. Go ice fishing
This is one thing to do in Rovaniemi that I just WISH we had done.
I just begrudged it because I dislike regular fishing, but after spotting a few men out on a frozen lake in the city centre, I instantly regretted not giving it a go.
You can book a tour to go ice fishing from any of the major resorts, and spend a few hours out on the frozen lakes trying your luck to catch a fish.
It’s a pretty cool life experience and one you won’t forget for a while.
17. Take a Finnish culture tour
If you enjoy learning about a country’s history and culture, I recommend booking a Finnish culture tour as part of your trip.
You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the Arctic, the people and the land itself. Most tours also include a museum visit.
If you book through Apukka Resort, you’ll have the chance to meet two local artists, and learn about their heritage and story through their eye-opening workshop.
You’ll even have the chance to work with your hands and sculpt something special of your own to take home.
You can book your tour here.
Visiting Helsinki whilst in Finland? Check out my post: 16 Fun Things to do in Helsinki in Winter
18. Ride through the forest on a horse sleigh
Last but not least, if you’re a fan of horses, I recommend you book a tour to ride on a horse sleigh.
Some of the horses we saw in Rovaniemi were some of the most beautiful horses I’ve ever seen (and I have no idea why…do horses thrive in the snow?!)
If you book a tour, you’ll get to interact with the horses and ride a sleigh through the woodlands.
Again, a once in a lifetime experience.
I just sound like a broken record here. It’s Finland being so epic – not me!
Getting around Rovaniemi
One of our biggest worries before we arrived in Rovaniemi was how to get around.
Rovaniemi is a fully-functioning city (despite the snow), with trains, buses and Ubers.
We were able to catch local buses to wherever we needed to go, or cabs if we needed to travel at night (to the airport or to a resort etc).
It’s easy to get around Rovaniemie, and if you have a higher budget, there is the option of hiring a car.
However, if you’re not used to driving in the snow, I’d leave it down to the experts.
Things to do in Rovaniemi: FAQS
Is it worth visiting Rovaniemi?
Absolutely. It is the gateway to the Arctic, and a place where you can tick off a series of bucket list experiences.
The city centre itself isn’t a must-see, but the surrounding woodlands and countryside is like something out of a fairytale.
How many days do you need in Rovaniemi?
It depends on your budget and how many activities you would like to book.
The city centre itself? I would say no more than one day to explore.
Experiencing Lapland and all it has to offer? Budget at least 5 days and a minimum of £800 per person.
Can you see the Northern Lights from Rovaniemi?
Yes, on a clear night it is possible to see the Northern Lights from Rovaniemi.
The lights have been spotted over the bridge and city centre, as well as further out in resorts like Apukka and Santa Claus Village.
What is there to do in Rovaniemi at night?
Most activities you can do in Rovaniemi and Lapland are actually available to do at night.
Horse sleighs, snow-mobiles, snow trains…they all have a nighttime option, as they are regarded as ‘Northern Light’ tours, and take you further afield to try and spot them.
If not, you can go out for dinner in Rovaniemi city centre, or take it easy in the sauna.
What time does Santa Claus Village open?
Santa Claus Village is open 365 days a year, opening at 10am daily. Most shops and cafes shut around 5pm, but the restaurants and resort itself is open until late.
Santa’s last meet and greet is at 5pm.
Where can I sleep in Rovaniemi?
Rovaniemi is a busy city centre, so there are many hotels and Airbnbs to choose from.
Our Airbnb was directly opposite the train station, which I highly recommend.
This meant we were a 10 minute walk from the city centre, and right opposite the bus stop for our day trips.
Things to do in Rovaniemi: In a Nutshell
So, there you have it!
The most epic, bucket list things to do in Rovaniemi, Finland.
It really is a magical place, and is one of the best trips I’ve ever been on.
I just kept waking up, looking out of the window and thinking I was in a fairytale. It really is something special.
Make sure you wrap up warm (see my packing list here!), save a fair bit of money (minimum £800 per person for a 7 day trip) and you will have the trip of a lifetime.
Happy travelling!
Jennie 🙂 x
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