Experiences
Rovaniemi will surely look after you during your stay in the Arctic area. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Photo: Villi Pohjola / Wild Nordic Finland
The lively town centre of Rovaniemi is great for shopping, eating out and enjoying a night away in one of its many hotels. Three shopping centres along with scores of specialised shops and boutiques cater for all preferences from fashion and shoes to sports equipment and classic Finnish design brands. Restaurants from across the culinary world ensure that there is something for everyone’s taste buds and accommodation ranges from the budget hostel to the high end boutique hotel, to the simple cottage in the middle of nowhere or a flat in the centre of Rovaniemi.
Experience Rovaniemi
Restaurants and bars
Despite being a small city, Rovaniemi offers a varying array of restaurants and cuisines for one to enjoy. You can find Finnish, Scandinavian, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Thai, American, French, Italian and Mexican cuisine, available as wild food, street food, from cafes and in fine dining establishments.
As well as these food options, Rovaniemi offers many establishments for those who want to enjoy a drink, including a piano bar, a brewery bar offering local ales and lagers, wine and cocktail bars and several nightclubs.
Shops
There are three shopping malls in Rovaniemi (Revontuli, Rinne and Sampo), plenty of food stores and one 24/7 store called Sale in the very centre of the city.
Souvenir shops and Finnish designers’ stores (Marimekko, Iittala, Marttiini) are located in the city centre as well as in Santa Claus Village for one to browse in.
Accommodation
The very nature of Rovaniemi as an established tourist destination means that it has hotels and accommodation to cater for all tastes.
There are a lot of options in the busy heart of town as well as in the wilderness of the surrounding area, ranging from luxury to very basic. The oldest hotel is Scandic Pohjanhovi – a very traditional, well-respected hotel that was built in 1947. With new hotels popping up every year, there is something for everybody. The most recent trend are glass igloos (igloo-shaped private cottages with transparent ceiling to spot the northern lights when they appear), and cabins made of natural materials with one glass wall that ensure both privacy and unity with nature.
A lovely example are the Panorama Huts located at the Arctic Circle Wilderness Lodge.
Transport
There is public transportation in Rovaniemi in the form of a bus service but this can be quite irregular depending on your location. It is best to check from from Linkkari to see what your bus options are. As an example, bus number 8 connects city center, airport, Santa Park and Santa Claus Village. The bus goes approximately once in an hour and the schedule will depend on the season.
There is also an airport bus which caters for airport transfers from the centre. It costs 7€/person/way. Have a look at airport bus for the times and pick up locations.
Rovaniemi taxi options for you include Santa Line and Original Taxi.
