Rovaniemi

time spent: weekend break

discovering rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is the second most visited city in Finland, after the Finish capital Helsink. It is the official home of Santa Claus and one of the most marvelous nature places on earth - as well as one of the best locations to spot the Northern Lights when lucky.

keep in mind

> If you are planning to stay around Rovaniemi, instead of doing day trips, there is no need to rent a car. You can ask your hotel to arrange transportation (ex: call taxis or book transfers) to get around.

> If you go during high season, it is good to reserve a few activities and restaurants before going.

> Check the weather before going, I went on November and it was freezing cold. Take a big jacket that is capable of blocking the wind. Really important: focus on packing really protective and warm gloves as well as socks/boots. I was wearing 3 pairs of socks and 2 gloves and it was not enough.. at times I couldn't feel my fingers.

> The currency is Euros.

> The airport is very close to town.

> Some activities are seasonal, so book accordingly to what you expect to do there.

where to stay

Arctic Tree House Hotel

the perfect mixture of design, cozyness and nature

If you want to wake up looking at beautiful Lapland nature, and sleep in a glass tree house that feels like a cozy nest, look no further. It is a 5 star hotel, the best in the city. The concierge was impeccable, they helped me arrange all my requests and were available via WhatsApp to promptly assist. Breakfast was great, the hotel restaurant is a must. It is a short drive from town - about 10 minutes by car (or you can take the bus that picks you up in front of the hotel).

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WHERE TO EAT

Full Meals

note: we reserved all restaurants below

Rakas Restaurant: Arctic Tree House Hotel restaurant. Delicious local and fresh food. Highly recommend the King Crab Soup (although note that its room temperature - not hot), sautée reindeer and the creme brulée.
Arctic Restaurant: Located at Arctic Light Hotel. Very modern and the food is amazing. I recommend trying the King Crab Pasta.
Monterosa Restaurant: A charming restaurant from the same group as Arctic Restaurant. Besides Lappish specialties, they also serve more international cuisine, including a wide range of meat.

Arctic Restaurant

Arctic Restaurant Bread

Arctic Restaurant King Crab Soup

Arctic Restaurant Entrance

Arctic Restaurant Interior

Arctic Restaurant King Crab Pasta

Monterosa Entrance

Monterosa Interior

King Crab Soup at Monterosa

Reindeer Ravioli at Monterosa

Monterosa Interior

Rakas, Creme Brûlée

Rakas, King Crab Soup

THINGS TO DO

note: we only spent a weekend there, so this is based on a weekend plan. We booked all the activities with Safartica, and I couldn't speak more highly of them. It was amazing. Our guide was super professional, knowledgeable and nice. Safartica also gave us really warm clothes to handle the extreme temperature as well as proper boots for the activities. Since we were a party of 8, we were able to request for the tours to be private.

Safartica Autumn Delight: The autumn Delight tour includes a visit to the Husky Park - which is the only thing on the whole trip that made me uncomfortable since the huskies are in cages and are only let out to take guests on sleds.. ), a visit to a reindeer farm where you get to feed them and take pictures with them and the Santa Claus Village, where you can meet Santa, do some Christmas shopping, pass by the Santa Post office and have a meal. They have a similar one for winter, called winter delight.

Safartica Snowmobile: besides the extreme cold, it is really fun. Don't worry about having experience driving a snowmobile before, your guide will show you how to operate one. Every snowmobile accommodates two people - a driver and a passenger. The driver and the passenger can exchange positions in the middle - when we stop for cookies and hot chocolate in the middle of the forest. The view is beautiful, beyond what I can describe. Do make sure you are warm enough on your hands and feet, as we had issues with them being so cold it was painful.

Safartica Northern Lights Picnic: We opted for the Northern Lights Picnic Tour because out of all the tours, it is the one that even if you end up not being lucky and you don't see the Northern Lights, you can still enjoy it. Our guide took us to a Lavvu, a tent used by the Sami people in the middle of the forest - it has to be away from the city lights. He lit up a fireplace in the middle of the tent, and cooked sausages for us! We also had hot drinks, pastries, and marshmallows. Even though we didn't see the Auroras, we still had a great time.

IF YOU DON'T BOOK A TOUR THAT INCLUDES A VISIT TO SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE, STILL GO THERE!

There is another park during winter called Santa Park, which we didn't visit because it was mostly for children. Yet if you are travelling with kids during winter, we were told it is worth checking it out.