Few places do Christmas quite like Rovaniemi. The capital of Finnish Lapland sits about 6 km south of the Arctic Circle, where the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers meet, and from late November it is wrapped in snow, blue twilight and candlelight. Just outside town, Santa Claus Village lets you meet Santa, post a card from his own post office and step across the Arctic Circle line in a single afternoon.
Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland
Rovaniemi is home to about 66,000 people and is the administrative and commercial centre of Lapland. Its modern look has a dramatic history: retreating German forces destroyed about 90 percent of the town's buildings during the Lapland War of 1944. The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto helped plan the rebuilt city, and its main roads were laid out in the shape of a reindeer's head, with the streets as antlers and the sports stadium as the eye.
In town, the Arktikum science museum on the bank of the Ounasjoki is the best introduction to the Arctic regions of Finland and the wider world, and the Jätkänkynttilä ("Lumberjack's Candle") bridge over the Kemijoki carries an eternal flame. Rovaniemi is also the hometown of Mr Lordi, whose band won Eurovision in 2006; there is a Lordi's Square in the centre.
Santa Claus Village and the Arctic Circle
Santa Claus Village lies about 8 km northeast of Rovaniemi centre and only 2 km from the airport. It opened in 1985, and Santa receives visitors at his office every day of the year. The main sights:
- Santa Claus's Office: meet Santa and have your photo taken; he keeps office hours, so check times for your dates.
- Santa Claus Main Post Office: an official Finnish post office where you can send cards with a special Arctic Circle postmark and order a letter from Santa to arrive before Christmas.
- The Arctic Circle line: a white line painted across the village marks where you officially enter the Arctic. The true Arctic Circle drifts slowly and now lies about 700 m further north.
- Roosevelt Lodge: a cabin built in the 1950s for Eleanor Roosevelt's visit, said to be the first building inside the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi.
- SantaPark: a separate underground Christmas attraction close by.
Reindeer, huskies and the northern lights
Most Christmas visitors combine Santa with at least one outdoor trip. Visit Rovaniemi lists reindeer farm visits with sleigh rides, husky sled rides, guided northern lights tours and winter hikes to the frozen waterfalls of Korouoma Canyon.
The aurora borealis is visible above Rovaniemi on around 150 nights a year, between mid-August and early April. Clear, dark skies away from the city lights give the best chance, which is why aurora tours drive out of town.
Weather, daylight and what to pack
Expect real cold. In January, Rovaniemi averages daily highs of about −7 °C and lows of about −13 °C, and snow covers the ground for around 175 days a year. December brings only a few minutes of direct sunshine a day on average, as the sun barely clears the horizon. There is no true polar night this far south, though: the hours around midday bring a soft blue twilight that is lovely for photographs.
Dress in layers: thermal base layers, a warm mid-layer, a windproof outer shell, insulated boots, a hat that covers your ears and warm mittens.
Getting to Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi Airport, about 10 km north of the centre, is Finland's second-busiest airport after Helsinki-Vantaa and is at its busiest at Christmas, with seasonal direct flights from many European cities. VR runs direct day and overnight trains between Helsinki and Rovaniemi; the overnight sleeper saves a hotel night and a flight. Combine the trip with a few days in Helsinki if you have time.
Christmas is the busiest time of the year, so book flights, accommodation and Santa experiences early. Rovaniemi welcomed over 480,000 visitors as far back as 2013, and numbers have grown since.
Related reading
- Joni Niemelä’s Finnish aurora collection
- winter city break guide
- Helsinki in Winter: Festive Streets, Waterfronts and City Life
- Oulanka National Park in Winter: Forests, Rivers and Snowy Trails
- Mikko Lagerstedt’s Night II: Winter Light and Finnish Landscapes
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