Finland travel tips: Rovaniemi

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Christmas Miracle”. This chapter of the Travel Smart journey in Finland is one of the most awaited because we are headed to the town of Christmas, i.e. to Rovaniemi! We have covered the most interesting places in Finland, so now it is time to get closer to the end of this journey with something special; we saved the best for last!

Where: Rovaniemi, Finland

What: “Travel Smart” series

Rovaniemi is the capital of the northernmost part of Finland, Lapland. It is one of the most attractive regions of the country; thousands of tourists visit Rovaniemi every year and enjoy the experience. The first association one might have is Santa Claus and Christmas, which is definitely true; however, if you are about to explore the region, especially its national parks, you will discover the amazing nature and breathtaking views.

Santa Claus Village

First of all, you will need to consider accommodation in Rovaniemi and please do that in advance as it gets extremely busy, especially on Christmas. There are lots of options, for instance, City Hotel, Arctic Light Hotel, Hotel Rantasipi Pohjanhovi, or any other. One of the best and most unusual in this town would be Santa Claus Holiday Village, as you can get the true Christmas experience in the heart of the Christmas Village. 

Rovaniemi church

Now it is time to explore the town of Rovaniemi. We are going to focus on the most interesting places of Rovaniemi only. Let us start from the Rovaniemi Church, which is one of the symbols of the town. You can find it close to the railroad on Vapaudentie. Then go to the north on Valtakatu and turn left to see the Lordi’s Square. Lordi was so far the only Finnish band to win Eurovision song contest. It is a shopping area of Rovaniemi. If you turn right (to the east) to the state Road 78, you will see a nice bridge (see picture in the end), which is one of the major symbols of the town of Rovaniemi. But if you continue your way on that road but to the west, it will become the Road 79, you will get to the Arktikum museum. 

Arctikum museum

The museum has lots of various rooms with exposition of the culture and history of the Sami people, the north, and many more. It is interesting that in the Sami language the name “Rovaniemi” looks more like Scandinavian. Spend your time there and get familiar with interesting things. The entrance is free (as per December 2014). And we are getting to the Road E75 heading north to the Santa Claus Village! On our way there, we will stop at the Rovaniemi airport. It has quite a distinctive symbol and the true spirit of the north.

Rovaniemi airport

Once you got an idea of the airport, we are moving to the main destination of this chapter of the journey, the Santa Claus Village. Getting there, you will see fantastic views and feel the real Lapland. The village is visible from the far and being there you have a feeling of a holiday, celebration, and enjoyment. Find a parking spot and get ready for fun!

Arctic Circle Center

There are various kinds of things for the whole family, ranging from the Snowmobile Park to Santa Claus. Start from the Arctic Circle Center and take a picture with the signboard Arctic Circle (“Napapiiri” in Finnish). It is remarkable.

The Arctic Circle sign

After that go to the Santa Claus Holiday Village (see the opening picture), it is a big souvenir shop with a café and a restaurant. Behind, you will find the Santa Park, but check the schedule because it might be closed on certain days.

Santa Claus Village

A little ahead you will see the Santa Claus Main Post Office (“Joulupukin Pääposti” in Finnish). This place is always crowded as people are sending lots of postcards to relatives, friends, and family. If you do that, you will get a special stamp on your postcard and a reminded of a perfect journey! Choose from a great variety of postcards and stamps, wait a bit in the line, and drop your postcard into the special Santa Claus postbox.  It will be something to remember. 

Santa Claus Main Post Office

In addition, you can find lots of souvenirs there as well. Once you spend some time there, do not forget to walk around and visit some local cafés and restaurants to get energy to continue the journey. Being there, you will see the point where it says “Arctic circle”, part of which is covered with the snow in the winter.

Santa Claus Village

And last but not least, the most important part of this journey, which is the core of it all, is meeting Santa Claus at the Santa Claus Office! That is a truly astonishing moment when your childish dreams and perceptions of the world and this majestic character come true. Of course, you will need to wait in the line to be able to meet Santa because there are lots of people desiring to do the same. While waiting, Elves are trying to entertain you and make your experience unforgettable. 

Santa Claus Office

Just imagine what it is like to work in a fairytale, to make each day like a big Christmas miracle! People working there are truly happy and they share this with you. Undoubtedly, you can spend more time in the village and find lots of other activities, or you can go to other touristic destinations, which are more meant for skiing, snowboarding, and any winter sport, but we got a little taste of Rovaniemi and Santa Claus Village with the Christmas spirit. I sincerely hope you are going to experience that for yourself and keep that Christmas mood throughout your whole life! Make each day special, meaningful, and good! Explore the world with Travel Smart!

Rovaniemi bridge

Santa Claus Village

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kirill “Traveler” Malyutin

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About Travel Smart series:

“Travel Smart” is a section, narrating about different countries and good travel tips, advised by the author, Kirill Malyutin. The series contains recommendations, including selected places to visit, character accommodation, and reasonable shopping. Simply get inspiration!

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О серии «Travel Smart»:

«Travel Smart» – раздел, в котором автор Кирилл Малютин рассказывает о разных странах и дает необходимые в путешествии советы. Серия включает в себя рекомендации по посещенным автором местам, характерным средствам размещения, а также разумному шопингу. Вдохновитесь приключением! 

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Read also / Читайте также:

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• Finland travel tips: Tampere
• Finland travel tips: Turku

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