Quick Read: Rovaniemi is such a beautiful city to visit up in the North. While it’s getting more and more popular, the proximity to Lapland is an advantage for visitors to enjoy a full range of winter activities. In this short article, I would like to present my own 5 reasons on why I kept revisiting this city every winter and why I think you should too.
Every year, millions of tourists around the world begin to look for their next best winter destinations.
And because of its unique seasonal experience, these places don’t always come cheap at all.
For us people living in Singapore, popular winter choices like Japan and Korea are very crowded and can be quite expensive too.
But for some reason, there isn’t a lot of people who would start considering further away places as part of their options.
Perhaps due to the long flight distances, the perception of “the further you go, the pricier it gets”, and many other possibilities.
In today’s post, I would like to share with you the one true place in the world that should absolutely go into your winter destination choices in future.
Rovaniemi, Finland. Located just right outside the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi is one of the perfect destination that will provide a unique winter experience, offering plenty of varieties in activities and sight-seeing. This family-friendly location holds some of the world’s most iconic and memorable scenes and landmarks that your family will come to love deeply.
Before I jump into the top 5 reasons why you should visit Rovaniemi next, you may want to consider reading up more about Finland in the articles below and why this country can be one of the best travel destination you should consider.
Know more about Finland
– Why you should visit Finland next and top 5 recommended activities
– What are the top 10 activities to do in Helsinki for 3 days?
– 5 best useful travel tips when you visit Finland for holidays
1. The amazing Santa Claus Village and the Snow’s World
Perhaps the most iconic landmark reference that most people will go about remembering Rovaniemi, is the Santa Claus Village.
The only Santa Claus “hideout” in the world, Santa Claus Village is located in the Northern part of Finland and just a short distance away from Rovaniemi City Centre.
Like… duh. It’s Santa. That’s Christmas. And that means snow. Of course it’s in the North! But if you haven’t been there, you probably aren’t aware that Santa Claus Village sits right on the arc of the Arctic Circle.
Bet you didn’t know that, did ya? And yes, because of it’s unique location you get to purchase a special certificate of you crossing this checkpoint.
Hey, that’s one item off your bucket list!
And the beautiful part about this, this Arctic Circle isn’t entire “invisible” to you! The arc is clearly shown with erected pillars demarcating where the arc is.
And certainly, that’s not all there is to it. There’s plenty of fun activities that both adults and young can participate!
For example, your kids will definitely come to love the safe and comfortable ride on a sleigh with the reindeer.
And after that scenic gentle ride, head over to the main post office to meet Santa Claus!
I’m sure your kids will be so excited about it!
Tip: Queue starts getting really long some time around 10 to 11 am in the morning. If you wish to skip the queue, I suggest dropping there earlier to have a quiet peaceful morning stroll, while waiting for the main post office to open. If it works for you, going on a weekday is also generally better than going on a weekend.
But that’s not all there is to it! If your kids have not gotten enough of fun and excitement, bring them over to the Snow’s world.
Oh trust me, they’re going to love it much too.
Take them through all the amazing ice sculpted restaurants, rooms and spaces and admire those amazingly precise mural crafting!
So beautiful they are, so magically detailed of a work. It makes you wonder how such art is done.
And I thought to share this particular piece of art too. I got lucky as I went in the morning with the light shining directly on top of it.
The combination of the soft glowing “neon-ish” light above the magnificent eagle, is just jaw-droppingly spectacular.
The photo may not have done its justice. It was much more beautiful in there as the room kind of lit up too.
Apart from all the beautiful ice-crafting murals illustrated across all their snow walls, the kids can take a big snow slide down from the top too!
Besides those top activities I just mentioned above, there are long stretches of souvenir shopping and cafe for you to chill and grab some items before you leave this wonderful location.
So much to do, so little time!
Recommended things you should try:
– Talk to Santa in his Main Post Office
– Take a ride with the reindeer
– Either the above or Husky sledding (not sure if you should really to do both though)
– Snow’s World tube sliding and mural artworks
– Lots of souvenir shopping and cafes when you’re hungry or thirsty
2. Stay a night or two at the famous Arctic Snow Igloos
Google up “see northern lights in a cabin” and head over to images. You won’t be disappointed.
Yeah, familiar pictures right? Now, you can realise that dream of yours too.
At Arctic Snow Igloo, you get to stay in a see-through glass roof that creates a 360 panorama view of the sky and the surroundings.
Even on days when you don’t get to see those otherworldly magical lights dancing at night, you get to gaze at a sky full of stars. How wonderful is that!
But having a cabin that can see the entire sky doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to see those Northern Lights.
I must say though, such experience is well worth the money as it’s really quite different from staying in a hotel.
The moment you open the doors, you’re granted with a view of the white snow and out in the open.
And if there’s one restaurant that I would give it a top rank and must try, it would be Arctic Snow Igloo’s Snow Restaurant.
The food is decently tasty and I would recommend trying out the elk main course option. I mean, it’s something different right?
Feeling the cold already? Good. It’s the reason why you’re all the way out here.
Arctic Snow Igloo has a convenient hot sauna and spa place just right around the corner.
It’s always an extremely relaxing feeling to warm your body up before you tuck yourself in bed and look up at the starry sky.
Recommended things you should try:
– Hot Sauna to take the cold away
– Snow restaurant 4 course meal (must try!)
– Outdoor snow sliding fun (highly recommended!)
– Walk around the area at night; you will get enjoy a wilderness feeling outside city, with nothing but the sound of the wind howling through the dense forest
3. Buy the Culture’s Pass to gain access to 3 incredible museums
Every country we visit feels fresh and good. Because we experience different things.
And because there’s so much history, difference in culture and knowledge to be had, that amplified this experience greatly.
Finland is no exception. In Rovaniemi, there’s 3 amazing museums that emphasises on 3 different aspect of culture – Science, art and culture, traditions and nature.
If you’re heading to all 3 of them, you might be thinking “it makes no sense to buy 3 entrances right? That’s very costly!”
And that’s where the Culture Pass comes in. And it’s amazing that not only was it made more affordable to visit all 3 museums, you get unlimited visits too!
The 3 museums, namely Pilke, Korundi and Arktikum are some of the finest ones out there within the vicinity of the city centre.
Each having its own theme and design, it’s a form of fun and entertainment while enriching your experience with knowledge of the northern culture.
The science museum Pilke, is an immensely fun and innovative way to learn about the impact our actions have on the nature. It’s highly recommended to bring your kids there!
Over at Korundi, the art and culture museum leaves a strong impression that one would not forget. Being a country with great culture sense and talented artists, the museum holds many treasures for one to appreciate.
Over at their other museum, Arktikum stands proudly with its awe-inspiring architecture and design. The exhibitions reveal intriguing details of theWithin it life up in the Arctic North and the co-existence with nature.
Recommended things you should try:
– Besides exploring their exhibitions, walk all the way to the end to admire an unparalleled view that you’ll never forget during the evening
– Take a stroll back here at night and observe the unobstructed dark sky for a night full of stars and possibly Northern Lights
– Support the locals and artists who produced amazingly gorgeous photo albums of the Northern Lights captured there
4. Watch the Northern Lights
You wouldn’t consider that you’ve visited the North if you didn’t have the slightest intention to observe the Northern Lights.
Nope, I don’t believe. It’s in almost everyone’s bucket list.
Well except for the people living up in the North I guess. It’s a common sight for them.
To me, Northern Lights form a part of the experience up in the North and even if you didn’t catch it, just the feeling of going there to watch a rare natural phenomenon adds up the excitement of that trip.
Don’t you agree?
Not only do you need luck, but you need to know where too. Most of the Northern Lights tours and excursions would bring you to a special location where it’s a favourite to observe this rare sightings.
And you should join at least one of these tours.
But to take the experience up another level, is to become a Northern Lights chaser yourself. Well, to a certain extend.
If you’re driving, it doesn’t hurt taking a short ride out of Rovaniemi city for a thrill and perhaps you may see it right when you didn’t expect it!
Note: Be careful when driving at night during winter time. It’s extremely dangerous and you should never attempt to go off-road. Even for experience locals, you never know when you hit a solid ground or a hollow spot. Getting sucked out in the wild with shivering temperature will most certainly ruin your fun.
If you’re not, fear not. In Rovaniemi itself, you can still observe the lights!
Head out towards the frozen river, Kemijoki, and look out far. If you’re keen, I would certainly recommend you to take a short stroll on this frozen surface with your partner.
It’s unbelievably quiet, chilly and yet undoubtedly beautiful with the dark starry night sky above your head.
Recommended things you should try:
– Book a trip with the popular local tours for an unforgettable night out in the wild – Recommend to try with Safartica or Wild about Lapland
– Drive out the city to nearby spots for some thrilling wilderness adventure and Northern Lights chasing experience
– Take a quiet night stroll out on the frozen Kemijoki river and look up at the clear starry sky full of stars
5. It can be the one of the cheapest way to experience Northern Winter in Europe
Not exclusively, but yes one of the cheapest yet most satisfying way to experience the North.
I’m sure there are plenty of other European countries that offers super low rate fares to get there, with some of these locations being part of your bucket list and are also absolutely fantastic too.
In Singapore, there are plenty of frequent flights to Finland, Helsinki and airlines like Qatar Airways or Finnair always have affordable promotions for you to fly there.
I personally had gotten as low as SGD800 round trip to Helsinki for a winter holiday!
But Rovaniemi is not in Helsinki right?
No you’re right. Domestically going from Helsinki to Rovaniemi is just under SGD 200 each pax round trip. And I do get as low as 100 too.
Worth checking out: travel your way with this 11D Finland itinerary!
So there you have it, 5 simple reasons why you should definitely visit Rovaniemi the next time you’re planning for a winter holiday.
For the family, there’s never been a better place to go and have a Christmas blast for the year end!
Worth Mentioning: Saving traveling time
Here’s a bonus. Well I can’t really say for sure as it depends on the locations you pick.
But generally speaking, everything’s within a short reach. Whether it’s Santa Claus village, Ice igloo, skiing or other winter activities, it’s all within the town.
In my travel style, I don’t spend too much time traveling or covering as much places as I possibly can. If it eats time, it increases costs and lesser time for you to enjoy the place itself.
In my other articles, I shared that the longest you would’ve to travel to get to an activity location would probably be the ski resort.
Unless you’re trying to get to other places like Yilas or deeper into the ??? Which is obviously much farther away from Rovaniemi.
If you’re one who likes to cover as much as you can in a single trip, you may even wish to combine an Iceland with Finland itinerary!
Let me know if you’re really interested in that and I will create one for you!
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