Rovaniemi seems to be one of those places people either love or come away feeling slightly disappointed by. And I can understand why.
Yes, Rovaniemi is in Finnish Lapland. It's the official hometown of Santa Claus, you can ride huskies and reindeer, see frozen lakes, hunt for the Northern Lights and experience some incredible winter activities.
But Rovaniemi is also a city. It's a small city, but it's still a city. You'll find shops, supermarkets, restaurants, apartment blocks, busy roads and all the normal things you'd expect people who actually live there to need.
If the picture you have in your head of Lapland is a tiny snow-covered village surrounded by nothing but forests, Rovaniemi might not be quite what you're expecting.
We actually visited Levi before our first trip to Rovaniemi, so we'd already experienced a very different side of Finnish Lapland. Levi felt much more like the snowy Lapland resort I'd imagined before we went.
Despite that, we really enjoyed Rovaniemi.
In fact, we've now been twice. Our first trip was a three day adults only trip in February, and we returned the following January for my daughter's birthday.
Rovaniemi also has one huge advantage over many other Lapland destinations. It's incredibly easy to get to. There are lots of direct international flights, including from several UK airports, which makes putting together a DIY Lapland trip much easier.
So, is Rovaniemi worth visiting?
Yes, I think it is. But I'd recommend it for very different reasons than I'd recommend somewhere like Levi.
In this guide, I'll share what we liked, what we didn't, whether Rovaniemi feels too touristy, who I think it's best for and who might be happier choosing somewhere else in Lapland.
From DIY itineraries and Northern Lights tips to budgeting advice, destination guides and honest reviews of the places we've visited, you'll find everything together in our Lapland Travel Guide Hub.
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⭐ Is Rovaniemi worth visiting? Yes, we think so
❄️ Best for: First time Lapland trips, DIY trips and anyone wanting lots of activities to choose from
✈️ Biggest advantage: It's one of the easiest places in Lapland to reach, with lots of direct international flights
🏙️ Biggest downside: Rovaniemi is a city, so the centre doesn't always feel like the picture of Lapland you might have in your head
🎅 Best for Santa: Definitely. Santa Claus Village is open all year round
👨👩👧👦 Good for families? Yes, especially if Santa is an important part of your trip
🧑 Good for adults and teens? Yes. We've visited without younger children and found loads to do beyond Santa
📅 How long would we stay? 2 to 3 full days works well for us
🚗 Do you need a car? No. We've visited without one
💙 Would we go back? Yes. We've already visited twice
🌲 Who might prefer somewhere else? Anyone looking for a small snowy resort where you feel surrounded by forests and wilderness from the moment you arrive
That said, none of these things would stop us visiting again.
I just think Rovaniemi is much better when you know what to expect before you arrive. If you book it expecting a small remote Lapland resort, you might be disappointed. If you book it knowing you're staying in a small Arctic city with really easy access to some brilliant Lapland experiences, it makes much more sense.
If you're deciding between the two, our Levi vs Rovaniemi Guide goes into the differences in much more detail.
Yes, parts of it are touristy, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
Santa Claus Village is obviously the biggest example. It's one of the most visited attractions in Rovaniemi, so you're not going to have the place to yourself. There are souvenir shops, restaurants and lots of different activities all packed into one area.
But we still enjoyed it.
There's also a big difference between spending your whole trip at Santa Claus Village and using Rovaniemi as a base to explore further out.
Some of our favourite experiences have taken us away from the city and out into the snow, forests and frozen lakes. Once you're outside the centre, you can very quickly get that completely different side of Lapland.
We've also done activities where there were hardly any other people around. On our night snowmobile tour, for example, we were the only people who had booked and ended up out on a frozen lake in complete darkness with just our guide.
So yes, Rovaniemi is touristy in places, particularly around Santa Claus Village.
But I wouldn't describe our Rovaniemi trips as feeling like one big tourist attraction. You can have the busy Santa experience one day and be out in the middle of nowhere the next.
Our full Santa Claus Village Guide covers what there is to do there and what we'd actually recommend spending your money on.
Yes. Our first trip to Rovaniemi was actually an adults only trip with a friend, and we had a brilliant time.
I think Rovaniemi gets so heavily associated with Santa that it's easy to assume it's mainly a family destination, but there's loads to do that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas.
For an adults only trip, I'd concentrate much more on the experiences. You could go snowmobiling, husky sledding, ice karting, Northern Lights hunting or spend an afternoon in a Finnish sauna.
We also stayed overnight at the Arctic SnowHotel, sleeping on a bed made from ice, and had dinner in the Ice Restaurant. The following morning we booked the Snow Sauna experience, which was probably one of the most unusual spa experiences we've ever done.
Even Santa Claus Village is still worth seeing as an adult. We visited, crossed the Arctic Circle and had a look around without needing the whole Santa experience that you might plan with younger children.
If anything, travelling without younger children means you can make the trip a little more adventurous and choose the activities that appeal to you rather than building everything around Santa.
So I definitely wouldn't rule Rovaniemi out for a couples, friends or adults only trip. Our first visit proved to us that there's far more to Rovaniemi than Santa.
To see exactly what we got up to, you can read our 3 Day Rovaniemi Adults Only Itinerary, including where we stayed, the activities we booked and what we spent.
Yes. We've now done Rovaniemi with a teenager too, and I actually think it's a great age to visit.
You don't need to build the trip around Santa. Instead, you can concentrate on some of the more adventurous activities Rovaniemi has to offer.
On our January trip for my daughter's birthday, we did things like ice karting, snowmobiling and huskies, along with visiting Santa Claus Village and some of the other attractions around Rovaniemi.
Ice karting was a particular favourite. It was absolutely freezing when we did it, but also one of the most fun activities we've tried in Lapland.
Teenagers can still enjoy places like Santa Claus Village too. Obviously, you're not going for quite the same reason as you would with a five year old, but there's still plenty to see and do.
I actually think Rovaniemi works particularly well with older children because you've got such a big choice of activities.
You can make the trip as active as you want and don't need to rely on the traditional Santa experiences to fill your days.
You can read our 2 Day Rovaniemi Teen Birthday Itinerary to see exactly what we fitted into our January trip.
We also have a 15 Things to Do in Lapland With Tweens & Teens Guide if you're looking for more ideas.
Yes, I think Santa Claus Village is worth visiting, even though it's probably the most touristy part of Rovaniemi.
It's also one of the things that makes Rovaniemi different from many other Lapland destinations. Santa Claus Village is open all year round, so you're not limited to visiting before Christmas if meeting Santa is important to you.
There's plenty you can do without spending a fortune too. You can cross the Arctic Circle, visit Santa Claus Main Post Office, meet Santa and just wander around the village taking in the atmosphere.
There are then lots of paid attractions and activities if you want to add more to your day, including Snowman World during the winter.
We've visited Santa Claus Village on both of our Rovaniemi trips and enjoyed it, but I wouldn't personally spend our entire Lapland trip there. For us, it's one part of Rovaniemi rather than the reason we'd choose the destination.
I'd definitely combine it with experiences that take you away from the busy tourist areas and out into the forests and snow too.
Our Complete Santa Claus Village Guide covers everything there is to do, how to get there and what we'd recommend.
If you're trying to keep costs down, we also have a guide to 15 Things to Do at Santa Claus Village for €40 or Less.
Rovaniemi can be expensive, particularly in December, but we've found that planning everything ourselves and travelling outside the peak Christmas period can make a huge difference.
Activities can quickly add up too, so I'd decide which experiences are most important to you rather than trying to book everything.
We've already broken this down properly in our Is Lapland Expensive? and How Much Spending Money for Lapland guides, including real prices from our own trips.
For us, 2 to 3 full days works really well in Rovaniemi. We've done both, and there's easily enough to fill your time without trying to cram too much into each day. If you want a slower trip or you're planning lots of activities, you could definitely stay longer.
Our How Many Days Do You Need in Lapland? Guide goes into this in much more detail, including what you can realistically fit into trips of different lengths.
I think Rovaniemi is a particularly good choice if this is your first DIY trip to Lapland.
It's easy to reach, there's a huge choice of accommodation and activities, and you can manage perfectly well without hiring a car.
It's also a great option if meeting Santa is important, especially if you're travelling outside the main Christmas season, as Santa Claus Village is open throughout the year.
I'd also recommend Rovaniemi for families who want lots of choice, trips with teenagers and adults only trips where you want to pack in plenty of different experiences.
If you want somewhere that's easy to organise independently and gives you a bit of everything Lapland has to offer, Rovaniemi is hard to beat.
Rovaniemi won't be the right choice for everyone.
If your idea of Lapland is stepping outside your accommodation straight into a small snowy resort surrounded by forests, you might find Rovaniemi a little disappointing.
The city centre feels like exactly that, a city centre. You often need to travel away from it to get the more remote, winter wonderland experience you probably have in your head.
If that atmosphere is really important to you, somewhere like Levi may suit you better.
That's not to say one is better than the other. We've enjoyed both for completely different reasons.
If you're torn between them, our Levi vs Rovaniemi Guide compares our experiences of both and should help you decide which is the better fit for your trip.
I don't think Rovaniemi is necessarily better or worse than other parts of Lapland. It's just different.
We've visited both Rovaniemi and Levi and enjoyed them for completely different reasons. Levi gave us more of that snowy resort feel, while Rovaniemi gave us a much bigger choice of things to do and was incredibly easy to reach and get around.
I wouldn't choose Rovaniemi because I thought it was the most beautiful or traditional place to stay in Lapland. I'd choose it because it's easy, convenient and gives you access to so many different Lapland experiences in one trip.
Yes, we think Rovaniemi is definitely worth visiting.
We've been twice now, once on an adults only trip and once with my teenage daughter, and we've enjoyed both trips for completely different reasons.
Is it the most picture perfect place in Lapland? Probably not.
The city centre isn't particularly magical and Santa Claus Village is very touristy. If you're expecting to step off the plane into a tiny snowy village surrounded by nothing but forests, Rovaniemi might not be what you imagined.
But what it does offer is convenience, loads of things to do and incredibly easy access to some amazing Lapland experiences.
You can spend one day at Santa Claus Village and the next snowmobiling across a frozen lake, riding huskies through the forest or sleeping in a room made from ice.
And the fact that we've returned after already experiencing Levi probably says quite a lot.
We knew exactly what Rovaniemi was before our second trip and still chose to go back.
So yes, Rovaniemi is worth visiting. Just go knowing that you're visiting a small Arctic city that gives you easy access to Lapland, rather than a traditional snowy resort.
Whenever I spot great-value DIY Lapland flights and accommodation from UK airports, I share them with members of the Build a Break Travel Club. If you'd like to experience Lapland without paying package holiday prices, it's a great place to start.
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