5 Reasons To Add Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland to Your Travel List

You don’t have to believe in Santa Claus to enjoy Rovaniemi, Finland, but it helps. The city bills itself as Santa’s official home and one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. Add that the area is an Arctic wilderness, and you have the formula for a fun, unique getaway.

During a recent short stay in late autumn 2026, my friend and I found the area a one-of-a-kind destination. If you’re looking for a different place to visit using points and miles, Rovaniemi won’t disappoint.

Here’s everything you need to know for your first visit to Rovaniemi, Finland.

Rovaniemi Facts

Rovaniemi is in north-central Finland, near the Arctic Circle. Approximately 90% of the town was destroyed during World War II and was rebuilt in the shape of a reindeer head and antlers. Though it only has about 65,800 residents, the town is one of Europe’s largest by geographic area. The area experiences the midnight sun from late May through late July and the dark season from late August to early April.

Temperatures range from a summer high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit to a winter low of 4 degrees Fahrenheit. When my friend and I visited in late October, daytime temperatures were in the 40s, and nighttime temperatures were in the 30s.

Here are all the key reasons Rovaniemi is worth a visit.

1. You Can Travel There Using Points and Miles

The best, most direct way to get to Rovaniemi Airport (RVN), Finland’s second-busiest airport, is via Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL). The flight from HEL to RVN is less than 1 1/2 hours. Fortunately, you can travel to Helsinki affordably using points or miles.

Oneworld partner airlines offer several options for flying economy or business class to Finland using miles. Air Canada Aeroplan and Air France-KLM Flying Blue also offer economy one-way flights starting at 25,000 miles and business class flights to Europe (including Helsinki) starting at 60,000 miles.

We booked American Airlines economy tickets from the U.S. to Copenhagen (CPH), Denmark, for $409 and used systemwide upgrades to secure business class. From CPH, we used 6,500 British Airways Avios to fly Finnair to Rovaniemi, connecting in Helsinki.

You can also take the Santa Claus Express train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. The overnight sleeper train takes about 12 hours, while the daytime express train takes about 8 hours. Flying one-way and taking the train back is a popular option.

2. You Can Book Lodging Using Points or Statement Credits

Few lodgings in Rovaniemi let you book with hotel loyalty points. However, the most popular hotel for points enthusiasts is the 5-star Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, a Mr & Mrs Smith property. This unique hotel offers luxury in the wilderness, but it’s pricey. Fortunately, you can book with World of Hyatt points, starting around 40,000 points per night.

If you don’t have World of Hyatt points, you can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards.

Rovaniemi is also a great place to use up miscellaneous hotel statement credits and flexible reward points. Here are some ways to save on hotels:

• Use an American Express Delta-branded card to book prepaid eligible hotels through Delta Stays. You could receive up to $250 in statement credits (per calendar year). Eligible cards include the Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card (up to $250), Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card (up to $200), and the Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card (up to $150).
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card offers an annual $100 off a prepaid hotel stay when you book through Chase Travel. Or use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book through Chase Travel and receive a potentially discounted rate with Points Boost.
• If you haven’t used your annual up to $300 travel credit on your Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, book lodging through Chase Travel to receive the credit.
• Book a stay with Capital One Travel using the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to use the annual $300 statement credit. Or book directly with the hotel and redeem miles for a statement credit for the purchase.
• Use your Citi Strata Premier^® Card to book a hotel through Citi Travel and receive $100 off a $500 hotel purchase.

3. It’s Great To See the Northern Lights

Rovaniemi is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. As soon as we arrived, we downloaded an aurora alert app so we wouldn’t miss peak viewing opportunities. We saw the northern lights from our Rovaniemi hotel room and around the hotel, but the best views come from booking a tour that takes you away from light pollution.

The northern lights appear frequently in northern Finland. You can expect to see them about 150 days a year. The best time to view the lights is from late August through early April.

4. Rovaniemi Is the Home of Santa Claus and His Reindeer

Rovaniemi is a winter playground and officially Santa Claus’ home. In 1984, Finland’s tourism board copyrighted the title “Official Hometown of Santa Claus,” and the EU Intellectual Property Office upheld the title.

Because the town sits near the Arctic Circle, Santa is likely to be available no matter when you visit. He mostly hangs out during visiting hours at Santa Claus Village or Santa Park, but you can find him at other venues throughout the area.

Open since 1980, Santa Claus Village is a magical place to visit. It’s open year-round, and many attractions are free, including seeing Santa Claus and visiting the reindeer. However, you need to pay for photos with Santa or a reindeer sleigh ride. The park also has husky sled rides, a wildlife park, snowmobiling, restaurants, an elf training center, gift shops, and more.

Don’t miss Santa’s official post office, where you can write a letter to Santa and have it delivered promptly or around Christmas time. Or send a postcard with an official Rovaniemi postmark and special stamp. Each year, the post office receives more than 500,000 letters written to Santa.

The park’s Holiday Village offers on-site accommodations.

The Arctic Circle runs right through Rovaniemi, and you can cross it in several places. Santa Claus Village and Santa Park are just 2 of them.

Santa Claus Village is less than 10 minutes from Rovaniemi Airport, where shuttles, ride-shares, and taxis are available.

Another option for seeing Santa and experiencing the holiday festivities is at Santa Park. The park is open from late October through late January. You can spend hours baking gingerbread, feeding the reindeer, enjoying the elf show, going to elf school, taking a magic train ride, crossing the Arctic Circle line, visiting the secret forest, and more.

Santa Park sits within walking distance of the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, about 12 minutes from Rovaniemi and 10 minutes from the airport.

5. Things To Do and Food To Try

Enjoy the festive surroundings and give Santa your wish list, but Rovaniemi has much more to see and do.

First, forests surround the area, making hiking an obvious way to get out into nature. The Arctic Circle Hiking Area and the popular Könkäänsaari Trail are a short drive from Rovaniemi.

On an inclement-weather day, a trip to the Arktikum Science Center and Museum is a perfect activity. The museum brings together Finland’s history, nature, climate, culture, and science under one roof. Don’t miss the gift shop, which offers unique items, including dozens of practical and fun reindeer-horn products.

The museum’s native wildlife displays are impressive. The collection includes moose, bears (including polar bears), reindeer, and dozens of taxidermied local species, along with information about their natural habitat.

You can also consider:

• Arctic water floating: Wearing a float suit to stay comfortable, you relax weightlessly in the icy waters of the frozen lake.
• Wildlife park: Ranua’s Arctic Wildlife Park is about an hour from Rovaniemi. The park hosts over 200 species of Finnish wildlife, including polar bears.
• Snowmobiling: Several providers offer every option from short rides to snowmobile safaris. There are even electric snowmobiles.
• Reindeer or husky sled rides: Visit a reindeer or husky farm, meet the animals, and take a short sled ride or a longer wilderness adventure.
• Rovaniemi Local Heritage Museum: The museum hosts several local events, and you can also bathe in a traditional on-site Finnish sauna. In summer, you can book a boat excursion that stops at the museum. Add Culture House Korundi to your agenda for art exhibitions, concerts, and club-night gatherings.
• The Arctic SnowHotel: This is one of the world’s largest snow-and-ice hotels, where you can visit, dine, or stay overnight. Stay at the snow-and-ice hotel when it’s open, December through March, or in a warm glass igloo under the stars from September 1 through March.

For more information on these activities and more, Visit Rovaniemi has details and booking links.

Don’t miss trying local foods when in Rovaniemi, such as grilled bread cheese with cloudberry jam, marinated salmon on Finnish rye bread with dill cream cheese, grilled salmon, beet salad, and mushroom salad. Salmon soup is also a must-try, along with Karelian pastries with egg butter.

Final Thoughts

Visiting Rovaniemi is a unique experience. The rustic surroundings, outdoor activities, and its status as Santa Claus’ home make the trip worth it. Even the food is different (and good) in northern Finland.

While the town is great to visit year-round, winter is the most magical but also the most expensive.