Getting here

Rovaniemi is situated in Finnish Lapland, right on the Arctic Circle. Despite the northern location, getting here is easy – Rovaniemi is well connected to the rest of the world via various means of transport.

From abroad, the town is easiest to get to by plane via Helsinki. Inside Finland, Rovaniemi can be reached by plane, train, coach or car. In the winter – the Christmas season in particular – charter flights with hotel packages are offered from many countries.

Please see below detailed information on transport to and from Rovaniemi.

Flight connections

Daily flights between Rovaniemi and Helsinki are operated by Finnair throughout the year and several times a week by Norwegian.

For winter and spring 2022-2023, the following direct flight connections to Rovaniemi have been established:

London (Gatwick) – Rovaniemi with easyJet
– Operated between 20th November 2022 and 22nd March 2023 on Wednesdays and Sundays. 25th November – 23rd December also on Fridays.
London (Stansted) – Rovaniemi with Ryanair
– Operated between 30th October 2022 and 24th March 2023 on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
Paris (Charles de Gaulle) – Rovaniemi with Air France
– Operated between 27th November 2022 and 19th March 2023 on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. 19th December – 1st January daily.
Dusseldorf – Rovaniemi with Eurowings
– Operated between 3rd December 2022 and 27th of March 2023
Istanbul – Rovaniemi with Turkish Airlines
– Operated between 24th November 2022 and 12th March 2023 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Dublin – Rovaniemi with Ryanair
– Operated between 30th October 2022 and 23rd March 2023 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Brussels Charleroi – Rovaniemi with Ryanair
– Operated between 31st October 2022 and 24th March 2023 on Mondays and Fridays
Manchester – Rovaniemi with easyJet
– Operated between 19th November 2022 and 7th January 2023 on Tuesdays and Saturdays
Bristol – Rovaniemi with easyJet
– Operated between 18th November 2022 and 6th January 2023 on Mondays and Fridays
Milan – Rovaniemi with easyJet
– Operated between 6th of December 2022 and 28th of January 2023 on Tuesdays and Saturdays
Amsterdam – Rovaniemi with KLM
– Operated between 3rd of December 2022 and 25th of March 2023 on Saturdays

For detailed information about Rovaniemi Airport, please see here.

Getting to Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland is easy by plane - photo by Finnair

Train connections

Finnish railroads are operated by state company VR.

Rovaniemi is easy to reach by rail from many Finnish towns, with several trains running to and from Helsinki every day. Trains run year round, despite harsh weather at times.

The rail industry strike in Finland has ended. The trains are going normally as of Fri 24.3.
At the moment all the train connections still on Thu 23rd of March has been cancelled. The updated information here www.vr.fi/en/train-traffic-at-the-moment

If you had train tickets during the strike, the refund will be made automatically to your account if you have bought the tickets online or from the ticket machine.
Only if you have bought the paper tickets (R-kioski), please be directly in contact to VR customer service.
More information here.

The connection options in able to get to your destination are either to buy a flight ticket or a bus ticket.

Traveling to Rovaniemi The Official Hometown of Santa Claus with train

Coach connections

The coach services by Matkahuolto and Onnibus cover a great deal of Finland’s road network.

They’re not only an option for reaching Rovaniemi from the south, but also the only means of public transport that connect the town with the northern parts of Lapland.

The bus station designed by Alvar Aalto in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland

Road connections

Rovaniemi is easy to get to by car from all directions.

If you plan on travelling around Lapland by car, be sure to allocate enough time for the long distances and changing weather conditions, particularly in the winter.

Up-to-date information on road conditions is published by the Finnish Transport Agency.

Check here important facts about driving in Finland.

Aurora Borealis over a road in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland

Traffic connections to neighbouring countries

Norway

In the summer season, there is a daily bus connection from Rovaniemi to Tromsø (Norway) and from Rovaniemi to North Cape (Norway) as well as from Rovaniemi to Vadsø (Norway). In wintertime, buses from Rovaniemi run to Karasjok and Tana Bru (Norway), where domestic Norwegian bus lines operate to further destinations.