How to Get to Rovaniemi: Flights, Trains, Buses, and Getting Around
Most people fly into Rovaniemi, but the overnight train might be the most poetic way to get there.
Rovaniemi’s sky is very welcoming! My view last January 2026
Rovaniemi is Finnish Lapland's main gateway, and it's built for it: an airport that runs seasonal direct flights from all over Europe, an overnight train from Helsinki with a spot for your car, and a bus network that reaches deep into the rest of Lapland once you've landed. We've done this trip both ways ourselves, flying in for a quick visit and taking the train up from Helsinki when we wanted to visit our friend Altti. Here's how each option works, and how to get around once you're here.
🛌 Where to stay:
• Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, Sinettä — outside the city, great if you've got a car, we visited and had lunch there
• Villa Lucky — our own base in Rovaniemi, we watched the lights from the yard
🇫🇮 Top experience:
• Northern lights tour — a guide drives, watches the sky, and takes you away from the clouds
• Sauna and ice dipping experience — something to do between aurora checks
🚗 Car rental:
• Rental cars for the region — worth it if you want to stay further from the city
Jump to: Flights · The train from Helsinki · Bus connections across Lapland · The Arctic Route from Norway · Coming from Sweden · Getting around Rovaniemi · Where to stay · FAQ
How to get to Rovaniemi: quick answer
Flying is how almost everyone gets to Rovaniemi, whether that's a direct Finnair connection from Helsinki or one of the many seasonal winter routes from the UK and the rest of Europe. If you'd rather skip the airport, the overnight train from Helsinki is a fantastic alternative (we love it), complete with sleeper cabins and a spot for your car. Buses fill in everything else, connecting Rovaniemi to the rest of Lapland and, in winter, all the way to Tromsø in Norway. And, of course, you can rent a car depending on where you are.
Flights to Rovaniemi
Jake is always happy to land in the Arctic!
Finnair flies Helsinki to Rovaniemi several times a day, year-round, and that's how most travelers arrive, including nearly everyone connecting from outside Finland. Norwegian also runs the route, and Ryanair operates a year-round link to Milan Bergamo.
Where it gets more interesting is winter. Once the northern lights season kicks in, Rovaniemi gets many seasonal direct flights from the UK (London Stansted, Gatwick, Luton, and Southend, plus Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast, and Liverpool) and continental Europe (Amsterdam, Paris, several German cities, Vienna, Zurich, Warsaw, Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid, Copenhagen, Dublin, and a few others), mostly on easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, and a handful of national carriers. Most of these run roughly late October through March, so double-check what's flying on your dates.
For example, I met with two friends in Rovaniemi in January. We were all coming from different places in Europe and found matching days and times for flights, which makes Rovaniemi super convenient!
There's also a direct Finnair route between Rovaniemi and Tromsø, Norway. It’s useful if you're combining Finnish and Norwegian Lapland without routing back through Helsinki. We cover the rest of that connection, plus the overland options, in our How to Get to Tromsø guide.
Rovaniemi Airport to the city center
The airport sits about 10 km outside town, and the transfer is short either way. The Airport Express bus (running as Santa's Airport Express during the winter season) meets arriving flights and gets you into the center in well under 20 minutes. A taxi or Uber covers the same distance a little faster if you'd rather skip the bus. Just make sure to ask where Uber/Bolt stops before ordering one, as they won’t wait (trust me)!
The train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (Santa Claus Express)
Our cabin on the train Helsinki-Rovaniemi (the Santa Claus Express!)
VR runs both a daytime train and an overnight sleeper between Helsinki and Rovaniemi, following the main line north through Tampere, Oulu, and Kemi before the final stretch into Lapland. The daytime train covers the roughly 880 km trip in about 8.5 hours. The night train, the famous Santa Claus Express, takes longer but gets you there while you sleep, in a cabin if you book one, and you can add a car spot to your ticket if you'd rather have your own wheels waiting in Rovaniemi.
We absolutely love riding the night train, and we’ve done it both to get to Rovaniemi and Kiruna. It’s magical to wake up in a snowy landscape and savor a coffee while looking through the window. We included the experience in our article: Finnish Lapland in Fall.
If you're headed further into Lapland instead, the same overnight service also runs to Kolari (for Ylläs) and Kemijärvi, so it's worth checking which branch you need before booking.
Bus connections across Lapland from Rovaniemi
Once you're in Rovaniemi, buses are how you reach the rest of Finnish Lapland. Long-distance coaches run from Rovaniemi's bus station to Levi and Kittilä, Ivalo, Saariselkä and Inari, Ranua, the Pyhä-Luosto area, and Ruka-Kuusamo, with tickets and schedules through Matkahuolto. OnniBus also runs direct coaches into Rovaniemi from Helsinki, Jyväskylä, and Oulu, with onward connections to Levi, Saariselkä, and Ivalo on the other end. Pre-booking is worth doing in winter, when seats on the popular routes go fast.
Getting from Tromsø to Rovaniemi: the Arctic Route between Norway and Finland
Hike in Tromsø, and meet Santa in Rovaniemi the next day with the Arctic Route!
If you're traveling from Tromsø to Rovaniemi or northern Norway, the Arctic Route bus (run by Best Arctic together with Finland's Eskelisen Lapin Linjat) covers the roughly 10 to 10.5 hour trip, crossing the border at Kilpisjärvi and stopping at Karesuvanto, Muonio, Levi, and Kittilä before finishing at Santa Claus Village. It runs daily through winter, with a summer window too, though exact dates shift year to year. We go into the full route, plus the Narvik train connection to Sweden, in our How to Get to Tromsø guide.
Coming to Rovaniemi from Sweden
Many people ask us this, and this direction doesn't have a great option, unfortunately. There's no direct train between Kiruna and Rovaniemi (we cover this in our article: One Lapland Trip, Three Countries), and there never has been, since the two rail networks don't connect this far north. Driving is your best bet. The route runs the E8 through Muonio to the Kolari-Pajala border crossing, then the E45 through Övertorneå into Kiruna, roughly 380 km and about 4.5 to 5.5 hours. You can also book a private transfer. It’s an expensive option, but it’s not that bad if you're a family or a small group.
The bus is the fallback if you're without a car, and it's a real commitment. One option crosses the border further south at Pello, but it doesn't run every day of the week, so you can get stuck without it on the wrong date. The alternative is a longer coastal route through Töre, Haparanda, and Tornio to Kemi, then the train the rest of the way to Rovaniemi, which can run 10 hours or more once you count the waits between connections. Either way, check current timetables before you commit to a bus itinerary here, since the schedules and border-crossing point both shift.
The new Oulu-Kemi-Tornio-Haaparanta train we mentioned above, which started running in August 2026, doesn't change this. It's a useful new link if you're moving between the Finnish coast and the rest of Sweden further south, but Kiruna is well inland from that line, so it doesn't shorten the Kiruna-Rovaniemi trip specifically.
Getting around Rovaniemi
Everything is Santa-themes in Rovaniemi, even buses!
Rovaniemi's local buses run under the name Linkkari, with routes covering the city center and surrounding neighborhoods. Bus 8 is the one most visitors end up using, since it runs out to the Arctic Circle line and Santa Claus Village (read our article: Christmas in Rovaniemi). Tickets and live tracking go through the Waltti app, and the local bus hub is on Ruokasenkatu Street.
A lot of what's worth seeing around Rovaniemi, though, from Ranua to the Arctic SnowHotel to Riisitunturi National Park (read more in our guide: Winter Activities in Rovaniemi), is easier with your own car, although you can book tours. We'll have a dedicated guide to renting a car in Rovaniemi soon.
Where to stay in Rovaniemi
Between our Best Hotels in Rovaniemi guide, our Best Aurora Hotels in Finland guide, and our 22 Glass Igloos in Finland, you've got the full range covered, whether that's walkable to downtown or based somewhere darker for the northern lights.
Some of our favorites include Villa Lucky (where we stayed), Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos (we've visited), and Apukka Resort (a fancy classic).
Zoom in on the map below to find an aurora hotel, cabin, or glass igloo in Rovaniemi:
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FAQ: Getting to Rovaniemi
What's the easiest way to get to Rovaniemi? Flying. Finnair connects Helsinki to Rovaniemi several times a day year-round, and a wide range of European cities add direct seasonal flights through the winter.
Is there a train to Rovaniemi? Yes, both a daytime train (about 8.5 hours from Helsinki) and an overnight sleeper, running via Tampere, Oulu, and Kemi. The night train lets you add a car to your ticket, which is popular enough that it's become known as the Santa Claus Express.
Can I take a bus to Rovaniemi from other parts of Lapland? Yes. Matkahuolto and OnniBus both run coaches connecting Rovaniemi to Levi, Kittilä, Ivalo, Saariselkä, Ranua, Pyhä-Luosto, and Ruka-Kuusamo, among other towns.
How do I get to Rovaniemi from Tromsø, Norway? By the Arctic Route bus, a roughly 10 to 10.5 hour ride that crosses the border at Kilpisjärvi. There's also a direct Finnair flight between the two cities.
What's the best way to get to Rovaniemi from Sweden? Driving. There's no direct train from Kiruna, and the bus involves a long day with multiple transfers, so a car covering the roughly 380 km via Muonio and the Kolari-Pajala border crossing is the easiest option by far.
Do I need a car once I'm in Rovaniemi? Not for the city itself, since local buses and the Airport Express cover that fine. A car helps once you want to reach places like Ranua or Riisitunturi National Park on your own schedule.
To get to Rovaniemi, like anywhere in the Arctic, the journey itself is part of the appeal. Fly in and you're at the Arctic Circle within the hour. Take the night train, and you fall asleep in Helsinki and wake up in snowy Lapland, which is our favorite way of traveling.
Finally, explore all of our Lapland Travel Guides here.
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Best Hotels in Rovaniemi
Winter Activities in Rovaniemi
Christmas in Rovaniemi
Best Time to Visit Rovaniemi & Finnish Lapland
How to See the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi
Magical Alternatives to Rovaniemi
Our Northern Lights Tour in Rovaniemi
How to Get to Rovaniemi
Best Glass Igloos in Finland
Aurora Tours in Finnish Lapland
Northern Lights in Lapland
Best Aurora Hotels in Finland
Northern Lights Hub
Lapland in General:
Finnish Lapland in Fall
One Lapland Trip, Three Countries
Kiruna vs. Rovaniemi
Lapland on a Budget
Sauna and Ice Dip
Arctic Food Guide
