Things to do in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland, home to around 64,000 people at the confluence of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers. Flattened in 1944, the centre was rebuilt to Alvar Aalto's reindeer-antler street plan, so don't expect an old town. RVN airport sits 10 km out, with buses and taxis into the centre in 15-20 minutes; the VR night train from Helsinki takes around 12 hours.

Bus 8 covers the centre and runs on to Santa Claus Village, 8 km north, in about 25 minutes. This page is the overview: separate guides cover Santa Claus Village, the Arctic Circle line, Arktikum museum and SantaPark in detail.

Aurora hunting is possible on roughly 200 clear-enough nights a year from late August to early April, but it depends on weather and solar activity - no operator can guarantee a sighting, only a rebooked chance.