The work has started in early June 2025 and is expected to last until mid-October 2025. Alternative traffic arrangements will be made in the area, please follow the instructions on site.

The connection to Pajakylä via Pukinpolku will be closed at the beginning of week 27. An alternative route via Tähtikuja will be open throughout July 2025.

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Flying to Lapland: Direct flights to Rovaniemi (RVN)

From Rovaniemi Airport you can catch a bus or a taxi either to Santa Claus Village or Rovaniemi downtown.

Travel by ground

Trains from Helsinki to Rovaniemi depart multiple times a day. The Northernmost train station can be found in Kemijärvi, but for the easiest connections around Lapland Rovaniemi offers you a great layover place. In Rovaniemi you can stay at Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, Santa’s Hotel Rudolf or Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle.

Domestic buses take you to Lapland from all over Finland. You can also reach Finnish Lapland by bus from Norway and Sweden. You can reach all of our destinations by bus.

See different buses from here:

For experienced drivers a rental car can also be an option. If you feel wary of driving in dark, snowy and icy conditions, we recommend weighing your options carefully.

Welcome to Lapland!

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The summer in Lapland is enchanting, after all, it tells you how many songs, poems and works of art have been made about it throughout the ages. Around the clock daylight, the Midnight Sun shining in the silent summer night, clear still waters and drops of the morning dew are an unforgettable experience, specially if you are from a place that has dark nights all throughout the year. Your mind rests while admiring the amazing nature in the nightless night, and you can experience the famous magic of Lapland while walking silently in the summer night. When admiring the nature from a glass igloo, you don’t have to worry about a little summer rain or mosquitoes, but wonder in peace and quiet while resting in the smooth, white sheets of the hotel.

Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle’s glass igloos are now available for booking for summer 2025
(June 10, 2025 – August 31, 2025) starting from 279EUR per night for two,
including breakfast delivered to the igloo.

Why spend your summer vacation in Rovaniemi?

Many of us consider Lapland just as a snowy season destination, but actually the North gives its best all throughout the year. Summer nature, clear waters and quiet forests provide amazing opportunities for hiking, and routes for day trips or longer hikes can be found all over Lapland. You can also find for example plenty of very good mountain biking routes from Lapland, from rural areas to very close to the city of Rovaniemi.

In Rovaniemi you will also find shopping centres, shops, restaurants and culture if you prefer more of a city vacation or are looking for one. The cultural sites Pilke, Arktikum and Korundi are located right in the city centre, as are the Revontuli, Rinteenkulma and Sampokeskus shopping centres with their shops and services. The city centre area is therefore easy to move around even on foot. Ounasvaara has a summer toboggan run, and Roiske has plenty of activities for water beasts. From Rovaniemi you can also conveniently make a day trip by car, for example to Ranua Wildlife Park or Levi.

You can also meet Santa Claus, perhaps the city’s most famous resident, every day of the year in Santa Claus Village, just a few minutes’ walk from the igloos. Rovaniemi is a versatile and excellent summer holiday destination with activities for people of all ages and interests.

Visit Rovaniemi has gathered Rovaniemi’s summer activities, tips and recommendations on one page, so check out the ideas and tips from the button below and book your summer holiday trip to Rovaniemi now!

Welcome to enjoy your summer vacation and the Lapland summer in the capital of Lapland!

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The prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at Santa’s Hotels.

Great Place To Work® Certification™ is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience – specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace.

Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place To Work-Certified.

Santa’s Hotels is a Lappish, family-owned hotel chain operating in six destinations in Lapland and at the Arctic Seaside. We provide high-quality hotel accommodation and restaurant services in Rovaniemi, Luosto, Levi, Saariselkä, Kilpisjärvi and Kalajoki. The Santa’s Hotels chain employs approximately 150 people year-round and approximately 300 people during the high season.

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“We would like to thank our entire staff and partners for your contribution to achieving this honor – your professionalism and hard work are an essential part of making the award possible!” Says the owner family of Hotel Santa Claus Oy with gratitude.

Hotel Santa Claus Oy is part of the Lappish family-owned Santa’s Hotels chain, and Santa’s Hotels is part of the Sava-Group. In 1993, Seppo Aho joined Saariselkä Tunturihotellit as the main shareholder. Over the years, the Santa’s Hotels family has grown to Rovaniemi, Levi, Luosto, Kilpisjärvi and Kalajoki.

Hotel Santa Claus Oy was founded in 2000. The CEO is Sanna Sandgren. The locations of Hotel Santa Claus Oy are Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle and Santa’s Hotel Rudolf.

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In order to achieve the label, the companies need to go through the Sustainable Travel Finland program and meet all the required criteria according to international standards.

”This is great news, and we accept the recognition with pride both at our hotel in the city center and at our igloos in the Arctic Circle. The STF program has helped us to develop our daily processes to be even more sustainable, and from this moment onwards the STF-label will help us to communicate our sustainability actions to our guests as well”, rejoices Pia Virtala, Hotel Director of Santa’s Hotels Rovaniemi hotels.

The set of criteria for the STF-label is updated regularly so that the activities of tourism operators are in line with up-to-date sustainability obligations.

“We are committed to continuous work for sustainability. Our Rovaniemi hotel’s first environmental guidebook was launched 15 years ago, and our sustainability work has since expanded in additon to ecological responsibility also to socio-cultural and economic sustainability. With these official recognitions, it’s good for us to continue on our sustainability path,” continues Virtala.

Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus and Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle are part of the Santa’s Hotels chain. Santa’s Hotels is a Lappish family-owned hotel chain that offers accommodation and restaurant services in a total of six locations from Kalajoki to Kilpisjärvi.

More information:

Pia Virtala, Hotel Director, Santa’s Hotels Rovaniemi destinations

pia.virtala(at)santashotels.fi +358 40 532 3227

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In the middle of the darkest season, candles and Christmas lights light up again as people slowly begin to look forward to Christmas. In Rovaniemi, the hometown of Santa Claus, the approaching Christmas is also strongly visible in the city’s streetscape, and officially the Rovaniemi Christmas Opening Event is traditionally held at the Arctic Circle in Santa Claus Village at the beginning of November, starting the countdown towards Christmas.

At the Christmas Opening Event, Christmas themed musical performances lead the audience into joyful moods and the evening culminates with the arrival of Santa Claus himself and his greetings. More information about the evening’s performers can be found on VisitRovaniemi’s social media channels. In addition to the Christmas atmosphere, music and Santa greetings, the event will also announce the donation amount of the City of Rovaniemi’s and Visit Rovaniemi’s annual joint donation to UNICEF Finland, which everyone has the opportunity to participate in and donate for the benefit of the children of the world this year.

The event is open to all and free of charge, and there will be a free shuttle bus to/from Rovaniemi city centre. Welcome to experience the magic of Christmas in Santa’s hometown and share joy together!

There is a free shuttle bus from Rovaniemi city centre to the event. There are two non-stop buses between City centre and Santa Claus Village from 5 pm to 8 pm. The starting point in the city centre is Korkalonkatu 36 and in Santa Claus Village the bus stop is in front of the Gift House.

The event can also be accessed by local bus Linkkari no. 8 aboard. Route: railway station – city centre –
Santa Claus Village (departures from the city centre e.g. at 13.50, 15.05, 16.20 and 17.35). In addition, the Santa Claus Bus (www.santaclausbus.fi) will also run to the event. Please prefer public transport, as parking in Santa Claus Village is limited.

You can also follow the event remotely via live streams:

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Santa’s Hotel Tunturi in Saariselkä and Santa’s Hotel Aurora in Luosto were granted certificates in August 2024. As a result, five of the hotel chain’s six applications have been certified. The application process is still ongoing at Santa’s Hotel Rakka in Kilpisjärvi, where the audit is scheduled to be carried out by the end of 2024.

The high environmental standards expected of Green Key certified companies are maintained through rigorous documentation and regular audits.

“The Green Key sustainability certificates granted to us make visible the sustainability work that we do with the entire staff every day,” says Pia Virtala, Hotel Director at Rovaniemi destinations.

“The Green Key certificate guarantees that, as operators in the tourism industry, we have proven in practice our commitment to reducing the environmental load, increasing social benefits and supporting the local economy in our operations,” adds Minna Salo, Hotel Director at Santa’s Resort & Spa Hotel Sani.

Santa’s Hotels is one of the most significant operators in tourism in Northern Finland. The international and stylish chain offers experiential accommodation and restaurant services in Rovaniemi, Luosto, Levi, Saariselkä, Kilpisjärvi and Kalajoki.

“At Santa’s Hotels, we carry these certificates with great pride. Sustainability work is everyone’s business at Santa’s Hotels, as our destinations are committed to the continuous and enduring sustainability work of our staff and to encouraging our guests and partners to take sustainable actions,” says Sanna Sandgren, CEO of Santa’s Hotels.

Santa’s Hotels Green Key certified hotels:
Santa’s Hotel Tunturi, Saariselkä
Santa’s Hotel Aurora, Luosto
Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, Rovaniemi
Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi
Santa’s Resort & Spa Hotel Sani, Kalajoki

MORE INFORMATION

CEO Sanna Sandgren, Santa’s Hotels: +358 40 199 3525 sanna.sandgren(at)santashotels.fi
Hotel Director Pia Virtala, Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus & Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle: +358 40 532 3227 pia.virtala(at)santashotels.fi 
Hotel Director Minna Salo, Santa’s Resort & Spa Hotel Sani: +358 40 667 5122 minna.salo(at)santashotels.fi

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Rovaniemi and it’s architecture is widely affected with one of Finland’s most famous architects, Alvar Aalto. As you might have noticed, the architecture and infrastructure in Rovaniemi is relatively new, at least compared to other Finnish or European cities. In 1944, during the World War II, German troops burned the city almost completely to the ground – almost 90% of the city was destroyed. After the war it was time to start rebuilding. All in all, the rebuilding was fast and quite a success, and by 1953 so many new houses had been built in Rovaniemi that the building stock exceeded the pre-war number.

Alvar Aalto

After Rovaniemi was destroyed, there was a need to build a new city. Famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto was called in to help and to work as the head designer of the city. He felt like he was obligated to help, and the marks of his work are still seen in Rovaniemi today. For example, the picture above shows Rovaniemi city hall, which is one of the buildings Aalto designed.

Aalto designed Rovaniemi zoning plan to look like a reindeer’s head. This zoning plan, called the “reindeer antler zoning plan” is a famous piece of Rovaniemi architecture and still seen today in the map of Rovaniemi. The Rovaniemi Sports Arena acts as the eye of the reindeer, and the antlers are formed by roads heading towards North, West and South. This zoning plan started Alvar Aalto’s work in Rovaniemi in 1945.

After working the zoning plan, Aalto started to design buildings around Rovaniemi. In the picture above you can see a part of an entire block that Aalto designed. On that property lies Rovaniemi city hall, Rovaniemi main library and Lappia house, where Rovaniemi’s theatre is located. The first of these buildings was the main library, and it was finished and opened to the public in 1965. The building itself is square shaped with a fan-like library area and so-called “book pits”, which you can see also in other libraries that Aalto designed. His idea was that the reader descends to the world of the books.

The second building around the Aalto square was the theatre and congress centre Lappia house, which ended up being the last building that Alvar saw finished. The wavy shape of the building is said to represent the Finnish fells and the flagpoles in front Finnish forests. Some parts were built earlier in the 60’s and 70’s, but officially the building as seen today was finished later on 1975. Aalto died in 1976, so the opening of this building was his last, but fortunately he saw it fully finished and in action.

The third building, the city hall was finished after his death. His wife Elissa Aalto played a big role finishing the plans and building of this structure, and it was finally finished in 1986, ten years after Alvar’s death. All of the buildings have Artek furniture, a classical Finnish brand with Alvar Aalto as one of the founders and the original purpose of the company to sell Aalto’s designs.

Alongside this administration and culture block Aalto designed other buildings around Rovaniemi; a residential area in Korkalonrinne and a few buildings for the Aho family, for example their family home and some buildings in Koskikatu as part of a denser urban environment. In the wall one of these buildings, Koskikatu 20, is the only relief that he designed to be attached to the building.

Ferdinand Salokangas

With Alvar Aalto, Ferdinand Salokangas also played a big role in Rovaniemi’s architecture and designed many buildings all over Rovaniemi from the end of the 1940’s to the beginning of the 1960’s. For example his designs are Rovaniemi fire station, a residential building in Inapolku, multiple school buildings and dormitories for the teachers, old Rovaniemi town hall located in the city center and his own atelier and home in Karhunkaatajantie.

One of Salokangas’ remarkable designs is also the Roosevelt cottage. In 1950 Eleanor Roosevelt wanted to visit Rovaniemi to see the rebuilding of the city. There was no time to lose, since the news about the visit arrived to Rovaniemi only two weeks before Eleanor was supposed to arrive. Salokangas designed the building, and a team of construction workers built the cottage in a week from local wood, finishing it just in time and placed the doors to the building as Eleanor Roosevelt was landing to Rovaniemi.

The Roosevelt Cottage was the start of the Santa Claus Village and Arctic Circle as we see today. People started to stop there to visit, rest and buy souvenirs, and slowly the area started to develop piece by piece. Now this building lays in the middle of the Santa Claus Village, for everyone to visit and see a part of the locations history.

Lumberjack Candle Bridge

Heading from the city center to Ounasvaara you can cross a bridge called the Lumberjack Candle Bridge. Lumberjack Candle is a traditional outdoor fire, a source of warmth and light used in Finland. It is made with dry pine tree, “kelo”, and is made by sawing one end of the log into four parts or drilling holes onto the wood and lighting fire inside.

This bridge was inspired by this traditional outdoor fire, and an Oulu-based architecture group SuunnitteluKortes won the competition to plan this bridge with this design. It was finished in 1989 and in 1990 the bridge was awarded with a Civil engineering prize of the year.

Arktikum

One of the most pictured place in Rovaniemi might be Arktikum museum and it’s surroundings. Located next to the highway 4 and Ounasjoki, Arktikum was designed to look like a northern frozen finger pointing towards North. It was designed by a Danish group of architects Birch-Bonderup & Thorup-Waade, and it was opened on Finland’s 75th independence day on December 6th, 1992.

Korundi

Even though most of the city was destroyed, some buildings did survive in the city center and are still here today. One example is Korundi House of Culture, now home of the Rovaniemi Art Museum and Lapland Chamber Orchestra. The building was originally built in 1933 as a post car depot. After the war the building was expanded with bricks collected all around Rovaniemi and it’s ruins.

It was designed to be Rovaniemi Art Museum by Juhani Pallasmaa, and the renovation was finished and the museum was open to public in 1986. The building was expanded and renovated again in 2009-2010, and after that it became the Korundi as we see today, combining city history and modern architecture.

Rovaniemi Church

Rovaniemi’s old wooden church was also destroyed in the fire in 1944. This new church was designed by Bertel Liljequist, and it was finished in 1950 to the same spot that the old church used to exist. Local stone was used, and it is said that the building of the church symbolizes the end of the rebuilding era.

The altar fresco of Rovaniemi church is designed and painted by a Finnish artist Lennart Segerstråle, who was very appreciated in his field. Painting of the big, 140 square meter fresco took the artist and his help months, and finally in October 1951 it was revealed by the vicar of the time. The name of the fresco is “Elämän lähde”, meaning “The Source of Life”, and the artist told that he got the inspiration to it from the experiences about the destruction of the Lapland War.

The interior design, decorative paintings ang glass paintings are designed and made by Antti Salmenlinna, and are inspired by traditional, Northern Finland everyday life. For example, in the paintings the biblical metaphorical sheep has been replaced by a reindeer.

Come and see all of this and so much more with your own eyes!

Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland has so much to offer. Come and learn more about Rovaniemi history and get amazing new memories and experiences while exploring this Arctic city.

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Need a rental car? With our contract code, all Santa’s Hotels guests can now get a 10% discount on Europcar rental rates in Finland and Tromso, Norway (online reservations prepaid & payment upon pick-up). You will receive the code by request from the sales team or reception after booking your accommodation. Please note that the code works according to the availability of contract priced cars.

To rent a car, simply go to: www.europcar.com

Add the code you receive to the “I have a negotiated rate” field on the search page and the 10% discount will be activated.

The code is valid until the end of January 2026.

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