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Rovaniemi attractions
Rovaniemi attractions
Most tourists come to Rovaniemi for precisely one thing: The Santa.
Santa Claus Village , 8 km north of Rovaniemi and right on the old computed place of the Arctic Circle (currently computed to be 2km north), is a tourist trap if there ever was one ? but few tourists can miss the chance to meet Santa himself. Apart from meeting the man, there are also other attractions like small-scale sledding hills for kids, Santa Claus post office with nice special stamp, souvenir shops etc. The village hosts also several safari companies that organize various activities. During dark times the village has nicely lit ice sculptures. Bus number 8 goes from town to the village.
Within some walking distance from the Santa Claus Village is Santapark . An underground amusement park. Santapark has been under heavy re-decoration recently and should now be much less Disney-style place than before. Ticket price is €20 for adults and €10 for children but considerable place to visit still.
The rebuilding of Rovaniemi after World War II was largely planned by famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto - particularly its reindeer antler layout. He also designed the Administrative and Cultural Centre which includes the Lappia Hall (culture and congress centre), public library and city hall.
Arktikum. Pohjoisranta 4 (opposite to Marttiini), tel. 016 322 3260, . One of the best museums and science centers in Finland, focusing on life in Lapland and arctic region through the ages. Admission €12 for adults, €8 or €7 for students, re-entry at same day free of charge, open 10AM-5 PM daily (but closed Monday in winter). Lockers available. Cold in winter time.
Pilke Science Centre. Ounasjoentie 6 (next to Arktikum), tel. 0205 64 7820, . Do you feel attracted by northern forests? If so, your place to visit is Pilke. The exhibition tells about sustainable use of northern forests and about the forests' diverse yields,products and commodities. Admission €7 for adults, €5 children (7-15yrs) or €5 for students, re-entry at same day free of charge, open Mon-Fri 9AM-6 PM, Sat-Sun 10AM-6 PM. Lockers available.
Lutheran church is build 1950 and it's located close to administrative center. Church is famous for it's considerable large fresco "Spring of the Life" by professor Lennart Segerstråle. Interestingly the fresco uses elements of Lapland in Biblical context (for example there are no lambs but reindeers). There is nice park by the pool Kirkkolampi right next to the church. A small orthodox church is on the other side of Kemijoki river (address: Ounasvaarantie 16).
Korundi House of Culture is located not very far from the shopping centre. It offers art, music and events. Korundi is art museum but also home of the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland. It's collection consists mostly of modern Finnish art. Ticket price is €8/adult, €5 for students and 3€ for children 7-15 years. Korundi is closed on Mondays.
Jätkänkynttilä bridge is one of the most important symbols of Rovaniemi. It runs over the Kemijoki close the northern end of the city center. Bridge has a high pylon with bright yellow light on top.
Log Train Terminal, about a kilometer west from the train station. Might be worth of seeing during dark times, as the cranes that lift the logs have lights on their arms. Climb to the opposite hill and sit on the fence for a nice view.
German Soldier Cemetery is in Norvajärvi (19 km northeast from Rovaniemi). Constructed of large stone blocks and located virtually in the middle of nowhere it might be of interest to some. During autumn one can eat berries on the way.
14 giants kettes (hiidenkirnut), including three very deep ones, can be found from Sukulanrakka slopes near the island of Rautiosaari, (22 km south from Rovaniemi, turn left from the road 926).
The famous midnight sun is seen between June 6th and July 7th while Sun doesn't set at all. Nightsky is luminous from May until mid August. At wintertime auroras are seen on most nights if the sky is clear.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Rovaniemi
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Rovaniemi - updated May 2024
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Rovaniemi Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
