How to Get from Rovaniemi Airport to the City (2024-2025)
This guide will give you details about how to get from Rovaniemi Airport to the city center. From the cheapest option to the easiest one – there is a way for all travelers!
It will also show you how to get from Rovaniemi Airport to Santa Claus Village if that happens to be your first stop or where your hotel is!
If youʻre booking your trip to Lapland last minute, I have you covered. Below are some of the top tours, hotels, and more!
🇫🇮 Top activities and tours in Rovaniemi:
- Top-rated northern lights tour in Rovaniemi (offers guaranteed sightings!)
- Dog-sledding in Lapland (bucket list activity at Apukka Resort)
- Snowhotel visit from Rovaniemi (wheelchair-accessible option starting in Dec.)
🛌 Top hotels and lodging in Rovaniemi:
- Arctic TreeHouse Hotel (famous place by Santa Claus Village)
- Hostel Koti (a budget option w/ private rooms)
- Apukka Resort (glass igloos in a remote location)
- Arctic Light Hotel (top-rated in Rovaniemi city center)
🚗 Looking to travel around Lapland independently? Click here to check Finland rental car rates!
Rovaniemi has made it very easy to get from the airport to the city during the winter months, but there are fewer options during the summer.
I will update throughout the year when I see changes worth making note of. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Rovaniemi Airport Transfers: Overview of Options
Here are the airport transfer options I cover in this guide:
• Airport shuttle bus (public transportation)
• Taxi options
• Renting a car
• Booking a private transfer
• How to get from Rovaniemi Airport to Santa Claus Village
If you know of other alternative options for getting to Rovaniemi city from the airport, please leave me a comment. Also, do note that many hotels offer airport shuttles for their guests.
Before considering one of the options I list, you may want to check with your hotel to explore that as an option!
About the Rovaniemi Airport
The airport in Rovaniemi is listed as ‘RVN‘ and it is situated a bit outside of the city of Rovaniemi. It is the country’s third-busiest airport, and it is located 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside of Rovaniemi city.
Interesting fact: the Arctic Circle crosses the northern end of the runway. So, that’s pretty cool!
While Rovaniemi city is located a further distance from the airport, Santa Park and Santa Claus Village are only around 2-3 kilometers (under 2 miles) away, which makes that journey slightly easier.
Rovaniemi Airport is busiest during the Christmas holidays, but expect fuller flights most of the winter.
Rovaniemi Airport to City Options
I will list the 4 options for getting from Rovaniemi Airport to Rovaniemi city below. The following options exist: public transportation (airport shuttle), taxis, private transfers, and renting a car.
I will discuss how to get from the airport to Santa Claus Village later in this post.
1. Public Transportation from Rovaniemi Airport (Rovaniemi Airport Shuttle)
This option is usually called ‘the airport shuttle’ but it is the public transport option from Rovaniemi Airport to the city.
Taking this shuttle option from the Rovaniemi Airport is far easier than getting it back from the city to the airport (I will detail that process toward the end of this guide). Mostly because you have to locate a stop in the city center and double-check the timetable.
Once your flight arrives, the bus should be waiting outside. It will say either Santa’s Airport Express or Airport Express Shuttle. The Airport Express runs regularly year-round but the Santa’s Airport Express only runs as an added service from October 21, 2024 to January 11, 2025.
You do not need to book reservations in advance. Tickets are 8€ (about $9) per passenger to the city center hotels and Santa Claus Village area; you can pay the driver by card on the bus. (Ticket prices as of December 2024).
I encourage you to check rates and ensure that all information is still relevant and up-to-date by going to the website of the airport shuttle.
The hotels and places that the Rovaniemi Airport Express Shuttle drops off at or picks up from are as follows:
- Scandic Rovaniemi City
- City Hotel
- Hotel Aakenus
- Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus
- Sampokeskus (shopping center at Lordi Square)
- Scandic Polar
- Arctic Light Hotel
- Sokos Hotel Vaakuna
- Scandic Pohjanhovi
The hotels and places that the Rovaniemi Santa’s Airport Express drops off at or picks up from are the train station, Kairatie, Kosikikatu, Hotel Aakenus, Safartica, Arctic City Hotel, Ruokasenkatu, Scandic Pohjanhovi, Santasport, Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara, Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara Chalets, City Center (Toripuistikko), SantaPark, and Santa Claus Village.
Please note that these will be the same locations that will be pick-up points for a bus back to the airport if you are flying back out of Rovaniemi. Your hotel will have the timetable but if you are staying at an Airbnb, you can check the timetables for the Airport Express here or the Santa’s Airport Express here.
If this is confusing, don’t worry – I was confused too, and had to go to the tourism office for clarification. If you have questions, send me a message and I can further clarify as I have physical copies of the schedules now!
✅ Do note that these timetables are for getting back to the airport. Upon arrival, a bus should be waiting for you and your flight.
2. Rovaniemi Airport Taxi Options
If you’re not keen on riding the airport shuttle from Rovaniemi Airport to the city, there are taxi options that are also available. However, you will need to arrange in advance or book upon arrival.
Finns do speak good English, so don’t be scared to give them a call to arrange a pick-up! I use Meneva, and they have an app.
• Taxi Lähitaksi Rovaniemi: +358 0100 7300; email: [email protected]
• Rovaniemi Taxi Service: +358 60 030 030 or +358 29 009 1090; email: [email protected]
• Menevä Taxis: +358 800 02120; email: [email protected]
Currently, taxis from the airport to the city center cost about €29 (about $30.50) and from the airport to Santa Claus Village will be €20 (about $21).
Uber and Bolt have recently entered the Rovaniemi market, so that is now an option as well. But, I prefer to still use Meneva as the cars are nice and it is a Finnish company.
3. Private Rovaniemi Airport Transfers
If you’re looking for a private Rovaniemi transfer for your group, there are options available! The one I recommend is this one and it will take you straight from the airport (and meet you inside) in a larger vehicle to your accommodation in Rovaniemi.
I don’t use private transfers myself but the driver who I recommend is fantastic and his wife does my nails (people come from hours away for her services as she is flawless). They both speak excellent English, Finnish, and Russian.
This is an amazing option if you’re not a budget traveler and don’t want the hassle of booking a taxi upon arrival (or in advance). He also can do shuttle services between Rovaniemi and other places around Lapland.
>> Click here to see rates for a private Rovaniemi transfer service
4. Renting a Car at Rovaniemi Airport
If you’re completely comfortable driving in snow (if arriving in winter), then a rental car might be a viable option for your journey. I repeat – if you are comfortable driving in snow.
Visiting outside the winter months? Definitely rent a car!
At Rovaniemi Airport, there are a few rental car options. You will find Sixt, Hertz, Budget, Avis, Green Motion, Europcar, and more. I don’t recommend Sixt but the others are fine.
Do note that you will need a credit card for the deposit (in the name of the driver). However, Green Motion does not require this, and they tend to be the cheapest option.
I always recommend booking cars with Discover Cars as that is who I have used in the past when traveling in Scandinavia and the Nordics. You can read my post about renting a car in Finland here.
>> Click here to compare rental car rates in Rovaniemi
Getting from Rovaniemi City to the Airport
Returning to the airport from Rovaniemi city center is a bit more of a challenge. You will be able to get a pick-up at the same places listed above (under Rovaniemi Airport to the city section).
I would recommend asking your hotel for the exact time the buses will arrive, but you can generally plan on the bus leaving 1 hour and 20 minutes before the departure of the flight.
If the departure time between two flights is 20 minutes or less, the bus will run according to the earliest time. As noted above, the bus leaves 1 hour and 20 minutes before flight departure from Rovaniemi city center.
Getting from Rovaniemi Airport to Santa Claus Village
Is Santa Claus Village your first stop on your Rovaniemi trip? Fortunately, the airport is not far from Santa Claus Village… just less than 2 miles (around 2-3 kilometers)!
Getting from Rovaniemi Airport to Santa Claus Village is fairly easy. You can take public transportation (both the Airport Express and Santa’s Airport Express go there).
However, many hotels have shuttles available, so look into that with your respective hotel if you’re staying around SantaPark or Santa Claus Village.
You can book a taxi upon arrival or have one planned ahead of time with the companies listed above. The price should be about €20 ($21).
I hope that this guide helps you plan your journey from Rovaniemi Airport to the city (and back). If you have any questions, please let me know!
More Rovaniemi Travel Guides
- Rovaniemi budget travel guide
- Visiting Lapland during autumn
- Spending winter in Rovaniemi
- Bad weather in Rovaniemi – top things to do
- Arctic SnowHotel review and tips
- Rovaniemi, Finland in November
- Rovaniemi, Finland in February
- Rovaniemi coffee shops
- Where to meet reindeer in Rovaniemi
- What to pack for your trip to Lapland
- Day trips from Rovaniemi
- How to stay at the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel
- Where to eat in Rovaniemi
- Best tours in Rovaniemi
- Dog sledding in Rovaniemi
- Northern lights in Rovaniemi
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