Tromsø vs. Rovaniemi: Which Arctic Destination Should You Choose?

Throughout the years, I have received emails regularly asking me about which destination they should travel to in the Arctic. And more often than not, the two regions and cities that are being looked into further are Tromsø, Norway and Rovaniemi, Finland.

It just so happens I have spent an incredible amount of time in Tromsø over the years and I happen to live in Rovaniemi, so comparing the two is pretty easy (and extremely dependent on the time of winter that you’re traveling, but we will get into that later).

In this guide, I break down Tromsø vs. Rovaniemi, two incredibly famous winter destinations in the Arctic that have some similar things to do, but plenty of differences that make a decision worth looking further into.

Before I dive in further, I will state that both places are suffering from overtourism. Rovaniemi and Tromsø both have been receiving around 500,000 tourists from November to March in recent years (definitive numbers have not been released for the previous season, but this is an educated guess, taking into consideration the year before). Tromsø has cruise ship tourism, and Rovaniemi has day-trippers from the UK (yes, you read that right).

So, while this post will break down Rovaniemi vs. Tromsø, please know that there are also places you can get similar experiences in Arctic Fennoscandia that are not either of the two. If you’re curious about some of my recommendations, you will find them at the end of the guide!

In this guide, I will break down several categories and share my thoughts on each. Some of the topics covered will be:

• Getting there (and getting around)
• Accommodation (includes hotels and unique accommodation)
• Food
• Activities (includes northern lights, dog-sledding, Sámi experiences, snowmobiling, and whale watching)
• Northern lights
• Cost

But before getting into these topics, I will give a brief overview of each city and what there is to do there.

Without further ado, here is my breakdown of Tromsø and Rovaniemi… and which city I think is right for your trip to the Arctic! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Thanks!

Tromsø vs. Rovaniemi: About the Cities

Here is a map of both Tromsø (green) and Rovaniemi (red) so you can see where they are in comparison to each other.

About Tromsø, Norway

Tromsø has tripled (okay, probably quadrupled) in tourism over the last decade. It has become the Norwegian hotspot for northern lights tourism, and the city is considered to be the ‘Gateway to the Arctic’. The population is just under 80,000.

The Arctic city is known for its whale watching opportunities, Fjellheisen cable car, iconic harbor, Tromsø Ice Domes, surrounding mountains, and museums. The food scene there has been really popping off in recent years (to my delight!).

The city is served by the Tromsø Airport (TOS), which is on the same island (Tromsøya) as the city center. You will find plenty of year-round flights to Tromsø, but of course, there are more during the winter months. You can also reach Tromsø via the Hurtigruten cruise line… and some other coastal ships that sail around Norway’s west coast.

About Rovaniemi, Finland

Rovaniemi has been capturing tourists for quite some time, given the fact that it is home to Santa Claus Village. Because of this (and the desire to meet Santa Claus and have a vacation based around all things Christmas), charter tourism is popular here and makes up a large chunk of our tourism. The population is around 65,000.

The Finnish city is known for Santa Claus Village, northern lights opportunities, the magical forests, and some cool day trips to ice hotels. It is served by the Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) and the best way to get here is by flight… or train! The train runs here a few times a day with overnight options from Helsinki.

Weather in Tromsø and Rovaniemi

I am going to keep this a bit surface-level and say that, on average, Rovaniemi is colder than Tromsø. However, Rovaniemi is drier than Tromsø since it is so far inland, meaning that it may not feel as cold as Tromsø to the average traveler.

While I notice the differences and Tromsø often feels warm to me, I live in the Arctic and am accustomed to -20C (-4F) weather on the regular.

If you’re coming from Australia, India, the UK, Southern Europe, or parts of the US that don’t get snow, you’re going to find both extremely cold. If you’re coming over from Canada, you may only notice the humidity differences like I do (but be fine in both destinations).

Tromsø can get some coastal storms, especially in late autumn, whereas we don’t really get anything like that in Rovaniemi. It is pretty calm, albeit cold in winter.

Getting There (and Getting Around)

Getting to Tromsø

Tromsø has year-round and/or seasonal flights from various places across Europe, including ones from the following airlines: Aegean, Air France, Austrian, British Airways, easyJet, Edelweiss, Eurowings, Finnair, Iberia, Lufthansa, Norwegian, SAS, Transavia, Vueling, Widerøe, and Wizz Air.

You can learn more about flight routes at Avinor’s site. You can also take a Hurtigruten boat to Tromsø (or another coastal ship).

Getting to Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi actually has fewer year-round flights but has a boatload during the winter months. There are flights from the following airlines coming in here: Finnair, Ryanair, Transavia, easyJet, Edelweiss, Norwegian, SAS, Vuelling, Austrian, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and more.

Please note that there are many charter flights and packaged tourism planes coming in here. You can learn more about who is flying to Rovaniemi here. You can also take the train to Rovaniemi from Helsinki.

Getting around Tromsø

You don’t need a car if you’re coming to Tromsø in winter. The city is extremely walkable and has an efficient public transportation system if you choose to stay outside the city center. The buses can also take you to Telegrafbukta (where the Tromsø Museum is) and Fjellheisen, two attractions outside the center.

Tours offer pickups from the city center and even some of the hotels directly, so you can manage getting on the bus easily. You can see Svipper’s website for public transportation information and prices.

To get from the airport to the city, it is also extremely easy. You can take a bus, an airport express bus, or a taxi. Taxis are actually rather affordable from there, and you can book one by downloading the Taxifix app beforehand. The taxi fare should be about $25-30. Uber is now also in operation in Tromsø.

Getting around Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is extremely easy to get around… if you’re staying in the city center and visiting places around there. However, our most famous attraction, Santa Claus Village, sits around 8 km (5 mi) from the center.

So if you’re booking a trip independently, you will need to navigate that distance if you want to spend time in both places. There are public buses, but they only go until the early evening. There is also a Santa Claus Village bus that runs daily… but again… only until the evening. You can see more about Rovaniemi’s public buses here.

You can take a taxi to and from the city, on the other hand. In winter, the prices are cheaper than the summer because we have more drivers here. Expect to pay around $25-30 to get from SCV to the city center, and vice versa. You can use Meneva (local and has an app), Uber, or Bolt.

Further Reading:

• Getting around Tromsø
• Tromsø Airport to the city
• Rovaniemi Airport to the city

Accommodation

Accommodation options in Rovaniemi are much different than the offerings in Tromsø. I find both have a lot of apartments, but when it comes to hotels, most of what Tromsø has to offer are chains that are not overly luxurious and hover around the same price.

Nothing ever feels completely astronomical in price. Don’t worry… what you may save there will be spent on the high prices of tours there. I’ll chat more about that later.

Rovaniemi has a ton of hotel options, ranging from the usual chains to glass igloos. This is where Rovaniemi has the edge. You will find so many igloo resorts and northern lights hotels in and around the city, making your overnight stay an experience in itself!

I have a whole post on the ones I have stayed in across Lapland that you can check out. These are outrageously expensive during the high season, however. But we also have a few hostels in town that offer affordable lodging.

Tromsø used to have the Ice Domes as a unique hotel option, but they have now converted into a snow park. In Rovaniemi, we have the Arctic Snowhotel, which offers visitors the chance to sleep in a room made of snow and ice.

Further Reading:

• Where to stay in Tromsø
• Glass igloos in Finland
• Ice hotels in the Nordics

Food & Cafes

Tromsø has a diverse array of restaurant options to choose from. You can find everything from affordable hot dogs at Raketten to seafood soup at Bårstua. There are budget-friendly restaurants and ones that offer set-course menus. And the cafe scene in Tromsø is a delight for cinnamon bun and coffee lovers like me!

Rovaniemi, on the other hand, has a few pretty solid spots (Gustav, Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara, Taiga, and Restaurant Gallis), but it drops off from refined deliciousness to mid-Asian buffets pretty quickly. We have three sushi and Asian buffets in our tiny mall and one in our other tiny mall (which has like 5 shops).

What I do miss about Tromsø when I am home in Rovaniemi is the cafe scene. We have mostly chain cafes here in the city, except Cafe 21, which is more suitable as a lunch spot than a pastry destination.

Further reading:

• Cafes in Rovaniemi
• Cafes in Tromsø
• Restaurants in Rovaniemi
• Restaurants in Tromsø

Activities and Tours

Tromsø has an abundance of different tour options for travelers, thanks in part to the mountains and sea. The fjords offer SO much for travelers who are visiting, as you can go on whale watching cruises, fjord tours, and fishing excursions. I have always said that I thought Tromsø was a better value for money than Rovaniemi because of this.

And then I saw the prices of tours this year, and my jaw dropped. Tromsø tour prices have skyrocketed. Rovaniemi’s prices have increased, but you can still find plenty of tours for under €100. I looked to write a similar guide for Tromsø, and I simply couldn’t.

Yes, you get what you pay for, but I have taken budget northern lights tours in both Rovaniemi and Tromsø and had a pretty equal experience (with a price difference of around $75).

Here is a quick list of activity types and which destination you can do them in:

• Northern lights tours: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Snowmobiling: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Whale watching: Tromsø
• Sámi experience: Tromsø
• Reindeer sleighing: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Dog-sledding: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Meeting Santa Claus: Rovaniemi
• Ice and snow park: Tromsø, Rovaniemi (Rovaniemi’s is better)
• Staying in a glass igloo: Rovaniemi
• Ice floating: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Ice karting: Rovaniemi
• Sauna: Tromsø, Rovaniemi (Tromsø’s are cooler though)
• Frozen waterfall hiking and climbing: Rovaniemi
• Snowshoeing: Tromsø, Rovaniemi
• Fishing: Tromsø (fjord fishing boat trip), Rovaniemi (ice fishing)
• Cable car: Tromsø

I am not going to list prices here because they will depend on the company, duration, and other factors. But generally speaking, if something listed above is offered in both places, it will likely be cheaper in Rovaniemi.

Northern Lights

Both Rovaniemi and Tromsø are some of the most famous places to see the northern lights. There are plenty of tours, viewing spots in (and near) the city center, etc. I would not say either place is superior to the other, on the other hand.

Tours are cheaper in Rovaniemi, on the other hand. And we have a lot of northern lights hotels here, so that is a perk as well.

But I would not put one city over the other. Shoulder season is the best northern lights viewing time, but because autumn tends to be cloudier, I would book a March trip if your sole goal is to see the aurora. This goes for both destinations.

Further reading:

• Northern lights in Tromsø
• Northern lights in Rovaniemi

Cost

I have already discussed this at a surface level above and while I would like to break things down there, you need to understand that not all northern lights tours are created equal. Some of them merely go to one spot and others do an actual hunt (where you go on the road until you find them).

So, prices vary accordingly. The same goes for the quality of dog-sledding, snowmobiling, etc.

But here is a breakdown of what I covered above and which destination has the edge.

🚌 Getting to and around: It will depend on where you’re coming from and the dates. Tromsø can be reached by flight and by boat. Rovaniemi can be reached by flight and train. Rovaniemi offers charter trips more frequently than Tromsø. December will be the most expensive time to fly to both places (and likely worse for Rovaniemi around the Christmas season because of SCV). Winner: Both

🍲 Food: Tromsø has significantly more options and offers travelers some delicious budget eats. The prices in Tromsø are also a bit more affordable now than in previous years. Winner: Tromsø

🛌 Accommodation: Rovaniemi has more options and you can find budget places more easily than in Tromsø. Except for a few weeks in December, you can stay here for a fair price if you plan ahead. Winner: Rovaniemi

❄️ Activities and tours: I think having sea and whale watching opportunities is incredible, but booking tours in Tromsø has become outrageously expensive this season, so I definitely think that Rovaniemi is offering better value this year. One thing I do think that Rovaniemi misses is a Sámi experience… but we are not in Sápmi here, so it is understandable. Winner: Rovaniemi

While I think Rovaniemi is the more affordable option for travelers on a budget, I do think Tromsø provides the cooler experiences (minus unique accommodation) if your budget allows it.

Further Reading:

• Cost of a trip to Tromsø
• Rovaniemi budget tips
• Budget tours in Rovaniemi

Other Destinations to Consider Besides Tromsø and Rovaniemi

As I mentioned above, both Tromsø and Rovaniemi are suffering from overtourism. While I know many minds are made up, there are some alternative destinations I love just as much as these two! Here are some of them:

• Alta, Norway (has everything Tromsø has but with less tourism and a non-city feel)
• Levi, Finland (has everything Rovaniemi has without SCV but plus better skiing and different types of Santa experiences; also has an ice hotel you can visit)
• Inari, Finland (great place to book a package – I love Wilderness Hotels Inari; no mass tourism here; capital of Sámi culture in Finland)
• Abisko, Sweden (the best place to view the northern lights in the world; limited accommodation so book early)
• Lofoten Islands (I stayed there all of March one year and saw the northern lights nearly every night; very touristy in summer but a solid option in early spring; fewer tour options though)

Regardless of whether you’re planning a trip to Tromsø or Rovaniemi, you will have a memorable trip for years to come. And if you love the destination you decide to go to, give the other one a shot the following year!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. Feel free to also send me an email if you want specific information according to your budget and dates.

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