Rovaniemi is a city in Finnish Lapland not far from the Arctic Circle which has some truly magical qualities. You may no longer believe in Santa Claus, but you can't help but be enthralled by the enchanting atmosphere of the Santa Claus Village no matter what time of year you go.

The magical experiences in Rovaniemi aren't just created by man. The most spectacular thing you’ll see in Rovaniemi is the phenomenon known as the aurora borealis which lights up the skies over the city and surrounding countryside in rainbows of undulating colors that are simply breathtaking. Rovaniemi is certainly not the easiest place in the world to get to as you have to fly into Helsinki then make a transfer from there by plane or train, but it's a trip of a lifetime that no-one should ever hesitate to make.

Carry your bags around too long in Rovaniemi and you could run the risk of your fingers freezing to your suitcase handle if you're there in winter, which pretty much lasts for nine months of the year. Play it safe by leaving your things at a Bounce luggage storage facility in Rovaniemi. Do that and you'll be bag free to do more fun activities like dog sledding, skiing, taking photographs of the aurora borealis or even giving Santa's elves a helping hand.

Luggage Storage In Rovaniemi

Bounce is a company with one mission and that's to provide an easily accessible and economical luggage storage service no matter where you are in the world, including close to the Arctic Circle. Leave your bags at a Bounce luggage storage facility in Rovaniemi and they'll be safely stowed in a locker that's security tagged and fully insured so all you have to worry about is how to walk in a pair of snowshoes without falling into the nearest snowdrift.

Rovaniemi City Guide

Top Things To Do In Rovaniemi

While you might want to, you can't really spend all your time in Rovaniemi staring up at the aurora borealis. Take time out to have a look around the museums in Rovaniemi and you'll discover what the unique Finnish culture is all about. Go shopping and you'll find some beautiful treasures to take home as souvenirs, but if you're planning on dining out make sure you read the menu in English or take a translation app with you.

Museums In Rovaniemi

The museums in Rovaniemi are nothing if not diverse. They cover subjects as varied as contemporary Finnish art to the importance of the Lapland forests to the Finnish culture. What is the aurora borealis? How do the Inuit survive in such cold temperatures? How do the Sami people farm reindeer? How is climate change affecting the Arctic? If you're asking yourself all or any of these questions all you need to do is visit the museums in Rovaniemi to get the answers. 

• Arktikum – The Arktikum is a museum and science center dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the people who live in the remote locations of northern Finland. At the science center they also conduct research into and monitor changes happening in the Arctic Circle. The botanical gardens at the Arktikum are one of the best places in Rovaniemi to view the aurora borealis.
• Science Center Pilke – Lapland isn't a wasteland of ice and snow. It has a rich ecosystem and extensive forests inhabited by multiple species of flora and fauna. The forests, the birds and animals they home, and the timber they provide are all an important part of the Finnish culture. At The Science Center Pilke you can immerse yourself in the forests without going out among the trees, find out how machinery used to maintain the forests is used and what's made from the wood that's harvested. There's also a shop at the center which sells handcrafted wooden items like bird boxes as well as bangles and bowls.
• Korundi House Of Culture – The Korundi House of Culture is an art museum that houses contemporary artworks by Finnish artists and hosts live performances by the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. There are permanent exhibitions as well as temporary ones where a new artist's work is displayed on a monthly basis. The collections consist of paintings, sculptures and digital art.

Shopping In Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi has all the shopping facilities you could ask for. There are large indoor malls where you can escape from the cold and wander around the big name stores you'd find in any other European city. You'll also find quaint gift shops with handcrafted goods perfect for souvenirs and boutiques with one-off items that are must-haves and will have you grabbing your credit cards quicker than you can blink.

• Sampokeskus Shopping Center – The Sampokeskus Shopping Center is located in the heart of the city on Maakuntakatu Street in an impressive state-of-the-art building with a glass atrium. There are over forty individual stores in the center which are distributed over two floors. Here there are well-known international retailers like Jack and Jones, the Body Shop and Pentik as well as quality Finnish brands. The center stays open on weekdays until nine in the evening but closes earlier at weekends. 
• Rinteenkulma Shopping Center – If you're wandering the streets of Rovaniemi searching for this mall, try looking for a sign saying RINNE. The center's name is far too long, so they shorten it to fit. RINNE is not as big as the Sampokeskus Shopping Center, but perfect for a few hours of retail therapy. Inside there are lots of small boutique stores stocking mostly Finnish and Nordic products that make great gifts.
• Santa's Candy and Chocolate Shop – Taking home some Christmas magic from Rovaniemi is a must, especially if you have children in your family. Make it even sweeter by buying your goodies at Santa's Candy and Chocolate Shop in the Santa Claus Village. All the candy and chocolates are handcrafted Finnish products created by a Finnish master confectioner so you won't be getting a packet of M&M's with Father Christmas printed on it, but something infinitely more refined.

Dining In Rovaniemi

One way of immersing yourself in the Finnish culture is by trying some of the traditional food on offer in the city's restaurants. Finnish food is typically hearty and usually consists of meat, including reindeer and fish like salmon and perch cooked in a variety of ways. Finnish is an unusual language and the names of dishes can be anywhere up to fifteen letters long, so try and get the menu in English or you could end up eating something you hadn't planned on.

• Santa's Salmon Palace – The use of the word palace in this eatery's name is objective. Santa's Salmon Palace is a wooden teepee in the Santa Claus Village that while it's no palace, it's brimming with rustic character and totally Finnish, from the central open fire to the dishes they serve here. Salmon is cooked on the coals of the open fire and served with no other trimmings than a slice of home-baked bread. Other than salmon there are only two other things on the menu which are pate and Lappish cheese.
• Snowland Igloo Restaurant – For a dining experience that's completely out of the box, you have to go to Snowland's Igloo Restaurant. The igloo is so large it can hold almost three hundred guests and is illuminated to give an internal aurora borealis effect. The walls are ice, the tables are ice, the bar is ice, but the food, which is based on traditional Lappish cuisine like reindeer soup, is warming so long as it doesn't come with antlers.
• Reindeer Cafe Restaurant Sirmakko – When in Lapland eat like a Lapp. If you haven't tried reindeer before you'll find it quite hard to avoid in this trendy cafe-restaurant. Here they serve reindeer meat in as many ways as you can imagine and then some. Reindeer burgers, reindeer fillets in sauce, traditional stews of reindeer meat and even pizza with reindeer. They do serve other dishes too like salmon and a variety of vegetarian plates so if you're averse to tucking into Rudolph or one of his family, you'll be safe.