You are going to Rovaniemi and you’re not sure about what to do, well don’t worry because I’ll share with you a list of activities that will keep you entertained during your whole stay here.
Visit a Reindeer Farm and Have a Small Reindeer Sleigh Ride
This is going to be a very fun adventure from beginning to end, you’ll have to book a tour with any of the tour companies in town.
If you choose a good one they’ll pick you up directly at your hotel and take you to the farm.
They’ll pick you up in a van, take you to a parking area near the woods and there you’ll transfer to a snowmobile or a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile, depends on what you want and pay for.
From there you’ll ride among the snowy trees and reach the farm.
You’ll have the chance to learn more about Reindeers, pet them (only the ones you’re allowed to pet) and feed some of them.
You’ll have the chance to have a small Reindeer sleigh ride, it won’t be super fast, but it’ll definitely be exciting, the ride won’t take more than 5 minutes.
On the farm you’ll have the chance to warm up near a fireplace and you’ll also be given some hot tea and a snack.
Visit a Husky Park and Have a 4 Minutes Husky Sleigh Ride
This is an activity you can do after the Reindeer farm, get on your snowmobile or sleigh pulled by a snowmobile and head to the Husky park.
The minute you enter you’ll hear the loud barking of the dogs, some of them are very playful and some of them you’re allowed to pet.
You’ll be guided to the sleigh boarding area, just sit down on the sleigh and enjoy the ride.
There is also an option for you to be the one driving the sleigh instead of just sitting down, this will depend on what you want and pay for.
Go Find The Northern Lights
Now this might be what you’re looking for, there are different tour companies in Rovaniemi that offer different ways of going after the beautiful northern lights, I chose to go with Lapland welcome.
They picked us up at our hotel at around 7:40 pm, took us to their office to get the proper gear on, then we drove in a van for about an hour to get to their secret viewing point.
The secret viewing point is on top of a hill, right at the bottom of it there’s a house where you can have one last bathroom stop.
After that is 15 minutes walking uphill, once you reach the top there will be 2 tipis where you’ll be able to warm up and have some snacks, but hey don’t spend too much time inside.
Remember you are there for the northern lights, so even if you’re feeling cold please stay outside as much as you can or you’ll miss them.
Visit Ranua Wildlife Park (Zoo)
This is a very big open area with many trees and nice viewpoints, and even though I’m not a fan of the zoo -since I believe animals shouldn’t be in captivity- it still makes for a nice walk and a nice opportunity for having a bonfire out in the open and not inside a tipi.
Which takes me to the following
Make a Bonfire and Grill Your Lunch
This is the perfect opportunity for you to test your survival skills.
Just tell your guide to allow you to help out a little bit and dive into one of the most basic activities mankind has been up to since the beginning of times, make fire!!!
Once you have that fire all lit up start grilling your lunch.
Eat Reindeer
Reindeers are magical and beautiful, and they’re also food.
What does Reindeer taste like? well is difficult to explain, you really have to taste it for yourself.
These are my three recommendations for having Reindeer.
Nili restaurant, according to one of our Lapland tour guides, this is one of the best restaurants in town to have reindeer, so we had to go and give it a try.
They have a platter that includes reindeer salami in case you only want to try a little bit, and they also have it as the main course.
The other restaurant I recommend is Frans & Cherie, open for lunch time and have a very good selection of wine, cocktails and even some rum with coffee, and of course Reindeer.
I would recommend you to either go for the Reindeer steak or Reindeer liver.
Have Reindeer Ramen and Reindeer Fried rice
I live in Taiwan, Asian food is an every day thing for me -which I love- , and I wasn’t planning to have Asian food while in Rovaniemi because why???? right
But when I saw this restaurant – HIMO- serving Reindeer Ramen and Reindeer fried rice, I was like, I have to try it!!!
And well, it is definitely an interesting twist on Asian food, the Ramen was particularly tasty. If I had to choose I would go for Ramen instead of the Reindeer fried rice.
Walk around The Woods
What a better way to experience the beauty of the snowy woods in Lapland than by walking around among them, it’s a great way to keep your body warm, do some holiday exercise and look at some breathtaking views.
And if you’re afraid it’s going to be too cold don’t worry, the tour company you book with for sure will give you extra clothes and you’ll have a tipi break to warm up and have a snack.
Go on an Ice Breaker Tour
This is something I did not do myself – because of time and money constraints- but I think it would be an amazing experience and it gives me a reason to go back.
The ice breaker tour, provided by Lapland welcome takes you on board of the Sampo Ice Breaker on the Gulf of Bothnia just outside the city of Kemi.
Going on this tour will give you a chance to behold the beauty of the vast open ice field.
Take a look at this video
Get a Photo With Santa and Your Crossing the Arctic Circle Certificate
Something Rovaniemi is famous for is for being the official house of Santa Claus, and guess what, there’s a whole business built around it.
From hotel accommodation at Santa Village to tons of different souvenir stores and of course your photo with Santa.
It is a nice place indeed, but it definitely falls in the category of a tourist trap, especially during high season, according to one of our tour guides, Santa Village gets Disneyland packed, with huge lines to take a photo with Santa.
And the photo with Santa comes at a price. If you want a print-out version you’ll have to pay 20 Euros, for a digital package that includes two pictures and a 10 seconds video is 40 Euros.
You’re not allowed to take pictures with your cellphone when you meet Santa.
And this is the certificate you would get for crossing the arctic circle. Since I visited Santa Village as part of a tour the fee for the certificate was already included.
Is it worth it?? well is pretty much a souvenir, so is your choice whether you want it or not.
Go Find The Best Souvenirs
At the airport, supermarket, malls, Santa village and even at your hotel, you’ll find souvenirs everywhere.
You’ll find Moomin everything too, in case you don’t know what a Moomin is, well is a cartoon character from a Finnish and Japanese animation based on Finnish books.
So it is kind of a big deal in Finland, it even has its own theme park in Naantali, Finland.
Have some Strawberries, Wine, and Chocolate.
The last suggestion in this list of things to do in Rovaniemi.
After going all around the city trying Reindeer food, buying souvenirs and jumping from tout to tour, you might want to relax a little bit in your hotel room.
I recommend you to head to the supermarket and get yourself some HUGE strawberries, some chocolate and some wine, or whatever alcohol suits you best.
When it comes to chocolate the choice is difficult as they have many different flavors, they’re all good.
Advice
It’s going to be super cold so please make sure you wear the appropriate winter clothes.
If you have the idea of taking some wine with you to drink while you see the northern lights well….. your wine will freeze if you don’t drink it fast enough, just like it happened to some friends,
Phones, Cameras, Cellphones, they all die within minutes, the cold is just too much for them, so make sure you keep them warm in your backpack.
Wrap them in scarves or something else to keep them warm and only take them out when you’re sure you’re gonna take a picture or video.
Cellphones are not good enough to photograph Auroras, not even I-phones, go pros don’t do the trick either, you’ll need a mirrorless camera or DSLR camera.
For more information on the price of tours, hotels, where to stay, the price of a restaurant’s meal, groceries, souvenirs, and more details, please see this other post I made.
How much money do I need to visit Rovaniemi?
Is there anything else you think I should add to this list of things to do in Rovaniemi?