Do You Need a Car in Rovaniemi? Getting Around Without One

Short answer: no. Most visitors do not need a car in Rovaniemi: most of our tours collect you from your accommodation, and the two that do not, the group Northern Lights tour from our office at Rovakatu 19 and the 5 km husky safari at Korkalonkatu 36, both start in the city centre. The airport is about 10 km from the centre, with an airport bus and taxis, and local bus 8 runs to Santa Claus Village.

A car earns its place in two cases: you sleep in a cabin outside town, or you want to chase the Northern Lights on your own. This guide covers each step of a car-free trip, from the airport to the last tour, with a source for every outside fact.

How do you get from Rovaniemi airport to the city centre?

Take the airport bus or a taxi: according to Finavia, the airport operator, Rovaniemi Airport is about 10 km from the city centre.

• Airport bus. Finavia says the Airport Express & Santa's Express bus takes you to Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi railway station, and that you can buy tickets on the bus. Timetables are on airportbus.fi. Finavia does not say in which months it runs, and the Santa Claus Village website lists the Santa's & Airport Express for November to March, so check the timetable for your dates.
• Taxi. Finavia says taxis wait at the stand in front of the terminal at scheduled arrival times, on three platforms: Taksi Rovaniemi, Lähitaksi Rovaniemi and Menevä. Other taxi companies may also pick up, and you can pre-book. Finavia gives no fares, so ask the price before you set off, as Visit Rovaniemi advises.
• Hire car. Finavia lists several car rental companies at the airport and says some open only with a prior reservation, so book ahead if you land late. In September 2026 Finavia counted eight rental points inside the terminal.

If you are staying near the Arctic Circle, note that Santa Claus Village is only about 3 km from the airport, according to the Village's own website, and the airport bus serves it as well as the railway station.

How do you get to Santa Claus Village without a car?

Take local bus 8: the Santa Claus Village website says it runs all year between the city centre and the Village, which lies 8 km north of the centre.

• Where to board. Visit Rovaniemi says the main stop for local Linkkari buses is on Ruokasenkatu in the centre. The Linkkari website has its own page for route 8 and a journey planner; its current winter route maps are valid from 12 August 2026 to 6 June 2027.
• How often. Local buses run more often on weekdays and less often in the evenings and at weekends, according to Visit Rovaniemi. Check the last bus back before you go, especially if you plan to stay into the evening.
• How to pay. Linkkari buses take contactless payment with Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard and Eurocard debit cards, and with Google Pay and Apple Pay. One card pays for one person's trips, so each traveller needs their own card or phone. Visit Rovaniemi adds that the Waltti Mobile app sells tickets at a discount.
• Other options. A taxi, or from November to March the private Santa's & Airport Express, which the Village says runs between Santa Claus Village, the city centre and the airport.

For queues, costs and what to see once you are there, read our honest visitor guide to Santa Claus Village.

Which of our tours pick you up from your accommodation?

All but two of our tours include pickup in Rovaniemi or offer it as an option, so most days start at your door.

Your exact pickup time and place come by email after booking. If you stay outside the centre, in a countryside cabin or near the Arctic Circle for example, send us the address before you book: we tell you whether a tour can collect you or where to meet. To fit several tours around your nights, build your trip and a local guide sends one plan with the pickups and timings worked out.

Warm clothes need no car either: the winter clothing set rental can be collected in the centre or delivered to your accommodation, from 39€ a day.

How do you reach the two tours without pickup?

On foot or by a short taxi ride: both meeting points are in central Rovaniemi.

Group Northern Lights tour. The 59€ group tour leaves our office at Rovakatu 19, 96200 Rovaniemi, at 19:30 or 20:00; you choose the time when you book. It returns to Rovaniemi once we have found the lights, 4-6 hours after leaving, so if your accommodation is beyond walking distance, plan a taxi home late at night. If getting to the office is the hard part, the small-group tour with pickup collects you from your accommodation in central Rovaniemi for 149€.

5 km husky safari. The 5 km husky safari meets at Korkalonkatu 36, with departures between 09:00 and 14:00. Afterwards we drop you at your accommodation or back at the meeting point, so only the outward trip is yours to arrange. If you would rather be collected, the 10 km husky safari includes pickup at no extra cost.

Arctic spa without pickup. The 89€ option of the Arctic Spa Experience is for guests who drive themselves to the resort at Seitarannantie 437. Without a car, book the 129€ option with pickup.

When is a taxi the better choice?

Use a taxi for late returns, early flights and heavy luggage, and walk the rest of the centre.

Visit Rovaniemi describes Rovaniemi as a small, walkable city, and both of our meeting points are in the centre. It also says taxis are readily available, especially around the city centre and the airport, and recommends using official taxis and asking the price before you get in. Pre-booking is worth it for an early flight or after a late tour, when you do not want to wait outside. On icy pavements, good winter boots matter more than usual: our packing list for Lapland covers what to wear.

When is a car worth renting?

When you stay outside town or want to hunt the aurora on your own; for a stay in the centre with booked tours, a car mostly sits in the car park.

• A cabin outside town. Lakeside and forest cabins 20-40 minutes from the centre can show you the aurora from the terrace on an active night, but you need a car for shops, restaurants and tour meeting points. Compare the areas in where to stay in Rovaniemi for the Northern Lights.
• Chasing the aurora yourself. On a clear, active night, dark spots 15-40 km outside town work well. On cloudy nights the clear sky can be much further: our guides' average chase is about 40 km in September and March and about 120 km in December and January. Our guide to the best places to see the Northern Lights near Rovaniemi explains how to hunt on your own.
• Your own timetable. A car lets you set your own hours for sightseeing. The two big day trips, Korouoma and Riisitunturi, both run as tours with pickup, so you do not need a car for them.

Visit Rovaniemi notes that you can rent a car for as little as a few hours, so one evening of self-driving does not mean paying for a car all week.

Winter tyres are the law. Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, says passenger cars must use winter tyres from November to March whenever the weather requires it. From the beginning of December, non-studded winter tyres must carry the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, and the main tread grooves of winter tyres must be at least 3.0 mm deep. Ask the rental company to confirm the car has proper winter tyres. Forest roads are icy and a breakdown at −25 °C is dangerous, so keep the tank full and tell someone your plan.

Where should you stay without a car?

In or near the city centre: the group tour starts there, the pickups cover it, and the restaurants are a walk away.

Ounasvaara, across the river, is about 5 minutes from the centre and quieter. The Arctic Circle area, 8 km north, suits a Christmas trip with children and is on bus 8, but evenings in town then mean a bus timetable or a taxi. A countryside cabin needs a car. Our guide to the best areas to stay in Rovaniemi compares all four.

Can you see the Northern Lights without a car?

Yes: on a strong, clear night you can watch from a dark spot in town, and on other nights a guided hunt does the driving.

The riverbank behind the Arktikum museum and the top of Ounasvaara hill are the two places in town with a dark northern view, but street lighting hides faint displays. On cloudy nights, clear sky can be 100 km or more away. Our guides compare cloud models with live solar-wind and aurora data, then drive to the clearest sky, across the border into Sweden when needed. If your guide cannot photograph you with the Northern Lights during the hunt, the tour is refunded in full. Compare our three Northern Lights tours, or check tonight's aurora forecast and cloud data.

Whichever tour you pick, every Polar Lapland aurora hunt comes with the 100% money-back Aurora Guarantee: no photo of you with the Northern Lights, full refund.

Sources: Finavia, Rovaniemi Airport parking and transport connections, public transport, taxis, car rentals and news release of 29 September 2026; Santa Claus Village, Getting here and moving around; Linkkari, Route 8 to the Santa Claus Village and contactless payment; Visit Rovaniemi, Public transportation in Rovaniemi; Traficom, winter tyre rules; all checked October 2026. Pickups and meeting points: Polar Lapland tour pages and FAQ, October 2026.

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