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Rovaniemi Airport, the largest in Finnish Lapland, is located close to the town, but more importantly, right next to Santa Claus Village. So when you get off the plane, it’s quick and easy to get to your accommodation, whether in town or in the Village. There are several options:
- the bus – as we’ll see, there are one or two, depending on the season
- cabs, which are easy
- Ridesharing companies : there’s Uber and Bolt
- the driver who waits for you
What is the difference between Airport Express and Santa’s Express buses?
So there are 1 or 2 buses that run between the Airport – Rovaniemi – Santa Claus Village, depending on the season. It’s not necessarily super simple, but in fact it’s fine (well, normally, nobody has really been able to confirm this, I’m waiting for the final answer from the Rovaniemi bus service 😀 ). There is ALWAYS at least one bus from the airport :
- from April to September, there’s just one bus: Airport Express, which runs all the routes
- from October to March, there are 2 buses:
- Airport Express connects the city center with the airport
- Santa’s Express connects the airport with the Village and the town of Rovaniemi (but with fewer stops than the Airport Express).
- timetables are not quite the same:
- the Airport Express leaves after each plane
- the Santat’s Express has a dedicated timetable, approximately every half-hour (as we shall see)
- price-wise :
- Airport Express costs €7, Santa’s €4
You can buy tickets on the bus or on the website, with a 30% advance purchase discount
How to get from Rovaniemi airport to Santa Claus Village
By bus, with Santa’s Express or Airport Express
It’s easy to take the bus from Rovaniemi airport to Santa’s Village. There’s one all year round, but it depends on the season!
- low season, between April and September: it’s the AIRPORT EXPRESS bus, between 9 a.m. and 9.30 p.m., departures about every 25 minutes, no fixed timetable. The fare is €7.
- high season, between October and March: the SANTA’S EXPRESS, between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (not sure), with variable timetables that you can find here (one or two buses per hour), for a price of 4€ per ticket.
It’s right next door, and takes 5 minutes.
By cab, Uber or Bolt
Here too it’s super simple. There are the official cabs (be careful, there are crooks in every airport) and two VTC companies: Uber and Bolt.
The fare to Santa Claus Village is roughly the same for everyone: around €10/15.
If you’re taking a cab, ABSOLUTELY ask for the fare before you get in!
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How to get from Rovaniemi airport to the city center
Airport Express bus
The Airport Express runs all year round. It runs between Rovaniemi airport and several places in the city center, including the train station. In the off-season, it also serves Santa Claus Village – how convenient!
As I understand it, the behavior is not the same between the low (April to September) and high (October to March) seasons:
- in low season, the Airport Express serves everything, including Santa’s Village, because there’s no Santa’s Express.
- whereas in high season, with the presence of Santa’s Express, the Airport Express will concentrate on Rovaniemi City, from the airport.
The Airport Express costs €7
The first city pickup is at 7:30 a.m. and it arrives at the airport at 7:55. The first pickup from the airport is at 9:30 a.m.
But there’s no fixed timetable! In high season, buses leave according to aircraft arrivals, so you don’t have to wait (compared to Santa). In low season, however, there’s usually a 25-minute wait between buses.
You can buy tickets on the bus or directly on the website for a 30% discount
Santa’s Express bus
So as I was saying earlier, it’s ONLY in high season, from October to March, that there’s this second bus that will serve Santa Claus Village but also downtown Rovaniemi!
Super convenient, you can check the timetable here (or read on below!).)
By cab or ride-sharing company
By Uber or Bolt, the trip between downtown Rovaniemi and the airport costs between €20 and €40. Okay, that’s a wide range, but it depends on the time of day, traffic and demand. But it’s not uncommon for it to cost 20€. And when I did a little simulation earlier, it was around 35, but on Saturday at the end of the day, so it was rush hour.
Be careful with cabs! You absolutely must ask the price BEFORE you get in. They’ll add lots of surcharges, or charge €35+ a ride, or whatever. There are a lot of scams out there. Normally for the city center, it’s around thirty euros. Also compare prices with Uber and Bolt before you get in.
Here are the “trusted” companies: Lähitaksi, Menevä and Taksi Rovaniemi
Book your driver in advance
Well, it’s more expensive but it’s the most convenient. You can book your driver in advance, depending on the number of people, to go to the city center. Just click, enter your arrival time (and sometimes your flight number) and when you get out, the driver is waiting for you.
The price is €60 for up to 4 people, so not necessarily super cost-effective compared to an Uber, but convenient. There’s also the option of taking a larger vehicle like a minivan if you’re a good little group!
How to get from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village
Well, it’s ultra simple. Of course, the two buses I’ve just mentioned, the Airport Express (in low season) and the Santa’s Express (in high season), will get you there in about ten minutes.
But you can also take bus line 8, which goes very quickly to Santa Claus Village! You can find the route and stops here. The journey costs around €4, so it remains to be seen whether it’s cheaper to take a VTC, depending on the number of people.
In conclusion
That’s it! You know almost everything! Well, I must admit that finding out what the differences are between the two buses, Airport Express and Santa’s Express, isn’t the easiest thing to do, but one thing’s for sure: in low or high season, you’re bound to find a bus that takes you to the center of Rovaniemi or to Santa Claus Village.
Times are a little shorter in the evening for the latter, but there’s always a solution. If it’s not a bus (which is very regular during the day), then Uber or Bolt offer attractive rates.
Watch out for cabs, which have their share of crooks! But to get to the Village, it’s really not expensive as it’s just across the road!
If you’d like to find out more about Rovaniemi and Finnish Lapland, then I recommend the following articles:
- Why to go to Rovaniemi – here are the best things to know about Rovaniemi and why this is a good destination!
- The best accommodation in Rovaniemi – low prices, great hotels, chalets, there’s something for everyone!
- Where to go dog-sledding in Rovaniemi – discover family kennels and larger ones, avoid the pitfalls!
- Visit Finnish Lapland – where to start? follow the step-by-step guide
- Which Lapland town to go to – there are lots of great places to go like Ylläs, Levi, Saariselkä… I’ll compare them all for you so you can find the right place!
- What are the best things to do in Finnish Lapland – it’s not all about dog sledding and the Northern Lights!
- How to see the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland – it’s a great playground, but there are a few things to watch out for, not least the weather.
- Sleeping in a glass igloo – if you want to be pampered and fall asleep under the Northern Lights, this is the place for you!
- Where to go dog-sledding in Finnish Lapland – from small family farms to super resorts, there are plenty of possibilities, but you have to be careful!
Map of Finnish Lapland
I’ve created a map of Finnish Lapland that includes everything you’ll need to plan your trip:
- accommodation, including ice igloos under the Northern Lights
- all the best activities, in every town, such as dog sledding and snowmobiling
- all reindeer farms
- aurora borealis agencies
- and lots more info for each resort!
