Things to do in Rovaniemi
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Zoo
The small town of Ranua is famous for its excellent zoo, which focuses almost entirely on Finnish animals, although there are also polar bears and musk oxen from further north. A boardwalk takes you on a 2.5km circuit past all the creatures, which include minks and stoats, impressive owls and eagles, wild reindeer, elk, a big bear paddock (they hibernate from November to March), lynx and wolverines. Apart from the animals, there’s plenty to do for kids, with horse rides, a minikart circuit, pettable domestic animals and little assault courses. Ice-cream stops dot the route, and there’s a cafe and lunch restaurant.
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Arktikum
With its beautifully designed glass tunnel stretching out to the Ounasjoki, Arktikum is one of Finland’s best museums and well worth the admission fee if you are interested in the north. There are two main exhibitions; one side deals with Lapland, with some information on Sámi culture, including both traditional and modern music, and a variety of costumes. There’s a display of canoes, dwellings and fishing materials, as well as a room devoted to the history of Rovaniemi itself. A scale model shows the destruction wrought by the German retreat in 1944.
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Gaissa
The upstairs restaurant of the Hotel Santa Claus is split into two attractive areas. Elegant Gaissa has a short menu aimed at visitors and served from a semi-open kitchen. Service is willing but error-strewn; the dishes are petite and reindeer-heavy but feature some great creations, such as spot-on reindeer rillettes and slow-roasted lamb that falls off the bone. Adjoining it is ZoomUp, a bar with salads, pastas, steaks, ribs (€13 to €19) and snacks like potato wedges, in a more casual atmosphere aimed at pulling a local crowd.
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Nili
Evoking a Lapland atmosphere with reindeer skins, Sámi music and cosy wooden cladding, this main-street restaurant has no problem pulling in the tourist crowd. Reindeer features heavily on the menu, but whitefish, char and salmon argue a fishy case too. The dishes are well presented and the service good, but the quality isn’t quite there to make it a classic, and the portions aren’t quite big enough for it to be a local favourite. Nevertheless, a sound option.
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Santapark
This Christmas-theme amusement park is built inside a cavern in the mountain and features an army of elves baking gingerbread, a magic sleigh ride, a Christmas carousel, an ice-bar, a theatre, a restaurant and, of course, Santa Claus himself. The most intriguing section is the gallery of ice sculpture, though it costs an extra €10 per person. It’s great fun for kids in winter but lacks a bit of atmosphere in the summer season.
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Monte Rosa
Attached to the City Hotel, this goes for the romance vote with a low candlelit interior and chummy booth seating. Most of the dishes are Finnish, with a pinch of oregano or sprinkling of pine nuts as a nod to Italy, and very tasty they are too. The house salad comes with a slab of salmon and sliced smoked reindeer, while main courses are aromatic and generously sized. They also do fajitas and pizzas.
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Handicrafts
Sámi handicrafts made from reindeer skin and horn, or Arctic birch, are popular souvenirs; trekkers may want to buy a kuksa (carved birch cup).
The traditional Sámi costume, which is very colourful, and handmade Sámi hats, mittens and shoes are also top sellers.
The widest selection of souvenirs (and decent prices) can be found in shops at Napapiiri.
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Santa Claus Village
Built right on top of the Arctic Circle marker is the ‘official’ Santa Claus Village. There’s a mixture of humdrum souvenir stands and classier shops, and it’s just about the best spot to buy Sámi handicrafts. Tour groups have great fun crossing the line painted on the asphalt in order to be awarded their Arctic Circle certificates (€4.20).
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Irish Times
A convivial Irish bar with a distinctly Finnish flavour, this is a fine choice for an animated night of pubbing. It has an excellent heated terrace at the back, and regular live music and karaoke, while the downstairs bar has pool tables. There’s a snug, friendly feel about the whole set-up. There’s a cover charge at weekends, when it’s at its best.
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Kauppayhtiö
Rovaniemi’s most personable cafe, this is an oddball collection of retro curios with a coffee and gasoline theme and colourful plastic tables. All the knick-knacks are purportedly for sale here, but it’s the espresso machine, outdoor seating, salads, sundaes and bohemian Lapland crowd that keep the place ticking. The coffee is bottomless.
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Rovaniemi Church
Completed in 1950, this church replaced the one destroyed during WWII. The impressively large fresco behind the altar depicts a Christ figure emerging from Lappish scenery. A work of Lennart Segerstråle, it has two sides, one populated by the faithful, the other by brawling drunkards and ravening wolves.
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ZoomIt Café
This large light, modern café is an excellent place to have a drink, breakfast or snack. Right in the heart of town, its terrace is the spot to be on a sunny afternoon. Service is good, and at lunchtimes on weekdays there are tasty stir fries, panini and wraps available. There's a minimum age of 20 after 20:00.
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Xiang Long
This main-street Chinese is family-run and a level above your typical Finnish example of the genre. Friendly service, tasty steamed prawn dim sum, a salad bar and several reindeer dishes, including one served on a sizzling platter, are the highlights, and the lunch buffet (€8.40, Monday to Friday) is great value.
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Rovaniemi Church
Completed in 1950, this church replaces the one destroyed during WWII. The impressively large fresco behind the altar depicts a Christ figure emerging from Lappish scenery. A work of Lennart Segerstråle, it has two sides, one populated by the faithful, the other by brawling drunkards and ravening wolves.
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Ounasvaara Ski Centre
This winter ski centre, about 3km east of the town centre, has six downhill ski slopes and three ski jumps, plus 123km of cross-country skiing tracks. Skiing equipment can be rented here, and there's also a fun toboggan run alongside the Sky Ounasvaara hotel, open year-round if it's not raining.
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Zoomit
Large, light, modern ZoomIt is a popular, buzzy central bar and cafe, a good place for a drink or coffee while you scope out Rovaniemi. Right in the heart of town, its terrace is the spot to be on a sunny afternoon and its spacious interior gives room to stretch out with a book if it’s raining.
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Lappia-Talo
Rovaniemi’s concert hall is one of several buildings in Rovaniemi designed by architect Alvar Aalto (others include the adjacent library and town hall). The hall is used by the local theatre company and the Chamber Orchestra of Lapland for performances.
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Roy Club
This friendly bar has a sedate, comfortable top half with relaxing vine stencils, cosy seating, a very cheap happy hour until 1am nightly, and well-attended Monday karaoke. There’s also a downstairs nightclub that gets cheerily boisterous with students and goes late.
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Rovaniemen Taidemuseo
This gallery has a wide collection of contemporary Finnish art that it rotates in its clean white exhibition space. It’s closely affiliated with the University of Lapland and often shows works by young Finnish artists. Admission’s free on Saturday.
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Marttiini Old Knife-Factory
This former factory of Finland’s famous knife manufacturer is now a shop open to visitors with a small knife exhibition, and cheaper prices than you can get elsewhere. It’s near the Arktikum. They’ve another shop at Napapiiri.
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Cómico
This offbeat basement restaurant is an American-diner type of place, with burgers, steaks and Tex-Mex fare, happy Finnish families, and old movies screening. It's not sophisticated, with a colourful, plastic feel, but the portions are generous.
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Lapland Safaris
In summer there are river cruises, whitewater rafting, fishing and trips to reindeer and husky farms. In winter, it's snowmobiling, sled safaris and skiing. Lapland Safaris is the largest and best-established of Rovaniemi's tour operators.
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Hai Long
The best of Rovaniemi's Chinese restaurants, this has a very spacious interior and good service. It's popular at lunchtime, but also good value in the evenings, with several set menus, larger tables with lazy Susans, and plenty of choice.
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Mariza
A couple of blocks from the centre in untouristed territory, this simple lunch place is a real find, and offers a great buffet of home-cooked Finnish food, including changing-daily hot dishes, soup and salad. Authentic and excellent.
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Hard & Heavy
The band Lordi cashed in on their Eurovision success by opening a ‘horror-rocktaurant’. The food’s pretty dire, but it’s worth visiting the downstairs bar for its extravagant bat-and-belfry decor and heavy tunes on the sound system.
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