Where to stay in Rovaniemi?

Where should you actually stay in Rovaniemi?

This is one of the first questions people ask when planning a trip to Finnish Lapland and the answer is not as simple as booking the prettiest glass igloo you see on Instagram. Rovaniemi has everything from central city hotels and hostels to private apartments, traditional cabins, wilderness resorts, glass igloos and genuinely high-end private villas.

And the location in Rovaniemi matters a lot! Rovaniemi is a huge area (largest city in Europe by size) and you can drive main road for an hour an still be in Rovaniemi.

Do you want to walk to restaurants and shops? Stay next to Santa Claus Village? Wake up in the middle of the forest? Have your own sauna? Watch the Northern Lights from bed? Or have a proper apartment where you can actually hang your winter clothes somewhere?

I live in Lapland, and one thing I always recommend is to choose your accommodation based on the kind of holiday you want, rather than simply choosing the accommodation with the most beautiful photos. This guide breaks down the best areas to stay in Rovaniemi, the different types of accommodation available, and importantly what you should actually expect for your money.

Quick answer: Where should you stay in Rovaniemi?

If you don’t want to read the entire guide, here’s my quick local take:

Best for first-time visitors without a car:
→ Rovaniemi city centre

Best for restaurants, shops and easy logistics:
→ City centre

Best for visiting Santa Claus Village:
→ Santa Claus Village

Best for a forest escape without car close to the city:
→ Ounasvaara or Ollerovaara

Best for glass igloos:
→ Ollerovaara, Halo igloos or Apukka

Family friendly options:
→ Santa Claus Village, city apartments, or Apukka resort

Best for couples:
→ Ounasvaara area, Ollerovaara area, Arctic TreeHouse or one of the smaller wilderness retreats

Luxury experience options:
→ Private villas, Octola, Aino Private Island and selected high-end retreats

For budget travellers:
→ Hostel Café Koti, Rovaniemi’s simpler hotels, apartments and Motelli Rovaniemi

Best if you have a rental car:
→ Almost anywhere outside the centre becomes an option!

First: The Areas of Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi is not a huge city, but the accommodation areas can feel completely different. You can stay in the centre and walk everywhere, or you can stay 15–30 minutes outside town and feel like you’ve disappeared into the wilderness.

1. Rovaniemi City Centre

For many visitors, the city centre is the easiest place to stay.

You are close to restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, shops, the river, railway station and many tour pick-up points. The centre is also compact enough that you can walk around most places. This is particularly useful in winter. You don’t necessarily want to spend your holiday waiting for taxis every time you want dinner.

Best for:

• First-time visitors
• Without a car
• Restaurants and nightlife
• Short stays
• Families who want easy logistics
• Travellers combining Rovaniemi with the Santa Claus Express

Central hotels worth looking at

Rovaniemi’s central hotel selection includes:

• Arctic Light Hotel
• Arctic City Hotel
• Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus
• Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna
• Scandic Rovaniemi City
• Scandic Pohjanhovi
• Hotel Aakenus
• Santa’s Hotel Rudolf
• Scandic Polar — seasonal
• Haawe Boutique Apart Hotel
• Golden Circle Suites
• There are also numerous privately owned apartments in and around the centre.

If you are visiting Rovaniemi for only 2–3 nights and don’t have a car, don’t underestimate the value of staying centrally. A beautiful forest resort sounds romantic until you realise that every restaurant, grocery shop and evening activity requires a transfer. For a short trip packed with activities, central Rovaniemi can actually give you more freedom, and as said ‘middle of nowhere’ hiking destinations are just 15-30 minutes away.

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2. Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village is around 8 km from Rovaniemi city centre and is a completely different experience. Here you are staying right next to the Arctic Circle, Santa Claus, restaurants, souvenir shops and many Christmas-related activities. The biggest advantage is obvious: You can walk to Santa Claus Village instead of travelling there. This can be particularly valuable for families with young children.

Accommodation in Santa Claus Village

Some of the main options include:

• Santa Claus Holiday Village
• Nova Skyland Hotel
• Glass Resort
• Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle
• Santa’s Luxury Boutique Villa / Apartments

Santa Claus Holiday Village offers apartments and cottages with private saunas directly in the village.

Nova Skyland is on the quieter side of the village while still being only a few hundred metres from its services (and hazzle). Its larger accommodation options are notably more spacious than many of the tiny “luxury” glass cabins found elsewhere in Lapland.

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Best for:

• Families
• First-time Lapland visitors
• Christmas-focused trips
• People who want to stay close to Santa Claus Village
• Travellers who don’t want to rent a car

The downside

Santa Claus Village is not Rovaniemi city centre. If you want to go out for dinner in town, shop at a supermarket or experience Rovaniemi beyond the tourist village, you will need transport. (Read more about Rovaniemi public transport here.) And during the busiest Christmas weeks, staying here does not necessarily mean avoiding crowds. You are simply sleeping closer to them.

3. Ounasvaara – Forest, Views & Easy Access to Town

Ounasvaara is the hill immediately outside Rovaniemi city centre. This is one of my favourite areas for visitors who want a little bit of nature without being genuinely remote. You can get forest, snow, trails and views while still being relatively close to town.

Accommodation here includes:

• Arctic Panorama Resort & Spa
• Lapland Hotels Sky Ounasvaara
• Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara Chalets
• Santasport Sporthotel
• Santasport Apartment Hotel

Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara Chalets are particularly useful for families and groups who want more space than a standard hotel room. Santasport is another practical option for families, especially if you like having plenty of facilities on site.

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Best for:

• Families
• Active travellers
• Skiing
• Forest surroundings
• Travellers with a car
• People who don’t want to stay right in the city centre

Ounasvaara is a good compromise. You don’t get the full wilderness-resort experience, but you also don’t have to sacrifice convenience.

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4. Ollerovaara – Rovaniemi’s New Glass-Igloo Centre

If you have seen photographs of Rovaniemi’s spectacular glass accommodation, you have probably already seen Ollerovaara. This quiet area on the outskirts of the city has become one of the more interesting accommodation clusters around Rovaniemi.

Accommodations options include:

• SkyView Igloo Resort & Spa
• Lapland Glow Chalets
• Alva Resort
• Ollero Eco Lodge
• Lapland Winter Park

And there are smaller private accommodation businesses and villas in the surrounding area.

SkyView is a particularly good example of how much the accommodation product varies in Lapland. Its suites are around 50–60 m² and include a private sauna, outdoor jacuzzi, kitchen and living area, which is a very different proposition from a 20–30 m² glass cabin with very very little additional space.

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Best for:

• Couples
• Northern Lights seekers
• Private stays
• Travellers looking for something more peaceful
• Visitors with a rental car

One important thing

Don’t book a glass igloo purely because it has a glass roof. The space underneath the glass matters. Look at the floor plan, bathroom, storage, seating area, kitchen facilities and actual size of the accommodation. More on that below.

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5. Resorts & Hotels Elswhere in Rovaniemi

Then there are the resorts where the accommodation itself becomes part of the experience. These are often located 15–30+ minutes from central Rovaniemi and are designed as destinations rather than simply places to sleep. Some of the names to look at include:

Apukka Resort

Located between two lakes and surrounded by wilderness, Apukka* is one of the better-known resorts around Rovaniemi. It combines multiple types of accommodation with activities, restaurants and Arctic experiences.

Best for: families and people who want a complete resort experience.

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel

One of Rovaniemi’s most recognisable accommodations. The design is beautiful, the setting is forested and the rooms are designed around the Arctic landscape. Arctic TreeHouse* is one of those places where the accommodation itself is genuinely part of the Rovaniemi experience. Just note that for longer visits, I would choose only couple nights here, as the igloo-cabin things are quite tiny.

Best for: couples, design lovers and special occasions.

Vaattunki Wilderness Resort

Vaattunki* is surrounded by nature along the Raudanjoki River and underwent a major transformation in 2025. The accommodation now ranges from rooms and suites to igloo-style and panoramic options.

Best for: nature lovers who want a wilderness setting without travelling very far from Rovaniemi.

Hotel Metsähirvas

Metsähirvas* is around 25 minutes from central Rovaniemi and offers something quite different from the new glass-igloo resorts. It is a small hotel in a historic building, with rooms, apartments and holiday homes surrounded by nature.

Best for: travellers with a car, people looking for peace and visitors who prefer character over Instagram aesthetics.

Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos

This is one of the genuinely unusual accommodation experiences in Rovaniemi. You can either sleep in a warm glass igloo or spend a night in the actual snow and ice hotel.

The SnowHotel* is rebuilt every winter and operates seasonally, while the glass igloos have a longer season.

Best for: bucket-list experiences.

My advice: treat the SnowHotel as an experience rather than a conventional hotel.

You are not booking it because it has the best mattress, the biggest bathroom or the most convenient room. You’re booking it because you want to say you slept inside a hotel room made of snow.

Other wilderness-style accommodation to consider

Depending on your dates and what type of experience you are looking for, also look at:

• Invisible Forest Lodge & Spa
• Skýra Retreat
• Silver Birch Resort
• Aito Resort
• Halo
• Shaman Village
• Yurt District
• Lapland Hotels Bear’s Lodge

Skýra Retreat is a newer addition to the Rovaniemi accommodation scene, with suites and private villas near Lake Norvajärvi, private saunas and a much more intimate retreat concept than a traditional large resort.

Find more wilderness-style options here*

6. Private Apartments & Holiday Homes

This category is easy to overlook, but for many travellers, it is actually the smartest choice. Rovaniemi has a large selection of privately owned apartments and holiday homes, especially around the city centre.

Instead of booking a hotel room, you can have:

• A proper kitchen
• A living room
• Separate bedrooms
• A washing machine
• More storage
• Space for children
• A sauna
• Sometimes parking

For a family staying four or five nights, this can be much more practical than squeezing everyone into one hotel room.

Search for private apartment and holiday homes in Rovaniemi*

Especially consider an apartment or a private holiday home if:

• You are travelling with children
• You are staying for 4+ nights
• You want to cook some meals yourself
• You have a rental car (remote cabins)
• You need a washing machine
• You want separate sleeping areas

One warning about private accommodation

Check the location carefully. A listing saying “Rovaniemi” can mean the actual city centre or somewhere considerably outside it. On a map, 10–40 km may not look like much. In a snowy winter conditions, it can make a big difference to your schedules.

7. Private Cabins & Cottages

If your dream of Lapland is waking up in a wooden cabin surrounded by snow, don’t automatically search for “luxury glass igloo”. Traditional Finnish cabins can actually offer a much better accommodation experience.

Look for:

• Private sauna
• Fireplace
• Proper kitchen
• Separate bedroom
• Drying facilities
• Living room
• Outdoor space
• Parking
• Good access to nature (usually always, but no harm to make sure)

For families and groups, a traditional cabin can often offer far more usable space per euro than a trendy glass accommodation. This is particularly worth considering if you have a rental car.

Search for private cabins & cottages in Rovaniemi*

Budget Accommodation in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi can be surprisingly expensive during the Christmas season. There is no secret trick that makes Christmas week in Rovaniemi cheap. Demand is simply enormous. But outside the peak period, there are much more affordable options.

Hostel Café Koti

One of the best-known budget options in central Rovaniemi. Hostel Café Koti is right in the city centre and has private rooms, dormitories and an apartment. Private rooms have their own bathrooms, and guests can use the equipped kitchen and Finnish sauna.

Best for: solo travellers, couples, younger travellers and anyone who wants to stay centrally without paying full hotel prices.

Motelli Rovaniemi

If you have a car and don’t mind staying outside the centre, Motelli Rovaniemi is another budget-oriented option. It offers rooms, apartments and small cottages, with free parking and several practical facilities.

Best for: road trippers, families with a car and travellers who prioritise price over location.

Other budget options

Also compare:

• Hotel Aakenus
• Santa’s Hotel Rudolf
• Private apartments
• Simple holiday homes
• Hostels
• Apartment hotels

And remember: The cheapest room is not always the cheapest stay.
A €100 room that requires €60–€80 of taxis every day may be more expensive than a €150 room in the centre.

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Where Should Families Stay in Rovaniemi?

For families, I would prioritise space and logistics over Instagram aesthetics. A family of four may technically fit inside a beautiful glass cabin, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will enjoy living there for four nights. Winter clothing and luggages takes up a ridiculous amount of space, boots need somewhere to dry, children need somewhere to sit (usually the only couch becomes the kids bed), You may want to make breakfast etc.

For families, I would look at:

Best for convenience:
City centre apartment or family hotel

Best for Christmas spirit:
Santa Claus Holiday Village or Nova Skyland in the Santa Claus Village

Best for more space:
Holiday cottage or apartment

Best for resort experience:
Apukka or Skyview Igloos

Best for special occasion:
Larger private villa or genuinely high-end accommodation

Do You Need a Car?

Not necessarily, but your accommodation choice becomes much more flexible if you have one.

Without a car, I would strongly consider:

• Rovaniemi city centre
• Santa Claus Village
• Accommodation with reliable transfers (Ounasvaara, Korkalovaara, Viirinkangas, Rantavitikka areas)
• A resort where most services are on site (Like Apukka)

If you have (a rental) car, you can consider these options:

• Ollerovaara
• Metsähirvas
• Vaattunki
• Norvajärvi
• Private cabins
• Remote resorts

Just remember that winter driving in Lapland is different from driving on a dry road. (Read more about driving in Lapland in winter here). If you are not comfortable driving in snow and icy conditions, staying somewhere with easy transfers can make your holiday considerably less stressful.

A Word About “Luxury” in Lapland

This deserves its own section because the word luxury has been used to death in Lapland tourism.

Almost every new glass cabin seems to be described as a luxury accommodation. But a large window does not automatically make something luxury.

I have seen so many accommodation marketed as luxury where the reality is essentially:

• A 20–30 m² room
• One large window
• Two single beds pushed together
• A tiny bathroom
• Almost no storage
• No proper entrance area
• Nowhere sensible to put bulky winter clothing
• A “kitchen” that consists of a coffee machine and perhaps a small fridge
• Little to no amnetities in the area.

And sometimes even the water for the coffee machine has to come from the bathroom. Then there is breakfast. In some “luxury” resorts, the included breakfast can be little more than a croissant, yoghurt and coffee. The restaurant (if ‘resort’ has one) may offer a small menu with the same handful of dishes throughout the stay. None of that is necessarily bad, a small cabin can be beautiful and a simple breakfast can be perfectly fine. But it is not automatically luxury just because the price is €700–€3,500 per night.(!!!) High price and luxury are not the same thing here.

So what actually makes accommodation luxurious?

For me, genuine luxury is much more about the whole experience.

Look for things such as:

• Generous room size
• Excellent beds
• Proper living space
• Private sauna (We are in Finland after all)
• Private outdoor hot tub or Spa area at the resort
• High-quality bathroom
• Proper storage for winter clothing
• A real kitchen when advertised as an apartment or cabin.
• Quality materials
• Privacy (In many glass resorts you end up looking to other igloos from your window or still having a next door neighbour)
• Excellent service
• Good food and food options
• Personalised experiences
• Easy transfers
• Attention to small details

And perhaps most importantly: Does the accommodation still feel luxurious when you are actually living in it?

Because it is easy to make a cabin look incredible in a photograph, but it is much harder to make it comfortable for a family wearing many layers of winter clothing, carrying wet gloves, boots and hats, trying to dry everything overnight.

A unique location can be worth paying for.

A private villa with exceptional service can be worth paying for.

But you should know what you are paying for.

Where to Stay for a True Luxury Experience

If budget is not your main concern, I would look beyond the standard “luxury igloo” category. Some of the more exclusive options around Rovaniemi include:

Aino Private Island

A different concept: a private island experience surrounded by Finnish nature. This is the kind of accommodation I would consider when the privacy and exclusivity itself is the point. Aino is an adults-only luxury retreat on a private island, with only 11 suites.

Best for: Honeymooners, couples, special occasions.

Santa’s Luxury Boutique Villa

Located in Santa Claus Village, this offers a much more spacious private accommodation concept than a standard hotel room. The property includes private villas and apartments, with full-service arrangements and the possibility of coordinating private experiences and transfers.

Best for: families and groups wanting privacy while staying close to Santa Claus Village.

Skýra Retreat

Skýra is another interesting option for travellers looking for a more intimate, design-led retreat rather than a traditional large resort.

It combines private villas and suites with Nordic design, private saunas and a lakeside forest setting.

Octola Private Wilderness

Octola should have it’s own completely different category. It is a private high-end luxury wilderness property (properties) designed around exclusivity and privacy rather than simply giving you a panoramic window. It as an exclusive five-star private wilderness accommodation with its own private wilderness area. You can’t book Octola anywhere, you need to join their waitlist to maybe get invited.

Best for: high-end private groups, families and travellers looking for a genuinely private experience.

What I Would Check Before Booking Any Rovaniemi Accommodation

Before pressing “book”, I would check these things:

1. How far accommodation is really from the city?

Don’t rely only on “Rovaniemi” in the address. Look at the map.

2. Is there a restaurant?

And more importantly: is it open every night/ day during your stay?

3. Can I get groceries easily?

This matters much more with children, budget travel or longer stays.

4. Where do I dry my clothes?

This is one of the most overlooked questions.

5. How much storage is there?

A beautiful tiny room can become very uncomfortable once four people bring their luggages and winter gear in.

6. Is the sauna actually private?

“Sauna available” and “private sauna in your accommodation” are very different things.

7. Is the kitchen actually a kitchen?

If the listing says kitchenette, check exactly what that means.

8. What is included?

Check breakfast, transfers, activities, sauna, parking and other extras.

9. Is the accommodation open year-round?

Some of the most unusual Arctic accommodation is seasonal.

10. What happens if it gets really cold?

A beautiful glass accommodation is great until you discover that walking distance from spa area, or restaurant area, or any area to your igloo or cabin is very long and every time you want to get out of your room you need to dress full winter gear. Adults usually don’t mind that much, but kids hate it.

Final Thoughts: The Best Place to Stay in Rovaniemi

There is no single best hotel in Rovaniemi but the best accommodation depends on what you want your Lapland holiday to feel like.

• If you want convenience, stay in the centre.

• If Santa Claus is the main reason for your trip, stay in or near Santa Claus Village.

• If you want forests and Northern Lights, move outside the centre.

• If you want space, consider a cabin or private apartment.

• If you want a glass igloo, look beyond the window and compare what is actually inside it.

• And if you are spending some serious money, don’t let the word “luxury” make the decision for you.

In Lapland, the most expensive accommodation is not automatically the best accommodation. Sometimes the best value is a simple Finnish cabin with a proper sauna, kitchen, fireplace and enough space to hang your winter clothes. And sometimes a truly exceptional private resort is absolutely worth every euro.