The best places to stay in Rovaniemi | Finnish Lapland

If you want to experience the best of Finnish Lapland, you need to head to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, in northern Finland.

With sweeping arctic wilderness, dreamy snowscapes, colourful northern lights and herds of reindeer. Lapland is surely the ultimate travel bucket list destination?

If you are wondering where to stay in Rovaniemi, there are lots of fabulous places to stay in and around the city.

From swanky hotels to cabins, ski resorts and aurora cabins in the forest, there’s accommodation to suit all styles and budgets.

You can find a hotel to suit your budget and length of time by using travel resources such as Booking.com to find the best Finnish Lapland hotel deals.

Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle

Staying in a glass igloo has surely got to be top of your Lapland bucket list?

You can stay in a premium Glass igloo at Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle and enjoy a night under the stars.

If you are wondering where to stay in Rovaniemi to see northern lights, then these luxurious igloos are for you.

Glass igloos are the perfect place to enjoy the northern lights and the famous midnight sun, in the tranquil arctic circle.

Even if you don’t see the elusive Northern Lights, you can still enjoy a gorgeous starscape as you drift off to sleep.

Staying in a glass igloo in Rovaniemi was one of my favourite things to do in Finnish Lapland.

Igloo Hotel in Rovaniemi

The premium igloos include amenities such as:

• Beds: 2+1
• Air-conditioning and floor heating
• Bathroom with shower in every igloo
• Tablet with Aurora Alarm, chat and room service
• Minibar, kettle, tv,
• Heated glass ceiling
• Slippers and bathrobes

Subscribe to the Travel Goals Podcast now

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• iHeartRadio
• Amazon Music

Restaurant Arctic Eye

Restaurant Arctic Eye is a stylish, on-site restaurant at Santa’s igloos, where you can feast on Lappish cuisine.

The decor is very understated and modern with large reclined glass windows and neutral tones.

Typical menu items at Arctic Eye include Arctic Char and Lappish Potatoes, Sautéed Reindeer, Traditional Salmon Soup and Long cooked Pork neck. 

You can also buy a range of drinks from the bar area and sit in the outside seating area, sipping boozy hot chocolate surrounded by snow. Utter bliss.

Luxury hotel Rovaniemi

It really was such a special experience to snuggle up in a cosy igloo with a hot chocolate and enjoy the serenity of the arctic circle wilderness.

If you want to spoil yourself on your trip, then definitely consider booking a stay here.

Scandic Rovaniemi Hotel

If you are looking for a luxury hotel in Lapland, then the Scandic Rovaniemi is an incredibly chic 4-star hotel in the centre of Rovaniemi,

We stayed in a luxurious and well equipped superior room for several nights and got to experience all the amenities the hotel has to offer.

Luxury hotel Rovaniemi

The Scandic Rovaniemi has everything you could hope for from a modern, city hotel in Finnish Lapland.

Their stylish hotel facilities include restaurant and bar, spacious gym and a refurbished, luxurious relaxation suite.

Scandic Rovaniemi room amenities include:

• Bathrobes
• FACE Stockholm products
• Free WiFi
• Hairdryer
• Iron and ironing board
• Kettle with coffee/tea
• Minibar
• Safety box
• TV

The hotel also has a fabulous restaurant serving Nordic classics with a twist.

You can also start your day the right way with their extensive breakfast buffet that has over 100 items.

Santa Claus Holiday Village

It’s Christmas year-round at the Santa Claus Holiday Village, or as I like to call it, the happiest place on earth.

My excitement levels reached fever pitch upon arriving at the holiday-themed wonderland!

This huge village has high-quality accommodation, activities, restaurants, shopping and lots of Christmas trees. It’s definitely one of the best Christmas destinations in Europe. 

Santa Claus Village Finnish Lapland

We stayed in a luxury ‘Superior cottage’ during our magical stay in the village.

This spacious apartment had a beautiful ‘festive feel’ with handcrafted Lappish crafts and room features. They are some of the best Lapland cottages around.

The best part is, there’s also a personal sauna and a gigantic bed to snuggle up in.

The attention to detail at Santa Claus Village is incredible, everything had a hue of ‘festive red’.

Touches of Christmas are everywhere you look, no matter what time of year you visit.

If you are considering spending Christmas in Finland, this is the holiday village for you.

Santa Claus village visiting Santa

At Santa Claus Holiday Village you can book an array of fun-filled activities and excursions. It is the best place to see Santa in Lapland.

That’s right, Santa is in the house and accepting visits from all the good boys and girls.

Santa Claus Holiday Village is the ideal place to bring the kids for Christmas in Lapland. That’s not to say that Santa Claus Holiday Village can’t be enjoyed by adults.

We saw plenty of adults wandering around, their faces full of Christmas wonder, with no kids in tow.

It’s hard not to love somewhere that is full of twinkling lights, decorations, mulled wine and holiday cheer.

Santa Claus Holiday Village is clearly the best place to stay in Lapland at Christmas!

Wondering what activities there are in Rovaniemi? Check out my article, incredible things to do in Rovaniemi for inspiration.

Sky Ounasvaara

The Sky Ounasvaara hotel is located in the Ounasvaara Winter Sports Center, surrounded by beautiful forests and nature.

We stayed for a few nights in this retro-looking hotel and experienced amazing views from our room.

There are also dreamy views from the restaurant and breakfasting area. It’s an amazing hotel for skiing in Finland and for a winter escape.

Ounasvaara Winter Sports Center hotel 

Whilst the hotel might look a little ‘old school’ on the outside, it is warm and inviting on the inside and offers some spectacular views.

The snow-covered trees outside really do make for a picture-perfect view from the hotel. The Instagram potential here is frankly off the chart.

At this hotel, we enjoyed a spacious hotel room with our own private sauna to use. How cool is that?

We spent some time hiking around the nearby forest trails and trying to photograph dreamy snowscapes and sunsets.

It really is great to stay high above the town and enjoy peaceful views as well as feasting on delicious cuisine in their stunning panoramic restaurant.

It’s definitely worthwhile escaping the town and surrounding yourself with nature for a few days. The sunsets here are totally worth it. I think it’s one of the best sunset places in Finland, you won’t be disappointed.

Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus

Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus is a centrally located, modern hotel in the centre of Rovaniemi.

This contemporary hotel has a 24/7 reception, conference facilities, a la carte restaurant, bar and, cafe and even a small casino.

With a ceiling height of 3.5 meters, their superior and standard rooms are incredibly spacious! 

Their suites and deluxe rooms are located on the top floor with gorgeous views over the city and the Kemijoki river.

Bar Zoomit

Bar Zoomit has a fantastic Lappish restaurant with a contemporary menu inspired by traditional dishes. 

Here you can enjoy drinks and food in a relaxed atmosphere with stunning decor. 

Typical dishes include Lappish Tapas Platter, Charred Arctic Salmon, Lappish Sautéed Reindeer and Cold Smoked Salmon Pasta.

Apukka Resort Rovaniemi 

You can tick off some serious travel bucket list goals by staying in an Aurora cabin in the Apukka Resort, just north of the Arctic circle. This amazing resort looks like something out of a fairytale.

It’s one of the best places to stay in a glass igloo in Finland. There are wooden, snow-covered cabins and ice cottages, surrounded by dense forests and wandering reindeer.

Apukka Resort is outside of the bright city lights and is the ideal place to see the beautiful and elusive aurora borealis, dancing in the night sky. It’s one of the best places to see the Northern lights in Finland.

Glass igloos Lapland

There are several different types of accommodation at Apukka Resort including:

• Aurora cabins
• Aurora wagons
• Ice hotel cabins
• Lappish KOMSIO Suite

Each accommodation type at the Apukka resort has its own unique features and charm.

Aurora cabins Finland

We stayed in a luxurious Aurora cabin for a few nights during our first visit to Finnish Lapland.

In your cosy cabin, you can look up at the night sky through the glass roof and see twinkling stars and falling snowflakes. You can even see the Northern Lights if you are super lucky. 

The cabins are decked out in a style that I can only describe as ‘Pinterest goals’.

Facilities include an ensuite bathroom, a minibar, a switch to heat the roof to melt the snow off and complimentary wifi.

I have frankly never stayed anywhere as amazing as this. It was honestly a dream come true to fall asleep under the stars in serene silence.

Apukka Resort activities

The resort also has a wide range of activities that you can book directly with them. They offer activities such as northern lights hunting, snowshoeing, snow train trips and ice fishing.

If you want to spoil yourself you can also book a session in a private hot tub, or bathing in an ice sauna.

It’s definitely a worthwhile experience staying at Apukka Resort, there’s a sense of remoteness and wildness here.

This is despite the fact that you aren’t actually that far away from the city.

You can choose to simply relax with a loved one or fill your days with activities and excursions or release your inner child and play in the snow.

Just remember, this is Finland. Sledging and making snow angels may result in you sinking into 9ft of snow, you have been warned.

Booking your Rovaniemi accommodation

Be sure to book your Rovaniemi accommodation in advance as many of these hotels and cabins fill up incredibly quickly.

Also, keep in mind that during the peak season prices can get really expensive. Consider travelling in the shoulder season and using price comparison sites like Travel Supermarket, to get the best hotel deals. 

Would you visit Rovaniemi? Let me know in the comments below. 

Planning your trip to Rovaniemi? 

Ready to book your trip to Rovaniemi? Use these awesome travel resources to get you started:

• Search for the best flight deals with Skyscanner
• Search for the best hotel deals on Booking.com
• Get the best travel tips with a travel guidebook
• Get the best destination recommendations from TripAdvisor

Check out all the best travel resources on my bumper travel resources page!

Love this post? Why not pin it and share it?