The capital of Lapland and home to Santa Claus village
Rovaniemi is the capital of the Lapland province of Finland and its most important city. With a population of some 60,000 people, it is one of the 20 largest cities in Finland. It is monolingually Finnish-speaking.
Rovaniemi is best known as the home of Santa Claus and houses both Santa Claus village and Santa Park. They are located on the arctic circle where it crosses the city’s territory. Another tourist attraction is the Arctica science museum, located on the bank of the Ounasjoki river.
The city is situated on the confluence of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers (the latter a tributary to the former). The Kemijoki is crossed by the Jätkänkynttilä bridge, a prominent landmark.
Rovaniemi can be accessed by road following E75 or Finnish national road 4, by train (both Intercity and night trains) via Oulu or by air into Rovaniemi airport (RVN).
