What to Do in Rovaniemi if the Weather Fails You (Winter Edition)

We have had an awful winter in Lapland. We didn’t even have proper snow in Rovaniemi until the end of January, and by the end of February, it had turned to slush and ice.

To make matters worse, influencers have bombarded social media with photos and videos of our previous winter, confusing travelers once they arrive with whatever this winter has thrown our way! The lack of snow in Rovaniemi was pretty shocking for many.

I have complained a bit this year because it has hindered skiing and other activities, but I didn’t notice just how bad things were until I had visitors. My first group of visitors arrived on February 21. February is usually a pretty snowy and cold month here and it is the #1 month I recommend to travelers looking for snowy landscapes.

But this year? Nope – the weather gods were just not having it. I felt so bad when everything we had planned to do failed. My next group of visitors comes in a week and a half and the next 10 days are calling for more above-freezing temperatures.

That is why I am creating this guide. I know many of you don’t have the opportunity to cancel or reschedule your trip and I hope that this guide helps you find some things to do when Rovaniemi has bad weather.

I am going to make this guide winter-focused, so it will primarily target when there are mild temperatures, a lack of snow, or significant ice.

These activities and things to do are almost always available from November until March, but some of the snow park ones don’t open until December (dates will be listed).

I hope this helps you come up with a Plan B or some alternatives so you can make the most of your trip, regardless of what the weather in Rovaniemi is like.

These kinds of winters are becoming more and more frequent with climate change and it’s so gutting. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below. If you have any additional suggestions for what to do in Rovaniemi if your tour is canceled, please leave them in the comments as well!

What to Do in Rovaniemi (When Winter Weather Fails You!)

While there is plenty more that can be added to this guide, I don’t think you should come to Rovaniemi and merely settle for doing the same things you can do back home.

Sure, we have cafes, rock climbing, and other fun things, but the activities on this list are pretty Lapland-specific and ones that will leave you with memories of your trip (and the lousy weather we welcomed you with—sorry!).

I am also not listing a northern lights tour on this guide because I assume you already have one booked. This guide is focused more on snow activities being canceled with the melting snow and above-freezing temperatures. The northern lights can be fickle no matter the snow situation!

1. Walk around Arktikum Museum.

I am not the most avid museum-goer but I love Arktikum Museum so much that I visit multiple times a year and stop in for their lunch buffet often. It is an excellent choice for something to do on a lousy weather day!

Open since 1992, this is Rovaniemi’s ‘all things Arctic’ hub where you’ll find various permanent exhibitions like Northern Ways (details the people of the Arctic, including the Sami), Arctic Opposites (interactive science center where you can learn more about the Arctic and its features), and Finland on the Coast of the Arctic Ocean. There is also a 10-minute film about the seasons of the Arctic where you can see what Lapland looks like throughout the year.

Inside Arktikum, there is a cafe and gift shop, and the cafe even has one of the best lunch buffets in the city, which is a good tip for budget travelers.

Tickets are €20 for adults and for children 7-15 are €5. You can also purchase a culture pass and stop into Pilke next door (a forest center that is great for kids) and Korundi.

Arktikum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am until 6pm. Please note it is closed on Mondays, but the cafe is open then for a few hours if you want to stop in for lunch. It is located at Pohjoisranta 4 in Rovaniemi.

2. Visit the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos.

🗓️ Available: from December 15, 2024 to March 31, 2025

About 20 minutes north of Rovaniemi in a small town called Sinetta, you’ll find the Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos.

I will preface this by saying that if you have visited an ice hotel before (depending on which one), I would not venture out this way if you are short on time. However, if you are looking for something to do when activities have been canceled or the weather is uncooperative, the Arctic SnowHotel is an option.

Rovaniemi’s Arctic SnowHotel rebuilds each year and opens in mid-December, offering quite a few rooms (if you want to stay overnight) and a restaurant, cathedral, and more.

They bring in artists from around the globe to make each room different from the next, all adhering to a selected theme. There is also an ice bar where you can grab a drink in a glass made from ice or a warm drink… obviously not in a glass made from ice!

An entrance ticket to the ice hotel is €29 for adults and €15 for kids. This is the price if you drive out there or get a taxi. If that is not an option, a lot of companies offer transport and tours out to the ice hotel and you can view these options here.

I recently took guests out there when we had bad weather and they LOVED it! The Arctic SnowHotel is located at Lehtoahontie 27 in Sinettä.

>> Click here to check Arctic SnowHotel tour rates and availability from Rovaniemi

3. Take a walk with the reindeer at Local Lifestyle.

About a year ago, a reindeer went viral on TikTok and Instagram for its ‘quirky’ walk. That reindeer lives right here with Pia and the reindeer in Rovaniemi! Local Lifestyle Rovaniemi is a small reindeer farm that does NOT offer reindeer sledding (I am against this activity for ethical reasons) but instead a reindeer walk into the woods with the animals.

Pia offers reindeer feeding and walks, snowshoeing, and kota experiences and is not a fan of mass tourism – so this is a great intimate experience and one I recommend regardless of bad weather.

One thing to consider is that reindeer walks may be canceled if there is a lot of melting snow. This happened when I went out there and only the feeding was available… loved it though!

Do note that Local Lifestyle is located in Sinetta, about 20 minutes from Rovaniemi. You can take a rental car out that way or you can grab a taxi. This will run you about €60 each way (give or take a little).

Local Lifestyle is located super close to the Arctic SnowHotel so I think you can do both activities together, but you will need to get in touch with Pia immediately to see if she has availability. Their address is Puutarhantie 46 in Sinettä.

You can read my entire post dedicated to my time feeding reindeer at Local Lifestyle Rovaniemi here.

4. Build a fire in the Arctic Circle Hiking Area.

One of my favorite things to do in Rovaniemi is to build a fire in the forest. We have small wooden huts all over the country and most have a fireplace where you can put your skills to the test and enjoy nature at a slower pace. The shelters often have wood for locals to use, but tourists are allowed to also use the huts if they bring their own wood and supplies!

My favorite place to send people is to the Arctic Circle Hiking Area, a spot around 15-20 minutes north of Rovaniemi past Apukka Resort. There are shelters throughout the nature area but there is one close to a parking lot if you take the second exit to Vikaköngäs.

Be sure to set your GPS to Arctic Circle Hiking Area Vikaköngäs or you will be directed to the wrong entrance.

Anyway, this area has a cute bridge and a small hut situated along the river. This river doesn’t freeze entirely and is very picturesque during the winter, even when the snow starts to melt early.

You can stop by a grocery store and grab a packet of sausages and a ‘makkaratikku’, or a stick for grilling sausages over a fire.

Don’t want to spend that money? No worries – there should be a grill plate there (or you can grab a branch from a tree). You can purchase wood, firestarters, and matches at the store as well. So, while this is not entirely a free activity, it doesn’t cost once you’ve arrived.

If you don’t want to spend money on all of that, head to the spot anyway and wait for someone else to make a fire and ask to join in! We often invite others to use our fire or leave it for them (if they are already there) once we leave.

5. Go ice floating (and maybe see the northern lights).

🗓️ Available: September 1 until April 30

I must admit, it has been a handful of years since I’ve done the ice floating here in Rovaniemi, but I do remember enjoying the experience and thinking it was such a great option for those visiting who wanted a tour that would be very unlikely to cancel and was less dependent on outside conditions (despite taking place outside).

Ice floating involves you changing into a super warm suit and heading into a lake/river where you’ll safely be floating on top of the water (the suit does the work).

This is an experience that is so unique to Lapland and I never saw it anywhere else until other Arctic destinations have recently joined in on the fun (Tromso, for example!). It is also offered at night so you have the chance to see the northern lights.

Anyway, this experience is one of the more affordable ones but may not be suitable for those with claustrophobia. I struggled a bit with it but would try it again in the future to see if I can hang in there a little better.

>> Click here to check ice floating rates and availability in Rovaniemi

6. Relax in a traditional Finnish sauna.

It would be remiss of you to head to Finland and not enjoy a sauna! There are plenty of experiences out there, some are year-round and others offer options only seasonally.

Here are two good recommendations (although these may book up quickly so I would get them squared away before visiting if you hear the weather is not going to be desirable):

Arctic SnowHotel tour and sauna experience

I mention visiting the SnowHotel above but what I didn’t mention is that they offer a unique sauna experience too!

For five hours, you can visit the SnowHotel and its ice sculptures before relaxing in a jacuzzi after a sauna experience. This option DOES include transportation to and from the ice hotel.

Traditional sauna and ice swimming experience at Roiske

This option is pretty cheap and one that you can book directly on their website. Half the website is in Finnish, but if you scroll, you can see their packages in English. They offer comfort level tickets and basic tickets and it is as cheap as €19 for the basic one. Towel rentals are €10 extra, however.

You will need to get to Roiske yourself, but it is in Rovaniemi so it will be cheap by taxi or you can reach it on foot (it is right over the bridge going from Rovaniemi city center toward Santa Claus Village).

7. Head to a RoKi hockey game (and cheer the local team on).

Finns love hockey. That is no secret and one of the coolest things to do in Rovaniemi is to go cheer our local team, RoKi on! They are in the second-highest league currently and the atmosphere in Lappi Arena is pretty unbeatable.

To get the tickets, you will need to purchase in the city center. I recommend securing them through GetYourGuide where you will get a confirmation email with the details.

Then you will need to take the voucher to the RoKi Hockey Office at Rovakatu 16 in the city center (you can also purchase them directly there if you are doing this super last minute).

You can then head to Lappi Arena for game time with a taxi, bus, or rental car. I wouldn’t recommend walking from the ticket office area as it is 3.2km (around 2 miles) and up the hill a bit. You will quickly realize why hockey is Finland’s most followed and loved sport!

>> Click here to get tickets to see RoKi play hockey

8. Stop by Snowman World for a few hours.

🗓️ Available: December 6, 2024 until March 17, 2025

Snowman World is an attraction at Santa Claus Village that offers fun for kids (and the whole family). Open from early December until mid-March, they have an ice bar, snow restaurant, ice disco, snow maze, ice skating, and a lot more.

There is even a huge snowslide outside of the place that you can enjoy! Snowman World comes with a different theme each year and is run by the same people who operate and own the Arctic SnowHotel.

If the weather is not cooperative in Rovaniemi, this is a good option – but do beware that some of the outdoor activities (like the slide) could be temporarily closed for safety concerns.

>> Click here to check Snowman World ticket rates and availability

9. Meet Santa at Santa Claus Village.

I was questioning whether or not I should put this on here, since it is kind of ‘stating the obvious’… but I had to because it really is one of the best things to do in Lapland when you have bad weather!

Santa Claus Village is a large attraction comprised of many buildings and various activities inside (and outside).

While some of it may close down during parts of the year, Santa Claus is around year-round! It is free to visit him, but it does cost money to purchase a photo with him (and you cannot take your own photos).

Getting to Santa Claus Village from the city center is easy. You can take Santa’s Express or Bus #8 all the way there. If visiting during the high season, please opt for the first as Bus #8 is how locals get around and we sometimes can’t get home if it is too crowded (speaking from experience here).

10. Take a day trip to the Lampivaara Amethyst Mine.

I am going to preface this by saying I have NOT been to the Lappivaara Amethyst Mine just yet but it is at the top of my list of day trips to do. I go to Luosto a lot (and was there the other day) but I tend to enjoy the trails and nature instead of the mine. But, interestingly enough, the mine area offers some gorgeous views, too.

This day trip will take you from Rovaniemi to the Luosto area where you’ll find Lampivaara. It is a 5-hour trip that is offered year-round but only from Tuesday until Saturday during the winter months. You will get a tour of the mine, berry juice, and even the chance to dig for your own amethyst stone.

>> Click here to check rates and availability for a day trip to Lampivaara Amethyst Mine

11. Try Lappish food and Finnish flavors at my favorite restaurants.

I love bragging about some of our restaurants in Rovaniemi because a handful of them are stellar. I have an entire guide dedicated to my favorite restaurants in the city but here are a few of my favorites that I recommend trying out, even if the weather does play nice on your trip:

➡️ Sky Kitchen & View: This is part of Lapland Hotels Ounasvaara and they have an incredible menu and a kitchen operated by chef Joel Manninen, a renowned name that has been on Masterchef Finland and someone I’ve been following since I had one of my the best meals of my life at Glowing Ember, his previous dining project here in Rovaniemi.

He is savvy about using local ingredients and highlighting Lappish flavors and I have nothing but positive things to say. Reservations are advised and you will need to get across the river to Ounasvaara by taxi or rental car.

➡️ Restaurant Gallis: Located at Santa Claus Village, this restaurant is part of the Glass Resort and is the only place in Rovaniemi where you can get ptarmigan currently. The food is exquisite and packed with flavor. It is one of my favorites! Reservations advised.

➡️ Restaurant Taiga: Lappish-owned spot in the city center that is new and delicious. The owners work directly with a reindeer farm in Inari to source the tastiest meat. Reservations are advised. Prices are around €45-50 per person for mains. It is a bit pricy, but the quality of what you’re eating is worth the price.

➡️ Silver Birch: If you have a car, this is a great option. Located in Oikarainen, Silver Birch is a new resort owned by the Wild About Lapland team that serves delicious plates in a cozy atmosphere.

They just opened and I ate there the other night and loved it! It is slightly more affordable than Taiga above (but you have to get out there which is part of the challenge). Reservations advised.

➡️ Gustav Kitchen & Bar: A popular local spot that has a seasonal menu and tasty food. I usually enjoy their lunch menu for a cheaper price, but it is not available during the December-January rush. Reservations are advised (if eating dinner there).

I hope this guide helps you make the most of your trip even though our weather has failed you. Unfortunately, the late winter – early spring situation has become more normal in recent years and it really can put a damper on a trip to Rovaniemi in winter.

If you have any questions or other recommendations that you think should be in this guide, let me know in the comments. I will be updating this guide with additional things to do as I see fit! Thanks.

More Rovaniemi Travel Guides

• Rovaniemi in winter
• Feed reindeer in Rovaniemi
• Places to eat in Rovaniemi
• Visiting an ice hotel in Rovaniemi
• Rovaniemi on a budget
• Best Rovaniemi day trips
• Rovaniemi travel mistakes (and how to avoid them)
• Best cafes in Rovaniemi
• Review of the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel
• Getting from Rovaniemi Airport to the city center
• Best tours in Rovaniemi
• Rovaniemi in November
• Rovaniemi in February
• Northern lights in Rovaniemi
• Dog sledding in Rovaniemi

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