Is it necessary to rent a car in Lapland?
I'm planning a trip for mid-February to fly into Helsinki-Vantaa, then catching the Santa Claus Express Night Train to Rovaniemi (Lapland). Staying in Lapland to see the Northern Lights for a week, then returning the same way. I'm interested in seeing the Santa Claus Village, and sledding, and doing touristy things during the day, and trying to see the Northern Lights at night.
Is it necessary to rent a car to get around Lapland, or is there suitable public transportation to take us to and from our hotel to our activities during the day?
Best Answer
Within Rovaniemi itself, the bus network seems to be quite good considering its (small — except by Finnish standards) size. The route to the Arctic Circle where Santa Claus Village is (Napapiiri) is operated roughly hourly on weekdays. Departures are a lot less frequent on weekends though, and buses stop operating in the evening (something like 6 p.m. as per random samples). Other lines (again as per random sampling) are operated a lot less frequently.
To plan your routes, you can use the local version of matkahuolto which is even available in English. Simply type in destination and location and it will even tell you how far you have to walk.
Also, Rovaniemi has an English-language page on public transport which will give you a few important routes and destinations. Note line 8 going to the Santa park. Clicking on any line number’s link will point you to matkahuolto again to plan your route.
Urban Rovaniemi is not huge so if you want, you can reach anywhere with a good walk. But that is not an option for everybody. So as soon as you want to get somewhere comfortably after hours (and I see northern lights in your list) you may well want to rent a car or rely on taxis. Same is valid as soon as you leave Rovaniemi for any other place in Lapland as public transport out of town is really scarce.
(Of course, Helsinki-Vantaa to the central railway station (rautatientori) is easily done at any time of the day by direct bus or train connection.)
Pictures about "Is it necessary to rent a car in Lapland?"
Do you need a car in Lapland?
Lapland is easy to explore using public transport and on our first visit we did exactly that. However we would highly recommend renting a car if you are comfortable driving in Europe. This will give you the flexibility of exploring little-known areas and offbeat nooks and crannies of Finnish Lapland.How do you get around Lapland?
Lapland is well serviced by bus and train. Trains connect South to North Finland, being Rovaniemi and Kolari the two main railway destinations (Kemijarvi and Kemi also have stations). You can take a day or a night train from the south. You can travel in coach or in a sleeping-car compartment.Is it worth renting a car?
Costs. One of the main advantages of renting a car for a longer period of time is without a doubt the price. In many cases, renting a car for a month is cheaper than having your own car. Besides being cheaper than having a car, it can also be cheaper than renting a car for short periods.Is it better to rent a car before arriving?
Reservation in advance is a good approach. In this way, the car rental seldom cost you the money. Rental companies let you book a car free of costs, using the credit cards only when the customers arrive for pick up at the main franchise or counter.Renting and Driving a Car in Lapland, Finland
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Images: Karolina Grabowska, Ketut Subiyanto, Ketut Subiyanto, Karolina Grabowska