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Rovaniemi on a Budget

When we visited Rovaniemi in Lapland for Winter, we built our own Christmas trip from scratch. Choosing our own six-night itinerary, rather than opting for a package deal. Part of the reason we did this was because of trying to save money. But also to ensure we got maximum value rather than running from one pre-arranged activity to another. Waiting your turn in a huge group and spending far too much time trying out taster activities and not just enjoying the experience. While making out plans and staying in Rovaniemi in Northern Finland we picked up some tips on how you can visit Rovaniemi and Lapland on a budget.

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Rovaniemi on a budget

Rovaniemi is one of the most popular Finnish Lapland resorts. Because of its close proximity to Santa Claus Village which is the official home town of Santa Claus and the capital of Lapland. Many package deals operate in and around Rovaniemi. But can you do Rovaniemi on a budget? The answer to this I think is yes!

Our trip took four years in the planning because of the pandemic. For this reason, we ended up with a trip that was made up of two halves. A cheaper half in Rovaniemi where we did Lapland on a budget and a more expensive half where we ticked off some big bucket list items. As our flights kept changing which lead to us being there for longer than we had expected.

However, when you compare our total price it came in slightly more expensive than that of a well-known tour operator’s package deals. Looking at deals at the moment 2 nights with Santas Lapland in mid-December for four of us, the half board would be £5296 in Rovaniemi.

Not only that, but will be there for six nights instead of two, and we had complete autonomy as to what we did, and when we did it. There were no taster sessions for us.

So how did we do it? And how can you save money when visiting Rovaniemi? Here are our Lapland budget tips.

Flights to Rovaniemi

Gone are the days when you need to worry about flying into Helsinki and catching the Santa Claus express overnight train down to Rovaniemi. Now it is possible to get direct flights from either London Gatwick with Easyjet, or London, Stansted with Ryanair into Rovaniemi airport.

Depending on when you fly will obviously affect the flight times. If you are looking for cheaper options then term time at the beginning of December will most likely give you a cheaper flight option than into the Christmas holidays. Looking online for flights in 2023 I can see a return flight with Easyjet into Gatwick Airport at the end of November for four people without luggage coming in at £1555.

You can reduce the cost of flights by taking limited luggage with you. We took far too much for six nights which I learn and is reflected in our Lapland packing list. Buy only checking one or two bags in your save significant money on flight extras. And you really don’t wear as much clothing as you anticipate.

Rovaniemi Accommodation

We have all seen picture-perfect photos of snowy log cabins in the middle of the wilderness. And yes, these are an option, but you will pay for them. If you’re trying to stick to a budget when booking your Lapland holiday you need to consider alternative accommodation options.

As our trip has been cancelled several times. On our first planned visit, we had actually booked an Airbnb apartment for four nights in the city centre of Rovaniemi for just over £500. And this was in December as the kids break up from school and was close to the train station. So you may want to consider vacation rentals over a Rovaniemi hotel.

Unfortunately, our plans changed several times and we ended up in an apartment hotel Santasport which is on the outskirts of Rovaniemi. It is definitely a budget option, a cheap hotel with five nights in the school holidays costing us £923. This was for four people in an apartment with fully equipped kitchen and its own sauna and private bathroom. Plus the hotel had a swimming pool, restaurants, a bar and a soft play area.

If you compare this to other alternative accommodations such as those in Santa Claus village, it was coming in at about a quarter of the overall price that the same number of nights would’ve cost us. Accommodation really does get booked up in advance. So it is worth doing this early and opting for hotels that can be cancelled without charge in case your plans change.

Getting around Rovaniemi

We decided that we were not going to hire a car in late December. There was significant snowfall and my husband and I were not confident in driving on snowy roads. And they really are snowy. They do not grit the roads in the same way as they do here in the UK. This means that there is quite often snow on the roads. Albeit they have special snow tyres on all of their cars. Having now been and seen the roads our opinion has not changed. if you do decide to have your own vehicle then check that the hotel comes with free private parking.

Instead of having a hire car, we used taxis to get around. This is quite commonplace and there are always some close by. I think it actually worked out on par cost wise with what a hire car would have cost us for the week. Where possible I booked our taxis in advance and agreed on a price for your longer trips. So, for example, when we travelled from Apukka to the Snow Hotel I agreed a set price of €100. This gave us the confidence that we knew what the cost would be beforehand.

We actually did not use as many taxis as we thought we would as we have negotiated with our booked activities that they would pick us up from our hotel as part of the activity price. So in total for the six nights including airport transfers and two quite long journeys to different locations or taxis came in at 340€.

Booking an estate hire car would’ve been in comparable value for six nights allowing for four bags coming in at around £400. Depending on the option chosen.

As we were already out of the city center we did not consider public transport as it was a 25-minute walk to get to the bus service. However, if you are staying central then the number 8 bus will take you to both Santa Park and Santa Claus Village. The prices are very reasonable with only a few euros each way.

Eating out or eating in Rovaniemi

I have always favoured self-catering accommodation when I’m trying to stick to a holiday budget and Lapland is no different. Our accommodation at Santasport came with a kitchenette including a microwave, cooker, fridge freezer and all the utensils needed to make a meal. We also ate in our hotel snack bars and order takeout from the local pizzeria. Which helped to keep the average cost of food down.

By not eating out every night, it meant that we could splash out on a couple of traditional Lappish meals in other areas of a stay. Ensuring that we kept to a budget and ensuring that we got maximum value for the euros that we were spending. This is a great Lapland budget tip. Due to the wide variety of food on offer, you do not need to eat out expensively every night which will help you save. Our hotel also came with free breakfast allowing the boys to eat their fill.

We took snacks with us from home and also reusable coffee cups which the boys used for hot chocolate which is a great way to save a few extra euros.

Activities in Rovaniemi on a budget

Before we planned our holiday, I wrote a bucket list of all the things we wanted to get up to in Lapland. I used this to form the plan for the holiday. Adding in one or two more expensive activities and then fill in around the edges with other things some of which were free.

By doing this, I could identify the things that we weren’t so bothered about. And for these things, we could either do shorter sessions or miss them altogether. Quite a lot of the activities such as snowmobiles, a husky ride and reindeer rides can be done at Santa Village. As they offer shorter activities and distances on these things, in particular, meaning that they are more affordable tour and priced much more reasonably. Meaning that we could save money while travelling to Lapland on a budget.

Always ask for a discount. Although December is peak season. There is still a relative amount of competition between the different tour operators and there is such a wide range of activities. Also if you’re buying multiple tours from the same place this gives options for further discounts. Negotiate transfers, where possible to reduce other costs and opt for activities that include food. Which will help keep the overall cost down and avoid hidden fees.

Lapland budget tips – free activities

Do not underestimate the love of the snow with the children. The boys could play in the snow for several hours without complaint. Use some free activities to supplement the paid ones such as sledging. For most accommodations, you can pick up sledges for free. If not then they do not cost much to rent, our hotel charges 5€ per 24 hours. Or you could bring your own tea tray style from home.

The boys enjoyed snowball fights and making brightly coloured ice balloons using food colouring, as well as toasting marshmallows on the open fire. And don’t forget the bubbles so that you can have an impromptu science lesson on how the bubbles freeze. But to be honest, just getting out in the snowy surroundings can be more than enough to keep them entertained. A great Lapland budget tip which I wish I had considered more. And of course, if you get lucky when you visit the arctic circle then the northern lights are also free.

Visiting Father Christmas in Rovaniemi on a budget.

One of the biggest things many families want to do on their budget Lapland trip is visit the big man. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune. There are two places to see official Santa Claus for free at Santa Claus village. Although you will need to pay for the photo which cost €35 when we visited. Alternatively, you could consider Santa Park where a visit to Santa Claus is included in your ticket and you can take as many photos as you want for free. Although for a family of four entrance to Santa Park costs €156.

As both Santa Park and Santa Claus Holiday Village seem to be two of the biggest drawers for families celebrating Christmas in Lapland. I have done a more in-depth comparison between the two if you’re looking to compare your options.

Snow kit

The average temperature when we visited was around minus eight. Although it has been known to go down to minus thirty-five in the Winter season. One thing you must do is make sure you dress appropriately. It is now possible to hire snow wear for children and adults through EcoSki. This could reduce your outgoings on a DIY trip to Lapland. The alternative is to consider activities and accommodations where that include thermal suits. It is not just the tour operators that do this. Most activities will have thermal suits as part of the package price. I also discovered that one of the accommodations we stayed in in the second half of our trip offered thermal suits for hire for £10 per person per day.

Alternatively, if you are looking to buy your own kit, consider secondhand. Especially for children as they grow so quickly they hardly get any wear out of it. If buying new, look at the sales especially around January the year before you’re due to go away. We managed to pick up much of the adult snow wear and necessary under clothing with over 50% off.

Spending money for the children

We are pleasantly surprised by how little opportunity the children had to spend their pocket money. Or nag us to buy them things! Although we did buy a fridge magnet and a Christmas decoration at Santa Claus Village. This was about all of the souvenir shopping that we actually did and the only place we found souvenir shops. I would not worry about adding too much budget for Rovaniemi for that sort of thing. After all, Lapland is all about the experience and not things.

Booking Early

Booking early is one of the best things you can do to keep to a tight budget. If like us you are planning on travelling in the December school holidays, it’s always going to cost you more. Then either travelling in November or early December or perhaps even January. Quite often you’ll find deals in Lapland in January as it is not so popular because Father Christmas has already visited for the year. However, if you’re operating on a budget then you might want to consider this as you’ll be able to get a lot more value for the money that you spend. Plus you can visit Santa every day of the year! A useful Lapland budget tip!

Once you’ve decided when you’re going and your budget, you really do want to get booking flights and accommodation as far in advance as possible. I’ve booked up to 12 months in advance. Depends on the airline that you choose and how and when the flights go on sale. We flew with Finnair because we had booked our flights three years previously. They operate at 360-day flight schedules meaning that flights for December would basically go on almost a year before.

If you’re considering using one of the lower-cost airlines which is what we would do in the future now that they are available. EasyJet flights are released in several batches throughout the year. You need to sign up for their newsletter to get notifications. Ryanair flights go on around nine months in advance. Consider using booking sites such as booking.com, Expedia or Travel Zoo. Where you can get hotel rooms at a reduced price. Alternatively, contact the hotel directly to see if they will give you a better deal if you book direct.

Don’t forget Airbnb, and privately let apartments within with me as again, these may represent better value than some of the bigger hotels

Conclusions Rovaniemi on a Budget

Hopefully, that gives you some ideas on how to save money on your trip to Lapland. I have written a separate post about how much we spent on our trip. How much does it cost to go to Lapland.

And as a Financial Adviser one last tip from me. Once you’ve decided on your travel budget for your Lapland, I would encourage you to set up a regular savings plan. Divide the total amount by 12 or 24 months and save each month towards your Lapland holiday. Not only is this good practice in case you have some additional expenses that you’re not expecting. But also means that you can really enjoy your holiday and not worry about how you’re going to pay the credit card off when you get back.

Have you visited Lapland on a budget? Have you any additional Lapland budget tips and things you have done? Please share them in the comments below.