ROVANIEMI IN DECEMBER: AMAZING THINGS TO DO, WEATHER, PACKING LIST & TOP TIPS!
WONDERING WHETHER TO VISIT ROVANIEMI IN DECEMBER?
Ho ho ho – You’ve come to the right place! After our 5 day trip to Rovaniemi Finland we’ve put together this clear, easy guide detailing literally everything you could want to know before visiting Rovaniemi in December!
Like all the best tours, activities and independent things to do, chances of seeing northern lights, will there be snow, seeing Santa Claus on the run up to Christmas, how cold it is, what to pack, etc. Enjoy, we hope you find it helpful!! 😊
ROVANIEMI NORTHERN LIGHTS IN DECEMBER
I won’t keep you waiting, let’s answer that golden question first – Is December a good time to see the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi?
The answer? Technically – yes – December should be a great month to see the northern lights in Rovaniemi because of its extensive and prolonged dark nights.
CLOUD COVER
BUT. And it’s a big but. Obviously you can’t 110% predict the daily weather, but December usually brings a lot of snowfall.
More snowfall = more cloud cover, obviously not ideal for northern lights viewing. But don’t worry, just because it’s cloudy in the city, doesn’t mean it’s cloudy an hour or so away. This is why we highly suggest to—
BOOK AT LEAST ONE GUIDED TOUR
With expert guides armed with solar activity trackers and detailed weather forecasts, you’ll be taken to the best possible hotspots, seriously maximising your chances of experiencing the Aurora’s magic, away from the city’s light pollution.
We highly recommend this 5* Northern Lights Rovaniemi: Guaranteed Viewing & Unlimited Mileage tour!
With expert guides armed with solar activity trackers and detailed weather forecasts, you’ll be taken to the best possible locations away from the city — ideally with clear skies — to maximise your chances of experiencing the Aurora’s magic!!
Planning your Rovaniemi trip? These guides will help:
🌌 Dreaming of seeing the northern lights? Best tours in Rovaniemi ↗
💎 Want a once-in-a-lifetime stay? Glass igloos in Rovaniemi ↗
❄️ Looking for more things to do? What to do in Rovaniemi in winter ↗
📅 Want more daylight? Rovaniemi in January ↗
SEEING SANTA IN ROVANIEMI IN DECEMBER
Second burning question I imagine you have is all about seeing Santa Claus in Rovaniemi.
You can visit the Santa Claus Village – the “official home to Santa Claus” just outside of Rovaniemi – and meet Santa any day of the year! Visiting in December is obviously going to be very busy, but still magical nonetheless being so close to Christmas!!
Maybe – if you can – try to go early in the day (or much later on) to miss the midday queues to specifically meet Santa.
No booked tours or any form of tickets needed. It’s totally free to simply turn up by taxi and wander around as you please. Just check their opening times.
It’s also completely free to meet the big man in red at the on-site “Santa Claus Office” building. They’ve staged this really well, even the walk up was themed and exciting, building anticipation while you wait in the inevitable queue.
The only slightly annoying thing is you can’t take your own photos. You’ll have to buy the photos and videos they take if you want a souvenir from your visit.
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“SANTA CLAUS IS ON HIS WAY” EVENT
(23RD DECEMBER)
If you’re in Rovaniemi on 23rd December, you CANNOT miss the annual “Santa Claus is on his way” event at Santa Claus Village. Excitable crowds gather as his festive celebration marks the commencement of Santa Claus’s annual journey delivering gifts to children around the world.
Again, it’s totally free of charge. For those unable to attend in person, the event is live-streamed online, allowing a global audience to share in the Christmas magic. You can watch the most recent livestream recording here, to give you an idea of what it’s all about!!
OTHER TOP THINGS TO DO
Though slightly annoying for northern lights, December’s notorious snowfall transforms Rovaniemi into the ultimate Finnish Winter Wonderland that you’re craving! Plus lets snow-based activities finally go ahead, like snowmobiling.
We visited in late November, and they’d had not half as much snow as usual. We were luckily the very first snowmobiling tour for that season, as they just (and I mean just) had enough snow on the ground to function!
Here’s some quick links to many other top-rated tours to get you started on what to do in December. (Or read our full what to do in Rovaniemi in Winter guide next!)
🧊🦞🏊♀️
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES
>>> Aurora Arctic Ice Floating in Rovaniemi, Small-group (night tour)
>>> Visit the infamous Arctic Snow Hotel! (day tour ) IMPORTANT: Available from mid-December onwards!! If you want to see this, don’t arrive any earlier than 15th Dec.
>>> Best Of Lapland: Sauna, Ice swimming, Dinner & Northern Lights (book 4.30pm slot for chance of northern lights)
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SNOW-BASED SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
>>> Snowmobiling Quick Spin – 2 h snowmobile experience in Rovaniemi (day tour)
>>> Private Electric Fat Bike Winter Tour in Rovaniemi (day tour)
>>> Ice Skating on a 500 meter long ice-skating forest trail at Kotatieva Park. Transfer from Rovaniemi included (day activity) IMPORTANT: Opens early December, around 7th (subject to if weather is cold enough. Check website for more details).
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ARCTIC LANDSCAPES & NATURE
>>> Korouoma Canyon Frozen Waterfalls (day tour)
Related blog: Is the Frozen Waterfalls of Korouoma tour worth it?
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REINDEER EXPERIENCE
>>> Authentic Reindeer Farm Experience in Rovaniemi (day tour)
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OTHER NIGHT TOURS
>>> Searching Aurora with Snowmobile (night tour)
ROVANIEMI DECEMBER WEATHER
TEMPERATURE
Brace yourself. I hope you’ve brought thermals!! While January is Rovaniemi’s coldest month, December certainly tries to keep up. Temperatures drop to an average high of just -4°c and low of -11°c (25°f to 12°f).
It has been known to have some freak nights hitting crazy temperatures at night like -30°c (-22°f) 🥶, but don’t worry, these cold fronts aren’t too often and usually only last for a cold days.
You definitely don’t want to be outside in those kind of temperatures for a long time!! Anything around -20°c (-4°f) even with the right gear gets pretty uncomfortable after a while!! We had a -20°c (-4°f) morning out snowmobiling and it was borderline!
SNOWFALL
As we mentioned before, Rovaniemi is now ramping up the fresh snowfall in December, with snow clouds overcasting Rovaniemi a staggering 83% of the month!
This makes Rovaniemi’s magic truly sparkle, blanketing its already stunning woodland and landscape in fresh, white powdery snow. Not to mention gives perfect conditions for activities like snowmobiling or snowshoeing, for example.
DAYLIGHT HOURS
The polar night — a natural phenomenon where the sun never rises above the horizon — doesn’t fully take hold in Rovaniemi, but comes close!! The shortest day is around December 21st, where the sun rises for just 2 hrs 14 minutes.
🌅 1st December daylight hours—
10.14am sunrise, 1.57pm sunset (3 hrs 43 minutes)
🌅 31st December daylight hours—
11am sunrise, 2.40pm sunset (2 hrs 40 minutes)
As you can see, there’s not much difference throughout the month. Just 1 hour more of daylight from the start to the end of December.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you’ll be in total darkness all day long! The skies will be an enchanting deep blue twilight sky around 9am-2pm, and briefly experience a heavenly golden glow in the sky for the short “should be” sunrise / sunset periods.
PACKING LIST FOR ROVANIEMI IN DECEMBER
Two words for you, my friend—
🧥👚
Layers
- Under-layers are ideally breathable wool, natural materials like Merino Wool.
- Long-sleeved thermal tops
- Thick thermal jumper / sweater
- A big puffer coat. Ideally with a hood and water/snow proof.
- Thermal leggings (double up with two pairs on night tours).
🧣🧤🧦🎧
Accessories
- Bobble hat.
- BIG ear muffs.
- Thick scarf or snood.
- Thick gloves (something like this – waterproof, cold-proof and enables touchscreen)
- A lanyard to keep your phone around your neck during tours – rather than keep fumbling for it in thermal suit pockets – would actually be very handy. Something like this.
- A couple of thick thermal socks.
- Walking boots with very good grip.
- Removable shoe cramp-ons – Easily removable and gives you extra peace of mind on very icy pathways.
- Chapstick / lip balm to prevent dry lips from the cold!!
CONCLUSION: ROVANIEMI IN DECEMBER
All in all, December is a fantastic month to experience the Winter Wonderland magic that Rovaniemi is so well known for!
Though it’ll be very busy, December of course will be a magical time to visit Rovaniemi “on the run up” to Christmas, especially meeting the Big Man in the Red himself at the official Santa Claus Village. We’d advise to do the ‘meet Santa’ part early in the day, as the queues can get pretty long!
December is the first month you can 99.9% guarantee snow on the ground, and plus most likely more snowfall while you’re there, making for stunning Arctic landscapes and perfect conditions for fun snow-related tours and activities. Snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country ski— that kind of thing!
Decembers extended dark nights aren’t all bad, they can provide optimal conditions for northern lights — should you get the perfect pairing of clear skies and solar activity.
That being said, Rovaniemi’s bright city lights and frequent cloudy nights from snow aren’t ideal conditions for Aurora spotting. Maximise your chances of seeing the northern lights away from the cloud and chasing pockets of clear skies, on a guided northern lights tour.
We hope you have the VERY best time visiting Rovaniemi in December. Whilst magical, just remember it’s VERY cold. Bring plenty of layers, warm accessories (especially ear muffs in case of the freezing wind) and a waterproof coat that won’t get soaked from snowfall.
Keep in mind December is a VERY popular time for tourists to visit, so as soon as you know your dates, reserve your hotels ASAP! We recommend Booking.com because of their easy-to-use interface and flexible free cancellation.
Oh, and please say hey to Santa for us!!! 😙🎅🏼
This blog post was written by Jordie Flain!
Founder of TheFlainsTravel.com
A travel-obsessed Sagittarius creating honest, easy-to-follow guides. Powered by tea, chocolate and a slightly concerning amount of tomato ketchup.
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