General Information and FAQ

Hotels and room rates in Rovaniemi

Find your place to stay in Rovaniemi from the alternatives mentioned in the registration form by selecting types of accommodation that suit you best. Most of them are in the city centre. The hotels are within walking distance from each other and all main services, enabling large groups to stay in different hotels but still close to each other.

Conference attendees have a specia prize on hotel bookings in the following hotels when doing the registration.

Whatever your choice of accommodation, you will be met with Lappish hospitality and charm.

Visa Information

You will not need a visa if you are a citizen of a Nordic country or EU Member State. Similarly, no visa is required if you are a citizen of a visa-free country and you have a valid passport or comparable travel document.

Even if you did not need a visa to visit Finland, you need a valid passport or some other travel document accepted by Finland. It must be valid for at least ninety days after your intended date of departure from the Schengen area.

In addition, the passport or other travel document must have been issued no later than ten years ago.

In case you do not need a visa, you can stay in Finland or in the territory of other Schengen state for ninety days in any 180-day period.

Upon arrival in Finland, you must meet the general entry requirements according to which a person must not constitute a danger to public order and security, national health, or Finland’s international relations.

You may apply for a visa outside Finland from a Finnish embassy operating under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Finnish embassy also make decisions on the granting of visas. 

Information on visa application, period of validity and visa fees can be found on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

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Arctic Arts Summit Biennale

The event continues the series of Arctic Arts Summits started in 2017 in Harstad, Norway as part of the Norwegian presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The main objective of the Arctic Arts Summit is to strengthen the arts and culture in the north and underline the role of circumpolar cooperation. Furthermore, the summit aims to stimulate the building of sustainable and continuous collaboration within arts and creative industries in the Arctic and to broaden the international development of the high north. The Arctic Arts Summit is designed as a biennale, travelling through the Arctic countries facilitating new perspectives and establishing ownership for the important role of arts and culture in developing the Arctic, considering also a cross-sectoral perspective. The Arctic Arts Summit is part of the Icelandic Presidency in the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019. 

What to do in Lapland after the Summit?

When you arrive Lapland you can take part other cultural events too. The Silence Festival in Kaukonen village gathers the most interesting performances and artists from the fields of contemporary circus and music. The multidisciplinary program of art and culture is spread in and around idyllic countryside landscape. The Silence Festival takes place just after the summit, on 6th of June to 9th of June.   

The Midnight Sun Film Festival is an annual five-day film festival in Sodankylä, Finland. It takes place from Wednesday 12 June to Sunday 16 June. Sodankylä is small village and the film festival fills it with cultural atmosphere, film directors and Finnish and international movie-lovers. One of the main characteristics of the festival is to show films without a break around the clock while the sun shines around the clock.

Do I need a visa to go to Finland?

Conference attendees from other countries will need a visa if they are not a citizen of a Nordic country or EU Member State. Similarly, no visa is required if you are a citizen of a visa-free country and you have a valid passport or comparable travel document. Please see more information about visas here.

Participants who need a letter of invitation to the meeting in order to obtain a visa and/or to help themselves in finding travel grants from their own countries can send their request to: maria.huhmarniemi@ulapland.fi   or katja.rakkolainen@taike.fi

What are my travel options?

Despite the northern location, getting to Lapland is easy – Rovaniemi is well connected to the rest of the world via various means of transport. From abroad, the town is easiest to get to by plane via Helsinki. Inside Finland, Rovaniemi can be reached by plane, train, coach or car.

By Plane: The closest airport is only 9 kilometers from Rovaniemi. Daily flights between Rovaniemi and Helsinki are operated by Finnair and Norwegian throughout the year. 

Airport taxi shuttle service is also available. Fares for the Airport Taxi shuttle service start from 10 euro/person, takes more than one customer at the same time (car pool). The shuttle bus leaves the central bus station 1 h and 10 min before the departure of the next flight. After each arrival, the shuttle bus departs from the airport to the town centre. On the way, it stops at hotels when necessary. Stops at private addresses are possible on request.

By Train: Finnish railroads are operated by state company VR. Rovaniemi is easy to reach by rail from many Finnish towns, with several trains running to and from Helsinki every day. You should arrive at Rovaniemi Railway Station. From here it’s only a kilometer to the City Centre. 

By Bus: The coach services by Matkahuolto cover a great deal of Finland’s road network.

They’re not only an option for reaching Rovaniemi from the south, but also the only means of public transport that connect the town with the northern parts of Lapland.

Another coach company, Onnibus, offers services in most of Finland, Rovaniemi being one of their northernmost stops.

By Car: Rovaniemi is easy to get to by car from all directions.

If you plan on travelling around Lapland by car, be sure to allocate enough time for the long distances and changing weather conditions.

Up-to-date information on road conditions is published by the Finnish Transport Agency.

Traffic connections to neighbouring countries:

Norway

In the summer season, there is a daily bus connection from Rovaniemi to Tromsø (Norway) and from Rovaniemi to North Cape (Norway) as well as from Rovaniemi to Vadsø (Norway). A valid passport is sufficient for crossing the Finnish-Norwegian border, no separate permit or visa is required.

Sweden

Buses and trains operate all year from Rovaniemi via Kemi and Tornio to Haparanda (Sweden). A valid passport is sufficient for crossing the Finnish-Swedish border, no separate permit or visa is required.

Russia

The bus from Rovaniemi via Ivalo to Murmansk (Russia) operates all year. Visitors from/to Russia must acquire a visa in advance; the need for other required documents should be clarified well ahead of the journey.

Taxis

Finnish taxis are reliable and use a standardised kilometre-based pricing system. The following taxi companies operate in Rovaniemi:

Taxi Rovaniemi, tel: +358 16 106 410; email: info@taxirovaniemi.fi

Rovaniemi Taxi Service, tel: +358 60 030 030 / +358 29 009 1090; email: info@rovaniementaksipalvelu.fi