Train to Rovaniemi (Santa Claus Express): Is it worth it?

In this post, I will describe my journey by night train from Turku (or Helsinki) to Rovaniemi.

We will check if it is worth it, after all such a journey is not very short. I will also describe some practical tips that will help you plan such a journey.

Train to Rovaniemi: Is it worth it?

In the previous post I described all the possibilities of getting to Rovaniemi: charter flights, scheduled flights, cheap flights, car, bus and train. Check out this post if you are thinking about visiting Santa Claus and wondering what will be the best way to get there.

One of the described solutions is to fly to Helsinki or Turku and from there take a train to Lapland. Of course, this is a time-consuming solution, but it is also affordable, convenient and, above all, an adventure in itself.

That is why I will answer the question right at the beginning, ‘Is it worth it?’. In short: Yes, definitely!

And this despite the fact that I have been travelling by train, mainly in Poland, for 20 years now and these are not always super pleasant journeys;)

Train to Rovaniemi: Basic Information

The train to Rovaniemi, also known as the Santa Claus Express, is an overnight train from Helsinki (and Turku) to Rovaniemi. It is also popular with tourists.

There are more trains on this route, also during the day. The journey time during the day is around 8-10 hours. The overnight train takes longer, 12-14 hours, and has sleeping cabins.

Indeed, I had the impression that the train was quite slow and stopped very often. Although I have to admit that it did not bother me, the journey did not drag on at all, and thanks to this slower rhythm I slept better.

Tickets

Be sure to book your tickets in advance. Especially if you are going in the peak season, in December, or in winter in general.

You can buy tickets here, on the Finnish Railways website and check the schedule and prices there.

You pay for the entire cabin (also if you are travelling solo), but be sure to specify the number of passengers, because they check the tickets for each person.

The price of the ticket depends on when you buy the ticket and for when. It ranges from as little as 50 euros for a two-person cabin to over 200.

You can choose the cabin from the scheme when buying. If you are travelling with more people, you can book cabins next to each other to connect them.

Where to start your journey on the Santa Claus train

The train departs from Helsinki and Turku, and carriages are connected (and separated on the way from Rovaniemi) in Tampere.

Therefore, you can choose any of these cities to start your journey. There is an airport in Tampere, but there are not many flights there at the moment, so you will most likely start your journey in Helsinki or Turku. Because of bigger number of flights from different destinations, in most cases, it will probably Helsinki.

In my opinion, the best solution is to fly in the morning, so that you still have a few hours to walk around the city, eat something, etc. You can leave your luggage in lockers, e.g. at the Helsinki train station or in a shopping mall in the centre of Turku.

Train from Helsinki

You can get to Helsinki from most of the European (and not only) airports with different airlines. Check out FinnAir, and when it comes to low-cost flights, Ryanair.

The train station in Helsinki is located in the city centre and is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. You can get to the station from the airport by train, there are also buses to the city centre.

You can leave your luggage at the station and walk or spend time in cafes in the centre.

Train from Turku

Because of Wizz Air flights from Gdansk to Turku, I took the train from there. There are also few other destinations flying to Turku, for example, Stockholm. But the airport in Turku is very small, and you can get to the city centre by bus.

The train to Rovaniemi departs from the new station (Logomon Silta). It is quite an interesting place, because there is actually no typical ‘train station’ there (at least not at the moment). There is a building with a theatre and a restaurant, and it is in this restaurant that there is a small waiting room, toilets and a screen with information about trains. You enter the platforms from the ground tunnel.

The station is about a 15-minute walk from the city centre.

Transfer in Turku

Turku is a great city for such a transfer. During my stay, it was snowing and the area around the river looked fabulous. If you just want to wander around the city centre without doing much sightseeing (cathedral or open-air museum), I can recommend two great, very atmospheric cafes: Qwensel and Café Art, as well as a small food hall/market hall in the centre.

There is also a famous theme park, Moomin World, in the vicinity of Turku. Unfortunately, it is only open in the summer, but if you are going to Lapland by train then, you can combine them and, for example, fly in a day earlier.

How does Santa’s Express look like

Cabins

The train is double-decker and there are cabins on both floors. In each cabin you will find two beds (bunk beds) with bedding, a small water bottle, a few sockets and cards to lock and unlock the cabin just like in a hotel.

On the ground floor there are cabins without a bathroom. However, they have a sink with a mirror and a small towel included. In the compartment, you will also find a card for the showers, which are located in the corridor in each carriage.

The cabins on the first floor cost a little more (about 25 Euro more per cabin), but instead of a sink, they have a whole private bathroom! In which there is a sink, mirror, toilet, and a shower, which is ‘created’ by opening and blocking the wall with the sink.

In these cabins, you also get a larger bath towel.

Important information is that drinking water on the train, or even brushing your teeth, is not recommended, so buy more water before journey, as in the compartment you only get a small bottle.

The beds were quite hard, but I think still quite all right for train conditions, and it was really possible to sleep in. What’s also important, loud announcements were only made at the beginning and end of the journey, so they didn’t wake anyone up on the way.

What else can you find on the Santa Claus Express train

The showers and bathrooms in the corridor were clean, functional, and some were even pretty (with photo wallpaper). Some bathrooms and cabins are adapted for people with disabilities.

There are also specially marked cabins for passengers with dogs.

If you have very large luggage that won’t fit in your cabin, you can buy an extra place for your suitcase in the luggage cabins.

In some carriages there were also small cabins for phone calls and a well-functioning wifi throughout the train.

The children’s play area was also nice.

And of course, there was also a restaurant car on the train, which was open until late and again from early morning. You could eat both dinner and breakfast, and you could also order them in advance, before the journey, with delivery to your compartment. I only drank coffee and tea in the restaurant car, but the food (and prices) looked quite ok.

Among the less common and really interesting things: some of these trains have special places for transporting cars. So you can take your car with you, sleep overnight and pick up the car in Rovaniemi. Of course, you pay extra for the car, and you have to book it in advance.

Views

For me, the views along the way were a huge value of this journey. Sunrise was after 9 am (I travelled in November) and from then on you could see snowy forests, frozen rivers and small stations along the way. But even in the dark, the view was stunning. I also tried to spot the Northern Lights from the train, unfortunately, without success.

In each compartment there is a small chair near the window, which makes it easier to observe the views. It is also great to look out the window in the restaurant car, while eating breakfast or drinking coffee.

Train to Rovaniemi: Summary

The Santa Claus Express journey is an interesting and worth considering solution when it comes to traveling to Lapland. The train goes to Rovaniemi, and on the way it also stops in Oulu or Kemi, a town known for its snow castle.

I travelled by train in both directions, but you can also travel only one way and fly the other.

I think it’s really worth it, because it’s an additional attraction on your trip to Finnish Lapland.

Check out other articles about Rovaniemi:

How to get there: All options

Northern Lights and Other Practical Information