Best Place to Exchange Money in Rovaniemi

Where to change money in Rovaniemi

Visit Rovaniemi, the tourist board, says the city has no exchange offices and its banks serve only their own customers, who must order currency ahead. The nearest place it names for changing cash is Tampere, 6 to 7 hours away by train, so bring euros from home or use a cash machine on arrival.

• Otto and ValuuttaOtto cash machines, Rovaniemi Airport - Open to all, before security, while the terminal is open. The red ValuuttaOtto gives euros as well as dollars, pounds and baht, but only against a card: neither machine takes notes for exchange.
• FOREX, Helsinki Airport - If your journey runs through Helsinki, Finavia says FOREX's store at the airport buys and sells travel currencies, so you could swap pound notes for euros there before heading north.

Changing money at the airport

Rovaniemi Airport (RVN) is about 10 km from the centre. Most UK cards work in its Otto machines, but Otto adds an access fee for foreign cards: the amount depends on the sum, shows on screen before you press Accept, and declining it cancels the withdrawal. The most you can take at once is EUR 400.

The Airport Express runs into town via Santa Claus Village and the railway station, with tickets sold on board (Finavia) or online (Visit Rovaniemi). Taxis wait at three platforms in front of the terminal, one for each of Finavia's contract firms, Menevä, Lähitaksi Rovaniemi and Taksi Rovaniemi, which set their own fares but must display a price list. Taksi Rovaniemi charges EUR 8 to start, EUR 1.43 a kilometre and EUR 0.95 a minute for up to four people, plus EUR 2.50 for an airport pick-up (tariff from 1 January 2025).

ATMs and cards in Rovaniemi

Most places in Rovaniemi take cards, the tourist board says, and some are cashless, taking only a card or a phone wallet such as Apple Pay. It lists cash machines in the centre and at Santa Claus Village as well as the airport, but withdraw in town before a day at the Village.

Most Finnish cash machines belong to Otto, run by Loomis, which has more than 1,500 of them. Before you go, check with your bank that your card works in cash machines abroad and what it charges, as Otto suggests.

Paying for transport in Rovaniemi

Linkkari city buses sell single tickets on board for cash or a contactless tap of a Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard or Eurocard card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. A zone A trip costs EUR 3.60 and allows changes for 60 minutes, and taps over 24 hours are capped at EUR 9. A tap covers one person at the adult price, so children aged 16 or under ride for less on a EUR 1.80 cash ticket, and one or two under-7s with a paying adult go free. For cash, Linkkari suggests the exact fare or a note of EUR 20 at most.

Zone A includes the centre and Santa Claus Village, so line 8, which runs all year from the railway station through the centre to the Village, costs the same as a town ride. The railway and bus stations have no service point, only a ticket machine at the railway station, and the tourist board advises booking long-distance trains and coaches ahead.

Good to know

• Food and department stores generally open 08:00-21:00 on weekdays and 09:00-21:00 at weekends; smaller specialist shops keep shorter hours, and most shops cut their hours on public holidays, so check ahead around Christmas.
• Santa Claus Village, on the Arctic Circle about 8 km north of the centre, has no entrance fee and opens daily all year, and meeting Santa at his office is free; its many companies keep their own hours, so check ahead.