15-Day Family Road Trip: Rovaniemi - Swedish Lapland - Lofoten

Hi there,

You can always draw inspiration from our trips, which are described via the link in my signature, but we’ve never crossed Finland, Sweden, and Norway "horizontally" like that.

Personally, Bodø isn’t all that exciting. Spend just one day there and prioritize the Lofoten Islands instead. In Rovaniemi, aside from visiting Santa for fun, the Arktikum museum is really interesting.

Happy planning for these beautiful destinations!

Vivien

Thanks for the feedback! I’ll definitely check out your blog. And I’ll add an extra night in the Lofoten Islands.

Hi there, Make sure, when renting the car, that you can leave Finland. It’s not automatic. Rovaniemi isn’t a thrilling city, but there are two interesting museums—the Arktikum and the Wood and Forest Museum—and the Ranua Zoo, about 60 or 80 km away (distance from memory). In Finland, lunch menus (*lounas*) are a great deal and very filling (soup, main course, salad, bread, dessert, and coffee included). It’s more expensive in the evening.

Jokkmokk: don’t miss the Sámi Museum. Kiruna: I wouldn’t spend two nights there. Narvik: There’s an Arctic zoo nearby, but it’s expensive, and you often don’t see the animals because the enclosures are (thankfully) large, and they sleep during the day. The Ranua Zoo, near Rovaniemi, is much better.

Bodø: meh, kind of depressing. The Lofoten Islands: absolutely stunning. Four days is perfect. Between Bodø and Luleå, it’s mostly pine trees... From what I remember, none of the towns are particularly exciting. Stop based on how many kilometers you feel like driving.

In Sweden, if you’re staying in *stugor* (cabins at campgrounds), book in advance. There aren’t many campgrounds in Lapland, and each has only a few cabins. They’re very comfortable. Bring your own sleeping bags, pillows, and pillowcases. In Norway, I’m not sure if you can book *hytte* (same as *stuga* in Swedish)—we were in a motorhome.

In addition to Sissi57’s very detailed comment, I’ve never booked a *hytter* in Norwegian campgrounds except once, at Vinje, with no issues at all.

Hello,

I did Paris, Rovaniemi, North Cape, and returned via the Norwegian coast in spring 2024—11 weeks of travel and 15,000 km in a camper van. For me, Norway is by far the most interesting. I found no appeal in Rovaniemi; Santa Claus Village is a tourist trap. For the Lofoten Islands, 4 days are essential. Be sure to visit the Lofotr Viking Museum and go all the way to the village of Å. Also check out the Værøy Islands (2 days)—the small village of Stø is the departure point for whale-watching boat trips!!!! Narvik is mainly an industrial stopover city. If you go to Bodø, you must see Saltstraumen, the Maelstrom—the world’s strongest tidal current. 70 km north of Narvik, don’t miss the Målselvfossen waterfalls, which are especially impressive during snowmelt. In Tromsø, there’s nothing much to see, plus parking is paid everywhere, as is the road to get there.

Be aware that some roads are toll roads. We used the Epass24 automatic payment system because road tolls are automatically charged via license plate recognition. This system also works for ferries.

I’m happy to share more info, especially about Norway.

I don’t share the opinion expressed about Tromsø. It’s a charming, lively university town. Sure, the parking is paid, but honestly, lots of cities have that. There’s the very interesting Polar Museum and the Arctic Cathedral. But Tromsø isn’t on the planned itinerary set by the original poster.

A huge thanks for this feedback. So now I'm really torn about doing this route. I've got two other routes forming in my head, but 15 days might be too ambitious. Here they are: Idea 1: Rovaniemi - Iruna - North Cape - Tromsø - Lofoten - Narvik - Kiruna - Rovaniemi Idea 2: Rovaniemi - Jokkmokk - Kiruna - Abisko - Narvik - Lofoten - Bodø - ???? - Rovaniemi

Hi there, Is starting from Rovaniemi really a must? Could you plan a route just in Norway? Or Sweden and Norway? Personally, I agree with others that Rovaniemi isn’t a must-see, and it means long drives to reach the Norwegian coast, with pretty repetitive scenery along the way.

I won’t say Rovaniemi is a must-see, but it’s been a dream for one of my daughters. Plus, right now, flying into Rovaniemi seems like the cheapest option for us, with just one stop in Helsinki. Why not combine Sweden and Norway? But since we’re flying, where should we base ourselves? I’m totally stuck on that.

I get it about your daughter. Rovaniemi would be better in winter, but hey. We can still plan a route that at least includes the Lofoten

For Rovaniemi, I only visited the commercial village located on the Arctic Circle, 10 km from the city. It’s just souvenir shops and a few restaurants. If it’s to see Santa Claus, we didn’t see him because he’s only accessible in a paid, enclosed room.

Then we went to the North Cape. Lapland is quite flat—it’s a succession of lakes and forests that can feel a bit monotonous. The Norwegian part is very rugged and desert-like, which gives it its charm. The North Cape is now free to access, and the magic of the midnight sun amazed us.

In Norway, there are several international airports in the north, like Tromsø or Bodø. There are others, but they require a layover. What you’ll pay extra, you won’t have to spend on car rental. I’m definitely biased in my opinion because I found Norway ten times more interesting.

I agree that Norway is way more interesting than Finland, at least in the summer. A Finnish winter is also something to experience, though, and the lower prices for activities compared to Sweden or Norway make it a great choice.

If you're set on starting from Rovaniemi and aren’t afraid of long drives, here’s what you could do: Day 1: Rovaniemi – Santa Claus Village (though it’s really just a big Christmas shop...) and visit Arktikum Day 2: Rovaniemi to Alta – 515 km. Alta’s fjord is stunning, there’s a futuristic cathedral, and the town, though small, is nice. The drive will be pretty monotonous, so bring food and drinks. Day 3: Alta to Tromsø – 380 km. You’ll pass through the Lyngen Alps, and the coast is gorgeous. Day 4: Tromsø (city tour and visit the Polar Museum) – Senja – 180 km. Senja is a stunning island, connected by a bridge—no ferry wait, and fewer crowds than the Lofoten. Day 5: Senja (especially the west coast) Day 6: Senja to Lofoten (arriving from the north via the Vesterålen, no ferry needed—about 300 km) Days 7-9: Lofoten Day 10: Lofoten to Kiruna – about 400 km, heading toward Narvik (skipping Bodø, which isn’t worth the ferry detour, saves time) Day 11: Kiruna to Jokkmokk – 215 km Day 12: Jokkmokk – visit the Sámi Museum Day 13: Jokkmokk to Ranua – 400 km, fairly monotonous scenery Day 14: Ranua – visit the zoo and return to Rovaniemi – 82 km

That’s a lot of kilometers, but it’s pretty much the only option if you’re starting from Rovaniemi. Just to repeat: make sure your rental car allows you to leave Finland. We’ve rented in Finland multiple times (in winter) and weren’t allowed to cross into Norway or Sweden (we were north of Rovaniemi).

For the car, the rental company I’ve chosen allows crossing the Norwegian and Swedish borders. I agree Rovaniemi would be more magical in winter, but that’s not the current plan. Anyway, I totally get that Norway wins by a landslide. :-) I’ll keep looking at other stopovers, but the goal isn’t to make too many stops. Like with all our trips, everyone needs to get something out of it.

I’ve heard all your points, but I realize we’ll have to make compromises to have a balanced trip that’s enjoyable for the whole family. As long as the flight tickets aren’t booked, anything’s possible.

We also did a two-week road trip. We flew into Umeå in Sweden where we rented our car.

Here are our stops:

Umeå (visited a church town in Luleå along the way)

Rovaniemi (visited Santa Claus Village and the Arktikum Museum) The museum is great, but Santa Claus Village is meh.

Saariselkä (visited the magnificent and very interesting Tankavaara Museum and hiked in the national park at Saariselkä) A superb museum about gold prospectors and gold around the world. We loved this visit. The national park is also very beautiful, and you can see quite a few animals there.

Honningsvåg (Lake Inari and the Sámi Museum SIIDA, Porsangerfjord, North Cape, hike on Magerøya Island, Kirkeporten rock formations) The lake is stunning with its many islands. We also loved the SIIDA Museum. The North Cape is a must for us.

Tromsø (Altafjord, Mount Kvaenang with a view of the Oksfjordjokulen Glacier, Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø, Polaria Museum)

Andenes (Senja Island and Vesterålen Islands, catamaran trip to see sperm whales)

Lofoten, Reine (visited various villages, the Stockfish Museum in Å, hikes on the islands) In the evening, while driving toward Ramberg, we were lucky enough to see orcas.

Ørnes (Saltstraumen, fjords, and lakes)

Sandnessjøen on Alsten Island (Svartisen Glacier) There are a lot of moose on Alsten Island.

Storuman (hike to the Svartisen Glacier before leaving Norway) A magnificent hike and a truly impressive glacier.

Umeå

It was a fantastic trip with beautiful landscapes and stunning sunsets. We saw quite a few animals. If we did it again, we’d add 2-3 more days. Maybe this can give you some ideas.