Best Arctic

Best Arctic Logo color version with white letters

Travel by bus between Tromsø and Rovaniemi

The cross-border route that connects Norway to Finland! 

A road trip through the Arctic!

This incredible route takes you between Tromsø, the Paris of the North, to Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, where you will experience the beauty of Finnish Lapland, both the tundra and the small municipalities along the way.  

Discover Norway (Tromsø) and Finland (Rovaniemi) by bus. This route will connect you to both destinations on a single day, stopping at several other interesting destinations in Laplad Finland such as the Levi Ski Resort, Kilpisjarvi and the Santa Claus Village. Check our “Highlights of this route” suggestions.

This is one of Scandinavia’s most beautiful bus routes, as you get to enjoy the unbelievable views of the two countries and be amazed by their beauty: from the Norwegian fjords, tundra landscapes to the snowy famous Finnish trees of Finland.

This journey is taken on new and comfortable coaches with free Wi-Fi (only between Tromsø and Kilpisjärvi), toilet, and experienced and service-oriented drivers fluent in English.
Read more about the route’s highlights below! 

This incredible route takes you between Tromsø, the Paris of the North, to Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, where you will experience the beauty of Finnish Lapland, both the tundra and the small municipalities along the way.  

Discover Norway (Tromsø) and Finland (Rovaniemi) by bus. This route will connect you to both destinations on a single day, stopping at several other interesting destinations in Lapland Finland such as the Levi Ski Resort, Kilpisjärvi, the Santa Claus Village, or Hatteng (in Norway) – check our “Highlights on this route” suggestions.

This is one of Scandinavia’s most beautiful bus routes, as you get to enjoy the unbelievable views of the two countries and be amazed by their beauty: from the Norwegian fjords, tundra landscapes to the snowy famous Finnish trees of Finland.

This journey is taken on new and comfortable coaches with free Wi-Fi (only between Tromsø and Kilpisjärvi), toilet, and experienced and service-oriented drivers fluent in English. Read more about the route’s highlights below! 

Tickets

Book here

Season

1 December – 31 March

Fitness level

Suitable for all 

Longest distance

10,5 hours

Prices

NOK 375 - 1830

What to do along this route

Tickets to travel between Tromsø and Rovaniemi

Timetable and price list

TROMSØ – ROVANIEMI

Bus stopTimeTimezonePrice
Tromsø7:00NO0
Nordkjosbotn8:00NONOK 375
Hatteng8:20NONOK 410
Skibotn Circle K8:50NONOK 440
Helliskogen (on demand)9:10NONOK 550
Kilpisjärvi (K-Market) - you will change bus here

Kilpisjärvi (Cahkal Hotel)
10:50FIN - TIMEZONE CHANGE (UTC/GMT +2 HOURS)NOK 600
Kilpisjärvi (Arctic Land Adventure)11:10FINNOK 600
Karesuando12:30FINNOK 900
Palojoensuu13:10FINNOK 980
Muonio14:00FINNOK 1.100
Levi15:00FINNOK 1.240
Kittilä Airport

Kittilä Hotel
15:15/17:20FINNOK 1.280
Rovaniemi17:25FINNOK 1.730
Santa Claus Village17:35FINNOK 1.830

ROVANIEMI – TROMSØ

Bus stopTimeTimezonePrice
Santa Claus Village11:00FIN0
Rovaniemi11:20FINNOK 100
Kittilä Hotel

Kittilä Airport
13:40FINNOK 550
Levi14:00FINNOK 590
Muonio15:05FINNOK 730
Palojoensuu15:50FINNOK 850
Karesuando16:30FINNOK 930
Kilpisjärvi (Arctic Land Adventure)
17:30FINNOK 1.230
Kilpisjärvi (at the main route at Cahkal Hotel)

Kilpisjärvi (K-Market) - you will change bus here
18:10FINNOK 1.230
Helliskogen (on demand)17:30NO - TIMEZONE CHANGE (UTC/GMT +1 HOUR)NOK 1.280
Skibotn
17:50NONOK 1.390
Hatteng18:15NONOK 1.420
Nordkjosbotn18:25NONOK 1.455
Tromsø19:30NONOK 1.830

Unique features

Daily operated bus route from 1 December to 31 March

Fixed prices,
according to the
distance you travel

Hop-on &
hop-off

Connecting with
airports

Daily operated bus routes from 1 December to 31 March

Fixed prices,
according to the
distance you travel

Hop-on &
hop-off

Connecting with
airports

See more of our adventures below

Accommodation along this route

All activities are accessible via the Arctic Route - no rental car is
needed. We offer, you choose.

All activities are accessible via the Arctic Route - no rental car is needed. We offer, you choose.

Cahkal Hotel

The Cahkal Hotel offers modern and stylish rooms with breathtaking views of mountains. Their sauna provides a great opportunity to relax while enjoying the scenic beauty. The hotel has a limited number of rooms, making it an intimate and unique experience. The hotel also offers guided tours for an adventurous experience in the Arctic wilderness. 

 

Other dreamy accommodation

Highlights on this route

Tromsø

Tromsø

Tromsø, known as the Arctic Capital, is nestled in Northern Norway, with unique attractions and serving as an excellent base for winter adventures. Dog sledding, the chance to experiencing the Sami culture and their reindeer, whale watching that provides the opportunity to see these majestic creatures up close, snowmobiling, the awe-inspiring spectacle of the Northern Lights are some of them.

Visitors can also take a cable car ride to Mount Storsteinen for panoramic views of the city.

Kilpisjärvi 

Just across the border between Norway and Finland, you will find the little village of Kilpisjärvi. Here is where the change of bus occurs, between the red buses of Best Arctic / Bussring and the buses of Eskelinsen.

The landscape here is pretty flat, with a lot of pine trees along the way, making it the perfect scenario, movie like.
At Kilpisjärvi we recommend you a stay at the Cakhal Boutique Hotel, with stylish and trendy rooms and suites, including a 3 hour snowmobile in the area, a dining experience and access to an authentic Finnish sauna. 

 Levi Ski Resort 

With 44 ski slopes, 26 ski lifts, 2053 saunas, a spa and over 25.000 beds, the Levi Ski Resort is the biggest ski resort in Finland. Its slopes are mostly suitable for beginners or intermediates, but there are also three black slopes for experts, with a skiing and snowboarding season long, often from October to mid-May. 

After skiing, you can always rest, eat at the local restaurants, chill and relax at the Spa and go party on the local pubs and some nightclubs in the area, often open until 2 am or 4 am. 

Kittila Airport 

This international Finnish Airport is strategically located between the Levi Ski Resort and Rovaniemi city, also allowing you to arrive here and take the Arctic Route bus towards Rovaniemi or towards Tromsø, in Norway. During the winter, Kittilä airport mostly receives visitors from Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, and Canada. It’s one of the busiest airports in Finland.

Rovaniemi    

Located roughly 800 km North of Helsinki (almost 10 hours driving), and located 6 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, it hosts the Santa Claus Village, the official residence of Santa Claus, and is also a great place for tourism activities such as northern lights chases, snowmobile, dog-sledding or reindeer sledding.  

Rovaniemi also offers great restaurants with a lot of options and very tasty food (we recommend Café and Bar 21 for delicious gluten-free salted waffles, Gustav Kitchen Bar or Monte Rosa, among many other great local home-made food). 

Santa Claus Village 

Located 8 km from Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland, the Santa Claus Village opened in 1985. It’s declared as the official hometown of Santa Claus and here you will find many different attractions: Snowman World (a snowy playground where you can ice slide, ice-skate and lose yourself on the snow labyrinth and ice structures with an ice bar and an ice restaurant, among others), the Santa Claus’s Office (where you can meet Santa, talk to him and take photos), the Santa Claus Main Post Office (where you can send a letter to your family and friends, stamped with the special Arctic Circle postmark), among many other attractions.