Getting to your ice swim outside Rovaniemi
None of the ice swimming saunas sit in the city center, so transport shapes your choice as much as the price. Three tours collect you from your hotel. The fourth, the private river sauna, leaves the journey to you, and the bus does not run for every slot.
One tour leaves the trip to you
Pajasauna is the cheapest of the four at ~$89, partly because transport is not included. You find your own way to Pajatie 11, on the Muurola side of the Kemijoki, about 20 minutes' drive from the center of Rovaniemi.
The other three include a pickup from your hotel, which explains part of their higher prices and saves you planning around a timetable. Our price comparison sets the four side by side, transport included.
Bus 14 to the river sauna
Local bus 14 runs from the city center to the stop Kemintie 2356, and from there it is about a 5-minute walk to the sauna. You buy the ticket on board, and timetables are on the Linkkari service.
For most of the winter the walk from the stop happens in the dark. Wear warm boots with a good grip, and check our packing list for the rest.
Check the return bus before you pick a time slot. A 1.5-hour session ends quickly, and waiting at a rural stop in deep cold for an hour spoils the warmth you gained.
The slots the bus does not cover
Pajasauna's own listing spells out the gaps in public transport for every slot. The gaps depend on both the slot you book and the day of the week.
- No public transport out for the 8:00 pm slot, on any day
- At weekends, no public transport out for the noon, 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm slots
- On Tuesday and Wednesday, no bus back after the 4:00 pm slot
- On Saturday, no bus back after the 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm slots
The simplest fix is a daytime slot on a weekday, when the bus runs both ways. For an evening session, plan on a taxi for at least one leg, and ask your hotel for a current fare.
Book the return taxi before you go into the sauna. The sauna sits outside the city, and you will not want to stand in the cold waiting for a car after the last round.
Taking a taxi instead
A taxi covers any slot, including the 8:00 pm session that no bus serves. For a group of four or five sharing the private sauna, the fare is split between more people.
We do not quote taxi prices, since they change with the time and the day. Ask your hotel reception for an estimate, and ask the driver whether you can book the return ride directly.
A taxi one way and the bus the other also works. On a weekday, take the bus out for an afternoon slot and call a car for the ride back if the timetable leaves a long wait.
The train as a backup
The Viator listing also suggests the train, with the station about a 15-minute walk away. Train tickets are bought in advance from VR, the Finnish rail operator.
The same listing warns that trains can run late when it is colder than -10 °C (14 °F). On a very cold evening the bus or a taxi is the safer bet for reaching your slot on time.
Hotel pickup on the other three
Nordic Adventures' sauna and salmon dinner evening at ~$172 collects guests by van from about 15 hotels. Expect around 30 minutes on the road each way; the lake lies over 25 km (15 miles) north of the city.
Its list includes Scandic Rovaniemi City and Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna, as well as Santa Claus Holiday Village and Arctic TreeHouse Hotel. Our guide to the dinner evening covers the rest of the four hours.
Nordic Adventures' lakeside home sauna at ~$101 offers hotel pickup, or you can meet the group at Rovaniemi Tourist Information, Koskikatu 12. The meeting point suits travelers in a rented apartment.
NordicUnique's frozen-lake sauna night at ~$145 picks up from hotels within 10 km (6 miles) of the center. If you stay in a remote cabin, confirm the pickup with the operator before you pay.
From your hotel to a sauna and a campfire
NordicUnique's three-hour night includes the ride, a traditional sauna in forest cabins, an ice swim in a frozen lake and a campfire BBQ on the ice. It holds 4.3 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide.
Which way suits whom
Travelers who like to wander and have a free weekday afternoon do well with bus 14 and the river sauna. The trip out becomes part of the outing, and the price stays lowest.
Families and anyone arriving late in the day are better served by a pickup. The evening tours run in the dark, and the drive home after several hot and cold rounds is easier when someone else handles it.
For aurora hunting, a pickup trip well outside the city gives darker skies, though nothing is guaranteed. Our northern lights guide compares the evening options, and the river sauna guide shows what the bus journey leads to.
Timing around Christmas
Rovaniemi gets busy in the Christmas weeks, when the town fills with visitors. Book the tour early, and pre-book any taxi for an evening slot at the river sauna.
Our guide to the best time to book covers the busier weeks and when the ice holes are usually open. Freeze-up usually comes around November or December, and the holes tend to stay open until about April.
Darkness also matters for the journey. Around December the sun barely rises at the Arctic Circle, so even a 4:00 pm slot at the river sauna means a bus ride home in full night.