How to Get to Kiilopaa Without Breaking the Bank
Let's address the reindeer in the room: flights to Ivalo can be expensive.
Like, “do I really need both kidneys?” expensive.
Ivalo Airport is tiny — a few runways, a lot of snow, and not a huge amount of competition between airlines. So when everyone suddenly decides they want to go to Finnish Lapland, ticket prices have a habit of shooting north faster than you can say aurora.
But there is a workaround.
It involves flying somewhere slightly busier, finding a window seat, and spending a few hours watching Finland turn into one giant Christmas card.
The trick: fly to Rovaniemi instead
Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland, the official hometown of Santa Claus, and — more importantly for this particular exercise — it has a much bigger airport.
More airlines. More routes. More competition. And often, considerably cheaper flights.
For our January departure, for example:
✈️ London → Ivalo + 🚌 bus to Kiilopaa: €600
✈️ London → Rovaniemi + 🚌 bus to Kiilopaa: €290
💰 Potential saving: 310
That’s 310 you can spend on cinnamon buns, sauna beers, or something considerably more sensible.
The trick: fly to Rovaniemi instead
The bus connects Rovaniemi and Kiilopaa in roughly four hours.
You can book ahead online — which we'd recommend during the busy winter months — or, depending on the service, pay the driver if there’s space.
And yes, four hours on a bus sounds like a long time.
Until you realise you’re travelling through snowy pine forests, past frozen lakes and, quite possibly, stopping to let a reindeer wander across the road.
It's less airport transfer and more very slow-moving Arctic expedition.
A few things to know before you book
1. Check the bus timetable before booking your flight.
This is the important one. Make sure your flight lands with plenty of time to get to the bus. Missing a bus in Paris is annoying. Missing one in Lapland can mean rearranging your entire day.
2. Leave yourself some winter buffer.
Flights can be delayed, snow happens, and Finland has very little interest in your carefully constructed itinerary. If the connection is tight, consider arriving in Rovaniemi the night before.
You'll also get a bonus evening in Lapland — and possibly a chance to visit Santa.
3. Bring snacks.
Finnish service stations are perfectly good. Being hungry for four hours is not.
4. Keep your warm layers in your hand luggage.
Don't pack your coat at the bottom of your suitcase just because you’re still technically travelling by plane. You'll want it when you land.
5. Work backwards from our meeting point.
We're meeting at 6pm in Kiilopaa, so make sure your travel plans get you there comfortably — not sprinting through the snow with a backpack in one hand and a cinnamon bun in the other.
NEW THIS YEAR: We’re running a Sidetracked transfer from Rovaniemi
There’s one slight catch with the Rovaniemi route: the buses to Ivalo can be few and far between, with some pretty big gaps between services.
So this year, we're doing something about it.
For the first time, we’ll be running a Sidetracked transfer from Rovaniemi Airport to [meeting point] — on request. 🎉
If you're flying into Rovaniemi and the public bus timetable doesn't line up with your flight, get in touch with us. If there’s enough interest around your arrival time, we’ll organise a Sidetracked transfer so you can head north with the rest of the group rather than spending half a day hanging around the airport.
One very important thing: check with us BEFORE you book your flights. The transfer will run on request and depends on arrival times, so send us your proposed flight details first and we'll let you know what we can arrange.
Basically: you find the flight, we’ll help you figure out the rest.
