Every winter the same thing happens. The direct flights north fill up, the Christmas seats go first, and a trip that felt certain in October suddenly has no obvious way in. This is the moment most people miss the oldest answer of all. While everyone else refreshes flight searches, you can board a sleeper in Helsinki in the evening, draw the curtain on the city, and wake up in Lapland, rested and already most of the way to us.
The Santa Claus Express is the overnight train to the north, and it is one of the most civilised ways to travel anywhere in Finland. We recommend it often, and not as a consolation. This guide covers what it is, how the cabins work, and the part people forget: the train reaches Rovaniemi, and the last stretch north to Inari and Saariselkä is by road. For the whole picture of getting here, start with our guide on how to get to Lapland, and for what waits at the end of the line, our Inari travel guide.
What the Santa Claus Express is
It is the overnight train run by VR, the Finnish state railway, and it has its own name and page, the Santa Claus Express, from Helsinki up to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. There is a branch from Turku, and services that carry on to Kemijärvi and to Kolari in the western fells, but for reaching us the route that matters is Helsinki to Rovaniemi.
There are several departures a day through the winter. You board at Helsinki Central Station in the evening, the train pulls out into the dark, and it runs the length of the country while you sleep. The journey takes roughly twelve hours, so an evening departure has you in Rovaniemi in time for breakfast. One typical service leaves Helsinki around 19:30 and reaches Rovaniemi around 07:20, though the exact times shift by day and by season, so check the current timetable with VR when you book.
Waking up in Lapland
This is the part the timetable cannot sell you. You go to sleep in a southern city, in traffic and street light, and you wake somewhere completely different. You lift the blind and the window is full of snow: forest running past in the half-light, a frozen river, a level crossing in the middle of nowhere with its lamp burning orange. The dining car is making coffee. Children are already at the window. By the time the train eases into Rovaniemi the day has a quiet, scrubbed feeling to it, and you have not lost a working day to get there.
There is a practical case for this that has nothing to do with romance. You arrive having actually rested, with a night's sleep behind you and no airport at either end. For a family, that alone can be worth the extra hours.
A seat or a cabin
You can travel two ways: in an ordinary seat, or in a private sleeper cabin. For an overnight trip, the cabin is the point.
Seats are the least expensive option and fine for a single night if you can sleep upright, much like a long-haul flight.
Sleeper cabins are the reason to take this train. The simplest have bunk beds and a washbasin; the more comfortable ones add a private shower and toilet in the cabin itself. Cabins take one or two people, and family cabins connect so that parents and children travel together.
Every cabin has power sockets, and there is wifi on board. A private cabin is an upgrade over the seat fare, and prices rise with demand, so the earlier you book the better you do. Cabins are the first thing to sell out, especially around Christmas and New Year.
You can bring the car, and the bike
The Santa Claus Express is a car-carrier train. You can load your own vehicle in Helsinki and collect it in Rovaniemi the next morning, which suits guests who want a car for the whole trip without driving the long road north to fetch it there. Bikes and plenty of luggage travel too. If having your own car up here appeals, this is the graceful way to bring it, and the road north from Rovaniemi picks up where the train leaves off.
A real alternative when the flights are full
This is the case for the train that we make most often. Air capacity into Lapland is tight in the busy weeks, and December in particular sells out early into both Ivalo and Rovaniemi. Travellers tend to treat the train as a novelty rather than a serious option, and then discover, too late, that it had beds free when the flights did not.
Sleeper tickets go on sale months in advance, around ten months ahead of travel, and they sell out from the Christmas period outwards. So if your dates are fixed and the flights look full or overpriced, look at the train early rather than as a last resort. It is often the difference between the trip happening and not.
The train reaches Rovaniemi, not our door
Finland's railway stops at Rovaniemi. There is no line further north, so the train cannot take you the last stretch to Ivalo, Inari or Saariselkä. That final 290 km is by road.
It is well handled. The coaches north from Rovaniemi are timed around the arriving sleepers, so you step off the train in the morning and onto a bus that carries on up the E75 to Saariselkä, Ivalo and Inari. It is straightforward, and we walk you through it in detail in our guide to getting from Rovaniemi to Ivalo. Tell us which train you are on and where you are staying, and we will make sure the last leg lines up.
Who the night train suits
If you are | The train is | Why |
Travelling with children | An excellent choice | A cabin beats a late flight, and everyone arrives rested |
Finding the flights full | Often the answer | Beds are sometimes free when seats are not, if you book early |
Uneasy about winter flying | Reassuring | No delays on the tarmac, no diversions in the dark |
Wanting your own car up north | Ideal | The car-carrier brings your vehicle while you sleep |
On the tightest schedule | Less ideal | A morning arrival plus the road north takes most of a day |
How to plan it
A few things make the night train run smoothly:
Book early. Cabins are the first to go, particularly around Christmas. Reserve as soon as your dates are set.
Choose an evening departure. It gives you a full night aboard and a morning arrival that connects to the coaches north.
Book the onward leg at the same time. Do not leave Rovaniemi to Ivalo to chance. Sort the coach, run by Eskelisen Lapin Linjat, or a transfer with us when you book the train.
Pack a small overnight bag. Keep what you need for the night to hand and let the rest ride in the luggage space.
Tell us your plan. Send us the train and the onward connection so we can meet you at the right place at the right time.
Common mistakes
Treating the train as a fallback. By the time the flights are obviously full, the best cabins have often gone too. Look at it early.
Forgetting the last 290 km. The train ends at Rovaniemi. Plan the road north before you travel.
Booking a seat to save money overnight. For a night this long, a cabin is worth it. You arrive able to enjoy the first day.
Plan the whole journey with us
Tell us where you are starting from and we will help you build the trip end to end: the right train, the cabin that suits your party, and the connection north, so that the last 290 km is arranged before you leave home.
Plan your Arctic adventure with our sales team.
Contact us: sales@wildernesshotels.fi · +358 10 212 3990
Wilderness Hotels & Safaris, Inari and Saariselkä, Finnish Lapland
Frequently asked questions
What is the Santa Claus Express?
It is VR's overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, with a branch from Turku and services on to Kemijärvi and Kolari. You board in the evening and arrive the next morning, in a seat or a private sleeper cabin.
How long does the night train take from Helsinki to Rovaniemi?
Roughly twelve hours. An evening departure reaches Rovaniemi in time for breakfast. Exact times vary by day and season, so check the current VR timetable.
Does the train go all the way to Ivalo or Inari?
No. The railway ends at Rovaniemi, so the last 290 km north to Ivalo, Inari and Saariselkä is by road. The coaches from Rovaniemi are timed around the arriving trains.
Can I get a private cabin with a shower?
Yes. Sleeper cabins range from a simple bunk with a washbasin to cabins with a private shower and toilet. Cabins sell out first, so book early.
Can I bring my car on the train?
Yes. The Santa Claus Express is a car-carrier, so you can load your vehicle in Helsinki and collect it in Rovaniemi. Bikes and luggage travel too.
When should I book?
As early as you can. Tickets go on sale around ten months ahead, and cabins sell out from the Christmas period outwards.
Expert info
Written by: the Wilderness Hotels guide team, Inari & Saariselkä.
We help guests plan the journey north every week of the year, and the sleeper from Helsinki is one we recommend often, especially when the winter flights are full. Meeting the morning coaches from Rovaniemi and lining up the last leg to our hotels is part of our daily work in the Inari and Saariselkä region. Wilderness Hotels is a family-owned company; its founders, Mari and Jouko, were named National Entrepreneurs of the Year in Finland in 2024. All locations hold Green Key (since 2022) and Sustainable Travel Finland (since 2024) certifications.
📞 Contact: sales@wildernesshotels.fi · +358 10 212 3990
Sources:
VR, Santa Claus Express night train, timetables and cabins (vr.fi)
Matkahuolto and Eskelisen Lapin Linjat, coach connections north from Rovaniemi (matkahuolto.fi, eskelisen.fi)
Finavia, Rovaniemi airport and regional connections (finavia.fi)
Wilderness Hotels, own transfer operations, Inari and Saariselkä
