Transport – Buses, Planes and Trains

Saariselkä is easily accessible by aeroplane, train or car. Driving a car in the Saariselkä area is easy and effortless. The roads are well-maintained throughout the year.
If you arrive without a car, you will find that the Saariselkä area taxi and bus services are versatile. You can travel in the North of Lapland at a low cost all the way from Rovaniemi up to the Arctic Ocean.

 

Flights

Ivalo Airport is Finland’s northernmost airport, and is located about 25 kilometres from Saariselkä village. Finnair and Norwegian have regular flights to Ivalo.

 

Finnair

Finnair flies direct from Helsinki to Ivalo throughout the year. From Ivalo Airport you can take the shuttle bus or a taxi. There is a shuttle bus to Saariselkä waiting for every flight.

 

Norwegian

In the winter season, Norwegian flies from Helsinki to Ivalo on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. More detailed information on Norwegian’s flight timetables should always be checked on the company’s own website.

 

The train – VR Group

The trains run from Helsinki to Rovaniemi several times a day. Saariselkä is about 260 km from the Rovaniemi train station, which you can travel either on a bus or drive your own car which you brought over to Rovaniemi on the train.

There is a direct bus connection to Saariselkä from each train.

 

Bus – chartered and local transport

 

Company: Eskelinen – Lapinlinjat

Eskelinen – Lapinlinjat is one of the biggest bus companies in Lapland. Established in 1928, Eskelinen operates the whole of Lapland and the North Calotte area. They can take you from Oulu or Rovaniemi to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The ends of the lines are in Tromsø, North Cape, Alta and Vadsø.

For decades, the company has been in operation under the management of the Eskelinen family. This experience is easily seen in the service: Eskelinen transports both tourists and locals safely in all seasons and times of day in snowstorms and strong winds, as well as in beautiful summer weather. It is easy to see that they have invested in vehicle maintenance and in training of their personnel.

The Eskelinen charter fleet currently consists of 30 different vehicles, including buses from a 25-seater up to a 66-seater. Buses are well suited for long trips and they are warm in winter and well air-conditioned in summer. On charter tours you can watch films or other videos.

 

Company: Gold Line

Gold Line operates from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and from Rovaniemi to Ivalo, Sodankylä, Muonio, Kilpisjärvi and Enontekiö. In addition, the Gold Line’s bus to Murmansk operates the Finland/Russia connection several times a day.

Gold Line buses also operate local connections in the Kemi region (Kemi – Laurila – Kallinkangas – Jokisuu – Kemi).

Gold Line is part of the Koiviston Auto Group, which has operated continuously in Finland since 1892. If you want to support a historical Finnish transport company, select Gold Line for your trip to Rovaniemi and Ivalo from Helsinki.

In addition to the scheduled services, Gold Line operates charter tours with their 45-54-seater buses.