Rovaniemi to Helsinki – VR in an Ensuite Sleeper

Having enjoyed a few days staying in Rovaniemi and exploring the city and surrounding area, it was time for us to head back south to the Finnish capital to continue our Nordic Nomads adventure. As with the journey north from Helsinki, we’d be returning south onboard one of VR’s sleeper services which connect the northern extremities of the Finnish rail network with the cities of the Baltic coast. And so, at around 1915, we were back at Rovaniemi’s sparse station ready to catch the later of two southbound sleeper services between the Arctic Circle and Helsinki.

Rovaniemi – Gateway to Lapland

After an epic travel day and night where we had flown onboard one of Finnair’s flagship Airbus A350s in Business Class and then boarded the Santa Claus Express to travel overnight through Finland, we work up on day 2 of our Nordic Nomad adventure on our way to the Gateway to Lapland, Rovaniemi. Enjoying a relax morning travelling along the forest lined railway from Kemi, we had breakfast on the train and arrived into Rovaniemi just after 1100. With some photos of the train taken and our hire car collected, we were ready to head into the city just before lunch, making our way to our first stop, the Arktikum.

Helsinki to Rovaniemi – VR in an Ensuite Sleeper

With our arrival into Helsinki airport having been a bit later than planned, we’d had a few hours to explore the city and grab some dinner before needing to be back at Helsinki Central Station ready for the next part of our adventure. Whilst we would be coming back to Helsinki and spending a few days in the Finnish capital, the first destination of our Nordic Nomads adventure was further north, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. And so, to reach our destination of Rovaniemi, we would be travelling overnight, on one of the sleeper services operated by the Finnish state railway operator, VR.

Heathrow to Helsinki – Finnair in Business Class

Friday 15th May 2026 saw us waking up at the Crowne Plaza at Heathrow’s Terminal 4, ready to start a trip we had been looking forward to since we first started planning it 18 months earlier. For the next 16 days we would be exploring some of the countries that make up the Nordics, with stays in Finland, Norward and Sweden all in the plan. But before we could start exploring these amazing countries, we first had to head in that direction, and what better way to start a trip of this magnitude than with a flight with Finnair in Business Class from Heathrow to Helsinki onboard one of their flagship Airbus A350s.

Gothenburg to Stansted – Ryanair in Economy

Having had an interesting and yet chilled day exploring Gothenburg, I was back at the airport nice and early ready to catch my flight back to the UK. As with the flight out, I’d be flying home with Ryanair onboard one of their Boeing 737-800s on one of the last flights of the day to depart the Swedish airport. But before we got to the flying, I needed to make my way through the airport formalities and hopefully not get waylaid by the now infamous EES border controls.

Gothenburg – The Face of Sweden

Sitting around 20km away from the city it serves, Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport is the 2nd busiest in Sweden, having served over 5.3 million passengers in 2025. I had arrived at the airport on a Ryanair flight from Stansted and was keen to head into the city and see what it had to offer, although the start to my exploring was slightly delayed as I had seemingly just missed a bus to the city. Despite its status as the country’s second busiest airport, and the busiest on the western side of the country, the only public transport connections between the airport and the city are several different express coach operators, although the construction of a rail line has finally been agreed with a scheduled opening of 2035.