Lapland Planning
Renting a Car in Lapland: Which Airport Should You Choose?
Compare Rovaniemi, Kittilä and Ivalo for renting a car in Finnish Lapland. See which airport fits Levi, Ylläs, Saariselkä and a wider winter road trip.
8 min readRoadTripFinland
If you are renting a car for a trip to Finnish Lapland, the best airport is usually the one closest to where you are actually staying.
For Levi and Ylläs, Kittilä is normally the most convenient choice. For Saariselkä and the Inari area, Ivalo makes more sense. Rovaniemi is the most flexible option if you are staying in Rovaniemi itself or planning a wider Lapland road trip.
The important point is simple: do not choose an airport only because the flight looks cheaper. A longer transfer, extra driving and a different rental-car price can easily change the total cost of the trip.
Quick Answer
| Destination | Best airport |
|---|---|
| Levi | Kittilä Airport |
| Ylläs | Kittilä Airport |
| Saariselkä / Inari | Ivalo Airport |
| Rovaniemi and multi-stop road trips | Rovaniemi Airport |
If two airports have similar flight prices, I would normally choose the airport that removes the most unnecessary driving from the trip.
Kittilä Airport: Best for Levi and Ylläs
Kittilä is the obvious airport to check first if your trip is mainly about Levi or Ylläs.
According to Finavia, Kittilä Airport is about 15 km from Levi and 35 km from Ylläsjärvi. The airport also has several rental-car companies, with rental desks located by the terminal entrance and exit area.
This makes Kittilä particularly attractive for a simple ski-resort holiday: land, collect the car and start the trip without adding a long transfer from another part of Lapland.
Kittilä is also a good choice if your accommodation is outside the resort centre, especially if you are staying in a cabin and want the freedom to shop, visit trailheads or move between villages without relying on taxis.
Do you actually need a car in Levi?
Not always.
Levi is compact enough that a traveller staying close to the centre and mainly skiing can manage without a rental car. Airport buses also connect Kittilä Airport with Levi and Ylläs.
A car becomes more useful if your accommodation is outside the main centre, you want to visit several places independently, or you simply prefer not to plan every day around transfers and taxis.
RoadTripFinland editor's view: Levi is the easiest of Levi, Ylläs and the Saariselkä/Ivalo area to do without a car because so much is concentrated around the resort centre.
Rovaniemi Airport: Best for Rovaniemi and Flexible Road Trips
Rovaniemi is the largest and busiest of these three Lapland airports and has the widest rental-car choice.
Finavia lists Rovaniemi Airport about 10 km from the city centre. The airport handled more than 1.1 million passengers in 2025, and Finavia describes the winter season as especially busy. That does not mean the airport is a bad choice: Finavia has also expanded traffic and parking arrangements and reports very high operational punctuality even during the busy winter season.
The main advantage of Rovaniemi is flexibility.
It works well if you want to combine Rovaniemi with other Lapland destinations, if your flights are significantly better there, or if you are building a longer road trip rather than staying in one ski resort.
The trade-off is that if your real destination is Levi or Ylläs, you are adding a substantial drive that you could avoid by flying into Kittilä.
Traveller reports also repeatedly mention that rental-car prices and availability can change sharply during peak winter dates. Rovaniemi's larger rental market can sometimes give you more options, but that does not guarantee it will be cheaper on your dates.
Ivalo Airport: Best for Saariselkä and Northern Lapland
If you are staying in Saariselkä or travelling farther into northern Lapland, Ivalo is normally the airport to check first.
Finavia places Ivalo Airport about 11 km from Ivalo and 25 km from Saariselkä. That makes it much more logical for a Saariselkä-based trip than flying into Rovaniemi and driving north for several hours.
Ivalo has a smaller rental market than Rovaniemi, so I would compare cars early if you are travelling during Christmas, New Year, school-holiday weeks or other peak winter periods.
The advantage is route efficiency. You arrive much closer to Saariselkä, Inari and the northern part of Finnish Lapland.
RoadTripFinland's editor has driven extensively around Saariselkä and Ivalo in winter and considers a car particularly useful in this region if you want to explore beyond the immediate resort area.
Rovaniemi vs Kittilä vs Ivalo: The Simple Decision
Choose Kittilä if Levi or Ylläs is the main destination.
Choose Ivalo if Saariselkä, Inari or northern Lapland is the main destination.
Choose Rovaniemi if you are staying in Rovaniemi, want the broadest rental-car market, or are planning a multi-stop road trip where Rovaniemi fits naturally into the route.
Do not assume that the airport with the cheapest flight will produce the cheapest trip overall. Compare the flight, the rental car and the amount of extra driving together.
What Type of Rental Car Should You Choose?
For a normal resort trip on maintained main roads, you do not automatically need a large 4x4.
RoadTripFinland's practical preference for a winter trip is a higher-riding SUV, an AWD estate/wagon or a spacious MPV, particularly when the accommodation is on a cabin road or outside the main resort centre.
The things I would prioritise are:
- good winter tyres
- sensible ground clearance
- enough room for people, winter clothing and luggage
- a vehicle that feels stable and predictable
- AWD when the route includes steep, snowy or less frequently cleared access roads
A small low city car can still work on main roads, but it gives you less margin when the final kilometre to a cabin is the difficult part.
RoadTripFinland editor's experience
I have driven around Levi, Ylläs, Saariselkä and Ivalo in virtually every type of Finnish winter road condition.
One experience is a useful reminder that "the road has been ploughed" does not always mean "any car will be fine".
I once got a front-wheel-drive Toyota Camry with studded winter tyres stuck on a ploughed cabin road. The problem was not a major snowstorm. It was a small dip combined with an uphill section, where the car simply lost the traction and geometry it needed to continue easily.
That is why I care more about the whole package — tyres, ground clearance, vehicle size, drivetrain and the final access road — than about simply asking whether a car has four-wheel drive.
For most normal Lapland driving, good winter tyres and sensible driving matter more than buying the biggest vehicle available.
What Travellers Consistently Report
Recent traveller discussions show a fairly consistent pattern.
People staying centrally in Levi often say a car is optional if skiing and organised activities are the main purpose of the trip.
Travellers moving between resorts, staying in cabins or wanting an independent schedule tend to value having a car much more.
Several winter travellers also report that Finnish rental cars equipped with proper winter tyres feel easier to drive on maintained snowy roads than they expected, while experienced locals continue to warn that weather, darkness, reindeer, visibility and stopping distance still require respect.
Peak-season rental prices can also be high, especially in smaller destinations where demand can temporarily exceed supply. This is a good reason to compare rental availability before committing to a flight.
RoadTripFinland Verdict
For most travellers, the best Lapland airport is not the biggest airport. It is the airport that puts you closest to the trip you actually want to take.
Kittilä is the practical winner for Levi and Ylläs.
Ivalo is the natural choice for Saariselkä and the far north.
Rovaniemi is the most flexible hub for Rovaniemi itself and wider multi-stop road trips.
If flight prices are similar, I would choose route convenience first and then compare rental-car prices at the airports that genuinely make sense for the itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which airport is best for Levi? Kittilä Airport is usually the most convenient option. Finavia places it about 15 km from Levi.
Which airport is best for Ylläs? Kittilä Airport is normally the logical choice. Ylläsjärvi is about 35 km from the airport according to Finavia.
Which airport is best for Saariselkä? Ivalo Airport. Saariselkä is about 25 km from Ivalo Airport.
Is Rovaniemi better for car rental? Rovaniemi has a broader rental-car market, but that does not automatically make it the best choice. If you are mainly visiting Levi, Ylläs or Saariselkä, choosing the closer airport can save a lot of unnecessary driving.
Do I need AWD in Lapland? Not for every normal trip. Good winter tyres, sensible ground clearance and careful driving are more important for most maintained roads. AWD becomes more useful on steep, snowy or less frequently cleared access roads and cabin roads.
Related reading: What Type of Rental Car Do You Need in Finland? · Do You Need a 4x4 in Finnish Lapland? · Driving in Finland in Winter · Do You Need a Car in Finnish Lapland? · Rovaniemi vs Levi vs Ylläs vs Saariselkä
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