Kemijärvi is at the end of the railway line from Helsinki. The overnight sleeper train takes around ten hours and arrives in the morning — one of the most civilised ways to travel into Lapland. Rovaniemi, the regional capital, is about two hours south by train or bus and has the area's main airport with connections to Helsinki. From Rovaniemi, regular bus services continue north to Kemijärvi.
By car, Kemijärvi is around 860 kilometres from Helsinki — roughly a nine-hour drive on the E75 through the heart of Finland.