Santa Claus Village is a true experience of living your favourite Christmas special. It’s a place where you want to jump around like a child and sing Christmas carols with people you have never met, It’s a place that breaths the jolly spirit all year long and no matter what’s going on in your life, it makes you appreciate the simple things in life.
During my 5 Days In Lapland last December, I spent an entire day at this magical place and it really felt like I was living a fairy tale, a tale that everyone visiting Lapland should be a part of.
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Where is Santa Claus Village?
Santa Claus Village is located close to the Rovaniemi airport, a few kilometers away from the center of the city. It’s open all year long and offers a whole bunch of unique activities for children as well as adults.
How to Get To Santa Claus Village?
Public Transport – Local Bus No. 8 and Santa’s Express Bus run frequently between the Airport, Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi City Center. A ride costs about 4 EUR per person and the journey time is about 30-40 minutes.
Taxi – A one way ride from city center would cost you about 30 EUR with the journey time cut by half. Obviously this is the fastest way and would be very convenient for groups, family or if have a lot of baggage on you.
What to do in Santa Claus Village?
We arrived at the village just before the sun was up, LOL, the sun, like that’s ever going to happen in Lapland. It was pitch black and the dial on my wrist showed 8:45am when the taxi dropped us at the entrance of Santa Claus Village. I could see millions of Christmas lights and the only noise I could hear was the crackling snow under my feet. We had successfully beaten the tour groups and it was the perfect time to start the day with the one thing every visitor to Santa Claus village checks off their list, meet the big man himself.
Meet Santa at Santa Claus Office
As we entered through the big wooden doors of the Santa Claus Office, we found ourselves in the most jolly shop ever on earth, the official Santa Clause Office Souvenir Shop. A dozen elves were hopping about singing and dancing between the aisles, all eager to welcome the visitors. One of those mischievous beings directed us to the magical corridor to Santa Claus where another elf awaited us. As we walked past the countdown-to-Christmas clock and up the majestic stairs, the elf enlightened us with a Christmas story and guided us to the man with the most epic beard on earth.
Shop at Santa Claus Office Souvenir Shop
Everything at this massive shop is Christmas themed. Finnish Ornaments, stuffed reindeers, funny socks, ugly Christmas sweaters, you name it and it’s there. You cannot leave without taking a piece of Finland with you from this shop so prepare your plastic cards accordingly.
Cross the Arctic Circle
A big red signboard outside Santa Claus Office notifies you that you are now crossing the Arctic Circle, one of the 2 polar circles of the earth. Now when will you ever get a chance to do that?
Send a Christmas Greeting from Santa Claus’s Main Post Office
Santa receives tons of hand written letters from all around the world at this very Post Office and it is also the place you can send Christmas greetings to your loved ones via the classic old-school snail mail.
Ride the Reindeer Sleigh
If you ever Google Santa Claus Village, there are 2 things that pop up, Santa Claus himself and the second are his Reindeers. Sit in the sleigh, cosy up in the blanket and experience Santa’s means of transport. You can either opt for a short ride of 400m or the longer 1 KM, a beautiful memory is guaranteed either way, just don’t forget to pat the majestic creatures and give them some love.
Warm yourself at The Loft Café
Located right across Santa Claus Office above Santa’s Gift House is a cute little café called The Loft. A place where you can kick off the snow boats, strip down some layers and post stories on your instagram while sipping on Hot Chocolate or Gluwein.
Get Certified at Santa’s Gift House
Just below the Loft Café is an alley of gift shops with Finnish souvenirs and Christmas trinkets, among these shops is the Arctic Circle Information Counter, where you can get a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle, how cool is that? This certificate is available for purchase in many different languages and is authenticated on the spot.
Visit The Snowman World
Experience amazing ice sculptures, sip on Flavoured Lappish vodka in glasses made of ice, enjoy a meal in the ice restaurant or slide down an ice slide (because that’s fun in every age).
Enjoy the Best Salmon In The World
What good is site-seeing if there is no food involved? Among the several buildings in the village is a small little hut called Santa’s Salmon Place which serves fresh salmon cooked on firewood right before your eyes. The waiting in que was so worth it because it was, without a doubt, THE best salmon I’ve ever had in my life. The menu is concise with just a few specialised items so we ordered everything, #NoRegrets.
We spent the rest of our afternoon strolling around the village, clicking pictures and doing some last minute souvenir shopping before ending this eventful day and bidding farewell to Santa Claus Village.
Where to stay for Santa Claus Village?
There are 2 main areas to stay in Rovaniemi if you want to visit Santa Claus Village, one is at the village itself and second is the city center. Your choice mostly depends on what kind of holiday you are planning and the time that you have at hand, here are the pros and cons:
At the village – As you probably guessed, walking distance to the most christmasy place on earth but away from the city center. Something to consider is that everything around the village is mainly for tourists so the shops are priced accordingly. If you do decide to stay at the village, some great places to stay would be at Nova Skyland Hotel, Santa Claus Holiday Village and Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle.
In the city – You will be in the heart of Rovaniemi and just a short bus ride away from Santa Claus Village. The city is entirely walk-able and is home to a lot of great cafes, restaurants, bars, museums and even a 24 hour convenience store which could add value to your trip. Personally I preferred this choice so to experience the city life as well, but that’s just me. We stayed at an Airbnb next to Lordi’s Square and had no issues getting to Santa Claus village or to the Airport, some good accommodation options you could look into are Arctic City Hotel and Arctic Light Hotel.
How much time should I spend it Santa Claus Village?
I recommend you block an entire day. Santa Claus Village is packed with exciting activities, 9 am becomes 3 pm fairly quickly, so 6-7 hours would be a good time frame.
How much does it cost to go to Santa Claus Village?
As mentioned in my post 5 Days In Lapland, Finland is not a place for budget travel, I’m not saying it’s impossible but you would be missing out on a lot of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Here is a quick breakdown of the expenses you could expect at the village:
- Bus to Santa Claus Village – 4 EUR approx./person
- Taxi to Santa Claus Village from the city center – 30 EUR approx.
- Entrance to Santa Claus Village – Free
- Meeting Santa Claus at Santa Claus Office – Free
- Get a gift from Santa – 25 EUR/gift
- Photos and Videos with Santa – 25 to 45 EUR (depending on the package you select)
- Send Postcard to your loved ones – 2 EUR/postcard
- Reindeer Slegh Ride – 18 EUR/person (400m), 29 EUR/person (1000m)
- Ticket for Snowman Village – 28 EUR/person
- Drinks at the Ice Bar in Snowman Village – 10 EUR/drink
- Lunch at Santa’s Salmon Place – 60 EUR for 2 persons (3 course meal)
- Souvenir Shopping at Santa Claus Office – Depends on how much you shop, budget 30 EUR as an average.
- Entrance to the Arctic Circle Husky Park – 10 EUR/person (although we didn’t go there, mostly because we had an amazing Husky safari planned the next day, read about my experience of the husky safari here)
All above prices are from my own experience at Santa Claus Village in December 2019. The actual costs might differ but you may consider these as a guideline to budget for your trip.
Alternatively, you may contact the local tourist board, Visit Rovaniemi, to help you plan your trip or let them prepare an experience for you at the best available prices.
What should I take to Santa Claus Village?
Christmas attire, a camera (DO NOT forget your camera), regular winter gear and that’s about it. To know more about the winter gear you need, check out my post 5 Days in Lapland.
What did I like about Santa Claus Village?
At first, I was a bit skeptical, I thought it would be a tourist trap, but some tourist attractions are attractions for a reason and this was one of them. My favourite thing at the village was interacting with the elves at Santa Claus Office, every single one of them was in perfect character for the job and they genuinely loved doing what they do.
What did I not like about Santa Claus Village?
I did find some of the activities to be overpriced. Yes, I know it’s Finland and I know it’s going to cost me a bit but if you are budgeting for a group of people (a family for example) the total amount would burn a big hole in the pocket. For example, I would’ve preferred a drink at the ice bar be included in the entrance fee or something like that, although I would gladly do it all over again. It’s expensive but it’s not a deal breaker.
Do I recommend Santa Claus Village?
Is that even a question? How could I not recommend the jolliest place on earth? At Santa Claus Village, everyone is living in the moment, everyone is happy and everyone has a smile on their face. It’s perfect for a Christmas holiday with family, partner or friends. I fell in love with this place and I can guarantee that you will too, all you have to do is please stamp your passport in Finland.
If you are considering a trip to Santa Claus Village then I hope this post shows you how magical this place is and why you should experience this yourself at least once in your life. Do check out my other posts on Finland, 5 Days in Lapland and Husky Safari in Rovaniemi. For official information on Santa Claus Village visit https://santaclausvillage.info/.
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Disclaimer: We were invited by Visit Rovaniemi to review this amazing experience and everything mentioned in this post is from my first hand experiences and honest impressions. Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links.
