How to spend the day visiting the Santa Claus Village in Finland

Nothing can get you into the Christmas spirit like visiting the Santa Claus village in Finland!

On the edge of the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi is a small city of northern Finland. Rovaniemi is home to the reindeers, huskies, an infamous ice hotel, and of course, the Santa Claus village.

This is the perfect place for children and adults alike to experience the magic of Christmas… ALL YEAR ‘ROUND!

And best of all… Santa’s Village does not have to be condensed into a 2 hour visit. You can also sleep in Santa’s Village to live out the entire North Pole experience!

Here is what you can expect of your visit to the Santa Claus Village:

• Husky Park – cuddle with these cute dogs and go on a ride pulled by the husky team!
• Snowmobile Park – a place where kids and adults can have some fun riding snowmobiles, which could be a 1 hour safari, under the northern lights and more!
• Elf’s Farmyard Zoo – this is a small farm where you can feed reindeer, domestic animals, and alpacas! If this didn’t sound cute enough, you can take the reindeer or alpaca on a walk!
• Elf’s Hat Academy – If you ever wanted to get an inside scoop on the life of elves, here it is! This is a place where you can come and learn from the wise elves themselves, and even walk out with a diploma for attending the elf’s hat academy!
• Santa Claus’s Reindeer Ride – enjoy a ride from Santa’s reindeers in Santa’s own backyard!
• Snowman World – this is the playground of the north, outside and in the snow! And if you get tired of sliding around, you can pick up some skates to go ice skating. Finally, for those who want to let loose and party, there is an ice disco for anyone 18+ in the evening.
• Santa Claus’s Post Office –
• Christmas House and Santa Claus’s Office – Here you can meet Santa Claus himself and take a picture with him. He might even tell you some of his secrets about how he travels the world in one night!
• Mrs Claus’s Christmas Cottage – cozy up inside the cottage as you join Mrs. Claus for some of her telltale stories of the Finnish Lapland
• Restaurants, cafe’s, bars – there are many places to have a nice meal in the village

Costs

Keep in mind that all of these activities come at an extra cost UNLESS you book a winter package with the Santa Claus Village.

• To give you an idea, a full winter package for a family of four for 3 nights, with all meals included and most activities included is 3516 euros.

Outside of the Santa Claus Village

Additionally, there are many other activities you can do outside of the Santa Village, such as ice fishing, polar dipping, light hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, and more! It is worth looking into the following websites

• Visit Rovaniemi
• Santa Claus Village website under services and activities
• TripAdvisor
• GetYourGuide

From what I understand, you can book activities when you get to Rovaniemi, but keep in mind they may be sold out once you get there.

My honest take: As a young traveler on a budget, a visit to the village for a few hours was enough. We ended up planning our own visit with the huskies, reindeer and northern light experience for much cheaper. However, the Santa Village is a winter and Christmas wonderland, especially for the kids! And I would recommend it for families who have a bit of money to spend as it is an experience that your child will remember for a lifetime.