MEET SANTA CLAUS AND EXPLORE SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE

Tired of the ordinary and wanted something special? Visit Santa Claus Village and experience a magical Christmas all year round like no other!

Santa Claus Village will give a different twist to your Christmas celebration. Are you planning for a unique proposal? Why not do a concert with Santa? Wanting to pass on a unique Christmas tradition to your kids? Why not actually spend it in the Arctic and have a white Christmas?

Santa Claus Village is an amusement park in Rovaniemi, Finland. It aims to promote an all year Christmas magical experience.

Entrance to the park is free but, you will have to pay for the activities.like, the safaris, meet and greet with Santa, etc.

Can you imagine my joy while dining in this place? While snowflakes were falling outside, I was inside, seeking a warm refuge while sipping my coffee and waiting for my salmon to be grilled in an open fire. What a cool experience that was!

These are only a few things that you can do at the Santa Claus Village. There are other more things that I will share with you in the succeeding sections of this post. E

At the village, you will see this prominent structure with shops inside where you can buy gifts or find a place to eat. This is also where you can do a meet and greet with Santa. The mood during the day is very different from the mood during the night as you can see on the photos below.

Snowflakes were like crystals glittering on the plants surrounding the park
The lamp posts added that magical glow around the main ground

The entire park was covered with snow and it looked like a picture of a white Christmas.

By this time, the sky began to be gloomy and snow started to trickle from the sky

Santa Claus village is a resort in itself with large and spacious grounds, accommodation, attractions, shops and many more! During this time of the year, investing on high quality boots will really help.

The park started to transform into a moody Christmas vibe at around 3:00 PM in the afternoon. Yellow fairy lights and bulbs lit up the entire village by this time.

My eyes were glowing on this photo. I was beyond happy to finally live the dream that I only imagined before this trip. “I will come back with my family”, that was the thought I uttered while smiling for the camera.

Back-story of this trip

You have only seen a glimpse of my Lapland trip guys, the succeeding sections are far more promising. But, before I spill the attractions in this village, allow me to share with you a back story of this trip.

I researched about Lapland way before I flew here. It was never in my wildest dream that I will experience the Lappish adventure very soon.

I was so inspired to see the place that I collected photos and used it as my wallpaper before actually seeing Lapland. To my surprise, that dream and fascination became a reality very fast. I was in a business trip to Europe and had a vacation after that. So, I used that opportunity to fly to Finland.

Dream as big as you can, it’s crazy how the universe will conspire to make it happen. I had no clue that it will happen very fast for me.

You must read my Guide to Rovaniemi to give you the necessary information about the Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi. I always try my best to post exhaustive information so that you can get the most out of my posts.

The guide post will give you a clear idea of when is the best time to visit the place, the food prices, accommodation and expenses, etc.

Now, let’s go to the exciting part – the things that you can do and see at the Santa Claus Village!

1. Cross the Arctic Circle

You would not miss this huge entrance going to the main ground of the village. It is not only an entrance but also a line indicating that you will about to cross the Arctic circle.

When I arrived in the city center, I saw the icy road but I did not see snow-covered roads. So I thought, my experience in Lapland would be incomplete. I also had been meaning to do safaris, and well, to see snow for myself so, it would have been a shame if I had not witness it myself in Finland. That is why, I was very happy to see the snowy road as we got closer to Santa Claus Village. How much more when I started to feel speck of snowflakes on my skin right?

My super excited self is captured here crossing the line that marks the Arctic Circle. And look at me in rubber shoes guys, haha.

The arctic line passing running through the Santa Claus Village

From the outside, you can already tell that a lot of exciting things await inside

2. Meet and Greet with Santa

As I have mentioned earlier, this one is one of the attractions at the park. Photo with Santa Claus costs 20 EUR. You cannot use camera inside so, if you want to document your meet and greet, you will have to pay for the photo. They have an official photographer inside who will take the photo for you. They will then give you a link to their site with the password.

The meet and greet with Santa Claus is very brief by the way, probably around five minutes. It is just a “hi, hello” thing then, photo taking and, that’s it. If you would ask me if it’s worth the 20 EUR, I would say: “definitely not” but, it’s the experience you are paying anyway so I guess, the price is acceptable.

I met this friend in Finland and it is fascinating how we bonded like sisters over trip to Santa Claus Village and Northern Lights hunting.

This was me while waiting for our turn to meet Santa. By the way, the elves will usher you inside.

3. Explore Santa Claus Village

You can do a quick round at the entire village and take-in the beauty of nature. Lapland nature in general is spectacular anyway but as you explore the village, you will also see different sights in different parts of the theme park.

This is the husky safari area where you can see this very regal sunrise

The dead month did not stop Mr. sun to rise brightly.

This looked like the sun was kissing the ice and I was in awe at how pristine Finnish nature is!

You can just walk inside the theme park and not do any activities yet, you will truly enjoy the beauty of nature

Snowflakes were falling here so I was happily catching them but also, I was just so glad I stood on a platform because my feet was already literally freezing here.

I did not expect to have good photos during my trip because my bestfriend is really the one who knows how to capture presentable photos of me. Luckily, my new friend from Japan also knows how to capture good angles of me, haha

The photos above were taken near the cottages inside the resort. You can actually book for a place here and wait for Christmas eve. While doing so, you may request for Santa to pay you a visit.

Santa Claus Village was very sunny when we arrived. Then, after an hour or two, snowflakes started to fall. My feet started to numb after a while of walking outdoor since I was only wearing rubber shoes. We had to go inside the shops or stand on a platform to warm my feet. Luckily, they also had this fireplace so we were able to get extra warmth while we were outdoor.

I therefore conclude that I only know how to smile for the camera. I don’t know how to project or emote , lol.

4. Visit Santa’s Post Office

Before we left the Santa Clause Village, we dropped by at Santa’s Post Office. It is a shop that sells cards and stamps and some souvenir items. I decided to write a card for my son who was seven that time since it was almost December. He will receive it in time for Christmas.

Sending card to my son was my way of sharing to him my world as a child. I used to collect stamps growing up and I loved receiving physical letters at that time. I wanted to share a memory to my kid that is very precious to me and might be so obscure in his generation.

Inside the shop, you can choose from a variety of options for your cards including the stamp. I actually enjoyed picking the cards that I ended up sending letters not only to my son but, to my husband as well.

I would really encourage you to try this, it is nostalgic and at the same time, memorable. This was me after writing on my card that I was about to send to my son and husband

The cards for my son and husband
Can you find your country here?
Inside the post office

After writing on the card, you will have to decide whether to mail it via express or in time for Christmas. Of course, I chose the latter.

For the post cards, prices range from 5.85 to 8.8 EUR and stamps from 0.75 to 2.70 EUR.

5. Do a Reindeer and Husky Safari

I really wanted to try husky and reindeer safaris in Lapland. I inquired from different activity providers before my trip but, almost all of them said that their services will only open in December. This is because, snow in November is not enough for the animals to run safely: the roads are icy and slippery during this time. Hence, animals will slide in that condition. I had to find other options despite knowing that the odds were against me.

Then, I found an article that at Santa Claus village, they offer these activities. And when I inquired, lo and behold, yes indeed! It’s just that, for the husky safari, it was just a very short ride, but I tell you, it was fast and fun! For reindeer safari, they used wheels for the sled. The guide will tour you around the theme park so you will have a better chance of enjoying the ride and the view.

While waiting for our turn, the reindeer were given time to eat and rest

Prices for the reindeer safari are: 18 EUR for 400 meters, 29 EUR for 1000 meters, and 65 EUR for 3000 meters.

These were the huskies on standby. They are so adorable aren’t they?

Our husky safari cost us 40 EUR. I will be doing a separate post about my safari adventure in the next post, so stay updated guys. Click subscribe to receive the the most recent posts from our blog.

6. Ride a Snowmobile

This is also something that you can try at the theme park. I was not able to try this personally though because day light was very short when I was there and it was already dark when we finished the activities above. But yes, you can also do this activity there.

For a one day visit, I pretty much enjoyed my time at the Santa Claus Village. Dreams do come true indeed!

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