Do you have any wish for Christmas? Me, I’ve decided to wear my winter fur and going to visit Santa Claus village in Lapland! Come with me!

Have you ever heard of Rovaniemi? It is the name of the one and only real Santa Claus village in Lapland.

As I do many tours in Northern Europe, I’ve always desired to visit it and tell you all about this magical place and its special Christmas spirit.

SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE IN LAPLAND: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

First of all, my friends, life here is freeeeezing! Get ready and wear warm clothes, the landscape is beautiful but very cold.

Santa Claus Village is basically at the Arctic Circle, so there are good chances you can see the aurora borealis! An amazing experience for parents and kids.

At the village, children can get the chance to meet Santa Claus himself every day.

The village is super pretty, there are many souvenir shops and a real Post Office, where you can send mail to Santa Claus. The area is plenty of cafè and restaurants, so you and your children can take all the breaks you want during the Christmas shopping. 

Santa Claus village in Lapland draws more than 500,000 annual visitors from everywhere.

The village lies in Korvatunturi – which means ‘Ear Fell’. The exact location of this place on the map is a secret, of course, only Santa Claus, me and few others animals know how to find it on our own! Santa decided to establish an office in Rovaniemi, which received the status of the Official Hometown of Santa Claus, in 2010.

The history of Rovaniemi is quite interesting: the city was almost destroyed in World War II. After the war, in 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt came to visit Rovaniemi and help to start the rebuilding process. Once she got there, she wanted to visit the Arctic Circle, so the local officials built a cabin eight kilometers north and that was the perfect excuse to the birth of Santa Claus village in Lapland.

Getting to the village is an easy job, it is open every day of the year and you can reach it using the bus number 8 from Rovaniemi or the Santa Express. You can also use taxi, car or walk, since the distance from the city centre is 8 kilometres. 

Don’t forget to check the opening hours, to make sure to be there at the right time. 

SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE IN LAPLAND: MAIN ATTRACTIONS

A month before Christmas, Santa Claus declares the opening of the Christmas season, and here the fun starts! The highlight is on the 23rd of December, when Santa Claus literally departs on mission to bring presents all around the world! Did you know that, until now, Santa received like 15 million letters from 198 countries? I bet there is one from your children too!

As I said, children can take pictures with Santa everyday, sending mail from the Santa Claus official post office and play with the reindeers! You can also take a sleigh ride with them, but remember: flying reindeers are available for Santa only! They are carefully selected for his special Christmas mission. Don’t forget to meet the elves! They are Santa’s helper and their work never ends, you could find them running all over through the market!

Santa Claus village is not the only attraction: during the winter season, there are good chances to see the aurora borealis and go skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, or simply exploring local life.

Children will be delighted to discover what life is about there, lost in the nature, surrounded by magic and beauty, because Santa Claus exists and can’t wait to meet all the family!

Tapsy