Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi: Visitor Guide

Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi sits right on the Arctic Circle, about 8 km north of the city centre and only 3 km from the airport, so it fits easily into your first or last day in Lapland. The village is open every day of the year, walking around it is free, and Santa receives visitors in his office on the central square whether you arrive in December or in the middle of summer. A visit takes a few hours, which leaves room for a reindeer farm, a husky kennel or an evening aurora hunt. That second half of the day is usually where we come in.

We have been guiding from Rovaniemi since 2016, and our office is on Valtakatu 21 in the city centre, a short ride from the Circle. If you are planning the rest of your stay as well, our local’s guide to things to do in Rovaniemi walks through the museums, riversides and national parks around town.

What Is Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village is a group of buildings gathered around a central square, and the square itself is the heart of a visit. Santa’s office stands right next to the spot where you cross the Arctic Circle, so the two things most visitors come for are only a few steps apart. Inside the office you walk through Santa’s workshop, with boxes of presents waiting to be delivered and elves busy at work, until it is your turn to sit down for a chat and a photo with Santa. Entry to the office is free, and so is his red Christmas House in the village.

Look out for the giant clock in the workshop. The elves will tell your children that Santa uses it, with a little Christmas magic, to stretch time on Christmas Eve. That is how he reaches every home in one night, which is exactly what many children (and plenty of adults) want to know.

The village is also home to Santa Claus’ Main Post Office, which stamps your cards with a special postmark that is only available at the Arctic Circle. Around half a million letters reach Santa there every year, sent by children and adults from all over the world. If you visit well before Christmas, you can drop your card into a special letterbox and it will be sent so that it reaches your friends and family in time for the holidays.

The rest of the village is a mix of animals, food and shopping. Husky Park lets you meet Siberian huskies and Santa’s reindeer give rides all year round. In the snowy season Snowman World adds ice sculptures, ice slides and a Snow Restaurant. These are run by separate companies and have their own tickets, and some only open during the snowy or Christmas season.

For lunch, the restaurants serve dishes such as grilled salmon and salmon soup, while the coffee shops are a good place to try korvapuusti, the Finnish cinnamon bun. In Santa’s Gift House and the other shops you will find souvenirs made from birch wood and reindeer antler, such as the kuksa, a cup carved from a single piece of wood. For modern Finnish design, look for the Iittala shop with its glassware and the Marimekko store with its bold fabrics and clothing.

Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi runs straight through the central square, and the village gives its position as 66°33′45.9″ north of the Equator. You can step, hop or cartwheel across it, and if you want proof of the crossing you can pick up a certificate that confirms it.

This is where the midnight sun begins, so from here northwards the summer sun can circle the sky for a whole day and night. Around the summer solstice, on 20–22 June depending on the year, the sun stays up all night here. In late December the sun rises for only a couple of hours around midday, and the long twilight on either side of it paints the snow in soft blues and pinks. A summer visit and a winter visit show you the same square in completely different light.

The first building on the site was the Roosevelt Cottage, built in 1950 to honour Eleanor Roosevelt’s visit to Rovaniemi. It is a small piece of history in the middle of all the Christmas decorations, and it is free to visit.

What to Do There

A typical visit follows the square: Santa’s office first, then the Arctic Circle line, the post office, lunch or a coffee, and finally the shops. Christmas time is Santa’s busiest season, so plan for at least a couple of hours then. The village is busiest in the middle of the day, which is why we suggest arriving at opening time or in the late afternoon, when it is calmer and the light is softer for photographs.

Opening hours are set by each business and change with the season. Many shops and restaurants stay open longer in December and close earlier in spring and autumn. Some also change their hours around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so check the official opening hours page for the places you most want to see. Our own notes on visiting Santa Claus Village add a few more ideas for families.

If you would like photographs of the whole group together, we run a private photoshoot in Santa Claus Village for one to eight people. Your photographer picks you up within 10 km of Rovaniemi, drives about ten minutes to the village and then spends an hour walking around with you, taking photos as you explore. You receive 20–30 edited digital photographs in a password-protected gallery at gallery.beyondarctic.com a few days to one week later. Activities run by other companies, such as Snowman World or a reindeer ride, are booked separately and fall outside the photographer’s hour.

For the photoshoot, matching outfits or bright colours work better than black, white or grey, and natural earth tones look great in nature photos. After the hour you can ride back to town with the photographer or stay on, meet Santa and shop at your own pace, then take the bus back later.

The huskies and reindeer at the village make a good short first meeting with Lapland’s animals. If you would like to spend longer with them and hear from the people who raise them, our Arctic animals tours take you out to family farms and kennels around Rovaniemi.

Getting There

The simplest option is local bus number 8, which runs all year between the city centre and Santa Claus Village. From November to March the Santa’s & Airport Express also links the village with the city centre and the airport, and you buy tickets on board. In autumn and winter the Apukka Shuttle Bus runs between the city centre, the village and Apukka. Visit Rovaniemi keeps the current routes on its public transportation page, and the village has its own getting here guide.

Taxis are quick for the 8 km trip, and Menevä Taksi Rovaniemi lets you prebook one of its electric cars through its app. You can also drive, and in summer cycling out from the city centre is a pleasant way to arrive.

Because the airport is only 3 km away, the village fits well into an arrival or departure day, especially if your room is ready later in the afternoon or your flight leaves in the evening. On our own farm and aurora tours we lend you warm clothing and winter boots. At the village you will be outdoors in your own clothes, so dress for a few hours of walking in the cold.

Combine with Tours

The village fits neatly around our Rovaniemi tours, because most of them leave from town at set times and include hotel pick-up. On our own tours a professional photographer guides the day and the edited photos are included, so you can leave the camera in your pocket and enjoy the animals or the sky.

A few combinations that work well:

• Farm in the morning, village in the afternoon. The Authentic Reindeer Farm Experience leaves at 08:15 and lasts about three hours. After a drive of about 35 minutes to a local farm, you take a 2 km sleigh ride and feed the reindeer, which leaves the afternoon free for the village and its quieter late hours.
• Reindeer and huskies in one go. For families with small children, the Reindeer and Husky Adventure starts at 09:15 or 12:15, is open to all ages and pairs a 400 m reindeer sleigh ride with an 800 m husky ride driven by the musher.
• Huskies at midday. The Local Husky Experience takes two hours and visits a small kennel run by a local musher family, with a 3 km sled ride as a passenger and time by the fire with the dogs afterwards.
• Village by day, aurora by night. Our northern lights tour runs from late August to late April, and from December to late March it leaves at 20:00 or 20:30 and lasts 5–7 hours, so an easy village day makes a good warm-up for a long evening.

The aurora can never be guaranteed. We choose each night’s location from the cloud and aurora forecasts and drive to wherever the sky looks clearest. The evening tour is for ages eight and up, and families with younger children can book a private northern lights experience instead.

Our longer nature days, such as the 8–9 hour Riisitunturi National Park Adventure or the 6–7 hour Korouoma Frozen Waterfalls Adventure, deserve a day of their own. With three or four days in Rovaniemi, plan one for the village and the city museums, one or two for animals and nature, and keep at least one clear evening for the aurora. You can browse every option on our Rovaniemi tours page. If you would like help fitting the pieces together, write to contact@beyondarctic.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you are travelling with children or want to stand on the Arctic Circle. Meeting Santa, crossing the Circle and seeing the Roosevelt Cottage are all free, and you can send a card home with the Arctic Circle postmark. Half a day at the village, with a farm visit or the city museums for the other half, makes a comfortable day.

Is the Arctic Circle actually at the Village?

Yes. The line is marked in the central square at 66°33′45.9″ north, and you can collect a certificate after crossing it. It is where the midnight sun begins, so the village sees 24 hours of daylight around midsummer.

Do I need a ticket for Santa Claus Village?

Walking around the village, crossing the Arctic Circle and visiting Santa’s office are all free. Snowman World, Husky Park, Santa’s Pets and the reindeer rides are run by separate companies and have their own tickets, and some of them can be booked in advance.

Can Beyond Arctic photograph us at the Village?

Yes. Our Santa Claus Village photoshoot is a private hour with a professional photographer for one to eight people, including pick-up within 10 km of Rovaniemi and 20–30 edited photos. Our photoshoot service can also join you for other activities you have booked yourself, so contact us if you have something else in mind.

How far is the Village from the city centre?

The village is about 8 km north of the city centre and 3 km from Rovaniemi Airport. Bus 8 runs between the centre and the village all year, and from November to March the Santa’s & Airport Express connects the village with both the centre and the airport.

Can I see the northern lights at Santa Claus Village?

Sometimes, on a clear and dark night with strong activity, you can catch the aurora from the edge of town. The lights of the village and the city dull the display, though. The most vivid nights are out on frozen lakes and open fells away from the streetlights, which is where our evening tours head.

Is Santa Village Finland the same as the Village in Rovaniemi?

When travellers search for Santa Village Finland, they usually mean this village on the Arctic Circle at Tähtikuja 1, Napapiiri, just outside Rovaniemi. Some companies in the Santa Claus Village cooperative also host private visits with Santa at cabins and farms out in the Rovaniemi countryside, which you book ahead and which fill up fastest between late November and early January. If a booking names a different address, check where you are going.

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Sources

• Santa Claus Village, official site
• Visit Rovaniemi: Santa Claus Village at the Arctic Circle