The Best and Original Northern Lights Experience with Pro Photographer
Hunt for the Northern Lights from Rovaniemi with an experienced photography guide, flexible route planning and professionally edited photos included.
Aurora tours & Nature Experiences
Book nowBy Juho Uutela
3 min read
So, you have decided to travel to Rovaniemi? You are probably busy making plans to make sure you don’t miss any of the must-have experiences in the capital of Finnish Lapland. Make sure to include a visit to Santa Claus Village to your Rovaniemi bucket list!

Visiting Santa Claus Village is possible all year round, every day of the year. Santa may be most busy during Christmas, but he always has time to meet all the children (and the young at heart adults) that travel to visit him.
The best part about visiting Santa Claus Village is that it is totally free! When you arrive to Rovaniemi, you can catch the local bus to Santa Claus Village or take a taxi from your hotel or Rovaniemi city centre.
Santa’s office is located at the square in the heart of Santa Claus Village, right next to the spot where you can cross the Arctic circle. Step inside and experience the magical atmosphere in Santa’s workshop, with boxes of presents ready for Santa to deliver all over the world. You can also spot Santa’s elves hard at work, if you know where to look…
After meeting Santa Claus, it is time to explore the many attractions and activities in Santa Claus Village. The first stop is Santa’s official Post Office. Here, you can send Christmas cards with Santa’s official stamp and seal on your card. If you are visiting a longer time before Christmas, you can drop your card in a special letterbox and have your card sent to your friends and family just in time for the holidays.

Next, head over to meet the huskies of Santa Claus Village. Or if you are looking for something a bit more relaxed, you may try a short sleigh ride pulled by a reindeer (don’t worry – they only fly for Santa Claus) and enjoy a hot beverage by a camp fire.
If you want to make your visit extra special, we recommend booking our popular Photoshoot in Santa Claus Village. The photoshoot includes 20-30 high-quality, professionally edited photos from your visit to Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi.

There are many restaurants in Santa Claus Village too, when you feel like getting a bite to eat. Try grilled salmon or a hearty salmon soup, or if you’re just looking for a snack, relax in one of Santa Claus Village’s coffee shops and enjoy a taste Finnish “korvapuusti” (a sweet cinnamon bun)!
Finally, head over to the many shops and boutiques for a fine selection of traditional souvenirs crafted from local materials, such as birch wood and reindeer antler. A Finnish “kuksa” or wooden cup carved from a single piece of wood is a beautiful and practical souvenir that, when properly cared for, will last you a lifetime. For contemporary Finnish design, check out Iittala (famous for their glassware) and Marimekko (clothing, fabrics and interior design).
Follow @beyondarctic on Instagram and TikTok for more inspiration and plan your visit to Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. Contact our experts for advice and recommendations by email (contact@beyondarctic.com) or WhatsApp.
See you soon!

Plan a tailored photoshoot in Rovaniemi around your Lapland journey, selected activities or several days of your holiday.
Book a private nature photoshoot near Rovaniemi with transfers, a professional photographer and 20–30 edited digital photographs.
Book a private Santa Claus Village photoshoot for one to eight people, with Rovaniemi transfer and 20–30 edited digital photographs.
So, what are northern lights, exactly? They are light given off by the thin air 80 to 500 kilometres above the ground, when fast electrons race down Earth's magnetic field and collide with oxygen and nitrogen. Each collision gives an atom or molecule a little extra energy. When it settles back down, it releases that energy as coloured light, much as the gas inside a neon sign glows.
The Arctic animals in Lapland that most visitors meet are reindeer and huskies. Reindeer graze all over Lapland, along forest edges and roadsides, and in a Rovaniemi summer they sometimes wander down to the river beach among the sunbathers. Sled dogs live at family kennels outside the towns. Bears, wolves, lynx and wolverines generally avoid people, and the Arctic fox is so rare in Finland that most travellers meet these animals at Ranua Wildlife Park, about an hour's drive south of Rovaniemi.
Working out what to pack for Lapland in winter is mostly about layers you can open and close, and about keeping your fingers, toes and ears warm. A winter day in Rovaniemi or Levi moves between long spells outdoors and short breaks in a warm minivan or a kota. The temperature can also fall further during a single evening tour, so your clothes need to keep up while you stand by a frozen lake and watch the sky.
Simply contact us to plan your trip and claim your discount — we'll help you craft the perfect holiday experience.
Contact us!