We decided to surprise our 8-year-old godson and take him on a birthday trip to see Santa Claus in Rovaniemi! For our godson, this was a completely new experience, as he had never been to Lapland before. Our destinations were Santa Claus Village and SantaPark, with Santa Claus Village being familiar to us but SantaPark being a new acquaintance.
Accommodation in Rovaniemi
For accommodation, we wanted a cozy cabin, which is, of course, a must for a visit to Lapland. We rented a cabin in Ounasvaara, Rovaniemi, which was an ideal location for our visit to Rovaniemi. The cabin was absolutely lovely. The very comfortable and cozy cabin had both a fireplace and a sauna, which are essential for the cabin atmosphere. We rented the cabin through an advertisement on Tori.fi.
The distance from Ounasvaara to Rovaniemi city center was only a few kilometers, and it was just over 10 kilometers to Santa Claus Village, so the location was perfect.
Santa Claus Village
We spent a day at Santa Claus Village and had plenty of time to explore it. The place is very atmospheric, especially in winter and especially around Christmas, when the holiday spirit is in the air. Snow, Christmas lights, carols, and elves running around make it a real Christmas wonderland.
We visited Santa Claus’s post office, where we sent Christmas cards with the official Arctic Circle postmark. We admired the reindeer in the enclosure and the reindeer sleighs that carried tourists around the Santa Claus Village. Santa Claus Village is built around the Arctic Circle, and you can easily cross the Arctic Circle at the central square, where it is clearly marked.
Here you’ll also find Mrs. Claus’s House, which looks very cozy from the outside, and inside you can meet Mrs. Claus and visit her cafรฉ. There are also several shops in the area selling all kinds of Lapland-themed souvenirs. Our godson found a very delightful souvenir for himself here.
You could have met Santa Claus in a couple of places, but we were going to SantaPark the next day, where a visit to Santa Claus is included in the SantaPark ticket price, so we skipped seeing Santa Claus here. Seeing Santa Claus here would have been at an additional cost.
We also visited the Arctic Circle Husky Park located on the outskirts of the area, and this was definitely our godson’s favorite place. At Husky Park, you could wander around peacefully, admire the over 100 huskies in the park, and if you wished, you could even go on a husky sleigh ride. We went to see every husky, and we spent a couple of hours exploring until the cold drove us to leave.
Visiting Santa Claus Village itself is free, but there are paid activities available, such as reindeer rides, meeting Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, and the Husky Park.
Our day at Santa Claus Village easily passed by, soaking up the Christmas atmosphere, exploring the area, and it truly provided a real Christmas spirit to take home.
SantaPark
On the second day, we visited Santa’s home cavern at SantaPark. It is located next to Santa Claus Village, a couple of kilometers towards Rovaniemi.
The theme park is built into the rock underground, so it has a very nice and different atmosphere. If crossing the Arctic Circle at Santa Claus Village was easy, SantaPark is the only place in the world where you can cross the Arctic Circle underground.
SantaPark is a very charming place that appeals to all ages; we were certainly excited to explore and discover different areas ๐
The Ice Gallery features various ice sculptures and is beautifully illuminated, making the visit very enjoyable, even though the temperature in the gallery is -10 degrees Celsius. Before entering the gallery, you have to put on a warm cloak to be able to admire the sculptures comfortably.
In the Gingerbread Bakery, we got to decorate our own gingerbread cookies with the help of the elves. We could either take them home as souvenirs or eat them on the spot.
After the Gingerbread Bakery, we went to the Elf School at SantaPark, where we participated in a crash course. Here, the children got to sit in the front row to learn about the most important skills of the elves, and we older students had to settle for seats in the back, but the learning reached all the way to the back of the class. In the end, we received a certificate for completing the Elf School!
In Santa’s office, you could visit Santa himself, where you get your own time with him to chat leisurely and take as many pictures as you like. There might naturally be a queue here, but it’s definitely worth the wait to meet Santa Claus personally and unhurriedly.
One of the highlights of the visit was the Elf Show, a highly skilled acrobatic performance held in the central square, where the elves performed various tricks on stage. This entertained both children and adults very well. This is definitely something not to be missed, and it’s worth finding out the showtimes for the day upon arrival.
The only restaurant is in the central square offers home-cooked buffet-style food. We timed our meal so that we could just eat before the show started. It’s advisable to arrive some time before the start of the show to secure good seats. When the show starts, it can be challenging to find seats as many people gather to watch.
Above the central square, there is a 3D sleigh ride where you can ride a sleigh. This was really fun and our godson’s absolute favorite part of the whole place! In addition to this, we got to explore and craft at the elves’ workshop and the post office, which was overflowing with letters received by Santa Claus.
Overall, SantaPark was a really entertaining and well-executed place, where the Christmas atmosphere is guaranteed. The place isn’t just built for children; adults are also taken into account, and we certainly had a great time.
