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Santa Claus Village – What you need to know before you go

When we planned our trip to Finnish Lapland and Rovaniemi to celebrate Christmas in Lapland. I knew we would want to visit Santa Claus Village, the official hometown of Santa Claus. However, when doing research I struggled to find much information. And since our holiday to Lapland in Northern Finland. Was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip I really wanted to make sure I had the low down on Santas Village Rovaniemi before we went. Turns out we didn’t really have much of a clue when it came to this Santa Claus attraction. But you guys will as I have pulled together all the things we learnt about visiting Santa Claus Village in Finland in December.

If you think we have missed anything or have any other questions not covered here then let me know in the comments below.

Table of Contents

Where is Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi?

Santa Claus Village is located 8km from Rovaniemi city center in Finland. If you are driving then you can use the address 96930, Rovaniemi to find it. The boys were convinced it was the North Pole!

How do you get to Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi?

We built our own trip to Christmas in Lapland as we did not want to be limited by the parameters of a package deal. However, we did not hire a car as travelling just before Christmas we knew a lot of snow was expected. We got a tax instead from our hotel which was located outside of central Rovaniemi (the wrong side for Santas Village). It cost us 32€ for around 11km journey. It took around fifteen minutes by car it is only a short drive. If you would like to drive then there is free parking available.

Alternatively, if you are staying in the centre then you are able to get the Santa Claus Bus to Santa’s Village. The Santa express bus leaves from Rovaniemi train station and will also stop at Santa Park. You can find out more information on the Santa Claus Bus on their website. You can purchase tickets on th bus in either cash or cards. It costs 4€ per adult one way or 7€ return and 2€ per child one way or 3€ return. Alternatively, the local bus number 8 bus also calls at both locations. More about the Linkkari bus can be found on the Rovaniemi transport website.

Opening times of Santas Village

Opening hours depend on the time of year you are visiting. In peak times during December and the holiday season, it is 9 am to 7 pm. They are open seven days a week and all year round. Even on Christmas Day! Although on the 23rd of December they say goodbye to Santa Claus as he starts his present deliveries. Some activities will not be available in the Summer months.

How much does it cost to go to Santas Village?

Visiting Santa Claus Village is actually free. There is no entrance cost. However many of the activities there do cost. With some being quite expensive! Eye wateringly so, I have included some of the prices below. Although we also found a couple of free things to do while we were there and managed to stick to some of the lower-cost activities. Just be aware of the souvenir shops as the children will be bound to want to spend their pocket money on various local handicrafts.

What age is Santa Village Rovaniemi good for?

We visited when the boys were aged 6 and 10 and they really loved Santas Village. There is so much to do that you will find something suitable for most age groups. If you plan to visit in December and spend Christmas in Lapland as we did then you will need to be mindful of how cold it gets. As the majority of it is outside and so it ensures they do not get too cold. Some activities do have age limits on them (see below).

How long do you need at Santa Village Rovaniemi?

We spent the whole day at Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. Arriving around 10 am and leaving at 4 pm. The only reason we left at 4 pm was that we had a private Santa Claus experience booked. During our visit, we also spent around two and a half hours at Snowman World. I think we could have stayed for longer especially if we had stopped for something to eat as well. Which we did not. I would definitely allow a day to explore when planning your itinerary if you are intending on doing some of the activities. If you are not then you could probably visit in a couple of hours.

What is there to do at Santa Claus Village Finland?

There is a lot to do. Although not as much as I initially thought as much of the area contains hotels and the Santa Claus holiday village. It is quite commercialised but, I have listed the main things to do:

Visit Santa and have a photo
Go on a reindeer ride and explore the reindeer village
Meet Mrs Claus
Visit the husky farm
Toast marshmallows
Play with sledges
Enjoy the winter activities at Snowman World
Try out a snowmobile
Cross the arctic circle and get a certificate
Buy some souvenirs
Enjoy the kid’s playground
Join the elf academy
Visit Santa Claus’s official post office
Try authentic local food in a Lappish meal
Book an excursion there are various avaliable including hunting the Northern Lights
Marvel at all the Christmas lights and beautiful Christmas tree

Free things to do at Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi

Most of the things listed above include a charge. However, we were pleased to discover some things which you can do for free. There are several fire pits located around the village. With the largest, we found being next to the reindeer. Here you can warm up and toast some marshmallows. It is not possible to buy marshmallows you need to bring your own.

There are sledges which belong to Santas Village that are free to use. Unsurprisingly they are popular and not as really available as I would have liked. It is not possible to hire them in an official capacity so it is first come first served. Or you can purchase one for 15€ from Santas House. Which the sceptic in me thinks is probably their intention.

The kid’s playground is also free. As there are not that many daylight hours in the Winter months there is a good chance you will b at Santa Claus Village at dusk or dark. Make the most of the festive feels and take in the buildings and Central Square all lit up.

We avoided the majority of the souvenir shops just stopping to buy a fridge magnet and a Christmas decoration from one gift shop. There are a lot of shops, more than I was expecting. They prove very enticing for the children.

Visit Santa at Santas Village

One of the biggest draws of visiting Santa Claus Villiage is to see the big man yourself and have a photo taken. You are not allowed to take your own photos when visiting although you can see him for free. It costs 40€ for a photo. There are two different places where you can meet him. Either in Santa Claus Office which is the most popular. Or the Christmas House Santa which you may find slightly quieter. And you can visit him every day of the year.

Many of the tours and package deals will see Santa in his office. So if you want to do this arrive before the crowds preferably as it opens and you should walk straight through. We did not visit Santa at Santa Claus Village because we had already arranged a specific trip to do this on a private basis without the queuing. For us the trip to Lapland was all about Father Christmas and I wanted to make sure the experience we had was spot on. There were too many unknowns for me to commit to something at Santa Claus Village. However, the pictures I have seen show a truly authentic Santa.

Santa Claus Reindeer Village

Another key draw is the Santa Claus reindeer resort. Here it is possible to go on Santa Claus reindeer sleigh rides through the snow with Santa’s reindeer. There are various different length rides avaliable with different costings. You can purchase tickets on the day from the ticket office just by the entrance to the reindeer village. The ticket office will also tell you when the package deals and tour operators are turning up for their visit. This means you can avoid waiting in the queue during this time. It was busy from the start of the day and a very popular activity.

When we visited the prices for a 400m ride were adults 18€ and children 14€ for a circuit in th village. 1000m forest ride costs adults 29€ and children 23€. While a 3km reindeer safaris costs 70€ for an adult and 55€ for a child with a minimum of two people.

As well as rides you can potentially see the reindeer in their enclosure in the village. Although they were all out when we visited. But it is worth walking over the bridge as the small forest area is very pretty in the snow. Plus you can also meet Mrs Claus at her house. A photo with Ms Claus costs 10€, you are not allowed to take your own photos. Meeting Mrs Claus is a good option if you are seeing Santa elsewhere.

Visit the Husky Farm

Located right next to Santa Claus Village is the Arctic Circle Husky Park. Having already arranged a husky adventure elsewhere we did not visit this area. As I knew my eldest would want to see them at the husky farms. To enter the husky park costs 10€ for an adult and 5€ for a child which will allow you to take photos of the husky dogs. However, if you want to pet the huskies it costs of 20€ per person and you can stay for half an hour to an hour. They also offer husky rides of 500m (you still have to pay the entrance fee) which costs 30€ for an adult and 15€ for a child.

This works out at 120€ for entrance and the 500m ride for 2 adults and 2 children. There is no getting away from husky rides are expensive. But it is a bucket list item. I think the ones at Santas Village do not work out to be particularly good value. When compared with other independent tours. We arranged an 8km Safari(16 x 500m) where the experience lasted for 2 hours+ including learning more about the huskies, petting them, meeting some pups and having refreshments around an open fire for 556€.

A 500m ride will give you a taster but it will be over n a flash.

Enjoy the winter activities at Snowman World part of Santas Village

You do need to pay to enter Snowman World. However, as we were staying at the arctic Snowhotel later in our trip we could get free entry. Normally entrance costs for the magical world are 28€ for an adult or child. With under 2s being free. This was a highlight of the boy’s visit with ice slides, snow slides, ice skating, the ice bar and an ice restaurant. They had a lot of fun. We enjoyed it so much and had such a good time that I have written about it separately – A visit to Snowman World.

If you can factor in the time and do not have any other winter fun planned then I would definitely do this. The wristbands allow you to leave and re-enter up to 8 pm when it shuts.

Ride a snowmobile at the Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park

Another highlight for the boys was having a go on a snowmobile. It was a little chaotic when we turned up and they are not very organised. It costs 22€ and s suitable for children from the age of four. You pay in the little white hut by the track. And then pick up a balaclava and helmet. If it gets busy they do not have enough helmets and so you need to wait in the queue and pick one up at the front before getting on your snowmobile.

Each child gets to ride for about fifteen minutes. Which is why the queue can get quite long. If this is something you would like to do I would suggest visiting early to avoid the queues as much as possible.

Cross the arctic circle and get a certificate at Santas Village

I was surprised by how excited Charlie was about crossing the magical arctic circle. You can do this outside by following the red towers which have arctic circles written on them. When there is no snow there is am arctic circle line on the ground which is easy to spot.

Alternatively, the same line runs through the information centre which is visible all year round. It is possible to get a certificate from the information office with a special arctic circle stamp and the date. These cost either 4.95€ or 6.95€ for a foiled certificate.

Join the elf academy

We did not try this out during our visit to Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi but you can also join the elf hat academy. This interactive theatre-like experience lasts for around 25 minutes. When we visited it was running roughly every forty-five minutes from midday; 12 pm, 12.45 pm, 1.30 pm, 2.15 pm, 3 pm, 4 pm, 4.45 pm and 5.30 pm. At a cost of 39€ per person. During the academy, you will become one of the elves, sneak peek into their daily lives in the academy and experience the preparations for Christmas on the Arctic Circle.

Upon graduation, you receive a special elf mark to symbolize the newly acquired wisdom and, of course, an Elf Academy graduates’ diploma to always remember the secrets you learned. As we had already made arrangements to visit Santa Park which includes Elf school which also lasts for 25 minutes. I made the assumption that the two are very similar. Not having done both I can not compare directly. But you get all the attractions at Santa Park for the entrance price for two consecutive days for the same price as the elf hat academy at Santas Village. If this was the only Christmas attraction we were visiting then we probably would have done this

Visit Santa’s main post office

I loved this! At Santa Claus main post office you can buy a postcard to post home either this year or next year. They cost between 1.50€ to 2.50€ each depending on what you choose. As well as the postcard you need to buy stamps. Five postcards and five stamps cost us around 17€. Santa claus’s main post office also looks like a proper post office rather than a Santa-inspired one. But a postcard from the arctic circle will make such a nice keepsake.

This was the first thing we did as there is not much space to write you postcards. With just a couple of tables at the back and I can imagine it gets very busy later on the day.

Tips for visiting Santa Claus Village

As mentioned arrive early at the Rovaniemi Christmas Village if want a sledge as they go really quickly.
Take snacks with you if you want to avoid sitting down for a big meal.
Don’t forget marshmallows to toast and sticks to roast them on.
Another bonus of arriving early at Santa Claus Village Rovaniemi when it opens means that you will miss most of the organised tours. So queues for certain activities will be shorter. Plus it means you can get some photos in front of the Santa Claus Office without lots of other people.
There is a taxi rank right by Santa’s House, marked on the map by the yellow taxi sign. The bus stop is also marked.
Head to the information centre to pick up a map to make sure you tick everything off your list. The information centre is located by Central Square. If you don’t manage this there are a couple of light-up signs that have the map on.
If you are building your own trip to Rovaniemi to celebrate Christmas in Lapland then I would make sure you decide what you want to do in advance. Which activities you would like to have a taster with and those that you want to spend money on for the full experience? As there is a lot of cross over. This is what we did and then used Santa Claus Village to fill in the bits.
For this reason we had the best time without feeling too overwhelmed which I think now having visited I can see how you may feel like that.
We spent a total of 75€ at Santas Village, this was the postcards home, the boys go on the snowmobiles and two certificates for crossing the arctic circle. Snowman world was free for us because of staying in the Snow Hotel, but it would have added 116€ if we had paid for it.