Of all the places in the world where you can visit Santa Claus, Rovaniemi is my favorite.
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, Finland’s northernmost province. This is a city that feels a little bit like a small-town Hallmark movie come to life. I don’t know that I’d come here looking for a holiday love story, but it is a charming enough it could be the set of a holiday rom-com.
Santa is said to have opened his office in Rovaniemi in 1985. The city was officially declared the hometown of Santa Claus in 2010. And thanks to Santa, Rovaniemi now exudes holiday cheer all year.
My intrepid traveler friend Izzie and I got to Rovaniemi on a Finnair flight from Helsinki. We stayed at the Santa Claus Holiday Village, a rustic compound that straddles the line that marks the beginning of the Arctic Circle. This is Santa’s home base, and it was a short walk from our cute cabin to Santa’s office.
Where To Stay
We checked into a quaint red cabin with a private sauna, a feature that’s fairly common in Finland in the middle of September. Our accommodations felt high-end rustic but had a comfortable, casual vibe. For a more luxurious experience, check into the Village’s Glass Resort or the neighboring Arctic Treehouse, both of which offer expansive views of aurora borealis from inside comfortably heated glass accommodations.
The Glass Resort is a collection of high-end igloos with an outdoor jacuzzi, and it too is just steps away from Santa’s office. The Arctic Treehouse is a more industrial-style luxury property, but its floor-to-ceiling windows offer travelers the chance to see the Northern Lights without having to brave cold and snow.
I would consider splurging on a future visit, Izzie and I had to step outside our cabin to look for aurora. We tried, but we hit a stretch of consecutive cloudy nights that thwarted our best efforts.
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Things To Do
Rovaniemi is one of the best places in the world to look for Northern Lights. In Rovaniemi, you can experience Northern Lights for about 150 nights from mid-August through mid-April. If you’re planning to travel in 2025, you may be especially lucky. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is expecting the electromagnetic activity that triggers aurora borealis to peak in 2025.
Even though we didn’t see a dazzling display of aurora on our trip to Lapland, the detour was well worth it. We got to hang out together in a cozy cabin sipping on hot chocolate. We picked up cute Christmas ornaments. We sipped on blueberry juice while enjoying breakfast by a cozy fire. And we got to send home postcards from Santa.
Each year, the post office in Santa Claus Holiday Village receives millions of letters representing countries around the world. Visitors can also send home postcards or letters. Just purchase a stamp and drop your mail in Santa’s mailbox. It’ll arrive with Santa’s special postmark just in time for Christmas.
If you’re looking for even more holiday cheer in Rovaniemi, head to SantaPark, an indoor Christmas theme park where you can hang out with elves, consider a career pivot into Elf School and check out Santa’s toy factory. Or stay warm on a snowy day by decorating cookies with Mrs. Gingerbread. Or give yourself the ultimate holiday treat, a reindeer sleigh ride, just like Santa on Christmas Eve.
Lapland is reindeer territory. There are about as many reindeer in Finland as there are people. It’s not uncommon to spot reindeer grazing near roads and homes. Reindeer are curious, but you should leave them alone. In case you’re wondering, it’s illegal to disturb or frighten reindeer in Finland.
Reindeer have been a key form of transit and food for the indigenous Sámi community in this area for generations. Reindeer husbandry remains a key part of the local economy, and there are several opportunities to cavort with these semi-domesticated animals. If you’ve got the budget for it, consider a reindeer sleigh ride or a reindeer safari, a ride across a larger expanse of frozen Lapland. Or visit a local reindeer farm if you’re on a tighter budget.
If you’re looking for a cozy indoor activity on a snowy day, head to the Arktikum, a local museum and science center. I was pleasantly surprised by this museum. It’s full of interactive exhibits and tells the story of how Rovaniemi came to be and how it rose from the ashes after World War II.
The German Army destroyed 90% of the city during the war. When it was rebuilt, the city’s footprint was designed to resemble the shape of a reindeer’s head.
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