The world-famous Christmas village, where Santa Claus is at home, is located in Rovaniemi, Finland, in Lapland, the home of the Finnish indigenous people – the Sami. In the snow-covered forest, you can meet Santa Claus every day in the Christmas village and cross the magical Arctic Circle. The lovable old man with a white beard spends every day in the Christmas village to make the bright children’s eyes happy with his good-naturedness and to bring out the good in the adults, who feel transported back to their childhood at the sight of him.
The Sami village of Rovaniemi
The picturesque village of Rovaniemi is worth a trip alone and invites you to stroll and stroll with its picturesque houses and snow-covered streets. What many visitors don’t know: The Arctic Circle runs directly through the Christmas village and is located directly on the circle of latitude 66°33′45.9″, which runs north of the equator. On this side of the globe, the sun no longer rises or sets on the days of the solstice. The phenomenon is also known as the midnight sun in summer and polar night (Finnish name “Kaamos”) in winter. What better place to cross the Arctic Circle than Santa’s village? To prove to your loved ones at home that you have actually made it to the Arctic Circle, you can have the crossing of it confirmed. So not only Christmas fans get their money’s worth at this very special place.
The nearby area around Santa Claus Village and other attractions
Let yourself be enchanted by the spectacular Northern Lights – a unique experience that you will never forget! Particularly popular are the so-called “Northern Lights accommodations”, where you can admire the fascinating play of the magical Aurea borealis on about 200 days a year under an insulated glass panomara dome in the lush forest and sleep comfortably snuggled up under the starry sky.
Most of the panorama accommodations are picturesquely located in the forest. In the Christmas village, there is also the opportunity to visit Santa’s little helpers – his hard-working elves – at a nearby small elf farm, where you will have the opportunity to cross the Arctic Circle on traditional Finnish wooden skis.
In the enchanting elf shop, there is the opportunity to stock up on cute souvenirs, but also souvenirs typical of the country such as typical Finnish Christmas tree decorations. There is also the opportunity to visit and feed real reindeer in the Santa Claus Village behind the Santa Claus office from early summer to early autumn. You’ll be escorted by a guide to a reindeer enclosure with small groups of reindeer.
There you can feed, pet and take photos of the reindeer. The guide will also inform you about reindeer and reindeer herding in Lapland. Around the small town of Rovaniemi there are a variety of other typical local attractions. Visit a husky camp where you can meet the lovable but very robust sled dogs, which are still traditionally harnessed to the dog sleds and are typically used in Lapland to transport goods. If you wish, you will have the opportunity to drive a dog sled yourself. The Arktikum Museum in the centre of Rovaniemi is also worth a visit. There you will learn interesting facts about the history, culture and nature of the region north of the Arctic Circle and the Finnish indigenous people – the Sami. Snowshoe hikes in the snow-covered surroundings are also among the unique experiences in Lapland – icy cold, fantastically beautiful landscapes and afterwards a hot mulled wine!
