THERE’S a village in Finland that is the official hometown of Father Christmas.
Located in Rovaniemi in northern Finland, the Santa Claus Village is festive all year, but really comes into its own in November and December.
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The Santa Claus Village is free to enter, but most of the festive attractions come at an additional price.
One of the main attractions is Santa Claus’s Office where holidaymakers can meet both Father Christmas and Mrs Christmas, and pose for a photo.
Another one of the village’s highlights is the Post Office where half a million letters are sent to Santa every year.
It’s also a working post office, which means tourists can send postcards, letters, and parcels to friends and family with an official Arctic Circle postmark.
There’s also an Elf Academy where younger visitors can learn what it takes to become one of Santa’s helpers.
After graduating from the Elf Academy, Santa’s newest recruits will also receive a special certificate.
And the Arctic Circle runs right through the festive village, which means visitors can cross into the Arctic Circle.
Holidaymakers can also visit Santa’s reindeer at the Elf Farmyard.
There guests will be able to meet animals like reindeer, alpacas, ponies, goats, sheep, rabbits, donkeys, and birds.
Other activities include snowmobile rides, reindeer rides, husky sledding, and Christmas Safaris.
There are several shops and gift shops as well as several restaurants where visitors can dine on local delicacies, often by an open fire.
Visitors can also order a drink the the village’s very own ice bar.
Activities and experiences should be booked in advance online – especially in the winter months when the village is at its busiest.
Do your research, as there are over Christmas-themed 40 companies located inside the Santa Claus Village, each with different opening times and booking requirements.
While the village is open all year, the best time to visit is in the winter when the festive attractions are up and running.
Ryanair operates direct flights from Stansted Airport to Lapland Rovaniemi Airport in Finland.
Flights take 3 hours and 20 minutes from London to Rovaniemi, and prices start from £50 for a one-way ticket in November.
It takes seven minutes to reach the Santa Claus Village in the car from Lapland Rovaniemi Airport.
There are several accommodation options inside the Santa Claus Village, including a snow hotel, a glass igloo, and other holiday cottages and villas.
The Santa Claus Village gets good reviews on Tripadvisor, with a 4/5 star rating from more than 4,000 reviews.
One person wrote: “The highlights for me, aside from meeting Santa, was getting to go for a walk in the woods with a reindeer, visiting the husky park.”
While another added: “We had a wonderful time with our twin granddaughters – it was very magical.”
And a third commented: “We stepped in the Arctic circle, met Santa Claus, did a sleigh ride. It is once in a lifetime experience.”
But visiting the Santa Claus Village as a holidaymaker isn’t the only way to experience the festive attraction.
Last year, TikTok sure Lucy, who is known as Footluce on the social media platform, revealed the spent six weeks volunteering as a Lapland ranger at the village.
In a video, she explained that found seasonal work on a website called Work a Season.
As well as caring for huskies, reindeer, and guests, she was also able
And becoming a Lapland Ranger isn’t the only festive job on the cards in Lapland, other seasonal work includes planning Santa trips to the area.
For those holidaymakers who don’t fancy heading abroad to get into the Christmas spirit, then you’ll be relieved to know that there are some great festive attractions in the UK.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
One of those is The Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham, which is said to be the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany.
Meanwhile, this travel writer thinks their hometown has the best Christmas attraction in the UK.
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