Most Authentic Place to Celebrate Christmas?

Why, it’s the hometown of Santa Claus, of course!
by Jacqueline Miller

Did you know that Rovaniemi, in the Finnish Lapland at the Arctic Circle, has been dubbed the official hometown of Santa Claus? Santa could not have chosen a more magical place to call his home, a home at which he meets visitors every day of the year. It is also a popular place to cross the Arctic Circle and you can even get a certificate confirming your feat.

Start off with a visit to Santa Claus Office, located at the heart of the Santa Claus Village. There you’ll get a glimpse of Santa’s secrets, including one of his biggest secrets – the Earth’s Rotational Speed Regulator. It also gets you rubbing elbows with some of Santa’s elves. 

Then, imagine going underneath the Arctic Circle to an indoor Christmas theme park, where you can join elves in their magical world, earn your diploma from Elf school, decorate and devour gingerbread cookies in Mrs. Gingerbread’s Kitchen, feel the crispy winter in Ice Princess´ Ice Gallery, take a ride on the Magic Train, enjoy a Magical Christmas Show on the stage and of course, and meet Santa himself.

Want to send your Christmas list to Santa before your visit or post one when you get there? Letters from around the globe are on display at Santa Claus’ Main Post Office, where visitors can order letters from Santa and send their own holiday greetings, stamped with a special postmark. Its official address is:

Santa Claus’ Main Post Office
Santa Claus Village
Rovaniemi, Tahtikuja 1,
96930 Arctic Circle, Finland

The post office is open every day of the year.

And what would a visit to see Santa be without getting pulled on a sleigh with Blitzen and Rudolph leading the way! Plus, there’s so many other winter activities for families to enjoy.

Rovaniemi is approximately 520 miles from Helsinki, Finland. There are daily flight, train and coach connections where you can meet families from all around the world who want to experience the magic of Santa’s hometown.