Go to Finland to meet Santa Claus in real life

The village of Rovaniemi, 5 km south of the Arctic Circle in Finland, is considered the hometown of Santa Claus, with an official office that answers letters and welcomes visitors year-round.

Rovaniemi is a cluster of villages in the Arctic Circle where the indigenous Sami people rely on agriculture, foraging and logging to help their families survive the harsh winters.

Reindeer are their only companions. The Sami have herded the animals across Scandinavia and Russia for hundreds of years. The herds provide them with food, warmth, and transportation in the beautiful, but sometimes deadly, Arctic landscape.

Has an area of ​​8016 km²Rovaniemi is a city in the Lapland province. It was almost completely destroyed during World War II and then rebuilt. In 1950, US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the city to inspect the reconstruction efforts. Before her trip, local officials built a cabin a few kilometers north of the city, just above the Arctic Circle, to accommodate her. Today, the structure still stands in Santa Claus Village.

Legend has it that Santa's original home was in a secret, remote location in Finland that only a handful of people had the chance to know about. So in 1985, with the help of local authorities, he decided to open a public office in his cabin in Rovaniemi. There, Santa would welcome children all year round and also attract many tourists from all over the world to the area.

In 2010, the village officially opened to visitors and was named the official hometown of Santa Claus. Every year, about 500,000 tourists come here to see Santa Claus in real life.

Children can go home with proof of their magical encounter to show off to their friends as the village sells certificates showing they have met the real Santa.

At Santa Claus' office in Santa Claus Village, his helpers help him sort through piles of letters from children all over the world. Each letter contains a child's Christmas wish.

The letters were written in many languages, from many countries. Most of them were handwritten by children, some were decorated with colorful hearts and stars. Each year, he received about half a million letters from all over the world. The countries with the most letters included China, Poland, Italy, England, Finland, Russia, Japan...

Every year, more than half a million children around the world write letters and send them to Santa's official post office, where elves sort them by country. To date, the village has received letters from 198 countries and territories around the world. There is a post office here that uses the Arctic Circle stamp, which features Santa and his famous reindeer.

The village also has some fun and entertainment for adults. The Snowman World bar and restaurant is located right next to Santa’s cabin. Everything from the building to the cups is made of ice. Those who don’t mind the cold can book a room in the igloo-style ice hotel on the restaurant’s premises. The room features an ice sculpture of Santa and his sleigh flying through the sky.

Kotahovi Restaurant serves Lapland specialties and also offers live music.

Reindeer rides and farm tours are among the other attractions at the village. However, visitors are advised that flying reindeer is for Santa only, as “they require expert control, honed over centuries.” Better to leave it to the man in red.

This year, visitors can even take a free Uber snowmobile tour of the village from December 12-18, between 10am and 2pm.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao