Christmas in Lapland: Father Christmas, reindeer sleighs and nights under the northern lights

Meeting Father Christmas on the Arctic Circle

Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland, calls itself the Official Hometown of Santa Claus, and the claim comes with an address: Santa Claus Village, on the Arctic Circle a short ride north of the town. Father Christmas sees visitors at his office every day of the year, and the village says entrance to the office is free of charge. Outside, a line across the square marks the Arctic Circle itself, and children love the moment of stepping over it.

Across the square is the Santa Claus Main Post Office, where around half a million letters a year arrive from children and adults all over the world. Everything posted here carries the special Arctic Circle postmark, and anything dropped in the red post box is held back and sent to arrive at Christmas: a card written in Lapland in November, landing on the doormat at home in December, is a small piece of magic. From 1 December to 6 January the post office opens daily, 9am–8pm.

Santa Claus Village →   The Main Post Office →

Elf School and the gingerbread bakery

Next door, in a cavern under the Arctic Circle, SantaPark describes itself as the world’s only underground Christmas theme park. It is the elves’ domain: children can graduate from Elf School, roll and decorate gingerbread in Mrs Gingerbread’s Bakery, watch the Elf Show, see the workshop and ride the Magic Train. SantaPark reopens for the season on 31 October 2026 at 10am.

Plan a morning for the village and an afternoon underground, rather than squeezing both between flights; little ones tire quickly in the cold, and the elves are best enjoyed unhurried.

SantaPark →

Sleighs pulled by reindeer, huskies and horses

A reindeer sleigh is the ride every child expects, and it is gentler than it looks: reindeer walk at a steady pace while you sit wrapped in hides. At Santa Claus Village, the family herders of Santa Claus Reindeer run a 400-metre first ride and an 800-metre forest path, longer winter safaris, and night-time sleigh rides in search of the northern lights at their farm outside town.

Huskies are the opposite: a team of excited dogs and a sled that suddenly flies. Bearhill Husky in Rovaniemi has short family rides with a musher on the sled and husky meet-and-greets for younger children, while older children and parents can drive their own team. Lapland Safaris runs husky, reindeer, snowmobile and northern lights tours in Rovaniemi, Levi, Ylläs, Luosto and Saariselkä, with some tagged family friendly.

For the sound of sleigh bells, Apukka Resort outside Rovaniemi includes horse-drawn sleigh rides in its winter activities. Whichever you choose, ask the operator what warm clothing is included, and how long the ride really is for small children.

Reindeer sleighs →   Husky rides →   Horse sleighs →

Snow hotels, ice bars and a night on an ice bed

Every winter, hotels of snow and ice rise again across Lapland. Outside Rovaniemi, Arctic SnowHotel opens on 15 December 2026, with snow suites, an ice restaurant where dinner is served by candlelight on tables of ice, an ice bar, and warm glass igloos for those who would rather watch the sky than sleep on reindeer hides. Near Ylläs, Lapland Hotels SnowVillage is rebuilt from scratch each year around a new theme, from over 20 million kilos of snow and about 300,000 kilos of ice; it opens from 25 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, daily 10am–10pm.

Across the border, ICEHOTEL at Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland has been built each winter since 1989 with ice from the Torne River, its Art Suites carved by artists from around the world, and the bar is ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL. In Norway, Sorrisniva’s Igloo Hotel at Alta opens from 20 December to 1 April, with its own Igloo Ice Bar.

For older children, the icebreaker Sampo sails from Kemi from 18 December 2026: guests walk on the frozen sea and float among the ice in survival suits. The SnowCastle of Kemi that once stood here is no longer built.

Our advice: one night in a snow suite is plenty for most families. Book a warm room for the rest of the stay, and visit the ice bar and restaurant by day.

Arctic SnowHotel →   SnowVillage →   ICEHOTEL →   Icebreaker Sampo →

Glass igloos and Arctic hotels

The glass igloo, a warm room with a glass roof for watching the northern lights from bed, has become Lapland’s signature. Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort near Saariselkä, welcoming guests since 1974, has small and large glass igloos and Kelo-glass igloos for up to six with a fireplace and kitchenette, and Santa’s Home in its West Village. Outside Rovaniemi, Apukka Resort has glass-roofed Aurora Cabins, including family cabins, and Kammi glass igloo suites half-buried in the snow; on a fell slope above Levi, Golden Crown Levin Iglut looks out over the fells to the northern sky.

On the Arctic Circle itself, the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel raises its glass-fronted suites among the pines within walking distance of Santa Claus Village, with its restaurant Rakas.

Kakslauttanen →   Apukka →   Arctic TreeHouse →   Levin Iglut →

Luxury Lapland

Lapland at its most exclusive is about privacy and space. Octola, a private wilderness in Finnish Lapland, describes itself as “reserved for the discerning few”; stays are planned privately with its team. At Kakslauttanen, the largest Luxury Kelo-Glass Igloo sleeps up to twelve, and the Arctic TreeHouse’s ArcticScene Executive Suites are its largest rooms.

In Swedish Lapland, at Harads, Arctic Bath floats on the Lule River, a round, log-clad spa with a sauna, a cold plunge pool and a floating restaurant, and Treehotel, in the same village, hangs rooms in the pines designed by leading architects: the Mirrorcube by Tham & Videgård, the Biosphere by BIG, the 7th Room by Snøhetta, and the UFO, which children adore.

Octola →   Arctic Bath →   Treehotel →

Sámi culture, with respect

Northern Lapland is part of Sápmi, the homeland of the Sámi, the only indigenous people in the European Union (Visit Finland). Reindeer herding is their living, not a show, and the Sámi Parliament in Finland adopted ethical guidelines for Sámi tourism in 2018 so that visitors meet the culture as it really is. The simplest rule is to choose experiences run by Sámi people themselves.

Start at Siida in Inari, the national museum of Sámi culture, with its main exhibition, open-air museum and, this winter, “We Who Remain – Sámi Art in Focus” with Kiasma (to 3 April 2027). Near Inari, the Mattus family, Inari Sámi reindeer herders at Menesjärvi, take visitors by sled across frozen lakes to feed their herd. In Swedish Lapland, Nutti Sámi Siida at Jukkasjärvi lets you train and feed reindeer or drive your own reindeer sled; near Tromsø, the Sámi family of Sállir Reindeer welcome small groups to their herd on Kvaløya.

Siida →   Petri Mattus →   Nutti Sámi Siida →   Sállir Reindeer →

The northern lights and the polar night

Visit Finland gives the northern lights season as late August to April, and Visit Tromsø gives September to early April. They are never guaranteed: clear skies matter more than the calendar, so plan several nights and treat a sighting as a bonus. Aurora Sky Station at Abisko in Swedish Lapland takes visitors up Nuolja by chairlift to 900 metres to watch.

In the far north the sun does not rise at all for weeks around midwinter: in Utsjoki, Finland’s northernmost municipality, the polar night lasts almost two months (finland.fi). The light is rarely pitch dark, though: on clear days the sky glows blue and pink for hours, beautiful for photographs.

Aurora Sky Station →   Inari →

Getting there from Helsinki

Finavia lists daily connections from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, the official airport of Santa Claus; to Kittilä, 15 km from Levi and about 35 km from Ylläs; and to Ivalo, Finland’s northernmost airport, for Saariselkä and Inari.

The slower, more romantic way is VR’s Santa Claus Express, the night train from Helsinki or Turku to Rovaniemi: book your own sleeper cabin (some have their own shower and toilet) and wake up in Lapland. You can bring the car on the car carrier.

For Swedish Lapland, Kiruna Airport serves Jukkasjärvi, ICEHOTEL and Abisko; for Norway, Tromsø Airport is about 5 km from the city centre, with several daily flights from Oslo of about 1 hour 50 minutes.

Rovaniemi Airport →   Santa Claus Express →   Kittilä Airport →   Ivalo Airport →

What to pack for children

Lapland in December is properly cold, so dress children in layers: a wool or thermal base layer, a warm mid-layer and a windproof outer layer, with a hat that covers the ears, a neck warmer, mittens rather than gloves (they keep small fingers warmer) and boots a size larger to fit thick socks. Many safari companies lend thermal overalls, boots and mittens for their tours: ask when you book.

Bring a head torch for walks after dark, lip balm and rich hand cream against dry cold air, and snacks for the waits between activities.

• Wool or thermal base layers
• Mittens and a spare pair
• Warm boots a size larger
• Hat, neck warmer and a head torch

Our advice

Choose one base and stay three or four nights rather than racing between resorts: Rovaniemi for Father Christmas and the elves, Levi or Ylläs if the family skis, Saariselkä and Inari for the wilderness and Sámi culture. Book Christmas week as early as you can, mix a big day (the sleigh, the elves) with a quiet one, and leave every evening free for the sky.

Our Lapland guide →   Christmas in Helsinki →

Questions and answers