Santa Claus Village Lapland | World’s Most Famous Christmas Village (4K Tour & Vlog)

Santa Claus Village Lapland | World’s Most Famous Christmas Village (4K Tour & Vlog)

Today we’re visiting Santa Claus Village, the official hometown of Santa Claus! We’ll explore the village, meet Santa himself. See Santa’s pets. Explore the area and try the local food. Send a Christmas letter form the main post office. Activities and souvenir shops. Please enjoy the trip! Santa Claus Village is located in Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland, right on the Arctic Circle. Hello from Lapland! Today we’ll explore Santa Claus Village. The village is located right on the Arctic Circle, about eight kilometers from the city center. We’ve now officially stepped into the Arctic Circle! Clap, clap, clap. Our tour begins in the central square. More precisely, from Santa Claus office building. It’s the most famous building here. The village is the official home of Santa Claus and one of the most popular attractions in Lapland. It first opened to visitors in 1985. The village itself is quite small so you can easily visit it within a few hours. Are we going to meet Santa here?? Think so. In terms of the atmosphere… the entire village looks like a small Christmas town. First we’ll meet Santa and take some pictures. I am kinda nervous and I don’t know why. I’ve been good this year. Anyways. Every year, more than half a million people come here from all over the world. Entrance is completely free, so you can walk around, cross the Arctic Circle and explore the shops without any ticket. The village is open every day, even during the summer. Here is Santa’s office. We came here 51 days before Christmas so there were not so many tourists. If you come in December, this place can get VERY CROWDED. This is where we are meeting Santa Claus himself. There are some chocolate bars, candies, cotton candy and other Christmas items for sale. Pictures with some celebrities who visited him are on display. Waiting time is about 30 minutes. But the atmosphere is pleasant so you won’t feel the wait at all. There is an elf greeting people. Photos are not allowed inside so see you in a sec! Well…
Santa really feels like Santa. We received our pictures on a small card. He greets everyone personally and asks where you’re from and talks with genuine warmth. I am grateful for this experience. After the meeting, we exit through a small gift shop. They sell all kinds of Christmas stuff in here… Hair accessories from €9.5. The prices are quite expensive so even if the entrance is free, almost everything else costs a lot. Too many socks. Further inside… it’s a chimney-style fireplace decorated from floor to ceiling. I’m taking a look at the souvenir shop right now because I don’t think we’ll come back later today. Let’s see. They have plush toys of all kinds. Cute reindeer and santa bags. “Elves only” means “employees only,” because all the staff working here are dressed as elves. Huskies. They also have Christmas-themed body shower gels, lotions, soaps and other little wellness products. Santa decorations €24. Little handmade elves and snowmen. Magnets! More magnets. Coffee cups €16? Christmas black tea. Elf. Here comes the most exciting part. We’re buying a letter to send it to Santa. You can choose your own Christmas-themed postcard, add a special Arctic Circle stamp and drop it inside Santa’s official red mailbox. Let’s write our good wishes. It’s confidential information here. Inside the post office, there are two special mailboxes. The yellow one is for letters sent right now, and the red one is for letters that will be delivered next Christmas. “Letters for Santa” is where you drop your letter to Santa himself. By the way… the entire village area covers around twenty-five hectares. It consists of several main zones: the central square, Santa’s Office, and the official post office. Then there are souvenir shops, restaurants and cozy wooden cabins all around. You’ll also find reindeer and husky parks, small attractions and a few hotels and glass igloos. Next on our list is Santa’s gift house. The central square is filled with souvenir shops and restaurants, most of them selling similar things. Some of the shops don’t allow filming inside, but at least we can take a look and show you what’s here. Well well Reindeer leather goods, handmade ceramics, candles and local delicacies. There are also some activities we can try, such as this one. Story time. Santa Claus Village began after World War II. In 1950, a small cabin was built on the Arctic Circle to welcome Eleanor Roosevelt. It later became a popular tourist spot. In 1985, the first Santa Claus Village officially opened. Since then, it has grown into one of Lapland’s most famous attractions. End of story. We’re right in front of the tourist information booth, so let’s grab a map. I’m just making sure I don’t miss any of the important spots. The whole place looks magical when it snows. A cafe-restaurant called Napatapull. Are there any acrobatic classes near the information tower? ?? It’s the Santa Claus Village direction signpost showing the distance from here to cities around the world. From Tokyo and New York to Rome and Madrid. And this is the famous line of the Arctic Circle. You can even get a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle if you pay €30. 🙂 Or write it yourself for €0. Next, Santa Claus main post office. It’s the official post office of Santa Claus, operated by Finland’s national postal service, Posti. Every year, it receives over half a million letters from children all around the world. Look at this art. Cool! All the mail here is sorted and stamped by Santa’s elves with the official Arctic Circle postmark. You can also buy postcards, special stamps and even send a letter that will be delivered next Christmas. Letters from Italy, Cook Islands, Georgia, even Japan. This is incredible. So many dreams inside. This chair is where you can sit and write your letter to Santa. Really nice. Special letter box for wishlists. There are many people coming and going, so this place is busy all the time. Christmas tree ornaments start at €5.95. The huskies and reindeers are €25. This is the daily mail box. All letters dropped here are stamped with the Arctic Circle postmark before being sent out. From the main post office, we’ll head to the Christmas house. There are also many hotels located directly in the village. Meet the second Santa? Didn’t know he has a twin brother. We can take some pictures here. Let’s enter. I am wondering where the real Santa actually lives? According to Finnish tradition, Santa’s real home is in Korvatunturi, a fell in eastern Lapland near the border with Russia. Santa Claus Village here in Rovaniemi is his official office, where he meets visitors every day. So this is the way to real real Santa. Quite giant feet. This place is so beautiful when it snows. Waiting line. Videography is prohibited inside, so this is the furthest point I can show you. We exited through another shop, of course, and now we’re heading toward a place called Santa’s Restaurant. We’re not very hungry right now, so we’ll just take a look inside and eat after we meet the reindeers. The inside looks really cozy and warm, with wooden tables and soft lights everywhere. It has that classic Lapland cabin atmosphere. The restaurant is buffet-style, but they also have a few à la carte options. Veggies, meat, fish, pickles. Some salads.
Breads with butter. Chocolate mousse. Blueberry pie.
Strawberry glazed donuts. Cheese platters and some cinnamon biscuits. We can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch starts at €27 / adult, without any drinks. This is Santa Claus Holiday Village, the main accommodation area inside the village. Accommodation prices for premium cottages or suites, especially during the peak holiday season, start at €300 per night. The cottages are spread across the village and the room numbers are shown on small wooden signs in front of each cabin. Here is the reception area and the Three Elves Restaurant. Subscribe for more travel vlogs. Thanks a lot! Next is Santa Claus reindeer village. The Santa Claus Reindeer Village is a small area inside the main village where you can meet real Lapland reindeers. Here is the map of the main spots. A place to eat marshmallows. Lucky you if you actually have marshmallows. They offer short sleigh rides in winter. Prices start at €30 for a 400-meter reindeer ride inside the village. And €50 for an 800-meter ride on the forest path. Oh my god. REINDEERS. Real Lapland reindeers. Such an unforgettable historical moment. The reindeer farm linked to the village states it’s home to hundreds of reindeer. Reindeer farming and herding in Finland is part of a long tradition, meaning the animals aren’t just “tour props” but part of local culture. This is awesome. Signs that lead to Mrs. Santa Claus. Look at this. There are usually 4 reindeers that take turns pulling the sleds and the rides are guided by the local herders. Such cute tiny tails they have. We visited the village in early November and it was supposed to be snowy, but what can you do… I guess Santa didn’t pay the bills for snow this year. Made it to Mrs. Santa Claus cottage. What do we have here? It’s actually a cozy winter cafe. They sell mainy coffee, hot chocolates and some tea. Gingerbread rolls, blueberry rolls, caramel rolls, cinnamon rolls, etc. AND CAMPFIRE MARSHMELLOWS! If we go upstairs… The view gets even better. The reindeers that we saw little earlier. Here is where we can meet Mrs Claus… ..and write a nice Christmas message. Apparently, Mrs. Claus is more precious than Mr. Claus so there’s an entrance fee to meet her. Writing a note is free so we’ll do this one. 🙂 Nice messages.
Thank you Hanna. A feather pen. Thank you for watching our videos, everyone! …and Merry Christmas!! At first, I thought the village was much bigger but it’s actually not. The main attractions are right next to each other so you don’t have to walk too much. Let’s warm our hands for a bit. I’m freezing while recording this. Nice! We got a little hungry, so we’ll look for the first restaurant we see. This is the Elf Hat Academy, a small activity area in Santa Claus Village where you can try fun elf-themed tasks and take photos with the hats. These gingerbread houses are part of the Elf Hat Academy area. They look like something straight out of a Christmas story. I thought they could be booked to sleep in but they’re not actual accommodations. In search for a place to eat… We are somewhere here now. We’ll have our lunch at Santa’s pizza and burger. Let’s see how Santa cooks. Apparently Santa’s Pizza & Burger is the main fast-food spot in the village. We’ll have a pizza and…
A burger. The atmosphere is cozy and there are many tables where we can dine. Prices start at €18 for a pizza and €7 for a burger. Finger foods and drinks. We can take some photos. Food is here. Pizza Margherita with a crunchy crust. Bon appétit! Not bad at all. There are many restaurants around the village where they serve traditional dishes like salmon soup, reindeer burgers. Got some ice cream. €4. Next are the Santa’s pets and Husky Park. Head to the pets area. There are some campfires inside the pets village where we can eat sausages. Entry fee to the is €15 / adult and €10 / kid. Usually, all the attractions in the village are open from 11 am until 6 pm. Let’s buy the tickets. If we want to feed the reindeers, extra €5. Here’s the map of the pets village. It shows all the walking paths, the animal areas, and the ticket point. It’s a small place and we’ll easily explore it in about 20 to 30 minutes. First are the sheeps. Their names are displayed here. This must be Jenna which is friendly and brave. Yes, she looks friendly. Came to take some pictures. Erin. They are such cute animals. It’s not a huge place, but there are enough animals to walk around and spend some time with. Klaara and Klaus are the peacocks. Sorry for disturbing. I believe this is Klaara because it looks like a girl. The most awaited moment of this video came… Here are the reindeers up close. (A like here please, thanks!) They’re calm, gentle, and used to people visiting them every day. There are nine reindeers that live here, each with different names, habits and characteristics. Each with their own little story, just like humans. They are beautiful and so gentle. Everyone wants to feed them, so they never run out of food. Nice to meet you. I am not so sure what is in the paper bag but they seem to love it. Let’s try one more. They’re eating moss and small treats that the staff gives out. And no, they’re not biting. Reindeers are gentle and used to visitors, they just nibble softly when they take the food. What a face. They all have antlers that look completely different. This one has only three sticks. Wow, beautiful! And there’s a baby!! Next are the Ankat ducks. Basically they swim there all day long. Parrot reindeers. What’s interesting about the “parrot reindeers” is that they’re unusually friendly. They come very close, they like to sniff you and they gently nibble on your clothes or backpack straps. They follow people around just like a curious parrot, which is why the staff calls them that. There are some donkeys. Cute. There are many campfire shelters for visitors to warm up, handle the cold temperatures and take breaks. Alpacas. We can only feed twigs to the alpacas. Santa’s alpacas family. Let’s see if they are hungry. Not really. There are three black ones and three white ones. This alpaca forgot how to alpacaing? Their names are written above. Pippin. It is a Japanese rabbit. Some other species of rabbits. Alright, time to explore some souvenir shops and head back to the hotel. The Huskies Park is another small area inside the village where you can meet the dogs and take short sled rides during winter. However, the entrance to the park is €30. Real huskies! They are so beautiful. Last but not least, Santa’s secret attic. Which is…another gift shop. Now that we’ve seen the whole Santa Claus Village, here are some impressions. First of all, the village is much smaller than it looks on the map. Everything is concentrated around the central square, so you’ll finish the main attractions pretty fast. The biggest highlights are clearly Santa’s Office, the Main Post Office and the Reindeer Village. The atmosphere depends heavily on the snow. When it snows, the whole place looks magical. Without snow, it’s still cute, but not as impressive as the photos online. Most of the village is made of souvenir shops and restaurants and many of them sell very similar items. Cute, but repetitive. The Lapland reindeers are honestly the best part. In general, the village is extremely family-oriented and quite expensive. For us, it was a really lovely experience, even if smaller than expected. It’s worth coming once because it has that childhood-Christmas charm that you don’t really find anywhere else. Thanks so much for watching. Have a happy day and see you soon!

Today we’re visiting Santa Claus Village in Lapland, one of the most famous Christmas destinations in the world. This is the official home of Santa Claus, located right on the Arctic Circle, where visitors come year-round for a taste of real Arctic magic.

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◽️About Santa Claus Village
Name: Santa Claus Village
Opened: 1985
Location: Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
Latitude: 66°33′45″ N (Arctic Circle)
Main attractions: Santa Claus Office, Santa Claus Main Post Office, Arctic Circle Crossing, reindeer and husky parks, restaurants, and souvenir shops
Average winter temperature: -15°C
Annual visitors: over 500,000
Opening hours: usually 10:00–17:00 daily (seasonal variations apply)
Website: https://santaclausvillage.info/

◽️Curiosities
Santa Claus Village is one of the most famous attractions in Lapland and the official home of Santa Claus. Visitors from all over the world come here year-round to meet Santa in person and experience the magic of Christmas in the Arctic.

Located just 8 kilometers from the center of Rovaniemi, the village sits exactly on the Arctic Circle line, which you can physically cross.

Inside the village, you’ll find the Official Santa Claus Office, where you can meet Santa and take photos and the Santa Claus Main Post Office, which receives millions of letters every year from over 190 countries.

The village also offers winter activities such as reindeer sleigh rides, husky safaris, snowmobile tours, and visits to Arctic animal farms. There are also cozy cafés, local design shops, and plenty of festive decorations, all surrounded by snow-covered pine trees and sparkling lights.

◽️Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:48 Arrival at Santa Claus Village
00:58 Crossing the Arctic Circle
01:18 Santa Claus Office Building
03:05 Meeting Santa Claus
06:36 Sending a Letter to Santa
08:06 Santa’s Gift House
10:10 Santa Claus Main Post Office
13:17 Christmas House
16:20 Santa Claus Reindeer Park
17:46 Mrs Santa Claus Cottage
21:45 Lunch at Santa’s Pizza & Burger
23:51 Santa’s Pets
31:43 Husky Park
32:10 Souvenir Shop & Impressions

Thanks for watching everyone! See you next time. ✨

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