12 Hours on the Arctic Circle First-Class Sleeper Train! | 🎄Santa Claus Express 🇫🇮
Today we ride First Class on the Santa Claus Express, from Helsinki to the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi. We’ll get good food, snow, and maybe even the Aurora!? Please enjoy the trip! Helsinki Central Station. Hei! (That means “hello” in Finnish.) A little Finnish greeting from Helsinki. Today’s journey is the Santa Claus Express, the Arctic Circle sleeper train heading north. Here’s our route: It’s a 12-hour journey from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. It’s about 830 km. There are two daily departures from Helsinki at 19:29 and 23:13. I will be taking the later train, not because I prefer to depart late, but because it is a popular route, the later departure was the only available option. I booked a private cabin with a shower, so the fare came to €343(US$400). Prices change depending on the season, so booking early usually means a better deal. My first time in the Arctic Circle! Will I be able to meet Mr. Consumerism himself? Who knows. It’s still early, so I’ll be back around 23:00. Helsinki Station 22:45. The train we are going to ride is ready for departure. PYO 273 Wow, that’s a lot of people. Every single room on this trip is sold out. This is the train taking us into the Arctic Circle. “The Santa Claus Express.” I booked a private sleeping compartment. The train is a double-decker train. Here are the regular seats if you want to travel cheaply. And yes, there’s a restaurant car, too. I haven’t eaten since noon, so I’m definitely visiting there later. This is the engine car. Alright, time to board. The train has 9 cars in total. Mine is the second from the end, Car 55. Let’s go. I booked a first-class cabin, so it’s upstairs. 205–206. Two numbers because beds used to be sold individually. After the pandemic, you have to book the whole room, which I was going to do anyway. Found my room: 205–206. Open Sesame Seed. Let’s go inside. Here’s the room. The Ensuite Cabin. Not super “first-classy,” but it’s a bunk bed, and it works. The train is about to depart the station. Goodbye, Helsinki. My 12-hour journey begins. Time for a room tour. This is the en-suite version of the private room. It has a bathroom and… a shower somewhere. I can’t find it. Don’t tell me this tiny thing is the shower. Please. There’s a sink and a toilet. We have a shower cap, and cups. Lots of cups. The conductor came by, checked my ticket, and explained the shower. Open the latch and pull. Okay, that’s actually cool. The shower. Comes with body soap. Back to the main room. hooks and hangers, a mirror by the window, Air conditioning by the door, a power outlet, a light switch, The seat. And a trash can. Announcements say the restaurant is open until 25:30 and opens again at 4:00 in the morning. I was able to find the menu hiding under the bed. Meatballs, Salmon, Pasta. Looks like IKEA food. and a table. Window shades are fully retractable. Here’s the bed. But first, storage space. Plenty of it. Here’s the bunk bed again. The pillow looks good. Blanket is hotel-level thick. The mattress is thankfully on the firm side. Beside it is the control panel, light switch, And the power outlet. Alarm clock, mystery buttons, a TV switch from ancient times before smartphones, and storage space. Water bottle, And towels. The upper bed… Let’s see. It’s hard to even sit up here. Room tour ended. Let’s go tour the train. This is my car. There are seats right beside the rooms with insane views. Breathtaking…. There’s even a pet room for travelers with animals. The lower floor has shared toilets and shared showers. Trees growing inside the toilet. Very eco-friendly. I can’t access the shower with my card since I already have one in my room. Moving on to the other cars. These are the seats, around 55 euros each. I made it to the restaurant car, and wow. I did not expect it to look this nice. I think I’m going to eat dinner here. Let’s check the menu. Aside from the main menu that I showed earlier, there are snacks, desserts, and even alcohol. I’m going with the meatballs. Dinner arrives. Wow, it’s served on a real plate with real utensils. I am starving. Let’s eat now. I love meatballs with this cranberry sauce. The gravy and berry sauce go perfectly with the meatballs. I always thought Sweden was known for their meatballs. Or maybe it’s a Scandinavian thing. Or maybe it’s a Swedish thing, and so it’s like eating maple syrup in New York instead of Toronto, or eating ramen in South Korea instead of Japan. Who knows. It’s good, so I don’t care right now. Thank you, Sweden, or Finland, or whoever invented this. Thanks for the meal. Bon Appetit. They even have ice cream on board. I got salted caramel. Who is this? The ice cream was 3.5 euros. White hair with a body of this size? It’s Santa Claus. Nice to meet you, sir. This ice cream looks like it took a clean punch to the ribs. It’s hard to eat it. Lights off to check for Northern Lights. No Aurora yet, but I can see the stars. Maybe you can’t, but I can. Stopping at a station. Feels like a portal to another dimension. Time to rest. Tomorrow is another day. Good night. Day 2. Good morning. Any Northern Lights? Nope. The first view of the day is a frozen lake. It looks dark, but it’s already 9:47. Also, the sun hasn’t risen yet. Sunrise 10:08? We’ll reach our destination of Rovaniemi in about an hour. Sad news. The water that I bought yesterday was, in fact, not water, but SPARKING WATER. SPARKING WATER. To get some water, I head to the dining car. Heading to breakfast. Other than breakfast, what should I get? This looks good. This looks interesting. This looks promising. It’s busy this morning. Breakfast: Yogurt, baby mango drink, and a sandwich. Let’s try it. Mango. Yes. Mango. A lot of food for breakfast. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find a restaurant in Rovamiemi, so I’m going to eat. Thanks for the breakfast. I still have about 20 minutes. I haven’t even booked a hotel in Rovaniemi yet, and don’t know when I could shower next so… I’m going to shower and wash off the 12-hour train energy. I finished showering. Just in time. The hot water works, so that’s good. And just like that, 800km+ later. Arriving soon in Rovaniemi. We made it, close to 12 hours later. Rovaniemi. Thank you, Santa Train. The capital of Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland. (Hokkaido of Finland) It’s located right on the Arctic Circle (66°33′N) And because it’s located right on the Arctic Circle, the people here have a different approach to seasons. Instead of just four, locals count eight seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, “Midnight Sun” (endless daylight in summer), “Polar Night” (no sun in mid-winter), and “Crusty Snow” (spring). With that in mind, I’m now heading to Santa Claus Village on the Santa Claus Express bus. The window is basically a dirt wall at this point. One bus ride and we made it. Santa’s village. I think. Hey. We did it. It’s Santa’s workshop. Snow, just in time. This is where the Arctic Circle is located, but because of the snow covering the ground, I can’t tell if I crossed it or not. It seems we have entered the Arctic Circle, but I don’t feel any change. I thought I would become one of Santa’s minions once I entered the Arctic Circle, but nope. Nothing has happened so far. From what I’ve heard, you can meet Santa Claus inside. And it’s free. Let’s go. The embodiment of production and the supply chain. The role model of consumer culture. Next to Santa’s workshop is a shop… successfully merchandising the workshop. Nice side hustle for Santa. The gift boxes are all empty. Or maybe it’s empty because my holiday spirit isn’t with me today. Time to meet the man himself. From babies crying to a dangerous symbol, I don’t know if I’m meeting Santa or Satan. What is happening? It’s mysterious. There’s even daycare for reindeer. The line is insane. It’ll be dark before I get to him. Celebrities visited this place. A place for diplomacy No wonder the Chinese president was on the board. An interesting combination to say the least. If I start selling stuff, I just need to visit Santa again. He’s behind this wall, but no photos or videos from here. There is a paywall. I wasn’t able to get photos of him live, but here’s some video of him fishing. I was going to buy a stocking I could hang next to my half Christmas tree. They only had the withering Santa. I want the JollySanta. Got some postcards. A real-life birch tree. I’ve only seen one in Minecraft before. ???? ??????????????????????????????????? Wow, is that a reindeer? My first time seeing one. Why does it look like a cow? They look like cows with horns attached. Maybe they ran out of reindeer stock. In the Lapland region, reindeer outnumber people
(approx. 200,000 reindeer vs. 180,000 humans). Rest in peace, people of Lapland, if these reindeer rebel. I cannot see myself winning a fight against these guys. Looks like you can go for a ride as well. 30 euros? What would my wallet say? Sorry, my wallet just declined the offer. While I was walking, I found this place. Mrs. Santa Claus Cafe. A family-run business, perhaps. I got Santa’s cookies and a hot chocolate. We have Bart Simpson’s head and a flower. AAAAA This is the infamous gingerbread cookie. My arch nemesis. Tastes spicy on its first bite. But because I have hot chocolate. Thanks for the cookies. I went souvenir hunting and look at that. Looks like the sun has already set. For a second, I thought I saw the aurora. Curse you, modern technology, for fooling me. All these green lights are trying to fool me. Some of these restaurants really close at 7 pm. Right outside, there’s a restaurant serving reindeer meat. Brutal. The three elves. I think I found a place to eat my dinner. I should try reindeer. If it lands on heads, reindeer. If it lands on tails, reindeer. The eyedrop has spoken. Grilled reindeer roast. Look at this fancy meal. Let’s eat. Look at that texture. It’s definitely not beef. Hahahaha. It tastes a bit funky. Kinda like lamb. Just another reminder that reindeer outnumber humans. Can’t let the reindeer see me eating this. Guess I can’t switch sides when the reindeer become super intelligent lifeforms. It may look like I’m eating reindeer, but this is actually all an AI video. Please, I don’t want to die yet. Let’s eat these LEGO pieces as well. Texture of an uncooked carrot. Some mystery cream. Do people here eat carrots like this? Well, thanks for the food. It’s completely dark out. The good news is that the sky has cleared up. Bad news is that I want to stay in one of these hotels, but these hotels were like 1000 dollars a night. No way I’m spending that much for a bed. So today, my hotel is a few kilometres away. I should be using the taxi, but my wallet says otherwise. Ok, maybe I should have used the taxi. AAAAHHHH It’s dark. I don’t want some herd of reindeer attacking me. Maybe there’s a bear in the woods. Who knows! Well, for the price of none, you get to experience a thrill. I made it to my hotel. It was like 100 dollars a night. I made it to the capsule hotel. More like a hostel, honestly. The northern lights should appear soon. I’ll eat this smoked salmon until something happens to the sky. WOW, look at that. It’s beautiful. It’s the Northern Lights. I want to go to a place somewhere darker. Wow. I am the first of my ancestral line to set foot in this land and see something like this. Part 2. Northern Lights. Hiking up a hill to a lookout tower. Oh my. Look at that. Simply wow. Look at it dance. Wow. That’s a beauty. Thank you, ions for colliding with Earth’s atmosphere. Wow just WOW! I definitely said that earlier. Yes Wow. That was money well spent. Good night. Well, good morning. Yesterday was amazing. Only a day here, and I got to witness the northern lights. Some people travel this far north but are met with clouds, so I was truly a lucky boy. It’s time to head back home! Thanks for watching! Have a nice day!
Today we ride first class on the Santa Claus Express, all the way from Helsinki to the Arctic Circle Rovaniemi. We’ll get good food, snow, and maybe even the Aurora!?
Fare (round trip): €343 / US$400 / ¥56,500 / £300/ ₹35,000 / C$560 / ₩600,000 / ₽30,000
Route: Helsinki – Rovaniemi
Train: Santa Claus ExpressPYO 273
Room: Outbound: Sleep Cabin en-suite
Experience: Reindeers will take over the world
0:00 Introduction
1:01 Map and Fares
2:35 Boarding a First Class Room.
5:08 Seat Overview
10:06 Dinner
13:41 Good morning
14:45 Breakfast
17:20 Arrival in Rovaniemi (Arctic Circle)
19:39 Heading to Santa’s Village
25:56 Dinner & Heading to Hotel
29:52 Aurora Hunting
33:45 Thank you for watching!
40 Comments
I’ve set up my half Christmas tree for the year!?!?!🎄🦆
Yes! I’ve taken this train myself 🚆❄—such an easy and cozy way to travel 🛌. Much better than spending 10–13 hours driving 🚗💨. At night it’s dark, and when you arrive, the Arctic Circle scenery is absolutely stunning 🌌!
It would be cool to pick up on a some Swedish skanks and get some action.
Sweedish meatballs are kinda "souvenir" to the Swedes and the whole world by the Sweedish king Charles XII after his 5 yrs long stay in our Ottoman Empire. He also took our cabbage dolma and coffee culture 😊😊 (He came to visit us for 5 days and stayed 5.5 years!! At the end, we had to ask him to leave). Some Turkish words are used exactly the same in Sweedish bc of him.
Finally.. I've been waiting for this 😄
Edit: Btw, the meatballs here come with lingonberry sauce. We don't grow cranberries over here, so..
way to be overdramatic about sparkling water lmao
Can you make a video for the new year about going to Santa's village again on the Santa Express train?
What time is 25:30??? Are there more hours in the day in Arctic Circle?
hey solo travel so like bad news i dont think meat balls orriginate in swede n or sfinaldn THETy actually originate ij n persia ! yep so the more oyu knoew :P) xD
Why go to a Christmas village and be all Bah Humbug?
なぜウクライナの国旗？
really like your video
Я не зрозуміла, нащо там такі сидіня з прекрасним видом на стіну?! 😂
I so enjoy your videos and in this one you were so funny thanks for the video and thanks for the laugh
Wow, right at the edge of the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights on a clear night. Yes, all worth it, an experience to remember! Thank you for sharing.
You truly were lucky! That was amazing! 😍👏
30:08 "근데 폰으로 죽어도 안찍힌다" 핀란드에서 들려오는 익숙한 한국말ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
❤❤❤
One of the major obstacles for any traveller in Finland – no matter if you're domestic or foreigner: "Is this water carbonated or not?"
Yes, "X-vesi" steers you towards the water but if you want to actually drink it, you need to look for that (several censored finnish expressions here) "hiilihapollinen" (carbonated) or "hiilihapoton" (NOT carbonated) in tiny fine-print hidden somewhere on the bottle.
👏👍🏻👏👍🏻👏👍🏻🧿🧿🧿
Hi, what is date/month this trip took place- is it early or middle or late November? I'm trying to plan my Arctic Circle trip as well.
25th christ born in manger or this santa born …. everything lost to santa character.
Excelente tu sentido del humor jaja ya me suscribí, checo tus videos ,saludos desde México
Thank you for the video!
Enjoyed very much.
I must mention,it is a bit odd seeing a foreign flag on the top of the Helsinki Central station. Shouldn't it be Finnish flag?
One more question,for anyone who can answer,why there are more than nine cars,when the line is so popular?
Отличное предновогоднее путешествие😊
0:05 시작부터 이름에 식겁하네 ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Solo Kun, karaoke on board !😆✨🎤
Hold the camera still and pan slowly please! Don't shake things, on purpose, right under the camera's lens! It's very unpleasant to watch.
I was in Murmansk, in the Arctic Circle, in the summer. There is also a northern lights in the winter. And I really want to come there in the winter and see it. Thank you for the video!
The panic you had about being attacked by a reindeer in the dark was hilarious 😂I couldn't stop laughing. I felt your remorse for not ordering a taxi.
Děkuji za další výlet, protiklad těch nebohých sobů a nádhery polární záře je silný zážitek.
Now this is a video I was waiting for from my top 3 YouTubers of the year. I was looking at this train myself for next year and was upset that I couldn't find one from you. A welcomed suprise. The meatballs were a good choice! When you showed the menu I was thinking to get the meatballs too, and I'm not even there!
Wonderful 😮
The Northern lights were amazing
Are you doing okay?
Чухонцы напрочь забыли русский язык…..уураина идёт этим же курсом… м-да…не делай добра не получишь зла
14:25 I've lived here 14 years and STILL buy the damn sparkling water by mistake.
What kind of time is 25:30???
Three months ago I found this channel, and it’s amazing how addictive it is. I loved your video about the train in Canada, and I loved this one too. I didn’t even care about trains before, because in Brazil we don’t really have long-distance trains like this. Now my life goal is to travel the world, take several train trips, and get to know different countries. I love watching your videos when I’m resting — it’s more relaxing than reading a book. Congratulations, and please post more long train-travel videos.
途中安物のホラーゲームみたい。実際体験したらかなり怖いんだな