A child's dream come true
Everyone dreams of meeting Santa Claus for real, don't they? What child or even adult wouldn't want to have a chat with Santa? What if I told you that this could actually come true? It was with this childhood dream in mind that we decided to travel to Rovaniemi and the Santa Claus House in the middle of the "North Pole".
Okay, but is it really possible? Is there really a Santa Claus House at the North Pole? How easy is it to get there? How expensive is it? Where is the real Santa's House? Is there only Santa's House? So many questions! And in this text I'm going to answer them all! I went after the answers and managed to find the real Santa's House! Best of all, we were able to visit Santa's House! And I'll tell you right now, its roof is exactly on the line of the Arctic Circle.
How did Santa end up at the North Pole?
Okay, fine, but who said that Santa Claus lived at the North Pole? We all know that the legend of Santa Claus has had several versions: he was once a priest, St. Nicholas, his clothes were green, he was German and so on.
How did Santa end up at the North Pole? Or rather, how did Rovaniemi and Santa's House get connected?
Coincidentally, in the 1860s the American magazine Harper's Bazzar began publishing stories of Santa Claus living at the North Pole, full of ice and reindeer everywhere he went
It's not actually clear whether this story came before the legend or whether the legend was created because of this story.
But there was a legend that Santa Claus lived in an almost unreachable place, in the middle of a lot of ice and difficult to access.
Surely this was designed to make children believe that it really existed and that there was no way of visiting it.
A media coup
Well, the fact is: in 1960 the American magazine gave the location of Santa's house as the North Pole.
And that's when Rovaniemi and Santa's House started to make sense!
Everything just fell into place, as Rovaniemi at this time was reinventing itself, it's in the Arctic Circle and it's also in Finland, where there are more reindeer than people! The ideal location.
History of Rovaniemi and Santa's House
After the Second World War, Rovaniemi was completely destroyed! Until Rovaniemi had a general development plan to rebuild itself after the Second World War.
The architect Alvar Aalto was responsible for this plan, which was designed to turn Rovaniemi into the head of a reindeer! If you look at the city from above, you'll see this, and from then on tourism began to take hold of the city, but it really took off when in 1980 they decided to create the Santa Claus Village, 8 km from the city.
At first, Santa Claus Village was nothing more than a sign in the middle of the road, then it evolved into a cabin and finally became what we know today.
The idea worked so well that years later the 16 largest Finnish companies joined forces to create the Santa Claus Land Association and transformed this magical, icy corner into the official Santa Claus House.
And that's how Rovaniemi and Santa's House ended up becoming something unique.
Okay! But then where is Santa's House?
The first thing we researched was the location of the real Santa Claus House, did it exist? Although I had read about Rovaniemi, I couldn't believe that there really was a Santa Claus house there.
Is it really at the North Pole? And the answer was surprising! Not only does it not exist, it's actually on the Arctic Circle in Finland, in Lapland, more precisely 8 km from the center of Rovaniemi!
Well, isn't it at the North Pole? Well, it is, in the Arctic Circle, laughs. The North Pole itself isn't habitable, it's way out at sea, so people end up saying that what's in the Arctic Circle is in the North Pole.
And Santa's House has its roof exactly under the line of the Arctic Circle. You can see this line in Santa Claus Village through a blue line that crosses the sky in winter, or in a line painted on the ground in summer.
There is also a landmark of the Arctic Circle where you can take a nice photo with the thermometer showing the temperature of the day.
Another interesting fact is that there is at least one day of the year in the Arctic where it is night for 24 hours, called the polar night, or in summer an interim day of sunshine, known as the polar day. In summer it is also possible to see the curious midnight sun!
TIP: Don't forget to get the certificate confirming that you have crossed the Arctic Circle line, just go to the tourist information center. information center.
Museum Arktikum
But before we embark on the magic of Christmas, let's learn more about the North Pole and the local culture in an incredible museum!
You're in Santa's house and you go to a museum? Yes, if there's one attraction I don't miss anywhere I travel, it's a good museum! My little one already knows that every time we travel, at least one museum is on the itinerary, and of course Arktikum was not going to be left out.
I certainly travel to learn more about local cultures and museums give us that.
Arktikum is a sensational museum that mixes science, history and culture, ideal for those who want to understand a little more about the North Pole and its people.
We traveled inside the museum and were even able to see an aurora borealis reproduced on the ceiling of one of the samples, and it's really cool to literally see the globe from another angle.
There's a lot of learning going on
It's easy to explain the Arctic Circle to children when they see it in practice. The polar night is easily understood when the kids touch and rotate the tilted globe without getting any light by rotating it at the height of winter with the right tilt.
It is also possible to see the culture through typical clothing, Arctic animals and understand a little more about economic exploitation and its polar riches. Especially for those of us who are far removed from this reality, it was great to see and understand more about it.
Surprisingly, human beings adapt and manage to live even in the most inhospitable environments.
Arktikum also teaches about global warming, so it was easy for little Emmanuel to understand how we need to preserve our beloved Earth. It was an afternoon of great family learning, and now we can go back to Rovaniemi and Santa's House.
Santa Claus Village
In fact, Santa's House is not just a house, but a huge complex with lots and lots of things to visit. For example: Santa's post office, the reindeer farm, the husky park, the snowman world, the winter area and much more!
There's no shortage of things to do in Santa Claus Village, so much so that we even slept near the village on one of our stays.
Santa Claus Office/ Santa's House
If we came to Rovaniemi, it was for this moment! To see the official Santa Claus House, with everything thought out to make it as special as possible.
As you enter, you come across a little shop where the attendants are elves, then there's a door, and if you look through the keyhole, you're in for a surprise!
You can see the elves at work in the toy factory! It's sensational, really!
Now it's time for the most awaited part, we're going to walk down the magical corridor until we reach Santa's room, I was perhaps more nervous than the little one, my breath was getting heavy and my hands were sweating.
Better than ever
Without a doubt, this was the most anticipated attraction of the entire trip! In fact, I've been looking forward to it all my life! Imagine coming face to face with Santa Claus? That's why we traveled to Rovaniemi and Santa's House, to talk to him for real!
Ahh, Cris, but really? Yes! He's so sweet in his voice, his eyes are really nice and it doesn't matter how old you are, you'll fall for it! I was shocked. In fact, the good old man really is the good old man, welcoming us with greetings in Portuguese and then starting to speak in English.
Sweet eyes, giant hands, an even bigger beard and huge feet, all wonderful and magical! Emmanuel was more paralyzed than the rest of us, and yes, my eyes filled with water, it was impossible not to.
I really recommend you take this trip! It's worth every penny, especially if you have small children, it's even better!
It will be something you will never forget. The real snow and scenery that Rovaniemi and Santa's House provide is something out of this world.
Ah, but that trip must be absurd! It's not cheap, but there are options to suit all budgets. The most expensive part is getting to Rovaniemi, but the rest isn't so heavy, not least because Santa's house is free to visit.
Santa Claus`s Main Post Office
If Santa Claus Village is home to Santa's house, it's also where Santa's post office is located.
It was one of the places I loved in the village, everything is super cute and the little shop is crazy.
As soon as we entered, we noticed giant cabinets full of letters and information about the countries that send the most letters to Santa Claus.
They are: 1 China, 2 Poland, 3 Italy. Brazil or Portugal are nowhere near the top of the list, or at least in the top 7. I think we need to write to Santa more, don't you?
You know what's really cool? Besides being able to write to Santa Claus , address below:
Santa Claus Santa Claus' Main Post Office Tähtikuja 1 96930 Arctic Circle, FINLAND
It's also possible that he'll write to you! Just click here and order your letter straight from the North Pole, with a beautiful stamp and everything very cute.
And if I'm talking about cute things, remember how I said the store was crazy? So, it was in the Santa's Post Office store that I found my Finland magnet, I fell completely in love with it and wanted to take absolutely everything home!
Another cool thing is that at the Santa Claus Main Post Office you can post a letter to anywhere in the world, leaving the next Christmas card already scheduled or sending something in real time.
Snowman World
It's a space in the Santa Claus Village, it's incredible and it gets the whole ice world going, imagine having a drink in a glass of ice? There you can literally order a glass of water, laughs.
The Ice Bar, Ice Restaurant and Winter Zone are only open from December to March. However, there is also a regular restaurant on site, which is open all the time.
Ice Bar
That's where we started our visit! A space completely made of ice, from the walls to the glasses! The bar counter is also made of ice and it feels like you're in another world, it's a sensational experience.
First of all, how about a typical Lapland vodka to warm you up?
I ordered the Aureaus flavor of Laplandia Vodka, which is made from cloudberries, which are like raspberries and blackberries, but have a more bitter touch at first. They're typical of the region and of course I couldn't help but try them, after all I wanted to make the most of the experience!
Ah!!! I also wanted to try it in a glass of ice, after all, it's not every day that you can drink something like this.
I just loved it and wanted to bring one home, but unfortunately our trip still had another month to go and a few plane journeys.
There are also hot berry juices and soft drinks for the kids.
Ice Restaurant
It was fun to try a drink in a glass of ice and be impressed by all those sculptures. Now imagine sitting and eating there? They give you blankets to keep you warm and the menu helps too.
Surprisingly, I didn't feel cold at all!
We tried it on the lunch menu: Salmon soup with house bread, with an Arctic fruit dessert! To warm you up even more, a berry tea or coffee accompanies the meal
There are dinner menu options, but I suggest confirming availability for the day. day. The dinners are more elaborate and may even include a filet of reindeer on the menu.
I loved the experience, it was VERY different to say the least!
Winter Zone
This was the area we could easily stay in all day, climbing and sliding down the ice! Completely fun and with two options.
Ice-skating Ice-skating -> You get skates, a rink and everything you need. We had so much fun snowtubing that we ended up not doing the ice-skating. skating.
Ice tobogganing (snowtubing) -> There are two descent options, the three of us went down both several times! Completely fun and full of adrenaline! So much adrenaline, in fact, that we even tumbled, laughs.
Even our little 3-year-old ventured out, he was a bit scared at first, but after the first descent he didn't want to leave, it was even difficult to get him out! In fact, it was hard to get me off, laughs.
Santa Claus Reindeer
Well, if I went to Santa Claus' house at the North Pole, I also wanted to see the famous sleigh with its reindeer! And Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi is where the reindeer are, of course!
In fact, it's impossible not to get excited and, as well as meeting them, jump on the sleigh to go for a ride with them.
Our tour started in the Sami tent at the entrance and then we moved on to the stove next to it, which is more than necessary to warm up in the Arctic cold.
We stayed there while we waited for our time to get on the sleigh, we opted for the shortest route and that was enough to feel inside the magic of Christmas, Emmanuel went crazy and commented that the only reason he didn't fly with the reindeer was because it wasn't Christmas Eve.
Can you imagine such a ride in the mind of a child?
Two curiosities I learned on this tour
First -> Reindeer antlers fall off every winter and start to grow back in the spring. The reindeer beat themselves until they manage to pull off the old antlers, leaving them bloody and sometimes quite "ugly", but it's a natural process and they're not suffering or being treated badly.
Second -> In Lapland eating reindeer meat is super common, we tried it and I didn't feel it was as different as other meats.
Aurora Emotion
This is another tour you can't miss, especially if you want to enjoy winter in the Arctic! Can you imagine riding a snowmobile over a completely frozen lake or through snow-covered forests?
We did this tour in the morning and simply loved it! The Aurora Emotion staff picked us up from the hotel and when we arrived at their office they gave us all the clothes we needed to do this tour safely.
What I found most interesting was that even though I was with my little one and the activity was pure adventure, we were able to make the most of it! First of all, there is a special space for transporting small children and neither Igor nor I had to miss out on this adventure!!! We usually have to take turns.
Structure for child safety
At first I went in the cabin with Emmanuel, so that he would feel safer, while on the way back I hitched a ride with Igor to enjoy a bit of the adrenaline rush.
During the tour, we eventually made a few stops along the way, the first of which impressed us: everything was beautiful and full of snow! In fact, there was so much snow that at every step our legs got stuck up to our knees. As well as being a beautiful hill with a great view of the city, we played for a while and continued on to our next stop.
Warm cabin
Our next stop was the hunting lodge. At no time did we feel cold, but it was wonderful to be welcomed into the lodge with a fire to warm us up, delicious tea and snacks.
The surroundings of the hut are also worth exploring, it's just as enchanting! We walked along some of the trails and had a lot of fun as a family making little angels and snowmen.
After this warm pit stop, we got back on our snowmobiles and made our way back, with a nice surprise! In the middle of the frozen lake we saw some locals fishing in carefully made holes. It was great to see the local culture and the different way of life, but I really wish I could have jumped off the snowmobile and fished too! Lol.
Husky Park Artic Circle
Can you imagine a place full of snow, pine trees and dogs crazy about running? I've never seen such happiness in dogs running in my life! They say huskies were made to run in the snow and I only really realized this when I entered the Husky Park Artic Circle!
In total, there are more than 100 huskys in the park, all in harmony, in their natural habitat. You can see several puppies in the park, but they don't run, they're just too cute and make you happy to be able to play with them.
O
Husky Park Artic Circle is next to the Santa Claus Village in
Rovaniemi.
Ah! But will they have puppies when I go?
Well, there are more than 100 huskys in the park, they often have puppies and at least two or three times a year there are litters in the park, if you don't see very small puppies, you'll certainly see very young dogs.
The care of the dogs is also well observed, they are fed only raw and very well chosen food.
Husky sled
When we think of the North Pole, we immediately think of cute huskies and reindeer, don't we? Especially the sledges! So I couldn't miss out on this experience, even more so after seeing how happy the dogs are when they run.
I was a bit prejudiced, I thought they'd get exhausted because they were carrying people, but once I'd done it I saw with my own eyes that they're barking and asking to run, even if there's no one there! So I jumped on the sled and gave it a try, it's beautiful and super enjoyable to see the dogs running and barking and wanting more. In fact, it's not to be missed!!!
Husky sleds are a Lapland tradition and it was impossible to leave without doing even the smallest trail in the Husky Park Artic Circle and saying goodbye to Rovaniemi in style.
How to get to Rovaniemi
No doubt traveling to the "North Pole" is unimaginable? Who knew it was possible to go to Santa's house in Lapland? First of all, I'm of the opinion that if there are people living there, we can go too! And maybe even where there aren't any, I want to go to Mars one day, laughs.
Back to the subject... Undeniably, Rovaniemi is a bit far, yes! But it's MUCH easier to get to than you might think.
To begin with, there are flights to Rovaniemi, so have you ever thought about landing at Santa's official airport? I did a quote for Porto/Rovaniemi round trip and found a price of around 400 euros. It's not that cheap and I took the train at the time.
With the EURAIL PASSIt might be worth it, especially if you have a month's travel to fit in with some of the other countries.
Train to Rovaniemi
The train to Rovaniemi is normally operated by VR, a Finnish company, with routes from Helsinki, the Finnish capital, to Rovaniemi. However, we were a little more daring and left Bergen in Norway for Sweden, where we slept and then drove from Harads in Sweden to Luleå, also in Sweden, where we rented a car to stay for the next few days and enjoy the region even more, visiting Rovaniemi, Kemi and even traveling to Kirkeness in northern Norway, getting to know all of northern Finland by car.
Don't be alarmed by the polar winter. It's very easy to travel there by train or car, the tracks are fully prepared for it.
It was a dream trip and something I definitely want to do again! Not least because we only saw the Aurora Borealis in Sweden and I still want to have the chance to see it in Finland and Norway too.
Prices to visit Santa's House in Rovaniemi
Remember that these prices were seen in February 2019, so check the prices close to your trip, especially if it's Christmas time.
Prices can vary a lot, especially depending on the time of year you go to Rovaniemi and Santa's House.
On this occasion we stayed in two different hotels, Santa`s Hotel Rudolf and Santa`s Igloos Arctic Circle, mainly to show two types of accommodation.
Accommodation:
Santa`s Hotel Rudolf -> 135,00 Euros per night with breakfast
Santa`s Igloos Arctic -> 990.00 Euros per night for the quadruple Igloo with breakfast
Tours:
Entrance
Husky Park -> 10 Euros per person
Husky Park tour ->
30 Euros per adult and 10 Euros per child
Winter area -> 25 euros per person.
Reindeer ride (5 minutes) -> 18 euros per adult and 14 per child.
Aurora Emotion -> Single snowmobile 239 euros, double snowmobile 169 euros per person, 85 euros per child.
Food:
Lunch at SnowMan World -> 49 Euros per adult and 36 Euros per child (3 to 12 years)
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