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Santa Claus Village

Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi: Address, Phone Number, Santa Claus Village Reviews: 4/5

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Santa Claus Village

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Santa Claus Village
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4,288
#6 of 48 things to do in Rovaniemi
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The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
22 within 3 miles
Santa's Salmon Place
816
288 ft$$ - $$$ • Barbecue • European • Grill
Lapland Restaurant Kotahovi
193
360 ft$$ - $$$ • European • Scandinavian • Gluten Free Options
Glass Restaurant
21
0.2 mi$$ - $$$ • European • Scandinavian
Nova Restaurant
47
0.2 mi$$$$ • European • Scandinavian • Vegetarian Friendly
Three Elves Restaurant
144
451 ft$$ - $$$ • European • Scandinavian • Vegetarian Friendly
Helmi Simpukka
38
0.1 mi$ • Quick Bites • Pizza • Vegetarian Friendly
Reindeer Cafe Restaurant Sirmakko
80
113 ft$$ - $$$ • Scandinavian
Christmas House Restaurant & Coffee Bar
118
0.1 mi$$ - $$$ • European • Scandinavian
Royal Reindeer Restaurant
22
393 ft$$$$ • European • Scandinavian
Snowman World Snow Restaurant
26
0.2 mi$$$$ • European • Scandinavian
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Attractions
38 within 6 miles
Christmas House Santa
178
55 ftSpeciality Museums
Santa Claus Village
62 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks
Santa Claus Office
1,813
70 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Character Experiences
Arctic Circle Information
53
159 ftVisitor Centers
Santa's House of Snowmobiles
32
318 ftSpeciality Museums
Arctic Circle Mall
27
400 ftShopping Malls
Elf's Farmyard
37
0.1 miZoos
Santa Claus Village
390 ftPoints of Interest & Landmarks
SantaPark - the Home Cavern of Santa Claus
1,034
1.4 miAmusement & Theme Parks
Santa Claus Secret Forest - Joulukka
151
1.4 miAmusement & Theme Parks
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
4,288 reviews
Excellent
1,604
Very good
1,268
Average
846
Poor
340
Terrible
230
Nikolai C
Orpington, UK25 contributions
Nice but pricey, stay elsewhere and visit instead
Aug 2021 • Family
Stayed here for 6 nights with my wife and 3 children (7, 10,13). I wanted to show the children that Santa is about all year and true to my beliefs he is there large as life! Being the summer with less people he had a lot more time to spend and chat with us and fair play to him he really made an effort and engaged really nicely with all 3 children. There is the usual photo package but no massive pressure to purchase (we bought bargain reindeer hide and got it for free included). Other than Santa you can visit the huskies, reindeer and there are various Christmas shops to look around.
We stayed in the family suites, quiet this time of year. It was clean and modern with a clear Lappish theme. It included a built in sauna which was nice plus a Christmas tree on the balcony! Other than that there was a small kitchenette and 2 televisions. I have to admit I did expect the room the be a little bigger and it was a little tight for 5 of us as the kids had their beds made up in the lounge area - suites I have stayed in before had 2 bedrooms plus lounge. One issue we had was they did not service the room on one day, however after some discussions they compensated me for this - I always think it is more important how people resolve a problem than the problem itself as things do go wrong.
The breakfast was nice held in a Christmassy room and comprised a buffet with the usual Finnish hot and cold food. It would be nice, seeing this is an international venue, to see an Italian coffee machine as I think I am not the only one who finds Finnish filter coffee not to my taste buds.

Overall, nice place if a little commercial. Would like to try it in the midst of winter too. On reflection though would recommend staying somewhere cheaper and coming here for a half day trip as you do not need to be a resident to enjoy the activities.
Written August 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
KeenTraveller12372
Sydney, Australia466 contributions
A DISILLUSIONED VISIT OF MEETING SANTA
Dec 2019
Arrived at Santa Village 9.30am of the 24 December 2019 well before the crowds .As the bus approaches the village your excitement mounts and with all the lights in the trees and the sun beginning to rise it is a magical atmosphere that greets you.And then reality hits this is strictly a cash n grab tourist trap and I was caught in the web. I left at 3.30pm because of santa photo.This length of waiting for a photo with Santa really needs to be addressed and the que jumpers controlled.I personally waited 1.5 hours only to be told to return at 2.15pm this I did and then waited again in a que for another 1.5 hours just for a photo with Santa.I did find another Santa photo opportunity and again waited in line about an hour till 1.30 and then left because I could not see the end of the line and I am booked in at the other one for 2.15pm How wrong I was.I arrived at the Santa Claus Office at 2 for 2.15 photo only to be greeted with a que that again I could not see the end of it would take 1.5 hours for me to have very overpriced photo with Santa .
Solution put on more Santas and have the elves control the que jumpers.
The problem I believe I made was to go straight to Santa Post Office as I had letters that I had to post and then went for photo if you are visiting go straight to have photo many a disappointed person leaving without photo with Santa.
While at the SV one is also able to cross the Arctic Circle and then go to the information center located above the Post Office to obtain your certificate again for a price.You can also straddle the Artic Circle and in one of the shops you can obtain(for a price machine operated) a gold coin stating that you crossed the Arctic Circle Again the general public are not courteous and one must be assertive or you will not have photo opportunities
I would have expected santa and elves to be walking around but no just masses of people and because the ground is very slippery so many people slipping and falling so be careful .
I expected the shops to be like Santas workshop but are in reality very overpriced and all selling the same imported tourist souvenir that you can obtain elsewhere at a cheaper price.I also expected to be able to buy Xmas decorations but this range was limited.
Limited seating available inside for timeout from the cold
Way up the back are the reindeer rides I stopped looked at the poor animal and left
When the sun is risen the magic of SV is gone but returns again when sun begins to set one can see how cold it is with the temperature being displayed at the Arctic Circle location.
I is a magical place but terrible managed for the masses of people that visit especially for the Santa Photo after all isn't that why you are there?
Obviously SV has survived because of the tourist and little if anything will change but I do think addressing the Santa photo issue is a must especially dealing with the que jumpers thats what the elves can be doing crowd control
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
wondereyes
Bucharest, Romania2,359 contributions
Very commercial place
Aug 2019
It was August, not December but in the village the music was all about Christmas. You can find the Santa house, post office, a lot of shops, restaurants, but everything is very commercial; you pay a lot for every souvenir and it doesnot worth the money. For children is very nice that's why the place is crowded even in summer.
If you want a photo with Santa you have to pay, you cannot do it with your camera.
What i liked: that you cross there the Arctic Circle (much nicer than in Norway) and that you can see some of children letters addressed to Santa framed.
Written June 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
superanna80
London172 contributions
Un’americanata!
Dec 2021 • Family
It is what I will call “un’americanata”. Meaning all a thing build around nothing, where everything is expensive and you have to queue and pay for all the small thing you want to see.
We went there for my daughter to see Santa and Santa’s wife.. visit to Santa you can have for free after queuing but don’t you want to get a photo?? 45€ for the pic, and are you sure you don’t want Santa to give a gift to your little one??? 25€!
For visiting Santa’s wife you pay 5€ the entrance and then of course, don’t you want to get the photo?? 35€!
There is also the Elves farm with reindeer, goats, rabbits… we can’t miss it!! 20€adult and 10€ kid… and please don’t forget the moss for the reindeer!! (4€)!!!
I wan’t talk about restaurant where we it seems the Covid doesn’t exists since everybody is going to the buffet without masks .. but this is not complete fault of the facility.. maybe more of the regulations..
Written December 30, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Donna G
Stafford, UK173 contributions
Not what we expected
Jan 2020 • Family
This was not the dream destination we had hoped for, it's very busy, commercialised and expensive. Tried to see Santa several times, the queue was 3hrs plus, had to return early next morning to see Santa before all the coaches arrived. You are not allowed to take your own photos, you have to purchase ones taken there. You only get a couple of minutes with Santa, as soon as my daughter sat next to him he was pushing her forwards on her chair to get up and leave. It was all very impersonal and rushed and disappointing.
All the cafés were expensive.
We paid €100 for a 12 minute reindeer sleigh ride 2 ad 2 ch
It rained on top of the snow while we were there which made the whole area treacherous, lots of people were falling badly. My husband fell and broke his elbow, there was no first aid at all on site. We drove to the hospital where we met several others injured at SCV. I would not return here, I would go to one of the other Santa experiences
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Amit Chandra
Wroclaw, Poland319 contributions
Rovaniemi lives in the heart of Santa Claus Village!
Jan 2020 • Business
Took a lot of trips here during the summer as well as winter. Santa Claus Village is open year round, no matter what time of the year you choose to visit it. And you can find santa there in his office during his working hours. Get a photo clicked with him, it's all for free. But, but... The tricky part is that the photos are clicked by the elves with the professional camera, cause taking a photo inside the Santa's office with hour phone or camera is forbidden. So to get the photo in the form of a digital copy or soft copy, you must pay. The price is 30 euros something.

The vibes in the holiday village is absolutely terrific with carols playing year round. Winter and snow makes it looks even dreamier, and there are times when you can actually see the Northern Lights from here as well. The famous Arctic circle line cross right through the holiday village and crossing it is considered as an auspicious activity. You can also visit the husky and reindeer farm and enjoy the sledge ride as well. There are some amazing restaurants and hotels in the resort premises, with highlight being the Santa Glass Igloo from where you can watch the legendary nothern lights from the cosy comfort of your room. You can also write letters/postcards to your near and dear ones with the coveted Arctic circle stamp and reindeer seal on it. Santa's Park is another attraction which is quite close from the Santa Claus Village. You can spend an entire day here. 😊
Reach out to me on my blog Whistling Hound for more info! 😍
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jo C
Ipswich, Australia36 contributions
Take a loaded wallet
Dec 2019
We had lots of fun here although we never actually got to see Santa; the sheer number of people there meant we had to wait 6 hours for an ‘appointment’ with a further huge queue after that, taking us well past the last bus back to the city. (and this was post-Christmas). Given that everything in the village was outrageously expensive the thought of shelling out another 25 euro on a taxi was too much, and the teenagers had had enough anyway! Obviously it is super touristy, but we could not help feeling as though we were being taken for our last cent.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
J J
JAT19622 contributions
A string of bad souvenir shops connected by bad cafes.
Jan 2020 • Family
It's all hype. Buildings and Christmas lights are just a trap for the cheapest flea market merchandise and some "Finland" wool hats and sweaters that is sold at any store. The merchandise is so bad that the kids couldn't find anything on which to spend 50 Euros we gave them (to try to keep them from being completely crushed by this terrible place). Consider that -- young kids with money to burn could find nothing worth buying! The very little that there is too do is terribly expensive and poorly executed. For example, 28 Euro PER PERSON gets you access to a restaurant and Cafe (food and drink extra), ice skating, sliding down a hill (like you can do outside for free) and viewing ice sculptures. The Elves petting zoo will set you back another 10 or 15 Euro a person, for which you get to slide down a small pile of snow and look at animals like roosters, rabbits, and sheep (only the reindeer were interesting to the kids). I don't usually write reviews but I feel an obligation to warn you.
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Amanda D
Houston, TX96 contributions
The main reason we fly across the world to visit Rovaniemi ;)
Dec 2019
We visited the day before Christmas Eve (12/23/19) which is when they have the big send off parade (it starts at 7 p.m.) It is free to park and walk about the village. There are shops, restaurants, snow sleds, etc. You can see Santa for free but you cannot take pictures, their cheapest photo was 40 Euros for a 5x7. You can cross into the Artic Circle, ride reindeer, visit the post office, visit Mrs. Claus' cottage, and play at Snowman World, which is located inside of the Village. (Snowman World only accepts cash.) The Village also have a building that holds a tour company in case you want to book soome excusrions. I was a bit disappointed in the Village itself, but it's cute and Christmasey. We split the day between Santa Park and Santa Village; you can easily see everything, including a snack and waiting in lines, in about 2 hours.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
mick
Cricklade, UK7 contributions
A Must Visit but very Commercialised
Nov 2021
Nice place to visit but it is mostly shops and eating places. In the winter you need to wrap up warm as very little indoor activity if you are staying on site. In my view Santa Park is far better for children.
Written December 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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