With its variety of Santa-themed activities and attractions, SantaPark Arctic World is a top attraction near Lapland’s capital, Rovaniemi. Visitors spend hours decorating cookies in Mrs. Gingerbread’s Bakery, learning elven skills at the Elf School, and dropping off Christmas wish lists during visits with Santa himself.
At Santa’s Post Office, visitors can write and send Christmas cards and watch the elves hard at work sorting out Santa’s mail. Elsewhere, they can obtain an Arctic Circle Undercrossing Certificate after crossing the Arctic Circle through an underground tunnel, ride the Christmas-themed Magic Train, and catch an Elf Show with magic tricks and acrobatic feats.
SantaPark Arctic World is located just outside Rovaniemi and near the city’s airport. You can reach the park with a dedicated shuttle bus or a city bus from downtown; both take about 15 minutes. Alternatively, book a SantaPark Arctic World tour that includes admission tickets and round-trip transportation.
The park is only open for the Christmas season, from mid-November through the first week of January. The attractions can be very crowded during weekends and holidays, so visit during a weekday to avoid the crush. Alternatively, reach the park as soon as it opens in the morning and head directly to the highlights like Santa’s Office before the crowds arrive.
Most Santa fans who visit Rovaniemi stop at the city’s two top Christmas attractions, SantaPark Arctic World and Santa Claus Village. In addition to visits with Santa in his office, Santa’s Post Office, and a number of Christmas-themed shops and activities, Santa Claus Village offers outdoor adventures by husky-pulled dogsleds, reindeer sleighs, snowmobiles, and ice-karts.