Christmas in Santa Claus Village, our Barefoot Package
AT A GLANCE
- Meet Santa Claus at his home
- Discover the wonders of the world’s greatest light show, Aurora Borealis
- Visit a Snow Hotel & Snow Restaurant
- Experience an original Finnish Sauna & Ice Swimming
- Visit Santa’s Secret Toy Factory & Meet his Elves
- Get an Elf Academy Graduate Diploma
- Visit an Authentic Reindeer & Husky Farm
- Try a Reindeer & Husky sleigh ride
- Experience the Thrilling Experience of Snowmobiling
- Ice Fishing like a real Finn
- Experience The Frozen Waterfalls in Korouoma Canyon
ΑΤ LENGTH
Located in southern Lapland, a region that crosses much of northern Europe, the city of Rovaniemi is the largest city in Finnish Lapland. It lies just 6.4 kilometres south of the line of the Arctic Circle, the region that experiences at least one full day in winter where the sun doesn’t rise, and one full day in summer that experiences the midnight sun and provides unparalleled access to it.
The long nights and dark skies make this area at the Arctic Circle among the top places to experience the Northern Lights. Rovaniemi is renowned for the official hometown of Santa Claus, where you can meet him, and feel the Christmas joy to the fullest. Rovaniemi is also home to countless reindeer, as Reindeer herding in Lapland has been taking place for centuries. Visiting Rovaniemi you will have the chance to experience many different and exciting new things, such as the Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, the original Finnish sauna, a reindeer sleigh ride, an ice karting and much more!
Daytime high temperature in Rovaniemi in December tend to be around a high of -6°C and a low of -12 °C. The amount of daylight during late December is around 2,5 hours per day. You should bring isothermal clothing and of course snow boots with you so you don’t feel cold and can enjoy your time in Rovaniemi.
Read more...PRICING
From € 1,520, per person in double occupancy room - Duration 6 days / 5 nights
- Seasonality from November to March. Price is indicated for the period of Christmas 2023.
What’s included:
- Flight Athens – Rovaniemi – Athens with Aegean Airlines in Economy class including one handbag 8kg per person
- 5 nights accommodation in 4* Hotel in Rovaniemi with breakfast
DAILY ITINERARY
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Day 1
ATHENS – ROVANIEMI
22nd December
Arrive in Rovaniemi and take a taxi to take you to the hotel. Take your time to check in, and then enjoy a walk in Rovaniemi city. You will have the chance to wander around this beautiful city and check the variety of shops, from famous brands to local ones and enjoy the Christmas spirit. When the sun goes down you can have your first dinner at the excellent Arctic Restaurant and taste your first traditional Lappish Sauteed Reindeer along with other local dishes combined with amazing wine.
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Day 2
FINNISH SAUNA & ICE SWIMMING
23rd December
Your first full day in Rovaniemi will start with a visit in the Arktikum Museum & Science Centre to learn more information about northern nature. It is a great chance for young children and adults to understand more about the nature in this side of the world and enjoy arctic stories in the experiential exhibitions and events of the museum. Afterwards, you can have something to eat in one of the many restaurants of the city. Later, we suggest you try to Relax in a Finnish Sauna & Ice Swimming, so you understand why it is so important in the life and culture of Finnish people. That way you can enjoy in a unique way this Christmas period in Rovaniemi.
After this amazing experience you can enjoy a dinner in Nili Restaurant, where you can have authentic Lapland delicacies in the middle of Rovaniemi! After your dinner enjoy a walk back to your hotel, looking at the beautiful decorated streets of this small city.
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Day 3
SNOWMOBILE RIDE
24th December
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and get ready for an adventure! Snowmobile Ride is really popular in Rovaniemi, and it is a great opportunity to see the nature covered with snow. In the Lapland forest, there are faster ride trucks for teenagers and adults. In these rides there are often stops for lunch and hot drinks. You can choose to start your ride after dark, for an even more atmospheric tour and magnificent views as you drive through the snow at night.
If you are lucky, you can see the amazing Northern Lights, while you are riding the snowmobile. Northern Lights can be seen with naked eye but it is better to have a good camera with you so you can take as many photos you want to remember this unique phenomenon that happens in this side of the world. Enjoy a dinner in the restaurant of your hotel after this long day.
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Day 4
SANTA CLAUS VILAGE – NORTHERN LIGHTS
Christmas Day
It’s Christmas Day! If you want to feel the Christmas spirit, then you just need to visit the Santa Claus Village where you can meet Santa Claus himself! In the village you will have the chance to use the Santa Claus Main Post office, where you can write letters to your family and loved ones back home and get it stamped by the “official” Santa Claus Main Post Office postmark. While you are there you can wander around this beautiful Christmas village and get lost in the decorated streets with the little shops for some Christmas shopping. Υou can also find some Christmas attractions in Santa Claus Village like the reindeer sleigh rides, children’s snowmobiling (ages 4 and up).
There is also an Academy like no other! The Elf’s Hat Academy where you can learn how to read and organize larger and smaller books, and practice the art of hiding in plain sight, will study the craft of toy making, learn the secrets of sauna rituals and more interesting things that elves know. You can choose amongst the many restaurants that are in the village or in the area around to enjoy your Christmas dinner. In Santa Claus Village Christmas come to life!
After your visit in Santa’s village, you can prepare for another great activity for your Christmas day, the Northern Lights. There are many tours that can either take you into the wilderness to find clear sky or close to the city but still possible to see this amazing phenomenon.
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Day 5
SNOW HOTEL & SNOW RESTAURANT – ICE FISHING
Boxing Day
After your breakfast get ready for another great adventure in Lapland. A visit to a Snow Hotel & a Snow Restaurant, made completely out of snow. Just 20 minutes drive from Rovaniemi, you will find this snow hotel, that has many hotel rooms, in case you want to spend the night, an ice chapel, an ice bar to enjoy a drink in an ice glass, and of course an ice restaurant that you can taste delicacies of the Nordic in a 3-course dinner.
The adventure doesn’t finish here, we suggest you try the Ice Fishing, so you understand more how the Finnish people catch fish even in the ice-cold waters. While you are waiting to catch the freshwater fish, enjoy a hot drink while sitting on a reindeer skin. You can reach the ice fishing spots by a car, by a snowmobile or by Snowshoeing which is another great snow activity you can try while you are in Rovaniemi this Christmas. For dinner you can try the Gustav Kitchen & Bar, another amazing Finnish restaurant to end your day.
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Day 6
REINDEER & HUSKY FARM – DEPARTURE DAY
27th December
Enjoy your breakfast and then get ready for your last tour in Rovaniemi. We suggest you visit a Reindeer & Husky Farm, where you will learn more about these lovely animals. You can take the reindeer on a short sleigh ride, through the arctic countryside. Next you will meet the adorable huskies with huge personalities at their private and beautiful forest and riverside property. With this last tour you will gain a real experience of the reindeer and husky farms on the outskirts of Rovaniemi where reindeer herders and the husky mushers introduce you to both their care-taking and the animals’ lives.
Return to your hotel for a last lunch and for your check out. After take a taxi to take you to the airport for your flight back home. Arrival in Athens full of memories and new experiences from your wonderful Christmas trip in Rovaniemi!
