Six chapters on Christmas in Finnish Lapland: Santa Claus Village, husky and reindeer rides, glass igloos, Northern Lights, markets and travel tips.
Six chapters covering every aspect of Christmas in Finnish Lapland: from choosing your accommodation to packing the right mittens.
Meet the real Santa Claus in his official Arctic Circle village, open every day of the year.
Drive your own dog sled, ride reindeer through snowy forests, and chase the aurora by snowmobile.
Sleep under the Northern Lights in a glass igloo, or cosy up in a wilderness log cabin with a fireplace.
Finnish Lapland sits in the auroral zone. At Christmas, 18 hours of darkness give multiple chances every night.
Warm your hands on glögi, browse handmade Sámi crafts, and taste reindeer: Finland's most iconic Christmas flavours.
The planning basics: when to book, what to pack for −25 °C, and how much to budget.
The questions travellers ask us most before planning a Lapland Christmas trip.
When is the best time for a Lapland Christmas trip?
For the full Christmas atmosphere, travel between late November and the end of December, when decorations, lights and Christmas programmes are in place across Lapland. The days around 24–26 December are the most festive but also the busiest and most expensive. Early December is quieter, with lower prices and reliable snow. If you mainly want snow and Northern Lights rather than the Christmas season itself, January to March also delivers both.
Where can you meet Santa Claus in Lapland?
The best-known place is Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle, where you can meet Santa Claus every day of the year free of charge; photos and videos are paid. Santa also appears at other Lapland resorts and at some hotels and family programmes in areas such as Levi, Saariselkä and Luosto. Rovaniemi is the easiest to reach, with its own airport and direct flights from Helsinki.
Around Christmas, daytime temperatures in Lapland are usually well below freezing, often between roughly -5°C and -20°C, and colder spells can go lower. Cold here feels manageable because the air is dry and often still. Dress in layers with a warm, windproof outer layer, insulated boots, a hat, mittens and a neck warmer, and many tour operators lend thermal overalls for activities. Daylight is short in late December, with only a few hours of twilight in the far north.
Do you need to book Santa visits in advance?
Meeting Santa Claus in the main room at Santa Claus Village does not require a booking, but the paid photo and video packages and any private or small-group meetings should be booked ahead, especially during the busy Christmas weeks. Husky and reindeer safaris, snowmobile tours and other activities fill up quickly over the holidays, so reserve those well in advance. Booking accommodation early is also wise, as popular dates sell out months ahead.
Lapland is one of the more reliable places in Europe for snow at Christmas. By late December the ground is normally snow-covered across the region, and resorts maintain ski and activity tracks through the season. Snow depth varies year to year and is usually greater in the north and in the fells than in the southern parts of Lapland. A white Christmas is far more likely here than in most of central or southern Europe.