How to Get to Santa Claus Village: Your Guide to Visiting Lapland’s Iconic Destination

If you’re dreaming of visiting the magical Santa Claus Village in Finland, the first step is figuring out how to get there. Located in the heart of Finnish Lapland, this enchanting destination promises a journey as memorable as the experience itself.

From snowy landscapes to festive charm, Santa Claus Village is a must-visit for travelers of all ages. Whether you're planning your first trip to Lapland or returning for another Arctic adventure, reaching this iconic spot is part of the excitement.

This guide will provide everything you need to know to plan your journey and make the most of your visit to Santa Claus’s official home.

📍 Where is the Real Santa Claus Village?

Santa Claus Village is located in Rovaniemi, which is the gateway to Finnish Lapland. It's Just 10 km away from Rovaniemi's city center, making it really accessible!

How to Get Santa Claus Village: Getting to Rovaniemi, Finland

Despite its small size and remote location, there are quite a few ways to reach Rovaniemi. We did a ton of research, and will break down the different options depending on time, convenience, and budget.

The 3 main options for how to get to Santa Claus Village are:

• Flying to Rovaniemi (the quickest option)
• Taking a train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi (the most fun option)
• Renting a car and driving to Rovaniemi (the most budget-friendly option)

✈️ Can You Fly Directly to Santa's Village?

If you're looking for how to get to Santa Claus Village in Finland in the quickest time possible, then flying there may just be your best bet.

Santa Claus Village is located just 3 km away from the airport (RVN), so technically you could actually walk there! (although I doubt you'd want to in the extreme cold temperatures there).

🛫 Traveling to Rovaniemi Via Flight 

We were actually shocked by the number of cities that fly direct to Rovaniemi! While all of them don't fly every day of the week, there are many European cities that have direct flights offered to Rovaniemi, Finland.

Cities that fly direct to Rovaniemi include Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Bristol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hannover, Helsinki, Istanbul, London, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Naples, Newcastle, Nice, Paris, Rome, Tromso, Vienna, and Zurich.

You can use this widget below to check for flights from your city to Rovaniemi!

If you couldn't find a good option for flying to Rovaniemi, you could also opt to fly to Helsinki, and then from there there are a few different options for getting to Rovaniemi.

Don't have time to read the whole article and want to save it for later? Just pin it!

🚊 Is There a Train from Helsinki to Lapland?

Yes! There are actually two different options for trains that you can take:

• The public trains (both direct and with one stop)
• Santa Claus Express overnight train

🚆 How to Get to Rovaniemi with Santa Claus Express

Looking for a fun and unique way to experience your journey from Helsinki to Santa Claus Village? The Santa Claus Express is a double decker night train that features a restaurant, wifi, and your choice of a seat or a sleeper cabin. Cabins are equipped with power sockets and some even have their own shower and toilet!

This is probably the most expensive option (around 200 euros), but also the most eco-friendly and exciting way to visit Santa Claus Village in Lapland. 

🚆 How to Get to Rovaniemi by Public Train

If you don't want the high expense of taking the Santa Claus Express, but still want the comfort of traveling by train, there are also quite a few options! 

Trains are from 8-12 hours, and run around 75-100 euros/person. These are the different ones that you can take:

• Intercity 23, 25, 27, or 35 
• Night Train 265, 267, or 273
• Pendolino 35

Look for trains to Rovaniemi:

🚐 Is There a Bus from Helsinki to Lapland?

There are buses from Helsinki to Lapland! They are run by Flix Bus, and are about 12 hours long. While this certainly isn't the most comfortable option, it is definitely the most budget friendly one as tickets are only about 35 euros/person.

🚎 How to Get to Rovaniemi by Public Bus

Tickets for Flix Bus are able to be purchased online. We'd recommend getting your tickets in advance for the best prices and availability.

The buses leave out of Kampin Metroasema, and arrive into the Rovaniemi bus terminal, which is right across from the railway station. 

🚘 Can I Drive from Helsinki to Rovaniemi?

When we imagined Lapland, we were picturing a remote village in several feet of snow. Well, despite having a ton of snow and being far out in the middle of nowhere, we're happy to say that driving to to Lapland is totally possible (and easy) from Helsinki.

🚗 Driving to Rovaniemi

We decided to drive to Rovaniemi from Helsinki to cut costs, and to have the flexibility to explore Lapland on our own. Albeit a very long drive (about 9-10 hours), it's really beautiful, and the roads are pristine.

Not only that, but having a car in Lapland allowed us to go back and forth to Santa's village as often as we wanted, stop at different resorts, and even allowed us to go northern light hunting in the middle of the night (you do have to go outside of Rovaniemi, and tours are a bit pricey).

We were able to do our own Northern Lights tour while in Finland.

Renting a car is a good option if:

• You are more than 1 person
• You have more time to spend
• Driving in the dark doesn't bother you

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are driving from Helsinki to Rovaniemi:

• Gas is pretty expensive (1.70-1.90/liter) so try to choose a fuel efficient car.
• There are speed cameras everywhere! Be very aware of the speed limit signs.
• There are not many hours of light in Lapland, so keep this in mind during your trip.
• We'd recommend breaking up the trip. We stayed at this apartment, which was a little more than half way, with just a couple minute detour from the main road. It also had its own sauna!
• Make sure the rental company gives you winter tires.

🅿️ Parking in Santa's Village

There are a few different parking lots at Santa Claus Village, with plenty of spots. Parking is also free of charge!

How to Get Santa Claus Village: Getting to Santa Claus Village from Rovaniemi

Now that you know how to get to Rovaniemi in Finland, let's look at all of the different options for how to get to Santa Claus Village. We'll go over the various options depending on which mode of transportation you chose for getting to Rovaniemi.

🛬 How to Get to Santa Claus Village from Rovaniemi Airport

If you are flying into Rovaniemi, you'll have a few different options for how to get to Santa Claus Village:

• Walk to Santa's Village
• Take a Taxi to Santa's Village
• Use Uber to get to Santa Claus Village
• Take a local bus to Santa Claus Village
• Hop on Airport Express to Santa's Village 

🚶🏻‍♀️ How to Get to Santa Claus Village from the Airport by Foot

If you're ready to go straight to Santa Claus Village from the airport, you can actually just walk there in a half hour! It's 2.5 km away, and just on the left when you make it to highway E75.

🚖 How to Get to Santa Claus Village from the Airport by Taxi/Uber

Taxis will be waiting just outside the airport to take people to Santa Claus Village or the downtown area. They run by the meter, and are around 25 euros. Honestly, we'd recommend taking Uber instead, as it's typically around 13 euros, which is half the price.

🚌 How to Get to Santa Claus Village from the Airport by Bus

The cheapest way to get to Santa Claus village from the airport is to take a bus. From November-March there is a bus that runs between the airport, Santa's Village, and the city center called the Airport Express.

It costs 8 euros/person, so is only really the most ideal option if you are solo traveling. (Keep in mind they prefer payment by credit card).

Here is the schedule for Santa's Airport Express:

🌃 How Do I Get from Rovaniemi to Santa's Village?

If you are taking a train or a bus into Rovaniemi, then you will arrive in the city center. The center is also a popular place to base yourself for more budget-friendly accommodation, as well as for the best dining and nightlife in Rovaniemi.

The different options for getting to Santa Claus Village from Rovaniemi are:

• Taking a Taxi to Santa's Village
• Using Uber to get to Santa Claus Village
• Taking a local bus to Santa Claus Village
• Hopping on Santa's Express or Airport Express to Santa's Village

🚕 How Much is a Taxi from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village?

Taxis from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village are run on a meter, and typically cost around 30-35 euros. We saw plenty of taxis around town, or you could have a local call one for you.

🚙 How Much is an Uber from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village?

We honestly prefer Uber to the local taxis, as we found they are almost always cheaper and easier to get. They typically are 20-30 euros.

🚎 How to Get to Santa Claus Village from Rovaniemi City by Bus

Rovaniemi has a local bus that runs year round between the Rovaniemi city center and Santa Claus Village. They don't run too often, but this is certainly the most affordable option for getting back and forth between the two. Bus #8 runs from the railway station in Rovaniemi, and tickets are 3.60 for adults, and 1.80 for children.

Here is the schedule for Bus #8:

From November-March there are also two private buses called Santa’s Express and Airport Express which run between Santa Claus Village, the City Center and the airport. Tickets cost 4 euros one-way for adults and 2 euros for kids. Round trip tickets cost 7 euros for adults, and 3 euros per child.

Here is the schedule for Santa's Express Bus:

In autumn and winter Apukka Shuttle Bus runs between the city center, Santa’s Village, and Apukka. Ticket are 8 € for adults each way and 4 € for children from 4-14. You can also get a family ticket for 20 € each way, which includes 1-2 adults and 1-3 children.

Apukka shuttle timetable for Christmas time (November 29th-January 5th):

Apukka shuttle timetable for Winter time (January 6th-April 5th):

So are you ready to experience the most magical place for Christmas? We hope we've helped you with all of your questions about how to get to Santa Claus Village.

Want to learn more about the full experience? We have quite a few more Lapland travel guides coming up, so don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for our weekly updates!

Ready to start planning the most unforgettable trip of your life? Well, it doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg! Scratch Your Mapa now offers custom travel planning services, which are designed to find you the best flights, and give you the best itinerary possible. Want to learn more? Shoot us an email to set up a free consultation!

Here are some other articles that you'll love: