Meeting Santa Claus in Rovaniemi

Where can you meet Santa Claus in Rovaniemi?

In Santa Claus Village, at Santa Claus Office (Joulumaantie 1) and at Christmas House (Tähtikuja 2), both free and open every day. SantaPark, a separate paid park, has its own Santa's Office.

Santa Claus Office is the big log building with a tower in the middle of the village, right by the Arctic Circle line. Santa has welcomed visitors here every day since 1992. Christmas House is inside Santa Claus Holiday Village, also in the village, and also free.

• SantaPark: a cavern park near the airport with its own Santa's Office; the ticket is from EUR 42 per adult. See Santa Claus Village vs SantaPark.
• Mrs Santa Claus' Christmas Cottage: at Santa Claus Reindeer in the village, with a private meeting and keepsake photo from EUR 70 for 15 minutes.
• Private meetings in the countryside: members of the village cooperative such as Santa Claus Cottage at Porovaara Reindeer Hill, Apukka, Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park and Piiru Resort, all pre-booked.

Is it free to meet Santa Claus at Santa Claus Office?

Yes. There is no entrance ticket and no booking for the regular meeting: arrive in opening hours and join the queue. You pay only if you want the photos or a gift.

You can bring a letter or a drawing and hand it to Santa yourself; keep it with you until it is your turn, because nothing can be passed to the meeting room in advance. Names and wish lists cannot be sent ahead either. If you want Santa to give your child a present, the only way is the surprise gift sold by Santa Claus Office, EUR 35, online or at the office before the meeting. Personal gifts brought from outside cannot be handed over.

Inside, the meeting is short. Santa talks with the family, the Photographer Elves film and photograph, and the next family comes in. Larger groups are asked to contact the office ahead, and visitors with accessibility needs can speak to an elf on arrival.

How long is the queue to see Santa in December?

Allow about an hour in the queue inside Santa Claus Office in the busiest season, after collecting a free Entrance Time. In December the times can run out after midday.

Here is how it works on busy days, per Santa Claus Office:

1. Collect an Entrance Time from an elf at the small red cabin near the entrance, by the Arctic Circle line. Go as early in the day as you can.
2. Spend the gap in the village. The time on your slip is when you join the queue in the lobby, not when you meet Santa.
3. Come back at your time, show the slip to the elf at the door and queue inside, about an hour in December.

The busiest stretch is mid-November to early January, with December the peak. Outside it, the wait is much shorter, and April to September are the quietest months. In winter the office says later in the day, close to closing time, is often quieter, while its meeting page advises arriving in the morning in December to secure an entry time. Both hold: get the slip early, and if yours is late, so much the better.

Does a tour shorten the queue to meet Santa?

No. A normal tour uses the same free Entrance Time system anyone can use; the guide collects the time for you. Only the Christmas Express Pass and paid private meetings avoid the regular queue.

When a listing says it "books your queue time", this is what it means: your guide picks up the Entrance Time, and you still wait inside. The day-trip listing for the village and SantaPark puts the wait at typically 30 to 60 minutes. A tour that reaches the village early can help a lot, since the queue builds through the morning:

★★★★★

We were first in the Santa Village and had to wait 10 minutes, which would have been unthinkable two hours later with a huge line!!!

★★★★★

Super organized. Got to Santa Claus early without waiting in a long line.

The village visit with lunch and the Santa, reindeer and husky morning both include the meeting with Santa and hotel pickup. Queues day by day are in our December queues post.

Santa Claus Office or Christmas House: which is better?

Santa Claus Office is the famous one, on the Arctic Circle line, with the biggest queues and clear photo prices. Christmas House is a free alternative in Santa Claus Holiday Village with its own hours.

Both meetings are free and both run every day of the year. At Christmas House the elves can take a high-quality photo if you want one; it does not publish the price, so ask before the meeting. Christmas House stays open until 22:00 on 24 and 25 December, the latest hours of any Santa in the village.

Can you take your own photos with Santa, and how much are they?

Not at Santa Claus Office: phones and cameras are not allowed in Santa's room. The elves film every meeting, and downloadable photos and video start at EUR 57 for up to 5 people.

You see the photos and the video right after the meeting and decide then; there is no obligation to buy. Current prices at Santa Claus Office:

• Digital photos and video: from EUR 57 (max. 5 people), EUR 5 per extra person.
• Extra photo file: EUR 25.
• Printed A4 photo: EUR 42.

You get an Elf Code at the visit. At home, open "My Photos & Videos" on the Santa Claus Office website with your email and that code, and download within a year. Own photos are fine elsewhere in the building, just not in Santa's room. At SantaPark the ticket listings say you may take as many photos with Santa as you like on your own phone.

What is the Christmas Express Pass, and is there a private meeting?

The Christmas Express Pass is Santa Claus Office's own pre-booked private meeting: EUR 500 per family of up to 8, about 10 minutes with around 5 with Santa, photos and video included. A smaller private meeting near Christmas House costs $290 per group of up to 5.

With the Express Pass you arrive at your time at the separate entrance at the back of the building, on the Joulumaantie side, and go in without the regular queue. The meeting is in Finnish or English. Slots run daily in the Christmas season, with a few at other times (book those by email). Cancel 15 to 31 days before for 50% back; 14 days or less, no refund. The surprise gift (EUR 35) and an A4 print (EUR 42) are optional extras.

The private meeting on GetYourGuide is a different product: about 10 minutes with Santa in a private meeting room separate from Christmas House, meeting point Joulumaantie 20, with one printed A5 family photo. Arrive 5 minutes before your slot; no own photos inside. It cancels free up to 24 hours before.

Ten minutes with Santa at a time you pick, for up to five people, with a printed family photo to take home. No Entrance Time, no hour in the queue.

★ 4.3 · 10 minutes · from $290

Explore the private meeting with Santa → Tour details

What should you bring to meet Santa?

A letter or drawing if your child has one, warm layers you can open indoors, your email address for the photos, and some time for the post office next door.

• A letter or drawing: hand it over yourself during the meeting.
• Layers: you go from -10 °C outside to a warm lobby and back.
• A card: photos, the gift and the post office all take cards.
• Patience in December: snacks for children and a plan for the gap after the Entrance Time.

Afterwards, Santa Claus' Main Post Office is a short walk away. It is a real Posti office, and every card posted there, or in the mailbox outside, gets the Arctic Circle postmark. Santa has received almost 25 million letters from about 200 countries. To have a reply arrive at home, Posti's "Santa's letter" must be ordered by 23 November 2026 for outside Europe, 3 December for Europe and 13 December for Finland; Santa Claus Office's own letter costs EUR 12.

Frequently asked questions