Reindeer and husky farm day · Rovaniemi city centre
The most reviewed Santa Claus Village day on GetYourGuide: a reindeer farm where you steer your own sleigh, a husky ride, salmon soup by the fire and free time in the village at the end. Pick it if you want the animals and Santa in one organised day, with warm overalls handed to you.
The day starts with a transfer from Rovaniemi city centre to a reindeer farm. This is not a hotel pickup: the listing says transport from the city centre and lists hotel pickup as not included, so check your voucher for the exact stop and walk or taxi there. At the farm you take the reins yourself for a 500 m reindeer sleigh ride and get a Reindeer Sledge Driver's License for it. Then come the Alaskan huskies and a 500 m husky ride, and lunch: salmon soup, or a vegetarian soup, while the herders talk about reindeer herding today.
The last part is free time in Santa Claus Village. The listing does not say how long, but guests mention enough time to explore. You can step across the Arctic Circle line, and children under 150 cm get 10 minutes on a mini snowmobile track. Entry to Santa Claus Village is free, every day of the year, and so is the normal meeting with Santa at Santa Claus Office. What costs money there is the official photo: Santa Claus Office sells photos and video from EUR 57 in 2026, and your own phone or camera is not allowed in Santa's room. Mid-November to early January is the busy stretch. Santa Claus Office says to allow about an hour in the queue inside in December, and on the busiest days you first collect a free entry time from an elf at the small red cabin by the Arctic Circle line. Those times can run out after midday. On a December afternoon, the free time and the Santa queue can overlap, so decide early whether Santa or the shops come first.
Both rides are short, 500 m each. They are a taste, not a safari, and one 5-star guest still wished the husky part lasted longer. Winter clothing is included, which matters in December: Finnish Meteorological Institute normals put daytime highs at about -5 °C, and cold snaps of -25 °C and below happen. Snow usually settles in November, but nobody can promise it early in the season. When it is thin, rides can be shorter or run on wheeled carts. The whole day is about 6 hours and the listing says it is not suitable for wheelchair users. Every tour on this site cancels free up to 24 hours before the start.
Meet at the city-centre point on your voucher. The bus takes you out to the reindeer farm.
A short lesson, then 500 m with the reins in your hands. The license is your souvenir.
Meet the Alaskan huskies, then 500 m on the sled behind the team. Guests mention time to pet the dogs.
Salmon or vegetarian soup, with the herders telling you how reindeer herding works in the 21st century.
Free time to meet Santa, cross the Arctic Circle line and shop. Kids under 150 cm can try the mini snowmobile track.
Drop-off back in the city centre.
★★★★★A truly perfect tour for combining lots of activities in one day. The travel times to the locations were short. Our guide was super nice and answered all our questions, took photos of us, and organized everything really well!! [...] There was plenty of time to explore Santa Claus Village.
★★★★★Great experience with the reindeer sleds and then with the Huskies. The dogs are adorable, and they are very well behaved, so we were able to spend some time with them. The salmon soup for lunch was delicious and tasted homemade. In the end, the experience at Santa Claus Village was a lot of fun too.
★★★★★Incredible! I think about this experience often even two years later. This day wrapped up all the magic of what I expected in Finland and everyone was so kind. I loved that they provided big winter suits to wear in the cold too! :)
★★★★★Very well organized and super comprehensive day trip. We loved it! We just would have liked the husky ride to last a little longer. But everything else was perfect, including the meal, which was delicious.
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No. Transport runs from Rovaniemi city centre, and hotel pickup and drop-off is listed as not included. Your voucher gives the exact meeting point.
500 m each. You drive the reindeer sleigh yourself and get a Reindeer Sledge Driver's License; a musher's team pulls you on the husky ride.
Meeting Santa at Santa Claus Office is free for everyone and happens in your free time in the village. Official photos are extra, from EUR 57 in 2026, and in December the queue inside takes about an hour.
Yes, winter clothing is included for the day. Add your own thermal underwear, wool socks, a hat and mittens underneath.
Ready to book
Drive a reindeer sleigh, ride behind huskies, eat salmon soup at the farm, then free time in Santa Claus Village.
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