A visit to Lapland to see Father Christmas is just a pipedream for most people, with a short stay generally costing thousands – but there is a far cheaper way to experience the magic of the snowy wonderland without breaking the bank
Whether you want to admit it or not, Christmas really is on its way and it will be here sooner than you think.
Your flip flops may still be lingering redundant at the front door in the hope of some warm autumn sun but they’ll be joined by hats and scarfs very soon, which you’ll be throwing on to rush out and get those last minute Xmas gifts.
If you’ve always hoped one of them would be to take the kids (or just yourself) to Lapland to see the big fella in his homeland, but never believed you could afford it – there is a much less costly way to make those childhood festive dreams of a trip of a lifetime come true.
The Santa Village and the Arctic Circle in Northern Finland is where Santa has lived for centuries and is a top destination for those in search of the all round festive experience. The village in Rovaniemi is open every day of the year but many prefer to go during the Christmas period.
We took a look at costs for a family of four to stay at the village itself for two nights during December and it’s fair to say most families would be priced out.
The family suite (double bed and a sofa bed and armchair bed) was the only option available with the cheaper cottages having sold out. It came in at around £1,683 for both nights.
For anyone who wants to splash out even more there is a villa which can be rented in its entirety or it’s also possible to rent half of it as an apartment. The smaller of the two apartments comes in at just over £13,000 in total for four people staying two nights on December 15 and 16.
Admittedly the accommodation appears to be the height of luxury and includes breakfast. There’s even the option of a private chef preparing it for you for £262 extra per morning if you can’t be bothered to pop your bread in the toaster yourself.
Father Christmas himself will even make a VIP private visit to the apartment for around 30 minutes but he doesn’t come cheap either, he’s a busy man after all. You’ll have to fork out around £778 if you want Santa on your sofa.
Return flights with Syscanner from London Gatwick to Rovaniemi on 15 December – 17 December come in around £862 in total for reasonable times but still won’t land until 18.10 on the first night. Obviously you’ll pay more for kinder flight times that don’t involve getting up or home in the middle of the night.
If you went for the cheaper option for flights and accommodation you would be looking at a total cost of £2,545 or £13,862 for the high end apartment. These estimates DON’T include travel to and from the airport or the cost of any meals, refreshments or added extras such as husky or reindeer sled rides (the luxury apartment includes breakfast).
However those wishing there was a cheaper way to enjoy the winter wonderland, could consider arranging alternative accommodation and adding in an extra festive experience that will also save money. It is generally cheaper to fly to Helsinki from the UK. We found an early morning flight leaving Gatwick for £218 in total for four passengers on the same date, again via Skyscanner.
Once there you can pick up the overnight Santa Express (sadly he doesn’t actually drive the double decker train), which runs from Helsinki to snow-capped Lapland in the north.
The journey takes approximately 12 hours which means you can really relish the beauty of the Finnish landscape as you head towards Father Christmas. If you’re lucky you may even get to marvel at the natural stunning phenomena of the Northern Lights which are often visible here before being rocked off to sleep, waking up in the Arctic Circle the next morning.
This option combines travel and the first night’s accommodation in one, making it so much cheaper all round. Standard sleeper cabins start from £43 and cabins with showers start from £65. It is advised to book early and directly through the Finnish national rail company VR.
Recent travellers on the Santa Express have shared their experiences on Tripadvisor, where the train has a 4.2 rating: “This overnight train ride was a fun and unique way for our family to travel to Lapland. It added to the excitement of our trip and gave us a chance to relax before arriving in Rovaniemi,” one wrote. “We would recommend it to families looking for an authentic Finnish travel experience.”
Another family were also pleasantly surprised: “The rooms/cabins exceeded our expectations. Admittedly, we had concerns about selecting this mode of transport between Helsinki and Rovaniemi but we were looking forward to a new experience. It really did help establish a festive feeling as we embarked on our first trip to Lapland,” they shared.
Once you arrive in Rovaniemi you can head straight to the Santa Village, where entry is free. There’s not even a charge to meet the man himself in his big red house but prepare for queues at busy periods. Added extras such as a picture with him will come with a price tag though.
The Arctic Circle runs through the village and you can cross it in the central square – again totally free. Make some lifelong memories by taking your own pictures of the family jumping or hopping across the line in the sparkly surroundings.
There are plenty of other activities in the village, such as husky rides and snowmobile safaris but for those on a tight budget there’s lots of fun to be had simply soaking up the frozen landscape’s atmosphere after a special meet with Santa.
Once your day in the village is over, rather than staying on site, it’s possible to find much cheaper alternatives in Rovaniemi itself. We found an entire studio apartment on booking.com just 0.6 miles from the city centre for £260 for the whole family. After a restful night full of festive dreams, you can catch a flight back to Gatwick from nearby Rovaniemi airport. We found one with Skyscanner for £392.
Below are the totals for both Lapland trips and the savings that could be made. Estimates are for a family of four staying two nights between 15 – 17 December. Neither includes meals, refreshments or extras. Prices were correct at the time of writing:
Total for the Santa Village suite (cheaper of the two): £2,545
Total estimate for the alternative Lapland package using the Santa Express: £956
Saving of: £1,589