SantaPark
Santa Claus Village
It's Christmas every day of the year in the rather
commercialised (but quaint) 'Santa's secret hideaway' in Lapland,
northern Finland, where the redoubtable Mr Claus spends his time
preparing gifts for the world's children, and meeting and greeting
an estimated 500,000 delighted visitors a year. Co-incidentally the
valley inside the Arctic Circle where Santa's Village is set is
shaped like an ear, so, it is said, Santa can listen to all the
children of the world. At the village all sorts of activities are
on offer at Santa's office, the reindeer park and the SantaPark
theme park, and of course you can use Santa's personal post office
to mail a letter or card home with the coveted postmark. The
highlight of any visit, though, is of course meeting the great man
himself, and whispering your wishes into his friendly ear. Santa's
Village and SantaPark are located just a mile from the
international airport of Rovaniemi (capital of Lapland), and is
also easily accessible by bus or car from Helsinki.
Telephone: Village: (0)16 356 2096; SantaPark: (0)16 333 0000;
Website: www.santaclausvillage.info;
Opening time: Village: daily 9am to 7pm (June to 28 August, and 24 November to 7 January); 10am to 5pm (1 September to 23 November, and 8 January to 31 May). SantaPark: Opens on 22 November Tuesday to Sunday;
Admission: SantaPark: €20 (adults), €15 (children)
