A Magical Day at Santa Claus Village

Don’t know about you, but I’ve always dreamed of meeting Santa Claus one day since I was a small kid. Little did I know that I get to travel to Finland and visit to the magical Santa Claus Village. My first stop in Finland was in Helsinki just like many other tourists’, so I rode a 10-hour overnight bus to Rovaniemi because it was the cheapest way to get there from Helsinki. It was so exhausting but worth it. After getting dropped off from the bus, I had to take an extra bus to the santa claus village. I arrived at around 9am and it was so pretty. Though the weather was freezing, the sun shined bright and made the village even more spectacular. What’s interesting is that you are actually in the arctic circle after you go inside. Having the reindeer ride was literally my dream come true. I’ve always loved reindeers and this was the first time i saw them. Never thought they were strong enough to actually pull me on the sleigh. But it was amazing and gave me “into the unknown” vibes. I didn’t get on the husky ride but it seemed fun too. Other than the rides, there were not much left to do in the village, but there were many souvenirs stores, food and cafes so you can spend a nice day here. A somewhat extreme tip for saving money is that you can walk from the village to the Rovaniemi airport to leave. It only takes around 30 minutes. There are usually flights from Rovaniemi to Helsinki but not many. On the day I left, I saw the board showing that my flight was the only flight of the airport on the entire day. For young travelers like me who’d like to check the Santa claus village off the bucket list and don’t mind the many efforts to get there, personally i think one day is perfectly enough. But if you have more time and budget, you should definitely stay a night in the Rovaniemi town and do some exploring there as well. #student #budgettrip #santa #finland #rovaniemi