The best reindeer tour from Tornio, by who is going
Illustration photo: a harnessed reindeer in Kolari, not at the farms named here.
The short answer
For a sleigh ride with the least driving, book the farm visit sold out of Kemi. With a child under four, go to the Santa station in Ylitornio, where the youngest go free and feeding the reindeer is part of the day. For a longer, more active day in which you lead a reindeer yourself, drive to the activity park in Ranua. If you want to compare farms and sleigh lengths, Rovaniemi is the only place within reach with that choice.
Four places within about an hour and a half of Tornio let you spend time with reindeer, and each one suits a different party.
Adults with an afternoon free: the farm near Kemi
The shortest drive, 21 minutes, and the only outing here where the reindeer are the whole point. You feed the herd and ride a sleigh for a kilometre and a half, and the outfit is lent. At 125 euros a head it is the dearest of the three for what it lasts, and the one to choose if the sleigh matters.
A child under four: Ylitornio
At the Santa station the under-fours go free, and everyone from four upwards pays the same 47 euros.1 The reindeer are fed as one part of a Christmas day, which is exactly what a toddler can manage.
A long, active day: Ranua
The activity park in Ranua, 96 minutes away, lets you feed a reindeer and lead it on a walk, and adds skating, sledging, snowshoes and a sauna to three hours at 119 euros, outerwear included. It will not run for one person alone.2 The park itself is described on reindeer in Ranua.
Wanting to choose: Rovaniemi
An hour and a half away, Rovaniemi has farms that differ in ride length, season and who runs them, compared on the best reindeer farm in Rovaniemi.
Tours you can book
An entry ticket to the Santa Station, with Santa and reindeer
Run by Santa Station
From €47per person
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)A day at an activity park with reindeer to feed and lead
Run by Lupland Adventures
From €119per person
Length3 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)A reindeer farm visit near Kemi with a 1.5 km sleigh ride
Run by Sea Lapland Safaris
From €125per person
Length2 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Which is best for a couple with no children?
The farm visit out of Kemi. It is the only one of the three built around the reindeer alone, it is two hours long, and it ends with a sleigh ride. Most of what the Ylitornio ticket buys is aimed at families with young children, so a couple would be paying full price for Santa, crafts and gingerbread they may not want in order to spend a few minutes with the reindeer.
Which is best in bad weather?
None of them promises an indoor alternative. The Kemi visit lends a full winter outfit, which makes it the easiest to sit out in real cold, and the Ranua park includes winter outerwear too. The Ylitornio ticket says its outdoor ice and snow activities depend on the weather, so the reindeer part of that day is the one most exposed to a bad forecast.
Can we book any of these on the day?
The listings do not say how far ahead they fill. What they do say is that the Kemi and Ranua outings can be cancelled free until 24 hours before, so booking a day or two ahead costs nothing extra on those terms and removes the risk of arriving to find the day already full.