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Best Santa Claus visit from Ivalo: one pick for each family

A small ceramic Santa figurine with a sack over his shoulder standing in fresh snow, a snowy forest blurred behind

Illustration photo: a Santa figurine in the snow, not at a place described here.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a short, private meeting that feels like a small adventure, book the reindeer farm's sleigh ride to Santa, in December or January. If your children want the huskies too, add Santa to a visit at the husky farm. If you would rather have a whole afternoon of reindeer, sleigh and gingerbread with Santa at the end, drive to Saariselkä. Keep Rovaniemi for a holiday built around him.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Reindeer farm, IvaloHusky farm, IvaloSaariselkä programmeRovaniemi office
Private Yes – your family alone with Santa Yes – your family alone with Santa No No
Time with Santa About 20 min 15–30 min About 10 min Not stated
Around the meeting Sleigh ride, gift The rest of your farm visit Reindeer, sleigh, gingerbread The Santa Claus Village
From Ivalo 6 km from the centre In Ivalo, distance not stated 24 min by car 197 min by car
Season 1 Dec–31 Jan Not stated Not stated All year

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: your family alone with Santa. Only privacy is marked, because it is the one thing the two farms offer that the other two cannot; a busy afternoon in Saariselkä is not a worse visit for a family that likes company.

Where these figures come from
  • Reindeer farm, Ivalo: A private sleigh ride pulled by a snowmobile to find Santa at a secret spot, a meeting of about twenty minutes and a gift for every visitor.
  • Husky farm, Ivalo: Santa in the farm's cabin for your family alone, added to a visit with the huskies, or at your own cabin if you ask.
  • Saariselkä programme: An afternoon of two and a half to three hours in Saariselkä that ends with about ten minutes in Santa's cabin.
  • Rovaniemi office: The free walk-in meeting at the Arctic Circle, a little over three hours' drive from Ivalo each way.

A family at Ivalo does not have to travel far to meet Santa: two farms near the village sell private visits, and the longer trips are for families who want more around the meeting.

A private meeting, close by

The reindeer farm six kilometres out takes your family by sleigh to find Santa at a secret spot, about ten minutes each way, for a meeting of about twenty minutes and a gift for everyone, in December and January.1 The husky farm brings Santa into its cabin for fifteen to thirty minutes as an addition to a visit with its dogs.2

A whole afternoon

The programme in Saariselkä is two and a half to three hours of reindeer, a sleigh and gingerbread, with about ten minutes in Santa’s cabin at the end.3 Children who like a busy day may enjoy it more than a short private meeting.

How the two private visits work in detail is on private Santa visits in Ivalo.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Priced for the whole party

Questions people ask

Does Santa need to know about the children in advance?

At the reindeer farm, yes: it asks for a completed form about the visitors before the visit so that Santa can prepare. The husky farm asks pre-arrival questions about what makes your family smile for the same reason. Fill them in properly, because a Santa who knows a child's name and hobby is the whole point of a private visit.

Can Santa come to where we are staying?

The husky farm says so: its Santa add-on page ends by saying that Santa can also come to your cabin. It does not print a separate price or terms for that, so ask when you book. None of the other visits near Ivalo offers it, which makes it the one option that needs no travel for a small child at bedtime.

What language does Santa speak?

The husky farm says its Santa speaks fluent English. The reindeer farm and the Saariselkä programme do not say what language their Santa speaks, so ask when you book. If your children speak another language, mention it on the pre-visit form: a few words in their own language make a large difference to a four-year-old.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

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