Best Santa Claus visit from Kilpisjärvi: it depends on the trip
Illustration photo: a Christmas lantern in the snow, not at a Santa visit.
The short answer
Staying in Kilpisjärvi with small children, write to the reindeer farm in the village and ask for its private Santa visit before anything else. Arriving through Rovaniemi, meet Santa at his free office on the day you land or leave. Coming for Christmas week and not yet booked, look at Muonio's Christmas package. For a family that wants a whole afternoon of Santa and elves, it is Levi, and a long day.
From Kilpisjärvi, the right Santa depends on how you got there.
Already in the village, with small children
Ask the Sámi family reindeer farm in the village for its private Santa visit. It is the only one this site found in Kilpisjärvi, it is a walk from the hotels, and it is arranged by enquiry rather than online.1 Write early and give your dates.
Arriving or leaving through Rovaniemi
Make Santa part of the travel day. His office in the Santa Claus Village costs nothing and needs no booking, and a family changing from plane or train to the coach north can fit it in without adding a day. See meeting Santa Claus in Rovaniemi.
Coming for Christmas week
If you have not yet booked where to stay, Muonio, two hours and 25 minutes from Kilpisjärvi, sells a Christmas package of three or four nights in which each family meets Santa on its own. It is a holiday, not an afternoon, and priced like one.
Wanting the whole programme
The elf court in Levi gives three hours of elves, reindeer, gingerbread and Santa. From Kilpisjärvi it is the most complete afternoon on offer and also the longest day, which is why it comes last here.
Questions people ask
Is there a coach from Rovaniemi to Kilpisjärvi?
The reindeer farm in Kilpisjärvi says Rovaniemi is reached by train or plane and that a direct coach connection runs onwards to Kilpisjärvi, and it points travellers to Matkahuolto's journey planner for current times and prices. That is what makes a Santa stop in Rovaniemi realistic for a family without a car: the office is part of the day you travel rather than a separate trip.
How long does the Levi elf park take?
The listing for the elf court in Levi gives three hours, with an elf as your guide, a meeting with Santa, reindeer feeding, gingerbread and hill sliding. Add the drive of three and a quarter hours each way from Kilpisjärvi and it becomes a day of well over nine hours, which is the reason this page only recommends it to a family that wants the full programme.
What if the farm cannot offer a Santa visit on our dates?
Then the choice is between the road and a different plan. The farm's ordinary reindeer visits run through the winter by advance booking, one of them with a short wooden sleigh ride round the farm, and a family that wanted Santa mainly for the magic of reindeer and snow may find that is enough. Otherwise Levi is the nearest place selling Santa visits by the person.