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Santa in Inari with children: ages, getting there and preparing them

A letter addressed to Santa propped on a shelf beside a gingerbread figure, a Santa door hanger and red tinsel with fairy lights

Illustration photo: a letter to Santa at home, not in Inari.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a baby or a child under three, ask the hotel in Inari before booking its Santa visit, because its group bars under-threes from its activities, or drive to Saariselkä, where they go in free. With children of three and over, the hotel's visit is the easy one: a short walk, no drive, and letters handed in the day before. Saariselkä suits children who will enjoy an afternoon with an elf and reindeer before the meeting.

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.

Hotel in Inari: Santa visitHotel in Inari: Santa packageSaariselkä: afternoon programme
Under three Ask first: barred from the group's activities No activities Free
Getting there A short walk from the hotel Airport transfers included 56 min by car, transport not stated
Winter clothing Not stated Included Overalls, boots and mittens lent

Nothing is marked: which suits you depends on the youngest child's age and whether you have a car.

Where these figures come from
  • Hotel in Inari: Santa visit: The hotel's meeting with Santa on its own, for one family at a time, sold on its activities page from late November to early January.
  • Hotel in Inari: Santa package: Three or four nights at the hotel with full board, in which the meeting with Santa is one day's activity among several.
  • Saariselkä: afternoon programme: Two and a half to three hours with an elf, reindeer, a sleigh ride and baking, shared with other families, ending in Santa's cabin.

Start from the youngest child. The options for meeting Santa from Inari split on babies and toddlers before they differ on anything else.

Babies and toddlers

The hotel group behind the hotel in the village does not let children under three take part in any of its activities, and recommends only shorter ones at three, pointing families to its Santa or family packages.1 Its Santa visit is listed among those activities, and its page does not say whether a baby may come in with the family,2 so ask before you book. Saariselkä’s programme lets children up to three in free.3 The Christmas package, though made for families with younger children, repeats the rule that babies join none of its activities.4

Getting there

The hotel’s visit starts with a short walk, which with small children in the dark is its biggest advantage over everything else here. Saariselkä means the best part of an hour’s drive each way around an afternoon programme, which makes it most of a winter day for a small child.

Preparing the children

At the hotel, children write their letters and you hand them to the reception in confidence at least a day ahead, so that Santa has read them. Saariselkä does the same by email: a questionnaire arrives before the day, and what you write in it is what lets Santa make the meeting personal.

Tours you can book

Priced per person

Priced for the whole party

  • A private meeting with Santa, a short walk from the hotel in Inari

    Run by Wilderness Hotel Inari

    From €275per group of up to 4

    Length0.3–0.7 h

    Listed on the operator’s own site · Price read Sep 23, 2026

    See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)

Questions people ask

How do small children take part in the rest of the Christmas package?

On the package's snowmobile trip, children under fifteen ride in a sleigh pulled by the guide's snowmobile rather than on a machine. On the husky ride two people normally share a team and swap driver halfway, and the hotel says families with small children can share a team together. The aurora evening starts with a sleigh ride behind the guide's snowmobile.

Will it be dark when we meet Santa?

Most likely. The hotel group points out that the sun does not rise from November until the middle of January, and that there are only a few hours of light around noon, which is when it schedules its daytime activities. Snow makes it feel much lighter than it sounds, but dress children for an outing in the dark, and bring a torch for the walk.

Does every child get a present?

Yes, in both places. At the hotel's meeting Santa gives a small present to everyone in the family. In Saariselkä each child receives the same small symbolic gift, and the programme asks parents not to bring their own presents for Santa to hand out, because it would be unfair on the other children in the group. Keep your own present for Christmas morning.

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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