Book now

Santa Claus price from Sodankylä: what the visit costs and where it costs less

A stack of Christmas parcels wrapped in brown, green and blue paper printed with Merry Christmas, bells and snowflakes

Illustration photo: wrapped Christmas presents, not from the Sodankylä visit.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

Book the lavvu visit on the company's own site unless you need the pickup that only the platform mentions: the visit is the same private meeting and costs far less there. It is priced for a group, so it is best value for a family of four. A smaller budget points to the farm near Ivalo, and no budget at all to the free office in Rovaniemi, both a long drive away.

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.

Lavvu, own siteLavvu, GetYourGuideReindeer farm, IvaloSanta Claus Office, Rovaniemi
Family of four €799 €1099 €490 €0 – the lowest price for four
Each, four sharing €199.75 €274.75 €122.50 €0 – the lowest price per person
Drive from Sodankylä None None 110 min each way 89 min each way

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: the lowest price for four and the lowest price per person. Prices are for the group as printed; the drive to Ivalo or Rovaniemi is not counted in them, and for a family it is a day's travel. Only the prices are marked.

Where these figures come from
  • Lavvu, own site: The private lavvu visit booked with the company, priced for a family of four, three hours.
  • Lavvu, GetYourGuide: The same visit on the platform, for up to four, listed at four hours with pickup available.
  • Reindeer farm, Ivalo: A private sleigh ride to Santa priced for two to four, in December and January, nearly two hours' drive north.
  • Santa Claus Office, Rovaniemi: The free walk-in meeting, open all year, an hour and a half's drive south; photographs are sold separately.

The Santa visit in Sodankylä costs the same for two people as for four, and it costs very different amounts depending on where you book it.

One visit, two prices

The company’s own page sells the private lavvu visit for a family of four at 799 euros.1 GetYourGuide sells it for up to four at 1,099 euros.2 Because the price is per group, a couple pays the same as a family of four.

The cheaper visits are far away

The reindeer farm near Ivalo prices its private sleigh ride to Santa at less than either, for two to four people,3 and the office in Rovaniemi charges nothing for the meeting. Both need a long drive, which for a family is a day, so the saving is real only for those already travelling that way.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Why does the same visit cost 300 euros more on GetYourGuide?

Neither page says. The platform lists four hours and pickup, the company's own page three hours and no pickup, so the difference may be partly transport and time. Ask the company whether pickup is included when you book directly; if it is, the platform price buys nothing extra.

Can we cancel if a child is ill?

On GetYourGuide the listing's cancellation terms apply and are shown before you pay. The company's own page does not print its terms. With small children in December, the difference in terms may be worth as much as the difference in price, so ask the company before booking directly.

What do photos with Santa cost?

At the lavvu, the page says families take their own photographs inside after the meeting, and it mentions no charge for them. At the Rovaniemi office the meeting is free and the official photographs are what you pay for, from 55 euros a set, with no obligation to buy.

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.

More about Lapland Handbook →