Napapiiri: Post Office and Reindeer Experiences

Another special place to visit is the Santa Claus Main Post Office, with its special Napapiiri postmark.

Post Office and Letters from Around the World

At the Santa Claus Main Post Office in Napapiiri, you can send mail with a special Napapiiri postmark that is not available at other post offices. Every year, Santa Claus receives hundreds of thousands of letters from around the world. Visitors can get a glimpse of these letters at the post office. Sending your own mail and viewing Santa’s letters are therefore two distinct aspects of a visit.

If you want to use the special postmark, confirm that it is available on site.

Reindeer Experiences by Season

In winter, reindeer rides and safaris are offered at Santa Claus Village without advance booking. Visitors taking reindeer rides can obtain a reindeer driving licence or a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle by reindeer. In summer, visitors can feed and pet Santa’s reindeer at Santa Claus Village. In spring and autumn, short reindeer rides are offered in a cart. The time of your trip therefore partly determines which of these seasonal activities are available to you.

Admission to Santa Claus Village is free. As the fee policy may change, it is best to check before your visit. For seasonal reindeer activities, confirm the current operating dates before your trip.

Rovaniemi: Culture and Nature in the Wider Destination

In the wider destination of Rovaniemi, the city of Rovaniemi lies on the Arctic Circle, at the confluence of the Kemijoki and Ounasjoki rivers. For nature lovers, the Ounasvaara Nature Trail offers a specific route option: the 4.9-kilometre loop is suitable for hiking and Nordic walking. It leads to a shelter and a viewpoint with wide-ranging views over Saarenkylä and the Kemijoki. It is open during the snow-free season from May to October.

The Ounasvaara Winter Trail offers a different landscape. On a rocky, wooded slope are two shelters and a lookout tower, from which you can see across the city centre and the Kemijoki. The two routes thus differ both in season and in the viewpoints and facilities mentioned.

Rovaniemi’s cultural offerings also have their own distinct focuses. The Korundi House of Culture houses the Rovaniemi Art Museum and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. Art exhibitions, concerts and performances take place there; the individual event dates vary. The building is located on the site of a postal coach depot completed in 1933, which survived the Second World War. Arktikum combines a science centre and museum, offering the chance to explore the Arctic through science, history and culture. It is a year-round destination.

Culinary themes in Rovaniemi include wild berries, mushrooms, fish and game, prepared traditionally or in contemporary ways. These points of interest complement Napapiiri’s seasonal activities with nature, culture and culinary themes of the wider destination.

Discover more destinations: Tervola, Pohjaslahti, Nuorgam, Kaamanen, Patokoski, Utsjoki, Kittilä, Luosto.

See the wider travel overview: Lapland.