The territory of Lapland it is in Northern Europe and is divided between Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. By this time it is beginning to be a little more popular because there are those who say that Santa Claus leaves these parts with his sleigh and gifts from him.
Nothing is missing for the most popular Christian holidays, whether or not you are a Christian, in fact, so let's see today how it can be done and what a trip to lapland for christmas
Lapland
As we said, it is a territory of Northern Europe that is divided among several countries, and precisely these countries have left their mark of conquest and exploitation over time. Every country has its cities in Lapland, but when we talk about Christmas it seems to me that the destination that comes to mind is Rovaniemi, the Christmas city by excellence, In finland.
Just to add more information about Lapland, it must be said that a language known as Sami. Rather, there are several Sami languages and the most widely spoken has around 30 speakers, while others do not reach a hundred. They turn out, etymologically speaking, to share the same origin as Hungarian, Estonian and Finnish. And, although they have tried persistently to convert them to Christianity since the XNUMXth century, they still they are animists.
Christmas in Lapland
How is Christmas in Finnish Lapland? It takes place in the city of Rovaniemi and is near the Arctic Circlebetween mountains and rivers. It is considered the door of lapland and it is the country of Santa Claus or Father Christmas.
Rovaniemi had to be rebuilt after World War II because the Germans completely burned it when they withdrew. She was mostly made of wood, so she completely burned down. Thus, after the conflict, it was rebuilt following the plans of the architect Alvar Aalto, a Finnish modernist tendency, in the shape of a reindeer.
So, the new founding date of the city is 1960.
As the world tends to shut down with the cold, and next winter it will be cold without gas, here in Rovaniemi people come alive: ice skating, ice fishing, dog sledding, nature safaris, bird watching of wild animals and much more. College classes don't stop so there are people everywhere.
And it's just Christmas, so everything takes on an unforgettable Christmas tone. In fact, it is the best time to plan a Christmas trip to Lapland y visit the Santa Claus Village, the official residence of our friend of gifts. What does this luck offer us? christmas theme park which is close to the airport?
First, there is Santa Claus/Papa Noel so you can meet him in person. That is free, although if you want to take a photo to immortalize the moment you have to pay. can also be meet the reindeer and take sleigh rides thrown by them. You don't need to book so it's very convenient.
On the other hand on Mount Porovaara there is a reindeer farm that offers other types of safaris more complete, you can even go see the famous Northern Lights with them. The mount is about 20 kilometers south from the center of Rovaniemi and is a very beautiful site.
Calculate that a sleigh adventure of one hour can be around 70 euros, a safari of three hours 146 euros and the Northern lights safari, also three hours, also 146 euros.
And even more special, it is considered quite an experience to cross the Arctic Circle so it is held in a meeting of no more than 30 minutes for 35 euros. In the city of Rovaniemi the line of the Arctic Circle crosses the Santa Claus Village, located in turn about eight kilometers from the city center. It is well signposted so visitors cross the marked line and get a special certificate.
If you like experiences with animals, llamas, alpacas, reindeer and so on, you can too visit elf farm to make walks and walks. This site is right in front of the Huskies Park and is open daily from 11 am to 5 pm. You can buy the tickets before online or buy them on the spot. Everything is around 30, 40 or 50 euros. The same if you like the typical snow dogs, the endearing huskies.
You can go and meet them and touch them, you can take photos or you can ride a sleigh. Altogether the husky park He has 106 dogs and on winter days, when it's really cold, he only runs 500 meters.
On the other hand, the Santa Claus Village also offers a snow park to ride 4×4 motorcycles, hot springs And in Christmas matters, well, much more. Like what? You should visit the Santa Claus Post Office, cafes and restaurants what's in the village and the Elf's Academy. It has no equal because here what is learned is crafts and some ancient magic.
Book elves read and organize books of all sizes, toy elves study how to make toys, sauna elves learn the secrets of ritual saunas and Santa's elves finally get everything ready for Christmas Eve.
They are all friendly and they are all fun. The idea is to be with them, see how they live and participate in the daily life of a Christmas elf at the academy, all while Christmas preparations take place in the Arctic Circle. once graduated students receive a mark that symbolizes the wisdom learned and of course, the diploma .
Finally, it must be said that one could worry about the environmental consequences that so much tourism generates, but... the Santa Claus Village tries to make a sustainable development and fight against climate change. As the cooperative village accounts for 50% of tourism in and around the Arctic Circle, it takes the issue very seriously.
Almost all the lodges in the village were built between 2010 and 2020 so carbon emissions are low. There are special glasses and the boilers use what is called green electricity. The heaters in the newer cabins, for example, are heated with geothermal energy and the oldest with other systems that try to minimize any damage.
To finish with our article on Christmas trip to Lapland I leave you some tips:
- Organize the trip well. It is a very popular destination and you have to organize everything in advance. Prices in December are high, if you can, November is best. The heavy snow starts in December and the views are better, but you decide.
- Watch your budget. If you can't pay December or November, January and February are also good options. If you like to organize, do it yourself instead of an agency because you will save a lot of money.
- Decide well how long you are going to stay. I don't think you'll come back so consider doing everything and having a really good time. Nail five nights They seem sufficient to me, between the cost and the benefits. Less than four nights is not worth it, it will turn out that you did everything very quickly.
- Decide well where you are going to stay. Obviously the main city in the Lapland of Finland, the most popular destination is Rovaniemi, but other recommended destinations consist of Salla, Pyhä, levi, Inari and Saariselka. The last two are further north and you arrive using the Ivalo airport. Levi is in the northwest and is reached via Kittilä airport, Pyhä and Salla are reached from Rovaniemi. And a true pearl is Ranua, a genuinely Finnish small town of 4 inhabitants and only one hour from Rovaniemi airport.
- Don't skimp on coat. Temperatures can drop to minus 50ºC and are always around minus 20ºC, so it's seriously cold.
- Choose your favorite Christmas activities: visit Santa Claus, go to a sauna, ride a sleigh...