More information: http://www.visitfinland.com
Lapland consists of the northernmost parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway. Finland is the home country of Santa Claus. Santa lives on a fell called Korvatunturi (Ear Mountain) in the municipality of Savukoski. Santa can't live on the North Pole because there isn't anything to eat for his reindeer there. But in Finnish Lapland a reindeer is a very common animal and it has a lot of food there.
There are about 200 000 reindeer in Finnish Lapland - and only 183 000 people! Eagles, foxes, swans and wood grouse are other common animals. It is also possible to see bears. Usually hikers don't see any bears. You have to have professional guides if you want to see them. The spruce is the most common tree in Lapland. Wild cloudberry and Arctic bramble are the two most highly valued berries of Lapland. Lapland is a paradise for all nature lovers!
Santa's main office is at the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. Finnish Santa receives about 700 000 letters per year from almost 200 countries. Through the years Finnish Santa has got eight million letters! For more details about Santa Greetings see Santa Claus Greeting Center . Don't forget to see Santa Claus Live, Santa Claus Television and our category Christmas Links.
Lapland - Santa's home - is very beautiful: fells (i.e. arctic treeless mountains), red and yellow autumn (fall) colours in September (see real-time knowledge on the onset of autumn colours), snow and the northern lights (Aurora borealis) in winter and the midnight sun (nightless days) in summer. During part of the summer the sun doesn't set at all! The midnight sun is visible for 20 nights at the Arctic Circle and much longer in the most northern parts of Finland. Over two thirds of the world's people who experience the midnight sun live in Finland!
The Lonely Planet Blue List wrote that Finland was among ”the Top Ten Nations in the World to Visit in 2007”: ”Cool zone of design in Helsinki, surrounded by remote wilderness areas – Finland is a breath of fresh air on a European adventure”. The Kemi SnowCastle, "the Mammut Snow Hotel", in Lapland was listed as ”the Most Eccentric Place to Stay in the World”. Besides, Aurora Borealis, the northern lights, were described as ”the World's Most Amazing Natural Phenomenon”.
In Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen (Finnish Quality Travel Award 2005, National Geographic "5 cool places to sleep" 2015) you can stay in a glass igloo and you may see the northern lights or the midnight sun from your own bed. These igloos are very warm and they have motored beds. Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen has snow and ice igloos, an ice bar, an ice gallery and a snow chapel, too (in winter of course). Ask also honeymoon igloos! Lapland is full of interesting accommodation possibilities: igloos, cottages, log cabins, hotels, hostels, bungalows etc.
Snow Land near Rovaniemi is a very unique place. There are the igloo restaurant with ice tables and starlit sky, snow buildings, the arctic disco etc. there. They also offer the chance to make snow sculptures or arrange wedding ceremonies there.
Snow Village with a snow hotel between the village of Levi and the village of Ylläs is opened in December every year.
Lapland is a wonderful place for many kind of activities: hiking, paddling, fishing, snowmobile safaris, reindeer safaris, husky (dogteam) safaris etc. You find many interesting attractions in Lapland: the biggest snow castle in the world, the Gold Prospector Museum, an arctic center called Arktikum, Santa Park (a Christmas theme park), the most northern zoo in the world with arctic animals, big national parks and so on. Santa Park's cave lies at the Arctic Circle, and you can pass underneath the magic line only in one place in the world - at Santa Park!
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland area but remember that there are also many other very interesting cities and municipalities in Lapland! With a surface area of 8016 square kilometers, Rovaniemi is the largest city in Europe (but much of it is covered by forests).
Our home page is divided into many categories on the left: Christmas Links, Christmas recipes, Christmas Cards (e-cards), Lapland Travel Links, Accommodation, Sightseeing (Attractions), Activities & Events, Brochure orders, Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and Cities & Municipalities etc.
Welcome to travel virtually or in reality in magical Lapland (Laponie, Lappland, Laponia, Lapponia, Lappföld)!
HIGHLIGHTS:
1) Christmas & New Year 2018-2019 packages now available!
2) Check the weather forecast here.
3) The SnowHotel in Kemi is the Winner in the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2016
4) Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen included on the list "5 cool places to sleep" in 2015 by National Geographic (Intelligent Travel, Family Time)
5) Hotel Iso-Syöte included on the list "Romantic hotels around the World TOP 10 in 2014" by The Telegraph Luxury, luxurious Eagle's View Suite especially recommended
6) 22 ways Finland wins Christmas
NEW:
Teddy Tours Lapland (tours for Teddy Bears)
Northern Lights Ranch (new Sky View Cabins)
New Aurora Domes: Glamping under the Northern Lights
Nellim Wilderness Hotel with Aurora Bubble & Sarmi Aurora Lodge
Power On Ice - Bentley Winter Driving Experience