I'll firstly mention a few highlights: we were there about 5 days and did not see the Northern Lights, we did not do a sleigh/husky ride into the wilderness, we did not sleep in an igloo or an ice hotel, we did not get naked in a sauna and run outside into the snow. We did visit Santa at his workshop, we did cross the Arctic circle, we did visit the Arktikum museum and we did see the restaurant owned by Eurovision winners Lordi (however it was seasonally closed, and now I presume forever closed?).
To get to the point, would I recommend it? No! Although my parents arranged and paid for it (I believe it was outrageously expensive), I really don't think it offers value for money, especially for families.
Ok, so now for a little more detail!
The Northern Lights
We've all seen those mad photographs where the sky is an amazing big greeny haze. The reality of you seeing the Northern Lights is quite low, and the chance they will be even half as distinctive as in the photos even lower. This is based on the experience of my sister who spent 5 months living in Rovaniemi, my own personal experience visiting for a few days, and also the experience of a few friends of mine who spent a fortune travelling to Swedish Lapland and came home bitterly disappointed after a few days as they had only barely seen a greenish glow on one night, and it didn't come out in any photos. I believe they are better times of year and better places to view them, but I think you're mostly depending on the weather and pure luck. So, if you desperately want to see the Northern Lights, please be aware despite what the travel agents are selling, there is a very good chance you will not see them, or they will be very faint and not "Instagrammable".Here's another interesting experience I found online: https://luxeadventuretraveler.com/northern-lights/
Up next....
The Real Santa Claus
Ok, so I was at an age where I knew Santa wasn't real, and as I said we visited on like 28th October or something, so not quite seasonal but I do think there was a little snow. I personally enjoyed our visit to Santa's workshop. My sister has previously been on a group trip and was terribly disappointed, so admittedly I was surprised when it wasn't bad. However if you go in thinking it's like a scene out of "The Santa Clause" or "The Polar Express" you will be disappointed.Again there has probably been upgrades to it since I went, but basically there was lots of pretty wooden huts selling numerous types of souvenirs. I think there may have been some reindeer. There is a big red line on the ground indicating the Arctic Circle, and you can get a certificate to say you crossed it. For Santa's compound, we were the only people there I think, but we were greeted by an elf who asked us what language we speak (I guess there are different Santas for different languages maybe?) and we walked in, spoke to him a little, got a photo taken and left. Santa himself was good, friendly and had a top quality suit and beard. The queuing area was nice, similar to maybe one before a ride in Disneyland, and I remember it had a big machine that helps Santa stop time to travel around the world (or something to that effect?), but to be honest a lot of home-grown Santa experiences here in Ireland have really upped their game in recent years, so while it was nice, it wasn't exactly made of childhood dreams or probably worth the cost of going there just to see Santa.
For more up to date information, here's a link to their official website:
https://www.santaclausvillage.info/santa-claus/santa-park/
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| Santa Claus in Rovaniemi |
Rovaniemi
It's a lovely little town, incredibly clean and modern. Felt very safe and welcoming. I remember spending a lot of money in the local H&M! I can't really remember much about restaurants or food, I know we ate at my sisters apartment a few times and had breakfast inclusive at our hotel.Arktikum Museum
This is a science/natural history museum based on the local area, and one of the highlights of the trip. It was very insightful as well as being fun and interactive. I think I remember there being like a "northern lights" kind of cinema experience but I could be wrong.
