How to Visit Santa in Lapland from Costa Blanca

Introduction

While this may seem like a strange idea to many visitors to this website who are using it as a holiday resource while visiting Spain’s sunny Costa Blanca region, you should remember that the Costa Blanca is not just for tourists but is also home to millions of people from many different nationalities. For those of us who live here all year-round, we too are looking for interesting and different places to go on our holidays.

As well as previously enjoying snowy family ski holidays in Austria, earlier this year we were lucky enough to visit Lapland, in northern Finland, with our 4 young children. When we shared this on our Costa Blanca Kids Facebook group, it drew a surprising level of interest from other people living in Costa Blanca who had never considered such a trip or did not know that it was even possible. So, as a result, we have decided to share more of our experiences and advice of how to visit Lapland with kids from Costa Blanca.

After all, everyone wants to go and visit Santa, don’t they?

Getting to Finland from the Costa Blanca

Unfortunately there are currently no direct flights to Lapland from the Costa Blanca. The cheapest way to travel there is to fly to Helsinki with Ryanair. They usually release their winter schedule 6 months in advance, in or around May. They have just released their flights for winter 2024/25. 

Their direct flights from Alicante to Helsinki start at around €50 each way. As with all Ryanair flights, they do fluctuate in price so the best time to book is usually when they are first available. Although I have seen January flights close to the flight date actually selling for cheaper again as a last minute booking, not having the rest of the trip booked in advance would likely mean trains and accommodation would be more expensive or even unavailable, cancelling out any saving.

Another airline to check that has direct flights between Alicante and Helsinki is Norweigan Air.

Getting to Rovaniemi in Lapland

If, like we did, you choose to fly direct from Alicante in Costa Blanca to Helsinki in Finland, you will still need to complete your journey to Lapland.

The most effect way to get to Lapland is to travel by train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland and epicentre of all Santa-based tourism. This can be done aboard the appropriately badged ‘Santa Claus Express’ train. 

These trains travel in the daytime but most opt for the overnight train. This saves on a night of accommodation and is great value as a return cabin for a family of four can be reserved for only around €300. 

For kids (especially those who love trains), what could be more exciting than spending a night on the Santa Claus Express!

What time of year should I visit Lapland?

Lapland is a magical place to visit in any season. While the summer brings nights of endless daylight, the winter is obviously the best time for all things Santa-related. The peak visiting time is in December in the run up to Christmas.

We visited in January. This gave a similar visiting experience to December, but with cheaper flights and accommodation, as well as fewer crowds and queues at the attractions. I’d recommend it as a good time to go. My kids loved being able to say “thankyou” to Santa for their Christmas presents that they’d just recenty received.

Be aware when visiting in winter that it can be extremely cold. Expect regular temperatures of -20°C or lower! Coming prepared with appropriate clothing, especially gloves and warm boots is essential. Small children can get cold very quickly – particularly if, like mine, they are used to living in the sunshine of the Costa Blanca!

Where can you visit Santa in Lapland?

Although it is possible to arrange Santa visits in various locations around Lapland, undoubtedly the town that draws the most visitors for this purpose is the capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi.

Just outside of Rovaniemi itself, there are 2 major attractions where you can visit and meet the ‘real’ Santa Claus. These are the Santa Claus Village and Santa Park.

What else is there to do with kids in Lapland besides visit Santa?

Lapland has many other things to do besides visiting Santa. During our stay we enjoyed many of the other activities on offer. Be prepared that many come with a sizeable pricetag – don’t expect it to be a cheap holiday!

Things that we had fun doing included reindeer and husky sled rides, ice skating, sledging and visiting the beautiful Arctic zoo at Ranua Resort.

If you’re visiting in winter and lucky, you may also get the chance to see the amazing Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) illuminating the night sky.

For more information on things to do in Lapland and how we spent our time there, see our magical 7 day winter itinerary for visiting Lapland with kids.

Where is best to stay in Lapland with kids?

As you might expect, there are plenty of different accommodation options in Lapland. If visiting Rovaniemi, it is possible to stay actaully inside the Santa Claus Village. This has the advantage of being close to many attractions.

However, we opted for more tranquility and rented a woodland lodge just outside of town in a quieter location instead.

If visiting Lapland you should definitely take a trip to see the incredible Arctic SnowHotel. Made afresh each year entirely out of snow and ice, the place is a work of art. We enjoyed a memorable night of actually sleeping inside the hotel with our kids. For more on that, see our review of staying in the Arctic SnowHotel with kids.

In Summary

While a trip to freezing cold temperatures in the north of Finland may not seem an obvious choice of a place to visit from Spain’s Costa Blanca region, everyone likes variety in their lives. While millions choose the reliably warm and sunny climate of Costa Blanca as their holiday destination of choice, for those of us who live here and experience that every day, sometimes we too are looking for something a bit different.

And what could be more different than travelling all the way to inside the Arctic Circle? The magical winter wonderland of snow and ice makes a beautiful and surprising destination to visit. Throw in Santa Claus as well and you’ve got the makings of a holiday that kids will remember forever.