Visit the fairy-tale-like "Santa Claus village" in Finland

Covering 8,016 km², Rovaniemi is a city in the Lapland province. It was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but has since been rebuilt. In 1950, US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the city to inspect the reconstruction efforts. Prior to her trip, local officials built a cabin a few kilometers north of the city, just above the Arctic Circle, to accommodate her. Today, the structure still stands in Santa Claus Village.

According to legend, Santa Claus's original home was located in a secret, remote location in Finland that only a few people had the chance to know about. So in 1985, "Santa Claus" - with the help of local authorities - decided to open a public office, right in the cabin in Rovaniemi. This is where Santa Claus will welcome children all year round and also attract many tourists from all over the world.

In 2010, the village officially opened to visitors and was named the official hometown of Santa Claus.

Every year, about 500,000 tourists come here to see Santa Claus in real life.

Children can go home with proof of their magical encounter to show off to their friends as the village sells certificates showing they have met the real Santa.

Every year, more than half a million children around the world write letters and send them to Santa's official post office, where "elves" sort them by country.

To date, the village has received letters from 198 countries and territories around the world. There is a post office here that uses the Arctic Circle stamp, featuring Santa and his famous reindeer.

The village also has some fun and entertainment for adults. The Snowman World bar and restaurant is located right next to Santa's cabin. Everything from the building to the cups in the bar is made of ice.

Those who don't mind the cold can book a room in the igloo-style ice hotel on the restaurant's premises, which features a sculpture of Santa Claus and his sleigh flying through the air carved out of ice.

Kotahovi Restaurant serves Lapland specialties. Guests can also enjoy live music.

Reindeer rides and farm tours are among the other attractions at the village. However, visitors are advised that flying reindeer are reserved for Santa Claus only, as “they require expert control skills, honed over centuries.”

This year, visitors can even take a free snowmobile tour of the village from Uber from December 12 to 18, during one of two time slots — 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

According to Vietnamnet