Facts checked for the 2026–2027 season against the operators' own pages (Santa Claus Village, Snowman World, SantaPark, VR, Finavia). Hours and prices change by season: the booking page has the final word.
Where does Santa Claus live? Finland's answer since the 1980s is Rovaniemi: the city was declared his official hometown, and his public address is Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle. The older Finnish tradition places his secret home on Korvatunturi, the «Ear Fell» on the Russian border in eastern Lapland, where no roads go; the village at the Arctic Circle is where he comes to work and to meet people. For the practical question, the one children ask, the address that actually receives mail is Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Arctic Circle (Napapiiri), Finland. Around half a million letters a year arrive there from more than 200 countries, and they are read.
The address for letters to Santa
| Line | Write |
|---|---|
| Name | Santa Claus |
| Street | Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Tähtikuja 1 |
| Postcode and place | 96930 Arctic Circle (or «96930 Napapiiri») |
| Country | Finland |
A letter needs normal international postage to Finland; a return address on the envelope or in the letter is the only way to get an answer. Santa does not reply to every letter individually, but the post office sells an official Letter from Santa Claus, ordered online or on the spot, that is written and posted from the Arctic Circle before Christmas to any address in the world, in several languages. Ordered in the village on your visit, it arrives at home a few weeks later, which is the trick many parents use.
Santa Claus' Main Post Office
The post office on the village square is a real, full-service office of Finland's postal service, staffed by postal elves in red. Every card and parcel sent from here gets the special Arctic Circle postmark, and the building has two post boxes: the yellow one goes out at once; everything dropped in the red box is held and delivered at Christmas, whatever month you post it. Inside there are Finnish Christmas stamps, cards, gifts and writing desks; the letters Santa has received are displayed sorted by country. It is open every day, all year: 10:00 – 17:00 in September and October, 10:00 – 19:00 in November and 9:00 – 20:00 from 1 December to 6 January.
Where Santa lives: the three answers
| Place | What it is | Can you go? |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi | his public office and post office on the Arctic Circle, since 1985 | yes, free, every day; 8 km from Rovaniemi |
| Korvatunturi | a fell in Savukoski, eastern Lapland, named as Santa's secret home by Finnish radio in 1927 | the fell is on the border zone; the nearest village is Savukoski, 250 km from Rovaniemi |
| The North Pole | the North American tradition | no post office; Finland's Arctic Circle office takes the mail |
Why Rovaniemi? Eleanor Roosevelt's visit in 1950 put the Arctic Circle on the map with a small cottage that still stands; in 1985 Santa Claus Office opened on the same spot, Rovaniemi became the «official hometown» and the village grew around it. The city's airport calls itself the Official Airport of Santa Claus, and direct winter flights from London, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Frankfurt and a dozen other cities bring most of the visitors in December.
Visit Santa: tours and tickets Everything to do in Rovaniemi
Reindeer, elves and the rest of the legend, in the village
- Santa's reindeer live next door at Santa Claus Reindeer (Joulumaantie 13), where you can feed them in summer and ride a sleigh in winter.
- The elves work in Santa Claus Office, in the post office, in the Elf's Hat Academy and in SantaPark two kilometres away.
- Mrs Claus has her own Christmas Cottage in the reindeer yard, and a café on the square.
- The workshop is not open to visitors; the closest you get is the gingerbread bakery and the toy-themed rooms of SantaPark.
Writing to Santa from home: a short guide for parents
- Let the child write the letter and draw on it; the post office displays the best ones.
- Put the full home address inside the letter, not only on the envelope.
- Post it by mid-November for a Christmas reply; order the official Letter from Santa online if you want a guaranteed, dated answer.
- Keep the Arctic Circle postmark: cards sent from the village carry it, and so does the reply.
Questions
What is Santa Claus' address in Finland?
Santa Claus, Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Arctic Circle, Finland. It is a real post office in Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi, open every day of the year.
Does Santa really live in Rovaniemi?
Rovaniemi is his official hometown since 1985 and the village on the Arctic Circle is where he receives visitors daily. Finnish tradition keeps his secret home on Korvatunturi fell in eastern Lapland.
Will Santa answer my letter?
Not every letter gets a personal reply. For a guaranteed answer, order the official Letter from Santa Claus at the post office or online; it is posted from the Arctic Circle before Christmas.
What is the red post box?
Letters and cards dropped into the red box in Santa Claus' Main Post Office are held and delivered just before Christmas, even if you post them in July.
Is Korvatunturi open to visitors?
The fell itself lies in the border zone and is not visited; the Santa legend is experienced in Rovaniemi, where the village, the post office and the reindeer are.
Go and see the house of the letters
Santa Claus' Main Post Office is free; the reindeer and Santa next door are part of the same square.
Santa Claus Village tours and ticketsReindeer sleigh rides