Polar Express: the train that crosses Lapland to take you directly to Santa Claus

We’ll tell you how to meet Santa Claus in person (and why we still have unfinished business with him)

When we were kids, we were always told that Santa Claus was real and that he lived in a house at the North Pole, setting off every year to hand out presents left and right.

Obviously, that’s complete nonsense: the old man doesn’t live at the North Pole. Everyone knows he lives a bit farther south, in Lapland!

Want to know how to reach him and give him a good telling-off for all the times he didn’t bring you what you wanted?

There’s a train that takes you right to his home: the Polar Express.

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Santa’s train

The Polar Express, also known as the Santa Claus Express, is that absolutely amazing train that takes you from Sweden to Finland, all the way to the residence of that little old man who sneaks into people’s homes dressed in the most absurd way, coming in through chimneys, doors, windows, and any other opening left unguarded, punishing naughty children by leaving sacks of coal under the tree.

If anyone else did that, they’d be behind bars in no time, or at the very least under psychiatric observation. But if your name is Santa Claus, apparently you get a free pass.

Well, they always say justice doesn’t work.

To be precise, the Polar Express actually consists of a network of rail routes departing from Stockholm and connecting a whole host of cities across the Scandinavian countries. But the most popular stretches are the Finnish ones, running from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, in the far north of Lapland, beyond the Arctic Circle.

Rovaniemi is unbelievably beautiful!

The landscapes crossed by the Polar Express are spectacular and help make the journey feel almost surreal: fairytale forests, snow as far as the eye can see, all of it (if you’re in Finland at the right time) enhanced by the Northern Lights and their jaw-dropping display of colors.

And then there’s Rovaniemi, widely considered the home of Santa Claus.

Although, to be fair, legend says Santa Claus actually lives on the mysterious Korvatunturi mountain. Still, it seems the old man decided to expand his business and open a major branch in Rovaniemi where, in fact, he manages his affairs (legal and otherwise).

Just think: he’s even set up a Post Office that receives millions of letters every year from children around the world sharing their Christmas wishes. And from that very same Post Office, you can send postcards stamped with a special Arctic Circle postmark.

How cool is that?

Snowmobiles, icebreakers, and illegal husky sled races

So far, so good.

We do like visiting Santa in person from time to time. Even if, personally, I’ve never quite gotten over the fact that many years ago he refused to bring me the PlayStation I asked for and gave me that horrible reindeer sweater instead.

Come to think of it, it looked a lot like the ones my mother used to knit...

Well, who can understand the old man?

Anyway, back to us: yes, traveling on the Polar Express really is an experience worth having, but we personally think that limiting a Lapland tour to just the train and its final stop in Rovaniemi means missing out on a whole lot of incredible opportunities.

Among those natural landscapes, there are plenty of other amazing things to do: like sleeping in an igloo (a real one!). Taking a Baltic Sea cruise aboard an icebreaker ship that powers its way through the ice. Skidding across the snow on a snowmobile.

Or driving the ultimate vehicle, better even than Michael Knight’s supercar: a husky-pulled sled!

Now that’s how a Polar Express journey truly becomes an unforgettable experience. And that’s exactly what we’ve put together in our wonderful 6-day Lapland tour—and we really do mean wonderful.

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In conclusion

The Polar Express promises a journey through breathtaking landscapes and ancient traditions.

Lapland, with its unspoiled nature and unique adventures, offers far more than a simple visit to Santa Claus’s home. It’s an experience to be lived in all its shades, from snowmobile rides across snowy expanses to a stay in a real igloo beneath the Northern Lights.

And while I have to admit that the memory of that reindeer sweater still stings, the magic of a trip to Lapland—and everything nature has to offer there—stays in our hearts every single time we go.

Come on, get everything ready, because we want you with us on the next departure!