If you're visiting Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, chances are you'll wander past Santa Claus Main Post Office. It's one of the most famous post offices in the world, receiving letters from children across the globe every year.
But is it actually worth going inside and adding to your itinerary?
We've now visited twice, once during a 3 day trip to Rovaniemi with a friend and again on my daughter's birthday trip to Lapland. Both times we spent around €5 sending a postcard home, and we thought it was one of the best-value things to do in Santa Claus Village.
It's not an attraction in the traditional sense. There are no rides, interactive shows or Santa meet and greets. Instead, it's a real working post office where you can send postcards and letters from the Arctic Circle with an official Santa Claus postmark.
In this guide, I'll explain what you'll find inside, how much it costs, whether it's worth posting a card and why I'd happily pop in again on any future trip to Rovaniemi.
From DIY itineraries and Northern Lights tips to budgeting advice, destination guides and honest reviews of the places we've visited, you'll find everything together in our Lapland Travel Guide Hub.
Just a quick note before we begin. Some of the links in this guide are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products, services and experiences we've used ourselves or genuinely believe will help you plan your trip. Thanks for supporting Build a Break.
⭐ Our rating: 4/5
💰 Price: Free to visit (around €5 to buy and send a postcard)
⏱️ Allow: 15–30 minutes
📍 Location: Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi
👨👩👧 Best for: Families, couples, solo travellers and Christmas lovers
📮 Top tip: There are two post boxes. One sends your mail straight away, while the other holds it until Christmas. Double-check you've chosen the right one before posting.
✅ Would we do it again? Absolutely.
Yes, absolutely.
For the price of a coffee, you can send a postcard from one of the most famous post offices in the world with an official Arctic Circle postmark. It's a simple experience, but it's also something that's completely unique to Rovaniemi.
The important thing is knowing what to expect.
If you're imagining another Santa attraction or an interactive experience, you may leave slightly disappointed. This is first and foremost a real working post office used by visitors from all over the world.
The magic comes from the atmosphere, the festive displays, browsing the postcards and gifts, and posting something from the Arctic Circle that friends or family will receive back home.
We spent around 20 minutes inside on both visits, and both of our postcards arrived in the UK within a week, which was probably quicker than some letters we've posted locally recently.
For around €5, I genuinely think it's one of the best-value things you can do in Santa Claus Village
Looking for more affordable things to do in Lapland? If you're trying to keep costs down, we've also put together our guide to 15 Cheap & Free Things to Do in Lapland, including attractions, viewpoints and experiences that won't blow your budget.
Santa Claus Main Post Office is a fully functioning post office located in the heart of Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. Operated by Finland's postal service, it's the official home for Santa's mail and receives hundreds of thousands of letters from children around the world every year.
Inside, you can browse displays of letters organised by country, buy postcards, stamps and souvenirs, and send your own mail from the Arctic Circle.
The thing that makes it truly unique is that every postcard and letter sent from Santa Claus Main Post Office receives the official Arctic Circle postmark, which is only available here. It's a small detail, but one that turns an ordinary postcard into a memorable souvenir from your trip to Lapland.
Even if you don't plan on posting anything, it's still worth stepping inside to soak up the festive atmosphere and see one of the world's most famous post offices in action.
For less than €5, it was a fun souvenir, and both of our postcards arrived back in the UK within about a week, much quicker than we expected.
The fact that the staff all wear traditional elf hats and you're posting your card from one of the world's most famous post offices just makes the whole experience feel that little bit more special.
One thing that's really easy to miss is that there are two red post boxes sitting next to each other.
Although they look almost identical, they do something very different.
📮 Daily Mail
Post your postcard or letter here if you want it sent straight away. This is the option we chose on both of our visits, and both postcards arrived home within about a week.
🎄 Christmas Mail
If you're visiting at another time of year, this is a lovely alternative. Instead of being sent immediately, your postcard is safely stored and then posted closer to Christmas, making it a fun surprise for whoever receives it.
The two boxes sit side by side, so it's worth taking a second to check the signs before posting your card. It's a small detail, but one that's very easy to overlook. The official post office also explains the two mailing options for visitors.
📍 It's completely free to visit
You don't need a ticket or make a purchase to look around Santa Claus Main Post Office. The only cost is if you decide to buy and send a postcard or letter, with postcards typically costing around €1–2 plus postage.
📮 Have addresses ready
If you're planning to send postcards to friends or family, save yourself some time by bringing a list of names and full addresses with postcodes. I ended up Googling relatives' postcodes while standing at the writing desk, which wasn't ideal!
✍️ Visit outside peak times if you can
The post office gets surprisingly busy around lunchtime, especially at the writing tables. If possible, visit earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon for a more relaxed experience.
🪑 No space? Head outside
If all the writing tables are occupied, there are picnic benches just outside where you can comfortably write your postcards instead.
🎄 Check the post box before posting
There are two red post boxes sitting side by side. One is labelled Daily Mail for postcards you want to send immediately, while the other is Christmas Mail, which holds your card back until closer to Christmas. It's worth double-checking the signs before posting.
💌 Don't feel pressured to post everything there and then
If you're staying in Rovaniemi for a few days, consider buying your postcards during your visit, writing them back at your accommodation, then returning to post them before you leave. We found this would have been much more relaxing than trying to find space during the lunchtime rush
I'd recommend Santa Claus Main Post Office to almost anyone visiting Rovaniemi, especially if it's your first trip to Lapland. It's one of those iconic places that's easy to include while exploring Santa Claus Village and doesn't require a big budget or a lot of time.
Families with young children will love browsing the displays of letters that have arrived from children all over the world. They're organised by country, making it fun to spot your own and see just how many different nationalities write to Santa each year. It was lovely watching children excitedly search for their own country while reading some of the letters on display.
Sending a postcard with an official Arctic Circle postmark is another memorable souvenir that children often enjoy just as much as receiving one back home.
Teenagers and adults will probably appreciate the novelty of posting something from one of the world's most famous post offices. It's a simple experience, but it's something you can only really do in Lapland.
It's also a great choice if you're travelling on a budget. Unlike many attractions in Rovaniemi, you don't need to buy a ticket to visit.
Even if you decide to send a postcard, the whole experience costs just a few euros, making it one of the cheapest souvenirs you can bring home from your trip.
If you're looking for an attraction that will keep you entertained for hours, this probably isn't it. But as a 20 to 30-minute stop while exploring Santa Claus Village, I think it's well worth adding to your itinerary.
If you're already planning to visit Santa Claus Village, I'd definitely recommend popping into Santa Claus Main Post Office while you're there.
You won't need to set aside hours for your visit, but in just 20 to 30 minutes you can browse letters from around the world, send a postcard with the official Arctic Circle postmark and enjoy one of the most iconic locations in Rovaniemi.
We've now visited twice and, despite the crowds at lunchtime, it's something we'd happily do again. For around €5, it's one of the cheapest souvenirs you can buy in Lapland and a simple experience that's genuinely unique to the Arctic Circle.
If you're visiting Rovaniemi for the first time, I think it's well worth adding to your itinerary.
Whenever I spot great-value DIY Lapland flights and accommodation from UK airports, I share them with members of the Build a Break Travel Club. If you'd like to experience Lapland without paying package holiday prices, it's a great place to start.
Copyright © Build a Break | Website by Furness Media
