Santa Claus Main Post Office is somewhere we've popped into on both of our Rovaniemi trips. We visited during our three-day trip with a friend and again on my daughter's birthday weekend in Lapland, and both times we sent a postcard home.
It isn't somewhere you'll spend hours, but I think it's a lovely little stop while you're exploring Santa Claus Village. We spent around €5 buying and posting a card on our visits, which felt like good value for a souvenir that would arrive back home after the trip.
The main thing is knowing what to expect. This is a working post office with postcards, stamps, displays and gifts, rather than another Santa meet-and-greet or a big interactive attraction.
Here's what we found inside, how the two post boxes work and why I'd happily call in again.
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⭐ Our rating: 4/5
💰 Entry: Free to look around
📮 What we spent: Around €5 to buy and send a postcard on our visits
⏱️ Time we'd allow: Around 15–30 minutes, longer if it's busy
📍 Location: Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi
💙 Would we return? Yes, as a short stop during a village visit
There are separate boxes for mail to be sent normally and mail held for Christmas. Check the labels before posting so your card doesn't arrive at a completely different time from the one you intended.
If you're already at Santa Claus Village, I think it's worth going inside. It's free to look around, doesn't need a large part of the day and gives you the chance to post something with the special Arctic Circle postmark.
We've enjoyed choosing a postcard, writing a quick message and sending it home. It's a simple thing to do, but receiving it afterwards is a lovely reminder of the trip.
I wouldn't build a whole Rovaniemi outing around the post office alone. As part of a day in the village, though, it's an easy stop that doesn't need a big activity budget.
Both of our postcards reached the UK within about a week. That was quicker than we'd expected, although I'd treat it as our experience rather than a delivery time to rely on.
If you're mixing the bigger activities with cheaper things to do, our guide to cheap and free experiences around Rovaniemi has more ideas.
Santa Claus Main Post Office is a working post office in the village, operated by Finland's postal service. It's associated with the letters sent to Santa from around the world, and inside you can see displays, browse postcards and buy stamps and souvenirs.
We enjoyed looking at the letters organised by country. It's a small detail, but seeing where people have written from makes the place feel different from an ordinary post office at home.
The special Arctic Circle postmark is another part of the appeal. It turns a postcard into something directly connected with where you've been, rather than simply a card bought in a gift shop.
Even if you don't want to send anything, you can still look around. I'd just remember that people are using it to buy stamps and post their mail, so it can feel busy rather than like an attraction with a fixed route to follow.
There's no admission charge to go inside and browse. You only need to spend money if you choose to buy postcards, postage, gifts or another service.
We spent around €5 buying and sending a postcard on our visits. The original prices recorded for this guide included cards from around €1 and an international stamp at approximately €4.35, but I'd check the current postage and card price rather than use those as a live quote.
Compared with the bigger activities we'd booked, it was a small extra that we enjoyed. You can also keep the visit completely free by looking around without posting anything.
On both visits, we bought a postcard, wrote a message and posted it home. We spent around 20 minutes inside, although how busy it was made a difference to how relaxed the visit felt.
The first time, we arrived earlier in the day and had more space to browse and write. On the second visit, we stopped around lunchtime and the writing tables were much busier, with lots of people trying to do the same thing.
Finding a space took a little patience, and I also discovered I hadn't saved all the addresses I needed. Looking up relatives' postcodes while standing at a busy writing desk wasn't my best bit of planning.
There were picnic benches outside where we could have written instead, although whether that appeals will depend on the weather. Another option is buying the cards, writing them at your accommodation and returning to post them if you're already coming back to the village.
I wouldn't make a separate return journey purely to avoid a short wait, but it could work well if your plans bring you back anyway.
Despite the lunchtime crowd, we still enjoyed doing it. The staff in their elf hats, the postcards and the fact we were sending something from the Arctic Circle made it feel like a lovely little part of the day.
Check the labels before posting, because the post office has separate options for mail to go into the normal postal system and mail held to be sent for Christmas.
This is the option to use if you want your card sent normally rather than held for the festive season. It's what we chose on both visits, and our postcards reached home within about a week.
The Christmas mailing option lets you write your card during your visit and have it held for dispatch nearer Christmas. It's a lovely idea if you're travelling at another time of year and want someone to receive a festive surprise later.
Read the instructions on the boxes and ask staff if you're unsure. I wouldn't choose based only on the box colour, especially when the signs explain what will happen to your card.
Save the full names, addresses and postcodes before you go. It's a small thing, but it makes writing the cards much easier than trying to find the information while other people are waiting for a table.
Our lunchtime visit was noticeably busier than the earlier one. If you have flexibility, I'd try earlier or later in the day, while accepting that popular Christmas dates may be busy whenever you go.
It's free to look around, so you can decide once you're inside whether you'd like to post a card. There isn't a ticket price to recover by staying longer or buying a souvenir.
If the tables are full, look at the available outdoor seating or write the cards later if you'll be returning. I'd choose whichever is easiest rather than spend a large part of your day waiting for the perfect space.
Make sure you've chosen ordinary dispatch or Christmas mail deliberately. It's easy to be concentrating on the postcard and miss the signs beside the boxes.
I'd allow around 15–30 minutes, with more time if you're writing several cards or visiting when it's busy. It fits easily between other village activities rather than needing a large block in the itinerary.
I'd suggest a look around for most people already visiting Santa Claus Village. We've enjoyed it with a friend and during a teenage birthday trip, so I wouldn't think of it as something only younger children will appreciate.
Children may enjoy seeing the letters from different countries and choosing who to send a card to. Teenagers and adults may simply like the novelty of the postmark and having something arrive at home after the holiday.
It's also useful if you're balancing expensive excursions with smaller, cheaper experiences. You can spend a few euros on a card or nothing at all, without needing to commit to another activity ticket.
If you're expecting something that will entertain everyone for hours, it won't be that. I'd see it as a short visit and a possible souvenir, which is exactly how we've enjoyed it.
I'd happily pop in on another Santa Claus Village visit. It's a simple experience, but choosing a card and posting it from the Arctic Circle has been a lovely part of both trips.
I wouldn't travel to Rovaniemi just for the post office, or promise that it will be everyone's favourite stop. If you're already there, though, it's easy to include and doesn't need a big budget.
Go expecting a working post office with a festive setting, rather than a major Santa attraction, and I think it's a pleasant way to spend a little time during the day.
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 put together your own trip without paying package holiday prices, it's a useful place to find ideas.
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