Rovaniemi
Christmas Eve and Day

What actually stays open in Rovaniemi on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

24 December is the main family celebration in Finland, and it changes Rovaniemi more than any other date. Shops set their own holiday hours, many restaurants close or take reservations only, museums and buses switch to holiday patterns, and 25 and 26 December are public holidays. Santa Claus Village runs on a different rhythm. This guide lists what the official 2026 to 2027 timetables said when we checked them on 2 October 2026.

Reviewed2026-10-02
Sources checked2026-10-02
Published byPremier Nordics
Snowman beside the Santa Claus Holiday Village sign at Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi after dark
Key numbers

The facts that decide this trip

Santa Claus Office
08:00 to 20:00 every day from 30 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, including 24, 25 and 31 December; meeting Santa is free
Santa Claus Main Post Office
09:00 to 20:00 every day from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027; no holiday exception listed
SantaPark
09:00 to 18:00 every day from 24 to 31 December 2026; 10:00 to 18:00 on 1 January 2027
Arktikum and Korundi
Arktikum lists 24 December as its only December closure; Korundi is closed on 24 and 25 December and open 11:00 to 18:00 on 26 December
Ounasvaara ski slopes
24 December 10:00 to 15:00, 25 December 12:00 to 18:00, 26 December to 6 January 10:00 to 18:00
Bus 8
Saturday trips on 24 December, Sunday timetable on 25 and 26 December; on 25 December it is the only Linkkari line running
Public holidays
25 and 26 December are public holidays; 24 December is a day off for much of Finland
Daylight on 24 December
Sunrise 11:08, sunset 13:24; civil twilight about 09:17 to 15:15

Why 24 December changes Rovaniemi

24 December is the main family celebration in Finland, closer in weight to Christmas Day in many other countries than to an ordinary Thursday. It is not an official public holiday, but much of the country has the day off, and 25 and 26 December are public holidays. In 2026, 26 December falls on a Saturday, so the city stays on a holiday or weekend rhythm from 24 to 27 December.

Shops set their own holiday hours, and 2026 times had not been published when we checked on 2 October, so look up the store nearest your room before 24 December. Restaurants are the bigger planning risk: Visit Rovaniemi's list of Christmas exceptions shows many hotel restaurants serving only their own guests on 24, 25 and 31 December.

Santa Claus Village: the office, the post office and the shops

The Santa Claus Office keeps its peak hours, 08:00 to 20:00, every day from 30 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with no exception listed for 24, 25 or 31 December. Meeting Santa is free; the elves' photos and videos are optional purchases, and personal photography, phones included, is not allowed inside Santa's room. From mid-November to early January visitors collect a free entrance time at the red cabin, and in December these can run out after midday, so arrive early.

Santa Claus Main Post Office opens 09:00 to 20:00 every day from 1 December to 6 January. Santa Claus Village itself is open every day of the year, but each of its businesses sets its own hours, and some already list holiday changes: Mrs Claus Cottage and Café opens 10:00 to 15:00 on 24 December, Marimekko and Pentik open 10:00 to 16:00 on 24 December and 12:00 to 19:00 on 25 December, and Iittala closes on both days.

  • Santa Claus Office: 08:00 to 20:00 on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January.
  • Santa Claus Main Post Office: 09:00 to 20:00 every day, 1 December to 6 January.
  • Village shops and restaurants: check each business; holiday hours differ.
Where to stay

Where to stay over Christmas Eve and Day

A base inside Santa Claus Village puts the Santa Claus Office and the post office on foot on both days. A central hotel puts more restaurants, Arktikum and the bus 8 stops on foot. Either way, ask whether the hotel restaurant serves guests on 24 and 25 December, and compare the live total for your dates.

Affiliate disclosure: the Stay22 comparison link is commercial. If you book through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost. Providers control prices, payment, changes and refunds; the picks stay editorial.

  • Santa Claus VillageSanta Claus Holiday VillageCabins and suites inside the village, so the Santa Claus Office is a walk on both 24 and 25 December, with no bus timetable to watch.
  • Santa Claus VillageNova Skyland HotelHotel rooms about 300 m from the main village area, useful for a family visiting Santa on both days of the holiday.
  • City centreOriginal Sokos Hotel VaakunaCentral hotel on Koskikatu with saunas, close to restaurants and Arktikum; confirm its restaurant's 24 and 25 December hours when you book.
  • City centreScandic Rovaniemi CityCentral chain hotel with family rooms on Koskikatu, useful if the wider trip is based in the city rather than the village.
Stay22 · live value comparisonFind best-value stays around RovaniemiCompare live totals, map position and cancellation terms for the exact dates.
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SantaPark, the ski slopes and a Christmas Night service

SantaPark, the Christmas theme park outside the centre, is open 09:00 to 18:00 every day from 24 to 31 December 2026 and 10:00 to 18:00 on 1 January 2027. Its Christmas dinner on the evenings of 24 and 25 December is sold separately. Unlike at the Santa Claus Office, SantaPark lets visitors use their own cameras when they meet Santa.

Ounasvaara's ski slopes, just east of the centre, open 10:00 to 15:00 on 24 December, 12:00 to 18:00 on 25 December and 10:00 to 18:00 from 26 December to 6 January, provided the season has opened as planned on 11 November. For a quieter tradition, Rovaniemi Church holds a Christmas Night Mass at 23:00 on 24 December; the parish calendar was still being completed in early October.

What closes: museums and many restaurants

Arktikum, the Arctic science museum, opens 10:00 to 18:00 every day in December except 24 December, when the exhibitions, shop and café are closed. Korundi House of Culture, home of the Rovaniemi Art Museum, is closed on 24 and 25 December, opens 11:00 to 18:00 on Saturday 26 December, and keeps shorter hours until 3 January.

For dinner, treat 24 and 25 December as reservation-only days. Book the table when you book the room, ask whether your hotel restaurant is open to non-residents, and check Visit Rovaniemi's Christmas restaurant list again in December, since the exceptions change by venue.

Getting around on 24 and 25 December

Bus 8 is the only link between the centre and Santa Claus Village that runs through the holiday. On 24 December it runs its Saturday trips and on 25 December its Sunday timetable, when it is the only Linkkari line in service: one bus every 75 minutes from the railway station between 11:15 and 17:30, with the last bus back from the village at 18:05. Book a taxi ahead for an early start or a late return.

The airport bus had not published a holiday timetable on 2 October 2026. Tour operators set their own holiday schedules too, and neither reviewed product page lists one, so check the date picker for your exact date and confirm the pickup or meeting time on your booking. The group aurora tour normally leaves at 19:00 from Korkalonkatu 23 in the centre.

Daylight and a sensible plan for the two days

On 24 December the sun rises at 11:08 and sets at 13:24, with civil twilight from about 09:17 to 15:15. Put the outdoor parts of the day, the Arctic Circle line and photographs, between about 10:30 and 14:00, and keep the darker afternoon for indoor time.

A workable 24 December starts early at the Santa Claus Office to collect an entrance time, adds the post office and lunch in the village, and ends with a dinner reserved weeks ahead. On 25 December, SantaPark, Arktikum or an afternoon on the Ounasvaara slopes fill the day, with the same reserved dinner and a taxi booked for the way back.

What to confirm before 24 December

These are the items that change every year and were not all published on 2 October 2026. Check them again in December, with the venue or operator directly rather than a third-party listing.

  • Dinner on 24 and 25 December: reservation made, and whether the hotel restaurant takes non-residents.
  • Evening transport: a taxi booked, since the last bus 8 leaves the village at 18:05.
  • Tours: your exact date shows in the date picker, and the pickup time is on your confirmation.
  • Shops and village businesses: holiday hours for the ones you need.
  • Church services: the parish calendar, which was still incomplete in early October.
Experiences

Tours to book around the holiday

SantaPark is open on both holiday days, and its official one-day ticket is the simplest booking for 25 December. Neither tour page publishes a holiday schedule, so check the date picker for 24 or 25 December, confirm the pickup or meeting time on your booking, and keep the evening flexible.

Affiliate links to GetYourGuide and Viator: we may earn a commission at no extra cost. Providers set prices, terms, changes and refunds.

GetYourGuideNorthern Lights huntAn aurora-focused tour; confirm pickup, duration, cloud policy, inclusions, and cancellation terms.
Check on GetYourGuide
GetYourGuideSanta Claus VillageA packaged Santa Village day; confirm transfers, included activities, child pacing, and meal timing.
Check on GetYourGuide
GetYourGuideSantaPark entry ticketOfficial one-day SantaPark entry, about 7 km from the city centre; transport is not listed, so plan a taxi or bus, and confirm the date and whether lunch is part of the option you choose.
Check on GetYourGuide
Practical questions

Questions travelers ask before booking

Answers use the sources listed below. Re-check live hours, weather and operator terms close to the travel date.

Is Santa Claus Village open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Yes. The village is open every day of the year, and the Santa Claus Office keeps its 08:00 to 20:00 hours on 24, 25 and 26 December 2026. From mid-November to early January visitors collect a free entrance time at the red cabin, and in December these can run out after midday, so go early. Individual shops and restaurants set their own holiday hours.

Are restaurants open in Rovaniemi on Christmas Eve?

Some are, many are not, and many hotel restaurants serve only their own guests on 24, 25 and 31 December. Visit Rovaniemi publishes a list of restaurant exceptions for the season; reserve a table rather than planning to find one on the day.

Is SantaPark open on Christmas Day?

Yes. SantaPark is open 09:00 to 18:00 every day from 24 to 31 December 2026 and 10:00 to 18:00 on 1 January 2027. Its Christmas dinner on the evenings of 24 and 25 December is a separate booking.

Do buses run on Christmas Day in Rovaniemi?

Only one line. On 25 December 2026 bus 8, which links the railway station, the centre and Santa Claus Village, is the only Linkkari line running, on its Sunday timetable: every 75 minutes from the station between 11:15 and 17:30, with the last bus back from the village at 18:05. On 24 December it runs its Saturday trips. Book a taxi for anything earlier or later.

Do the aurora and Santa Claus Village tours still run on 24 and 25 December?

Neither product page publishes a holiday schedule, so check the date picker for your exact date and confirm the pickup or meeting time on your booking. The group aurora tour normally leaves at 19:00 from Korkalonkatu 23 in the centre, and no tour can promise northern lights on a given night.

Is 26 December also a public holiday in Finland?

Yes. 25 and 26 December are both public holidays, and in 2026, 26 December falls on a Saturday, so city hours stay on a holiday or weekend pattern from 24 to 27 December.

Sources

Where the numbers come from

Checked 2026-10-02. These sources support hours, distances, transport and climate facts; they do not guarantee prices, availability or operator terms.

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