Ride the Santa Claus Express Train to Finnish Lapland

Taking an overnight ride on the Santa Claus Express train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi should be on every travelers bucket list. At the end of the 12 hour journey you’ll wake up in the enchanting and magical Finnish Lapland.

Train travel in Europe is one of the easiest and most reliable forms of transit. Taking an overnight train from a capital city like Helsinki, and waking up in a winter wonderland is something you’ll never forget.

This post is all about the Santa Claus Express!

What to expect

In The Evening: Arrive at Helsinki’s Central Station and board the train late at night. Our trip was at 11:13 PM and we made sure to arrive around 20-30 minutes prior to departure. Make sure to book a direct ticket, so that you can sleep through the night and not worry about transferring to a different train. Before falling asleep a crew member will come check your tickets, so make sure not to get in bed before that!

The Rooms: The sleeper cabins are quaint, clean and comfortable. I also really appreciated the complimentary water bottle. The train station has plenty of convenience stores to purchase drinks and snacks if you’re interested in that. The rooms also have their own sinks for handwashing and teeth brushing. Each bed also has charging outlets and reading lights.

In The Morning: Around 10:45 AM the train conductor came on the PA system to let us know that we would be approaching the station shortly. Upon opening the blinds you will be blinded by the sparkly white snow as far as the eye can see. The trees in Lapland, during this time of year, are draped in a blanket of snow. The feeling of waking up inside of a snow globe is something that you’ll never forget.

tickets, seating options and pricing

Tickets: When booking a ticket you can choose regular train seats or a sleeper cabin. Due to the length of the ride and the fact that we were traveling as a couple we opted for a sleeper cabin. While it was more expensive, I definitely think that it’s worth it. You’ll have a much easier time falling asleep, staying asleep and arriving in Rovaniemi well rested! Click here to buy your tickets on the VR website!

Pricing: Tickets for the Santa Claus Express are released around 6 months prior to departure. It’s more affordable to book the tickets as far in advance as possible. The price for a sleeper cabin is the same whether you have one passenger or two – so booking with a partner, friend or family member is definitely cost effective!

The tickets for the train aren’t cheap. But, it’s important to remember that the cost is still less than airfare + hotel accommodations since it’s an overnight train ride.

Seat Options: There are two different sleeper car options on the Santa Claus Express. Either a smaller cabin with a bunkbed for two passengers, or a larger cabin that has a private shower and toilet. We opted for the cheaper option and were completely satisfied with our decision.