Lapland, Finland

Whoever told you Santa Claus lived in the North Pole somewhat lied to you. Technically, his real address is located in Lapland, Finland. Thoughts aside of whether or not you believe in Santa, he still resides in a frigid climate. If your other questions include wondering about how Santa Claus ended up in Finland, your questions can be answered in a trip to this Scandinavian wonderland.

What is it: A trip to Lapland, Finland may seem like the strangest thing to tell a travel agent when booking a Christmas trip. It's the perfect children vacation to get the real Christmas experience. Located on the Arctic Circle in the town of Rovaniemi, Finland is a unique destination beyond the Santa Claus experience. Being so far up in the Arctic Circle, it is also a great place to see the Northern Lights. Children can meet face to face with Santa and see his beard truly is real. Luckily, the entire family can enjoy the beautiful winter landscape as well.

Why you should see it: Besides the bragging rights of saying you met the "real" Santa Claus, there is so much more to do than to meet the jolly old fellow. Common activities include reindeer sleigh rides, snowmobiling, skiing and other fun winter activities. It may be tiring to make a day trip to Lapland; especially if you have come so far for the winter wonderland. It can be an entire Christmas week extravaganza leading to the big Christmas day to have a talk with the man himself.

Finnish Lapland is a travel destination filled with natural beauty and amazing scenery as well. Natural phenomenons such as the Northern Lights, Polar Lights and Midnight Sun also occur in this region of the world. Being in an untouched part of Northern Europe is a great reason to also visit this strange location where Santa resides.

How to get there: Getting to Finland is a lot easier than one would expect. Many tour operators and travel agencies have readymade packages for families ready to meet and greet Santa. Even if you fly to any city in Finland, there are good rail connections where you can travel by train. From the capital Helsinki, it takes an average of 12 hours.  

Flickr: syymza