Is the Searching for Santa experience at Northern Lights Village worth it? An honest review

Last updated on April 16, 2026

The Northern Lights Village Searching for Santa experience has become known as the gold standard for visiting Santa in Lapland. But is it as good as it looks? And is it worth the hefty price tag? I deliberated heavily over whether or not to do it on our trip to Lapland, doing plenty of research, and finally deciding to bite the bullet and book.

So here’s my honest review of the Northern Lights Village Searching for Santa experience: what it’s really like, what surprised us, and who I think it suits best.

Also see our guide to how to meet Santa in Lapland, which includes other bespoke options, as well as more budget-friendly alternatives.

What is the Northern Lights Village Searching for Santa experience?

The Searching for Santa experience at Northern Lights Village is an immersive, story-led Santa encounter set deep in the genuine Arctic forest. It’s designed to feel like a journey where families move together through a series of moments that build anticipation and wonder before finally meeting Santa in his secluded cabin.

Rather than a simple “stand in line and take a photo” format, the experience is like stepping into a winter tale: you meet elves who guide you through activities (baking gingerbread, writing letters, exploring snowy trails), enjoy a short reindeer sleigh ride, toast marshmallows by the fire, and travel through the woods on an elf taxi before arriving at Santa’s forest home. Every part of the sequence is paced gently, with space to absorb the setting, take photos, and feel like you’re part of the story. The whole thing takes around 3 hours.

It’s designed to give families a quiet, personal and atmospheric Santa encounter, as opposed to a crowded or commercial one, and is often described as more like a ritual than an attraction.

Where is the Northern Lights Village Searching for Santa experience?

Northern Lights Village is a resort brand with several locations across Finnish Lapland. You can currently find them in: Saariselkä, Levi, Ivalo and Pyhä. They’re known for their glass-roofed aurora cabins and wilderness setting, and emphasis on quiet, nature-led experiences rather than big resort infrastructure. Many families book their entire holiday with Northern Lights Village as they offer package deals with accommodation, meals and activities included (I talk more about this in my ‘how to plan a family trip to Lapland’ post.

The Searching for Santa experience runs at selected Northern Lights Village locations and takes place within the surrounding forest, using purpose-built cabins and outdoor spaces rather than a central attraction. It’s designed to feel woven into the landscape, so Santa’s world feels like it belongs there, rather than something added on for visitors.

You don’t have to stay at a Northern Lights Village to do the Searching for Santa experience. You can book it directly through the website, which is what we did. We went to the one in Pyhä.

Each experience is for a maximum of 12 people so it always feels intimate. The experience runs throughout the day, normally from 8 am to 6 pm, but guests at the resort get first pick for the timing. This means that some time slots aren’t always available for non-guests – for example the daylight hours tend to go first. We did ours at 6 pm, which was okay for us as we were on UK time (4 pm), and we quite enjoyed the magic of doing it all in the dark (the only sacrifice was a lack of good photos as you can see in this post!).

Our expectations (and why we were nervous)

I’ll be honest: we were slightly worried about doing this experience. First up, it’s a big investment (€500 for the four of us), so my hopes were high!

And on top of that, our eldest is nearly eight and has started asking more questions about Santa. We wondered whether this experience would feel too childish – or worse, disappoint him. It felt like it needed to be properly magical to work.

As it turns out, it did the opposite. Rather than breaking the spell, I think it’s prolonged the magic. He came out saying, very matter-of-factly, “That was definitely the real Santa.” And Steve and I felt pretty enchanted too!

Please note that this is our personal review of the Searching for Santa experience in Pyhä. The elves and Santa will be different in each place, and considering they were a huge part of the success of our experience, it’s hard to know if yours will be similar.

How the Searching for Santa experience works

Without spoiling too much, here’s how the experience unfolds…

You’re met by elves and led into their bakery, a wonderfully cosy space where each family sits at their own table to make gingerbread. The dough is pre-made, so everyone rolls, cuts and bakes straight away. While it cooks, the kids write a letter to Santa – including how they’ve behaved that year and what they’ve enjoyed most. The adults get to fill in one too! Then comes decorating, with tubes of icing and sprinkles (our kids went wild for this). The gingerbread itself was genuinely delicious – the best I’ve ever had – it’s gone straight to mythological status in our family!

From there, you head out on a short reindeer sleigh ride through the forest. It was snowing lightly when we went, and it felt magical – quiet, hushed, and very Lapland.

Next comes time at the elves’ basecamp: searching for candy canes hidden in the trees, a few group dances (our least favourite bit purely because it was cold), toasting marshmallows on the fire, and warming up inside with games and hot drinks.

Then comes the elf taxi. Each family is taken individually through the forest in a small, enclosed, heated cart pulled by a snowmobile. You’re encouraged to sing Christmas songs “to build the magic” – our youngest loved this, especially as he had a Christmas concert coming up and knew all the words. By this point, both kids were very sugared up and hyped about the whole thing.

Finally, you arrive at a small house hidden in the trees. The kids shout for Santa… and he appears through the doorway. They ran straight into his arms!

Meeting Santa (and why this one feels different)

Inside the cabin, you sit by the fire and chat. What we found particularly interesting is that this Santa isn’t the booming, jolly caricature you might expect. He has a quieter, almost shamanic presence – kind but also serious. At first we weren’t sure what to make of it, but that gravitas really worked. It felt authentic, wise, and oddly believable (even Steve and I were impressed, let alone the kids!). That said, I think some people might prefer a more classic Santa, so it’s something to bear in mind.

Before your visit, you fill out a questionnaire about your children – what they like, what they’re proud of, and one thing you’d like them to work on. Santa wove all of this naturally into the conversation. The kids were amazed. And he even asked them to promise to listen to their parents a bit better, so extra points from me!

After the meet-up, you’re taken back to basecamp in the elf taxi where you play more games while waiting for the other families to return and then return to the start point where the experience ends.

The Elves (a huge part of the magic)

The elves deserve special mention. They weren’t too over-the-top or gimmicky – no pointy ears or forced accents. The idea is that anyone can become an elf, so they felt very human: silly, high-energy, kind and incredibly good with kids.

Our eldest can get overstimulated and the elves were brilliant at meeting that with patience and warmth. They also delivered the best explanation of Elf on the Shelf I’ve ever heard: those elves are the naughty ones, shrunk down and sent to houses to learn manners. Our kids loved it!

Tips and things to note about the Searching for Santa experience

Please be aware that this is my personal review of the Searching for Santa experience. I know from reading many other reviews that not everyone loves it as much as we did. The main complaints are often about Santa himself and how convincing he is. We were very lucky in this regard.

Other people complain about how long it takes, and specifically the waiting around at Elf basecamp. We were lucky because we were the first family to see Santa, so we didn’t have to wait for long. You can request for this to be the case, for example if your children are neurodivergent.

When we returned from seeing Santa, we were supposed to stay at the basecamp, continuing to play games, until the last family returned too. Instead, we asked if we could leave as we felt the kids were getting tired, so they delivered us back to the entrance by elf taxi a little early (we had to wait a little bit until the second family returned and an elf taxi was available).

As adults, you have to lean into the experience to make it work. This isn’t something for cynics – like with a Disney trip, you have to want it to be a magical time.

If you don’t already have them, you get warm clothing – snowsuits, boots and mittens – provided as part of the experience. These are necessary, especially for the reindeer ride and games outside at basecamp.

Daylight hours are limited in Lapland in wintertime, so bear that in mind when making your booking. Would you prefer to do it in daylight or in the dark? While you’ll get better photos in the daylight, we quite liked doing it in the darkness as it added to the sense of adventure. I think it may even be an advantage with older kids as it helps add to the mystery.

When can you do the Searching for Santa experience?

The Searching for Santa experience runs during the winter season only, typically from late November through March when there’s reliable snow cover and the forest feels suitably atmospheric. Exact dates vary slightly by location and year, so it’s always worth checking the specific resort’s calendar before you book. Within that season, sessions usually run from around 8 am to 6 pm.

What age is Searching for Santa suitable for?

I think this hugely depends on the kid. My nieces, aged 10 and 12, did it last year and loved it. I think to get the most out of it, kids should probably be around age 3 and up. You could do it with a baby, but that would be more for the parents than the child.

Age 5 was ideal for my youngest as he was 100% onboard with the magic. My eldest (almost 8) was more borderline as he doesn’t love things that are overly theatrical and he was more questioning of the idea of Santa. Luckily for us, it turned out to be pitch-perfect for him and he loved it.

Like with everything, it’ll really depend on the child’s temperament and personality, but I think it’s something that most primary school kids would love.

How much does Searching for Santa cost?

The Searching for Santa experience is one of the more premium Santa encounters in Lapland, and pricing reflects its length, intimacy and forest setting. Exact figures vary by location and time of year, but to give you an idea:

• We paid €500 in total for 2 adults and 2 children at the Pyhä Northern Lights Village (€140 per adult and €70 per child + VAT)
• Some locations offer package deals that combine the experience with accommodation, food or other activities, which can significantly improve overall value if you’re staying on site. I talk about this in my post about how much a trip to Lapland costs.

Because availability is limited and sessions are capped at small group sizes, you must book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Is it worth the price?

This is undeniably one of the most expensive Santa experiences in Lapland. But for us, it was worth it. It’s pure core memory material, and was a key part of what made our Lapland trip special. It adds genuine magic for the kids and it’s also ideal for families who dislike crowds and chaos.

I think it’s best to look at it as a three-hour immersive event, rather than a short meet-and-greet as that helps put the cost in context. But there’s still no doubt it’s a luxury experience.

And it does come with risks. You don’t know for sure what kind of Santa you’ll get, and some people are disappointed. On top of that, you can’t guarantee your kids’ mood or health on the day, and as you have to book in advance, it isn’t something you can do on an ad-hoc basis. I was pretty stressed that the kids wouldn’t be on form that day and therefore unable to enjoy it. But that’s the same with most big-ticket things. They all come with risk.

If you don’t fancy the risk, or if it’s simply out of budget, there are other options available. I’ve written a post on the different ways to meet Santa in Lapland.

You can book the Searching for Santa Experience direct with Northern Lights Villages.

And just let me know if you have any questions.