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Christmas With Santa Clause 2018

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11 days, Helsinki to Stockholm
Departures
Start - Finish Availability

Introduction

Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland’s southern capital, sits on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland. Its central avenue, Mannerheimintie, is flanked by institutions including the National Museum, tracing Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present. Also on Mannerheimintie are the imposing Parliament House and Kiasma, a contemporary art museum. Ornate red-brick Uspenski Cathedral overlooks a harbour.

Stockholm

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges on an extensive Baltic Sea archipelago. The cobblestone streets and ochre-colored buildings of Gamla Stan (the old town) are home to the 13th-century Storkyrkan Cathedral, the KungligaSlottet Royal Palace and the Nobel Museum, which focuses on the Nobel Prize. Ferries and sightseeing boats shuttle passengers between the islands.

 

Itinerary

Meet your tour guide and fellow travellers in the hotel lobby between 6pm and 8pm.

Overnight at Glo Art Hotel in Helsinki.

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. In the morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of the Finnish capital with highlights such as the neo-classical Senate square, the Cathedral, the Sibelius monument, the Russian orthodox Uspenski Cathedral and the famous church on the Rock; Temppeliauko. Use the free time in the afternoon and evening to shop for any remaining Christmas gifts, visit the Christmas market or just enjoy the Christmas spirit and decorations. Transfer to the train station, for the overnight train journey to Rovaniemi in cabins with private or shared facilities.

Breakfast box on board. Upon arrival in Rovaniemi, transfer to the Scandic Hotel for check in. You will receive thermal outfits, which you can keep for your entire stay in Rovaniemi to keep you warm and enable you to enjoy the snowy landscape.Today’s excursion takes you to Santa Claus Village, located on the Arctic Circle. You will have the chance to meet Santa himself, visit his post office and send some post-cards, which will be stamped by hand with a special postmark of the Santa Claus Post Office. In this magical world you can find some unique gifts such as Finnish handicrafts or top Finnish Design products. In the evening enjoy a traditional Christmas Eve Dinner. For families with children it is possible to leave the Christmas gifts for the children at the reception so Santa Claus can pick them up and give them to the children on Christmas Eve. Overnight at Scandic Rovaniemi Hotel.

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Start the day with a snowmobile safari with ice fishing. Your safari guide will give the group a detailed briefing and driving instructions before setting off on the tour which will take place on a frozen river. Here you will experience the unique way of ice fishing, through a drilled hole in the ice. Patience is key here! Enjoy hot drinks and biscuits to keep yourselves warm, and relish the silence of nature, while breathing in the fresh air of Lapland. After this special experience, return to the city by snowmobile! Tonight enjoy a traditional Finnish Christmas dinner. Overnight at Scandic Rovaniemi Hotel.

 

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. A new adventure awaits you today with huskies and reindeer. Drive to a husky farm where the breeders will tell you about the life of huskies and share details about the breeding, feeding and training of the dogs, while you enjoy a hot drink. Here you have the opportunity to go on a sleigh–ride pulled by a husky team. Their eagerness to run through the silent forest makes this adventure truely thrilling. Continue to the nearby Reindeer farm to learn more about the life of reindeer and their herders. Ride in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. In the evening you can join an optional Northern Lights safari. Overnight at Scandic Rovaniemi hotel.


Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Today’s excursion will take you to Ranua Wildlife Park. Here you have the unique possibility to see Arctic animals in a more authentic environment. There are around 50 different species represented in the park and during your walk in the park, you may spot polar bears, lynxes, moose etc. Upon returning to Rovaniemi, enjoy a buffet dinner before boarding the overnight train, which will take you back to Helsinki. Overnight in cabins with private or shared facilities.


Breakfast box on board. Arrival in Helsinki and transfer to your hotel. Spend the day at leisure in Helsinki or join the optional day excursion to Tallinn. Overnight at GLO Art Hotel.

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Free time in Helsinki until late afternoon when we embark on Silja Lines overnight cruise to Stockholm. Buffet dinner onboard. Overnight in outside cabins.

Breakfast buffet onboard. Sightseeing tour of the Swedish capital’s highlights including Gamla Stan, the old city with its narrow cobblestoned lanes, charming small squares, colourful medieval buildings, the Cathedral and the Royal Palace. The tour ends at your centrally located hotel. In the afternoon there will be free time to continue exploring Stockholm. Overnight at Scandic Klara hotel.

Breakfast buffet at the hotel. Free time in Stockholm to explore further. Pay a visit to the famous Stockholm Ice Bar, where you can enjoy a drink in the planet’s first permanent ice bar, made of ice from the Ice hotel in Swedish Lapland. Overnight at Scandic Klara hotel.

The services of the tour ends this morning with Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Following this it is time to say goodbye!