Fly from Nice to Rovaniemi

For a return flight from Nice to Rovaniemi, you'll need your boarding passes, valid identity documents and... the ability to channel your inner chill! This journey into the imaginary world of Santa and his mythical world requires a little candour and a lot of enthusiasm. This meeting will work even more magical if you share this very special moment with your family, in the company of your children or grandchildren. That said, this trip to the Arctic Circle is an adventure that can also be enjoyed as a couple or with friends. A holiday in Lapland is full of more 'grown up' experiences. This region of Finland, for example, is home to areas of rare natural beauty including lakes, forests, tundra and snow-capped peaks. On a snowmobile or sleigh, even the shortest of breaks in the great outdoors promises to be a real adventure! For a more tranquil experience, there is plenty of local culture to enjoy. Rovaniemi is home to a number of exhibition and entertainment venues, including museums, concert halls and theatres, where you can discover the ancestral traditions of the Sami, the people who have lived on this land since the dawn of time.

• Meet Father Christmas in his office, in the heart of his village. This visit is free, except for the souvenir photo. You can also take the opportunity to get to know the elves too!
• Take a seat at one of the tables in Santa's Post Office and drop your loved ones a line stamped ‘Arctic Circle’. A special postmark is proof of this.
• Head off to conquer the North Pole. Or at least, cross the Arctic Circle and get a certificate that confirms your achievement. The best way to tackle the snowy slopes of Lapland? By snowmobile or dog sledge.
• Enter the most enchanting of caves, so huge, that it houses Santa Park, an amusement park with live entertainment and a host of fun workshops, as well as letting you sit on a bench in the Elf School.
• Look all around you to enjoy the talent of Alvar Aalto, one of Finland's greatest architects. He was commissioned to reconstruct Rovaniemi, which had been largely destroyed during the 2nd World War. Some of the highlights of his work include the Town Hall, the Municipal Library and the Lappia Hall, a venue for concerts and theatre.
• Discover the Sami, Europe's last ‘indigenous people.’ they arrived over 4,000 years ago and were the first inhabitants of Lapland. To understand their traditions, visit the Arktikum museum in Rovaniemi or the Siida museum in the village of Inari, an hour's bus ride from the Lapland capital.
• If you call it a day too early, you'll miss out on one of the most breathtaking sights nature has to offer: the Northern Lights. Here, they fill the starry sky with a vibrant emerald green. Unforgettable!
• Sweat it out! Rovaniemi may be the capital of Lapland, but it's still a Finnish town. Hence the many saunas, for which the country is rightly famous. Some offer an unusual experience, such as the Apukka Resort, built from... blocks of ice, like an igloo.
• Admire the 200 residents of Ranua zoo, just a few kilometres from Rovaniemi. It's the most beautiful zoo in Finland and home to most of the Arctic species, from polar bears, arctic foxes, elk, reindeer, lynx and wolves.
• Taste the local cuisine! Discovering a country means discovering its cuisine. And Lapland treats its guests to some very surprising flavours, from salmon soup to sautéed reindeer, eaten here with lingonberry jam.