Joanna Whitehead takes a whimsical night train to the Arctic Circle, embracing the festive atmosphere
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The Santa Claus Express is a novel way to travel to Lapland
It's 6.45 pm and 2C in the lobby of Helsinki Central Station, but I feel warm in this majestic building, sipping a pint of Finland's ubiquitous Karhu ("bear") beer. One eye is staring at the departure board, the other is watching more and more infant passengers passing through the station before heading north. I have selected a surprising number of four-legged passengers, as well as a group of excited children. Boarding. Who can blame them? We are going to Santa’s house.
The railway from the Finnish capital to Rovaniemi, the “official hometown of Santa Claus,” was completed in 1909, and the train service between the two cities has been in operation for more than 110 years. Located in the Arctic Circle, tourists often head to this northern outpost for winter activities such as ice fishing, aurora hunting and reindeer riding, not to mention visiting Santa’s Village. However, for my travel companions and I, Rovaniemi was just a stopover on our drive to the northernmost point of Finland.
Satiated: the train has a comfortable dining car
With the development of railway stations, the waiting places for trains are getting worse and worse. This eye-catching Art Nouveau building was designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen and opened in 1919. It has a copper roof, pink granite façade, landmark clock tower and custom chandeliers. There are a pair of serious statues on both sides of the main entrance, holding spherical lights, which will glow when night falls; the station also has a presidential lounge for the President of Finland and his guests. No wonder it ranks among the top 10 in the BBC's list of the most beautiful railway stations in the world.
By 7pm, the double-decker train known as the Santa Claus Express was on the platform ready for passengers to start boarding. The service runs twice a day, increasing to three times during peak winter periods. Passengers can choose a private cabin with shared toilet and shower facilities (€139 for two people on the lower deck), a private cabin with bathroom facilities (€159 on the upper deck) or simple seats (€23). For experienced travelers who can take a nap anywhere, the latter option is undoubtedly cheap, but for those looking for more comfort during our 12-hour overnight trip, the cabin makes the most sense. Finland is not a cheap country for the British, so my partner and I decided to choose a private cabin with shared facilities to reduce our budget.
This eye-catching Art Nouveau building has a copper roof, pink granite façade, landmark clock tower and custom chandeliers
The boarding process went very smoothly, only a few light years away from the typical situation of British rail travel. There are no ticket gates or disobedient conductors-we just hop in the car, find our cabin, and make ourselves feel at home. Some of the longest night trains are about 450m long-nearly half a kilometer-which may explain to a certain extent why everyone has enough space. Its impressive scale also includes space for vehicles and pets. It is welcome to take the service at a very reasonable 8 euros, and it accounts for 7% of the total number of passengers. The furry friends and their owners are assigned to a dedicated area of the train for travel. The cabin includes a drinking bowl and water to provide maximum comfort.
Our plan after boarding was to drop our luggage and hit the dining car. Previous sleeper train experience around the world tells us that this is where the fun lies and we are eager to meet our passengers. This pleasant area consists of about 25 artificial leather booths with large windows and space is limited, so if you want to sit down, it's worth arriving early.
Finns have a reputation for being unfair and outdated for being introverted and introverted, but we soon started a conversation with an old man who traveled alone to visit his daughter and grandchildren. The content involved Brexit, the Premier League and the Finnish winter. In addition to ordering food and beverages in the dining car, passengers can also request selected snacks, dinners and breakfasts to be delivered directly to their cabins or seats. Meatballs and mashed potatoes (12.90 euros) are the main dishes on board, but more than 80,000 servings are served each year.
Joanna snuggled up in her cabin for the night
The cabin is very comfortable, so it’s worth keeping this in mind and putting necessities such as toothbrushes and mobile phone chargers in your travel bag for easy access on board. All cabins have bunk beds, windows with blackout shutters (although it was almost dark throughout our journey), mirrors and sinks (cabins without showers have running water). A small towel, duvet, pillow and bed linen are provided. We put the big suitcases next to the sink and asked us to dance an elaborate dance every time we walked around, but big bags and luggage can be stored in the luggage storage for 5 euros each.
The temperature has remained below 0C for more than half a year. It is no surprise that Finns have mastered the art of indoor comfort, and the Santa Claus Express is no exception. The entire train remains comfortable throughout the journey, and the berths are surprisingly comfortable. The bed is equipped with a telephone plug and an alarm clock, so you will not miss the stop; in the morning, the conductor knocked on our door.
Undeniably, this is a more memorable, fun and environmentally friendly way to travel
Our cabin is located next to the toilet and shower room. This initial joy of convenience gave way to some frustration, because other passengers came and went all night, which meant that we were awakened by the heavy door slamming more than once. Although there were no late-night larks in our carriage-the Finns we met seemed to be a very civilized group of people-any competent traveler would bring some decent earplugs for the journey. We skipped the early morning shower and slept for an extra 30 minutes in bed, but found that the toilet was clean before going to bed and the first thing.
After waking up, I looked out the window and found that the sky was still quite dark. In our warm and sleepy state, we quickly started adding layers of clothing before arriving in Rovaniemi; early morning and driving more than 500 miles north meant that the platform was completely covered in snow upon arrival, so it was important to wrap it up.
The appearance of the Santa Claus Express after arriving in Rovaniemi
Flights between Helsinki and Rovaniemi may be operated regularly, but it is undeniable that this is a more memorable, fun and environmentally friendly way of travel: a single rail trip between these two cities will produce 2.27 kg of carbon dioxide, while air transport is as high as 249.92 kg. For many travelers, the business of moving between different geographic spaces depends largely on time and convenience, taking into account the fun and encounters of slow travel People, this is a shame.
Our return trip during the day provided us with a different but equally fascinating experience, with fairy-tale forest scenery covered in snow throughout.
Although I may no longer believe in Santa Claus, this train trip on the train named after him, in this magical place in the world, is a welcome reminder to remind people that travel can still bring miracles and adventures. a feeling of.
For travel between Helsinki and Rovaniemi, passengers can choose a private cabin with shared toilet and shower facilities (€139 for two persons on the lower deck), a private cabin with bathroom facilities (€159 on the upper deck) or Seat (23 Euro).
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The Santa Claus Express is a novel way to travel to Lapland
Satiated: the train has a comfortable dining car
Joanna snuggled up in her cabin for the night
The appearance of the Santa Claus Express after arriving in Rovaniemi
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