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Sóller – Mallorca’s enchanting secret gem
*Article contains affiliate linksSóller is one of the most beautiful villages in Mallorca, offering tourists the perfect combination of stunning nature, history and local atmosphere. This charming village is a must-see for anyone traveling to the island of Mallorca. For us, this was also one of the highlights of our vacation last autumn in all its charming simplicity.
Sóller – An idyllic mountain village
Located in the heart of Mallorca’s Tramuntana mountain, Sóller is known for its orchards, lemon trees and beautiful scenery. Its appeal lies not only in its natural beauty but also in the village’s historical atmosphere and architecture. It’s no wonder that Sóller is one of Mallorca’s most popular day trip destinations.
Travel to Sóller – An exciting train journey or an affordable local busThere are two ways to get to Sóller from Palma: either by the old, traditional wooden train or by local bus. The wooden train, called Ferrocarril de Sóller, is an experience in itself. This 1912 train slowly travels through beautiful landscapes, offering passengers the opportunity to admire olive groves, citrus groves and mountain views. The train costs 35 euros for a return trip and is very popular with tourists, so be prepared to queue.
If you want to travel cheaply, the local bus is a good option. It runs regularly from both Palma and other cities in Mallorca, such as Alcudia. The bus is less touristy and follows pretty much the same route as the wooden train. So the scenery is just as beautiful, although the experience itself may be different. Mallorcan buses also have a great discount system, meaning that if you pay with a contactless payment card you get up to 40% off the price of the trip and the trip from Palma to Sóller is around 4-6 euros depending on the payment method. We preferred the bus this time, as this option seemed more interesting and the cheap price with a contactless payment card won out.
It is worth remembering that on buses your card is always stamped both at the beginning of the journey and when you get off. The buses depart from the bus station, which is located in Palma right next to the wooden train departure platform.
Views during the journey to Sóller from Palma 
Sóller wooden train
Charming alleys, boutiques and restaurantsWhen you arrive in Sóller, you quickly realize why it is such a popular destination. The narrow cobblestone streets of the village are full of small boutiques, art galleries and cafes where you can sample local delicacies. The restaurant offerings range from traditional Mallorcan cuisine to international flavors, so there are options for every traveler. At lunchtime, several restaurants offer a menu of the day (in Spanish, menu del dia), which is an affordable and good option to fill your stomach.
We spent the day wandering the alleys, admiring the beautiful buildings and stopping to enjoy the sun and good food. There is plenty to do and see in the village, but at the same time the village offers the opportunity for a peaceful holiday atmosphere. However, in the summer, it is worth remembering that there are indeed others here. During the peak season, the small village can feel quite full, so it is worth scheduling your trip a little out of season or at least setting off early.
Sóller village 
Charming streets and decor 
Cafes and restaurants for every taste 
Picturesque Puerto de SóllerIf you have time, you should definitely also head to Puerto de Sóller, which is just a short tram ride from the village. Puerto de Sóller is a small but lively port area with a beach, beautiful boat docks and more great restaurants. The sea view crowns the day, and the relaxed atmosphere of the port is sure to be memorable. For me, this reminded me a bit of some of the most photographed beach towns and cute villages in Italy. It is also a great place to take a dip to refresh yourself after a day of sightseeing.
Puerto de Sóller can be reached from the village of Sóller by a wooden tram or a local bus. There was such a long queue for the tram that we ended up taking the bus again. The downside to our choice was unfortunately the heavy traffic, meaning that the normally short journey took more than double what it usually does.
Puerto de Sóller 
Puerto de Sóller views 
A day trip full of sun and good vibesOur visit to Sóller was full of sunshine and relaxing walks. During the day we enjoyed the beauty of the village and the experiences it offers. Although it is full of tourists in the summer, Sóller fortunately retains its unique charm. Despite the crowds, this day trip was one of the highlights of our trip to Mallorca.
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HAVE YOU BEEN TO MALLORCA AND EXPLORED THE MOUNTAIN VILLAGE OF SÓLLER? WHAT DID YOU LIKE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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Santa Claus Village – Magical experience in Christmas Wonderland
*Article contains affiliate linksFar in the north, amidst the snowy fells of Lapland, lies a place where the magic of Christmas comes to life every day of the year. Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland is not just a tourist destination – it is an experience that makes hearts beat with the warmth and joy of Christmas. I have dreamed of this place since I was little and finally the time came to make this bucket list experience of every Christmas person into reality. In November, the Santa Claus Express, or how we say in Finland: VR, took us on a night train ride from our city Tampere to Rovaniemi to explore this fascinating Christmas Wonderland, where Santa Claus and his reindeer were waiting for us (or vice versa).
SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE – 7 REASONS TO VISITMAGIC OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
At the Santa Claus Village, you can immediately cross the line of the magical Arctic Circle, which also means entering the special Christmas area. This symbolic moment is a special highlight for many visitors and it is also possible to get a certificate from the information center for a small fee, laminated or not if you wish. We thought that since we were here and wanted some nice memories of the day, we would get a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle. It’s quite fun, and so this gold-edged certificate with our names on it became part of our Christmas decorations.
MEET SANTA’S REINDEER AND HAVE A REINDEER SLEIGH RIDESanta Claus Village wouldn’t be anything without the reindeer! It’s always a pleasure to meet these lovely northern furry snouts and for us these were one of the highlights of the day. The reindeer in the village are located in front of Mrs. Santa Claus’ house and the reindeer take eager visitors on short reindeer rides around the yard as well as longer forest tours. Neither of us have ever been on a reindeer ride, so this was a must-try. There were no forest tours available during our visit, so we only did a shorter ride in the yard. This was also a nice experience and at the end we got to pet the reindeer.
First time on a reindeer sleigh ride 
The tour went around the yard and took only 15 min 
HUSKIES AND OTHER SANTA’S FURRY FRIENDSAt Santa Claus Village, you can meet huskies and other furry friends of Santa. These are all located at the back of the Village and there is a separate entrance fee for these too. We didn’t have time to say hello to the huskies, because unfortunately the husky farm closed at 3 pm. We also skipped these other furry friends, because we have already scratched many kinds of domestic animals many times in our lives and admission would have been quite expensive compared to that. However, this is certainly a wonderful experience for families with children and why not for others too, if you are interested!
HAVE A CUP OF HOT MULLED WINE WITH MRS. CLAUSThe house of Mrs. Santa Claus is located behind the reindeer and the path leading there is like something out of a fairy tale with Christmas lights. The house of Mrs. Santa Claus is actually a small café, upstairs of which it is possible to go and greet Mrs. Claus for a fee of 10 euros. You are not allowed to take photos of the meeting yourself, but after the meeting you can buy a photo package taken by the photographer elf as a souvenir. We left the meeting with Mrs. Claus for another time, because we were not really excited about the entrance fee.
The house and cafe of Mrs. Santa Claus 
MEET THE REAL SANTA CLAUS AND EXPERIENCE THE CHRISTMAS MAGICMeeting Santa Claus is a big dream for many Christmas lovers, and that was our dream too. Santa Claus’s office has a souvenir shop, behind which a stunning magical path to Santa Claus’s office is revealed. In the glow of gift packages and colorful Christmas lights, we followed the marked path until we reached our destination – the queue. There were a couple of others here too. Well, luckily for us, the queue wasn’t too long and we were also lucky when we heard that this meeting was FREE. Clearly the time of miracles is definitely not over. Of course, photography was prohibited here too, but you could buy pictures from the elf photographer after the meeting as a souvenir if you wanted. The price of the photo package (2 photos + video of the meeting) is more or less 50 euros, I don’t remember the exact amount. We bought these shots, because the visit was such a memorable experience for us and we wanted to get something permanent from it to admire afterwards. Let the contents of the meeting remain our Christmas secret.
Santa Claus Office 
The route to Santa Claus 
CAFES, RESTAURANTS AND SOUVENIR SHOPSIn addition to the above-mentioned activities, Santa Claus Village is also full of various restaurants and cafes, where you will surely find something small and large to eat for everyone. We went to enjoy both hot mulled wine and delicious hot chocolate in various cafes and kept our hunger away with fluffy korvapuustis and tasty Christmas tarts. However, if you are really hungry, I would recommend heading to the Santamus restaurant for a hearty lunch. After lunch, you can grab a cool dessert drink at the Arctic SnowHotel‘s pop-up Ice Bar, which is located behind the restaurant.
If you are interested in shopping and souvenirs, there are plenty of boutiques here. However, each boutique is quite similar in style, i.e. full of both local crafts and Christmas-themed souvenirs. On the other hand, we did not expect or want anything else. We happily wandered around looking at these Christmas things and even grabbed a couple of nice things to take home with us. In addition to Christmas shops, Santa Claus Village has design stores from Finnish brands such as Iittala, Marimekko and Pentik.
Candy cane hot chocolate 
Hot mulled wine with Korvapuusti
WRITE TO SANTA IN THE MAIN POST OFFICEA visit to the heart of Christmas would be incomplete without a visit to Santa Claus’s Main Post Office. This works as a regular post office, but in addition to that, you can admire letters sent to Santa Claus from all over the world and also write your own letter right there. Since we were here to spend the Christmas-spirited day of our dreams and to seek new experiences, we decided to write Santa Claus a nice little letter. The content of the letter will also remain a matter between us and Santa, but this did crown our trip to this place completely.
Tip! You can buy beautiful Christmas-themed paper for writing letters at the post office counter (One A4/1€), so don’t worry if you haven’t remembered to prepare for writing a letter in advance.
Also Cape Verde has it’s place here 
A TRUE CHRISTMAS WONDERLANDSanta Claus Village is a place where Christmas is not just a day on the calendar – it is an experience that lasts all year round. This enchanting place is the perfect destination for anyone who longs for the magic and joy of Christmas in their hearts. Although many things here cost extra and there are plenty of people, a visit is still worth it. Everyone gets to make the experience what they want and experience their own unique Christmas experience. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you can of course come back to experience again and again if you want.
It is wonderful to be from Santa Claus’s fairytale homeland and it is amazing that Finland has such a place that is known almost everywhere in the world. Although I love travel, sun and turquoise sea very much, Christmas is an important time for me – inspired by my own Finnish Christmas traditions.
With hot mulled wine in my hand, delicious Christmas tarts in front of me, I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a fruitful new year of traveling to all my dear readers!
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HAVE YOU BEEN TO VISIT THE SANTA CLAUS IN FINLAND ALREADY? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE THE COMMENTS AND HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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