The real NORTH POLE

Paul Ewart takes a magical visit to Santa's official hometown in the heart of a Finnish winter wonderland

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For a storybook holiday that's hard to top, head north to Finland's Arctic Circle - specifically, to the town of Rovaniemi.

Set in Lapland, the northernmost province of Finland and blanketed in snow for half the year, this tiny town is a wonderland of cute cottages and reindeer-peppered forests. And while worthy of a visit for its good looks alone, Rovaniemi's main claim to fame is that it's the official hometown of the big man himself - Santa Claus! Having owned the coveted title since 2010, the city's most famous resident can be visited year-round, but the arrival of the festive season sees the bulk of its annual 500,000+ tourist traffic arrive. And central to every visitor's itinerary is the sprawling SantaPark, where it's Christmas all day, every day. Illuminated by thousands of twinkling fairy lights and with the smell of roasted chestnuts filling the air, fans of the Yuletide season can eat festive food, buy Christmas gifts, hang out with elves and, of course, meet the main man himself. A few hours here are guaranteed to make even the greatest of Grinches crack a smile!