Santa Claus Express: The Reality of Standard Seats

Introduction

You often see people introducing the Santa Claus Express on Instagram Reels and elsewhere.

They always show the sleeper compartments and private showers.

Unfortunately, I could not get a sleeper compartment this time and only managed to book standard seats.

So here is what the experience in a standard seat is actually like.

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Buying Tickets

You can buy tickets from this website:

Official VR website

If your journey shows these locations, it is basically the Santa Claus Express.

From there, buying the ticket is just the usual process.

You will then receive a QR code by email. Show it to the conductor when tickets are checked on the train.

As you can see, only seats were available when we booked; all the compartments were sold out.

If you are travelling over Christmas, I recommend booking two months in advance. I remember that all the compartments were already sold out when I checked in October.

This is our receipt from when we booked in November, for reference.

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Boarding at Helsinki Central Railway Station

The train departs from Helsinki Central Railway Station.

The station is huge, so finding your way around can take a little time. The platforms are at ground level, so do not go underground.

You may also have to walk outdoors on the way to the platform.

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The Train Arrives

The carriage numbers are displayed on the outside of the train, so just find the one that matches your ticket.

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Luggage Storage

When you enter the train, you will see a silver metal panel. Check whether it opens, as that is where luggage can be stored.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

There is a rack above the seats, but it is only wide enough for a backpack or a piece of hand luggage.

I did not know this at the time. I carried my suitcase upstairs, found there was nowhere to put it, and had to take it back downstairs.

Luckily, there was a Malaysian couple on the train who were very kind and helped me look for luggage space, but unfortunately everything was already full.

With no space left, we had no choice but to leave it wherever we could.

Also, if you have a compartment rather than a berth, your luggage still goes in the same luggage racks as everyone else’s, or wherever you can find room.

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Standard Seats

This is roughly what the standard seats look like.

If you are taking the night train, expect not to fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

Finns are said to be fairly quiet, but passengers board and leave at stations along the way, and younger people are usually more talkative when they first get on.

Luckily, if you find them too noisy and say something, they will quiet down.

However, if you wake up easily, spending the night in a standard seat may be quite tough.

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Onboard Facilities

Upstairs, there are stairs at both ends, and each upper-deck carriage has only one toilet.

The toilet is much like one on an aeroplane.

There is also a small phone booth at each end of the carriage.

Staff walk through the train during the journey, although they never checked us. Perhaps they only check seats that were originally empty but have since been occupied.

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Restaurant Car

In the morning, we walked over to the restaurant car.

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Morning Views

It was completely dark outside at night, so here are some of the views from the morning.

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Arriving in Rovaniemi

We arrived at around the expected time.

We had arrived in Rovaniemi.

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Final Thoughts

If you cannot book a sleeper compartment, I would recommend flying instead, even though I personally fall asleep fairly easily.

There is not much room to stretch your legs, and the seat is just a normal seat.

People are constantly walking past.

The automatic doors between the lower-deck carriages were also a little temperamental.

Unless you genuinely want to experience spending a night on a train, or want to save the cost of a flight and one night’s hotel, a standard seat is still an option.

It was a pretty good experience this time.

But if it were up to me, I would fly if I could not get a sleeper compartment.