Meeting with Santa Claus
© DR
Living near Reims, Santa Claus welcomes kids in his house and chats with them. Guided by witty elves, they also discover the preparations for Christmas. An unforgettable memory for children aged between two and six years.

[ Practical ]

Getting there
- By road
170 km from Paris on autoroute A4 and A34 till Reims, then on N44, D931, D35 and D37 till Sept-Saulx.
- By train
TGV from Paris Est to Reims or Chalons-en-Champagne, then TER till Sept-Saulx. The journey takes between 1 hour 45 mn and 2 h 30 mn.
Parc Nature de Sept-Saux / Grinyland
6 rue de la Libération, 51400 Sept-Saulx.
Open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from November 16th to December 18th and everyday from December 21st to 29th except on December 25th.
Depending on the day, show every 20mn from 9.30am or 10.20am to 5pm or 6.40pm.
Admission : from €13 to €17.
Booking required.
Information and bookings
Tel : 0326032491
noel.grinyland.com
Santa Claus does exist. Since several years, hundred of kids had the possibility to meet him in the Champagne - Ardennes region. The emblematic character of the end of the year stays near Reims, in the Parc Nature of Sept Saulx, where he lives in a vast wooden chalet surrounded by trees.


© DR
 Tales and funny gossips
For an hour and fifteen minutes, kids are guided through the house by the elves who live and work with Santa Claus. Malicious and witty, they take them from room to room, unveiling funny gossips about the life of the household and explaining their work.
In the kitchen, they show to their young guests how to make the drinks and dishes we enjoy at Christmas. Then comes the room where gifts are stored and packed before their delivery to nice kids. In the sled room, they explain how they load it, what they have to do before Santa Claus starts his Christmas Eve journey, the most important being to check the weather forecast to make sure he will travel safely
But the highlight of the visite is of course the meeting with Santa Claus who welcomes his young visitors, chats with them for about fifteen minutes and tells them tales. Lastly, kids are invited to attend a short show.


© DR
 Excellent actors
Split by groups of forty, kids really get into the story. They are captivated, amazed and attentive to what the elves and Santa Claus are saying. To such an extent, that you could hear a pin drop. It’s only when they get in front of the gifts that they get excited and sometimes a bit unruly.
If the spell works so well it is for two reasons. First, the actors performing the diverse characters are excellent and credible in their role, adding to that pedagogy, humour and poetry. Secondly, the interior arrangement and decoration of the house are perfect and give the illusion to be in an enchanted world. The collection of knickknacks, objects and implements that are scattered among the rooms is by itself worth a visit for its originality, its beauty and its variety. It is like to wander around an antic shop.

November 09, 2019
 Thierry Joly