Should We Visit Santa Park?

Santa Park is an underground Christmas Amusement Park located in Rovaniemi, Finland. Inside this underground cavern, it’s Christmas time year-round.

Questions You Might Have:

What is the Difference Between Santa Claus Village and Santa Park?

When planning a trip to Rovaniemi, Finland you will find out that there is Santa Claus Village and also Santa Park. It can sometimes be confusing to understand the difference between Santa Claus Village and Santa Park. While both are located in Rovaniemi, and both places I would recommend to visit, they are two separate entities.

Santa Claus Village is exactly what it says it is-a village. There is no entrance fee for Santa Claus Village. The village is full of activities to participate in and you pay separately for each of the experiences. Santa Claus Village is open year-round and we have a post that will tell you all about Santa Claus Village Activities.

Santa Park, as mentioned above, is a Christmas theme park that is located in an underground cavern. Almost all of the activities you will participate in Santa Park are included in the ticket cost. There are a couple of activities that have an additional cost: gingerbread cookies, drinks in the Ice Gallery and any food you purchase.

When Is Santa Park Open?

Santa Park is open in the winter and the summer. During the winter the operating hours are 10:00-17/18:00 depending on the day you visit. You can visit their overview page here for the exact time the park is open for the day you plan to visit.

How Much Does Santa Park Cost?

At the time of writing this article, the price for adults is between 34-36 Euros depending on the date you visit. Child tickets are 28-30 Euros also dependent upon the day you visit. Your ticket is valid for two consecutive days. You can purchase your ticket online or you can purchase them at Santa Park.

Where Is Santa Park?

Santa Park is located about 8km or 5 miles from the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. If traveling from the city of Rovaniemi you will actually come to Santa Park before reaching Santa Claus Village.

How Do I Get To Santa Park?

If you do not have a rental car there are two bus options. The first is the Rovaniemi City Bus and you can take Bus #8 which will take you to Santa Park. You can see the 2019-2020 winter bus schedule here. You can also take the Santa Express bus which travels between Santa Claus Village, Santa park/Arctic Treehouse Hotel, Santa’s Igloos Arctic Circle and the Airport. The 2019/2020 Santa Express Bus schedule can be viewed here. Another option is to hire a taxi. We had to use a taxi the day before we rented our car and we recommend Taxi Lähitaksi Rovaniemi. This is the company also recommended by Visit Rovaniemi.

What Should I Wear To Santa Park?

Since Santa Park is located in a controlled climate, you will not need your heavy winter clothing. There is a self-service cloakroom that you can use to hang your coats so you don’t have to carry them throughout the park. When we visited we just wore our ski pants and mid-layer shirts/jackets and we were comfortable. In the Ice Gallery there are jackets available to wear but since we were only in there a couple of minutes we were fine without one.

Things To Do In Santa Park

Santa Park is full of fun for the whole family. The main advice I will give after visiting Santa Park is to make note of when the Elf School & Elf Show take place. Unfortunately, they do not post these times online so you will need to look for the times when you arrive.

The first day we visited was one of the busiest days of the year (or so they said-a lot of tour buses!) so we decided to put off Elf School until the next day. The first day we visited Elf School happened every 20 minutes until close so we assumed the same would be true when we visited the second day. Unfortunately, that was not true and we just missed the last show when we arrived shortly after 4:30. So put these two events at the top of your schedule to be sure you don’t miss out like we did 🙁

Despite our disappointment in missing Elf School, there are a variety of things to see and do.

Santa’s Post Office

Similar to Santa Claus Village, this is a cute little room where you can see the mail coming in for Santa. You can also take a minute to send a letter or postcard to a friend or relative back home.

Elf Show

The Elf Show features acrobatic elves. They do magic tricks and acrobatic tricks on both the stage and a trampoline on the stage. The show happens 3-4 times a day and lasts approximately 20 minutes. Be sure to check the schedule when you arrive as this is a show you don’t want to miss!

Santa’s Office

Here you can visit Santa and share with him all of your Christmas wishes. You are allowed to take your own photo and video when you visit the Santa Park Santa Claus. Santa Park will also take a picture of you that you can view and purchase as you exit the room Santa is in.

Cross The Arctic Circle Underground

We were tickled to be able to pass across the arctic circle in Santa Claus Village. However, Santa Park is the only place where you can cross the Arctic Circle underground. If your lucky, as you pass through the line you might get showered with some snow 🙂

Ice Gallery

Always kept at a temperature of -10 degrees Celcius, the Ice Gallery is a beautiful room full of ice sculptures and the ice princess. You can take your picture with the ice princess or maybe take a family photo like we did on the ice bench. There is also an ice slide that is fun for kids to try. You can also purchase a tasty drink from the Ice Princess.

Magic Train

Definitely one of our favorites in Santa Park, we rode the Magic Train several times. Similar to rides at theme parks in America, the magic train takes you through the forest and into the elves workshop where you can experience elf and animal animatronics.

Mrs. Gingerbread’s Bakery

Another favorite for my kids was Mrs. Gingerbread Bakery. For three euros you could purchase a heart gingerbread and decorate with white frosting and sprinkles. They also have drinks available to purchase. My kids loved this one so much that we visited both days we went. You can purchase the cookie when you purchase your admission ticket (and they give you a voucher) or you can pay in the bakery.

Elf Workshop

In the elf workshop, you can make a cute craft. The day we were there you could make a wooden head Santa. Mom’s favorite part? They allowed you to leave your Santa on the wall for the elves to enjoy or you could take it with you. We made our crafts the first day in plans to pick them back up the second day but when we came back we couldn’t find them :/.

Just outside the workshop they also have a table where you can make a Christmas card for a friend or a loved one. Be warned-both of these activities involved paint and there are no smocks. You have the same option with your card-you can take it with you or leave it for the elves.

Playing Arenas

Just between the Elf Workshop and Elf School are two games where kids can throw balls and get some of their energy out. The playing arenas are in a great location as you can allow your child to play while you are waiting in line for elf school. All of my kids enjoyed this activity and it was a good way to get some movement in 🙂 They did have to take their shoes off to play in this section.

Kota Cafe

Last but not least is the place to fill your rumbly tummy. Full of fun snacks, (fudge, popcorn, cotton candy, etc.) you can grab a bite to eat while you watch the elf show. There are plenty of tables so grab a chair and have a snack. They also offer a lunch option in the winter season. If you purchase your lunch online prior to your visit you do get a small discount.

Should we visit Santa Park?

So the question you came searching to find an answer to-should we visit Santa Park? I give a big resounding “Yes!”. When we were planning for Rovaniemi, Finland, Santa Park was originally not included on our things we would like to do. However when we arrived and realized that we were going to have some free time in the afternoon but it was going to be dark. Therefore I started looking into the possibility of attending Santa Park. After finding out that we could use the tickets for two consecutive days and watching some Youtube videos I was sold that this was an experience we didn’t want to miss.

In hindsight, I’m happy we went. I thought it was very well done and you could really feel the magic of Christmas. Also when I compare the price to some of the theme parks we have here in America I thought it was a really great deal. There are very few if any theme parks here that we could get in for $38 a person. Granted there is also not as much to do at Santa Park as there is at a traditional theme park. Regardless we thought it was worth the money.

In conclusion, Santa Park is an adorable Christmas theme park that is sure to delight your children while visiting Rovaniemi, Finland. If you are preparing for a trip to Rovaniemi be sure to check out our post: planning a trip to Rovaniemi, Finland. Also check out our post 10 Things To Do In Rovaniemi With Kids for other family-friendly destinations in Rovaniemi, Finland. Be sure to also check out our post on Santa Claus Village Activities in Rovaniemi, Finland.

Please leave us a comment below and let us know any questions you have about Santa Park or any other questions you might have about Rovaniemi. Remember to sign up for our newsletter and join us over on Instagram where we are also sharing our adventures in Rovaniemi, Finland. Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel. Stay Peachy!