Is SantaPark in Rovaniemi Worth Visiting? (Tips & Full Guide)

I will preface this post by saying that this is not a ‘Should I visit Santa Claus Village or SantaPark?’ post. You are coming to Rovaniemi, so Santa Claus Village is a must-visit (even though it can be gimmicky and not worth more than half a day unless you have children with you). That is a non-negotiable.

But what about SantaPark in Rovaniemi? It is kind of the younger cousin of Santa Claus Village and offers a wildly different experience… one that some find worth it and one that others find skipable.

I am a local and I live within walking distance of both Santa Claus Village and SantaPark, so I visit SCV regularly on walks and SantaPark at least once a season when it is open.

I want to share my thoughts about SantaPark in this guide, including giving you information about how to visit, securing a ticket, and who this Rovaniemi attraction is best-suited for.

Please keep in mind that I am an adult with no children, so I can’t speak from experience with kids. But I have a nephew that I am planning some upcoming activities for here in Rovaniemi (he visits next year!), so my mind is often considering things from my sister’s perspective. I also chat with a lot of tourists here to get their perspectives on things, so I hope I can convey some of that here to help you plan your trip!

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

About SantaPark in Rovaniemi

SantaPark is the world’s only underground Christmas theme park. It is located rather close to SCV, but it is an entirely different experience. It is operated by the same team that runs Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, which shares the property with it. 

It is located completely underground in what is called ‘Santa’s Cavern’. It is like its own underground world filled with Christmas lights and magic.

There is a cafe, restaurant, Santa Claus (you can wait in line and meet him), a train ride, an elf show, craft classes, and more. There are also a lot of gift shops and stalls (almost too many, to be honest). I will chat more about this all below.

SantaPark Seasonality & Hours

SantaPark has a very short season and is open from November 1 until January 10. But during the season, it is open every single day. The hours vary by the month and they are:

November 1-30, 2025

• Monday to Friday: 10am to 5pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 6pm

December 1-31, 2025

• Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
• Saturday and Sunday: 9am to 6pm

January 1-10, 2026

• Monday to Sunday: 10am to 6pm

SantaPark Entrance Tickets

The best place to purchase SantaPark tickets is on their website directly. I have seen some sold elsewhere with transportation included and honestly, it is a rip-off. Don’t buy them there, even if you are not on a budget. I will discuss how to get to SantaPark later in the guide.

Ticket prices for the 2025-2026 season vary depending on the date. You can see them below:

• Adult: €42 (November 1-16), €52 (November 17-27), €62 (November 28 to January 6), €49 (January 7-10)
• Children: €37 (November 1-16), €42 (November 17-27), €54 (November 28 to January 6), €40 (January 7-10)
• Children under 3: Free
• VEP Packages: Click here for prices

There is a small processing fee at the time of checkout, as well. It is around €2 per ticket purchased. You can cancel your tickets if requested 14 days or more before the ticket date, but not after that. No shows are charged at full price.

In addition to the ticket, you can also purchase lunch (around €16.50 for kids, €26.50 for adults, and free for infants), gingerbread decorating (€4), and a gift from Santa Claus (€28) at the time of booking your ticket, so everything will be prepaid and set for your visit. These prices may all shift slightly depending on the date and the processing fee for your group.

You can pre-purchase your ticket (highly advised!) or purchase one on the spot. Depending on how you purchased your ticket is how you will enter SantaPark. There will be two lines once you go down the corridor into the cave.

If you have pre-purchased a ticket, you will go to the right and those looking to buy on the spot will go to the left. You will be scanned in and given a wristband, and then you’re free to enter the attraction.

Highlights and Things to Do at SantaPark

SantaPark has plenty to do for those planning a visit. And almost everything is included in your ticket (except souvenirs, lunch, and the gingerbread decorating that you can purchase at the time of buying your ticket online). Here are some of the things to do at SantaPark:

• Elf School
• Elf Show (pretty impressive with a lot of acrobatics!)
• Santa’s Office
• Post Office
• Elf Workshop
• Undercrossing the Arctic Circle
• Magic Train Ride (little trippy but quite fun!)
• Mrs. Gingerbread’s Bakery
• Toy Factory Shopping Area

There is also a little area where you can play basketball and a couple of active games. It is very small (almost arcade-like style).

There are also so many places to buy souvenirs around the area. I don’t want to call it a glorified gift shop, but it definitely has a few too many.

Visiting Santa Claus at SantaPark

If you are visiting with kids, you may want to pass on this if you are also meeting him at Santa Claus Village. But… the Santa experience here is quite cool because you can take your own photos (you can’t do this at SCV).

You can also purchase some at the end of your visit, but you are more than welcome to take photos and videos during the meeting and I think that is pretty cool that this is included within the SantaPark ticket price.

Magic Train Ride

This train ride requires waiting in line and is about 5-7 minutes or so. It is a bit trippy as an adult but really cool, nonetheless. I have done it every time I have visited SantaPark (but I go during the less-busy times of the season so I never have to wait in line).

Elf Show

There is an Elf Show 4 times a day (12pm, 2pm, 5pm, and 5:15pm – may shift a little depending on the day) that you can watch for free.

Theoretically, this doesn’t sound overly appealing to adults, but I quite love it. It is acrobatic and fun and I was super impressed with the performers this year!

How to Get to SantaPark

SantaPark is located about 7km from the Rovaniemi city center and 2km from Rovaniemi Airport. It is around 3km from Santa Claus Village (it feels like less to me, though).

You have a few ways of getting to SantaPark. As mentioned above, avoid buying a ticket from a reseller that includes transportation. This doubles the price of the actual ticket and it is not worth it whatsoever!

You can reach SantaPark by taxi from your hotel or a bus. Below is a more broken-down look at both.

Taking a Taxi to Santa Park

In Rovaniemi, we have Bolt and Uber and both work just fine. I don’t like taking them because they often have drivers who come up for the season and aren’t as great in winter conditions (sorry, Uber and Bolt). I like using Meneva, a local Finnish app with drivers that are skilled in these conditions. You can find the app here.

Otherwise, you can have your hotel call for a taxi. Just do not take a wild taxi from the streets, as these will charge extra and don’t always operate legally. Taksi Rovaniemi is also a partner of SantaPark and offers flat rates to and from the place.

Prices to and from SantaPark with Taksi Rovaniemi are as follows:

• Santa Claus Village: €15 (car for 1-4 people), €20 (van for 5-8 people)
• Airport: €17 (car for 1-4 people), €25 (van for 5-8 people)
• City center: €30 (car for 1-4 people), €39 (van for 5-8 people)
• Train station: €30 (car for 1-4 people), €39 (van for 5-8 people)
• Apukka Resort: €33 (car for 1-4 people), €44 (van for 5-8 people)

If you are staying at Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, good news! You can just walk there. If you’re staying around Syväsenvaara, you can also walk there if you don’t mind the cold.

Taking the Bus to SantaPark

You can take a public bus (#8) and do some walking (but I wouldn’t advise it) or you can take the dedicated Santa’s Express bus that runs seasonally. The current timetable runs from November 3, 2025 until March 15, 2026.

It stops at the Railway Station, the city center (a few stops), SantaPark, Santa Claus Village, and the Airport and runs 1-2 times an hour starting from 7:30am until 6:30pm. Please keep in mind that this is not the same as the Airport Express. The Santa Claus Bus, or Santa’s Express, is a red bus and the airport one is yellow. You can see a map of all the stops on their website.

A one-way ticket on Santa’s Express is €4 and a 2-way ticket is €7 if you purchase it online. Children have slightly discounted rates. It will be 30% more to purchase in person from the driver.

Things to Know Before Visiting SantaPark

✅ SantaPark is entirely indoors. There is a coat rack and a dressing room to leave your coats as you hang out for the day. But the entire experience is underground inside.

✅ The food is kid-friendly. They have a large buffet for kids and adults and the food definitely looks catered to kids. There are chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, salmon with very little seasoning, etc. They also have a cafe area where you can purchase snacks and drinks. Mrs. Gingerbread’s Cafe also has several options for snacks and coffee.

✅ SantaPark is wheelchair-friendly. In fact, this might be one of the most accessible attractions I have ever been to. There are no stairs to most activities (only the VR attraction has stairs) and there are accessible toilets right at the start of the tunnels. You can also borrow a wheelchair there (just ask at the ticket booth). Guide dogs are also allowed on the premises.

✅ Something about SantaPark seems to resonate with kids with sensitivities to noise and the stress of the outdoors. I can’t entirely explain but it is a rather calming place to visit and the elements from the outside are eliminated from here. I met a family from Ireland last year who had a daughter with ASD and mobility issues and they were sad they almost didn’t visit (they came on their last day). They said it was so much better for her than SCV was.

 ✅ SantaPark is highly staffed. There are workers everywhere and most of them are extremely in character. Do with that what you will.

 ​✅ Are you looking to photograph or film your trip to SantaPark? Please be cognizant of this being a family-friendly place and not to film or take photos of children (or people in general) without their permission… especially if those photos will end up on the web.

FAQ about Visiting SantaPark

Which is better: Santa Claus Village or SantaPark?

Truthfully, they are so different that it is hard to compare. Both have their perks. Santa Claus Village is open year-round and there are so many components to it – from snowmobiling to Snowman World to meeting Santa, etc.

SantaPark is everything you see in this guide and nothing more. While the team that owns it has other products, they are not within the cavern and require a different ticket and booking process.

SCV is what people come to Lapland for a lot of times. SantaPark is a bonus for some. I do think that it is cool that SantaPark allows people to use their own phones and cameras for Santa photos (which isn’t permitted at SCV). But you have to pay for an overall attraction ticket at SantaPark to be able to do this in the first place and visiting Santa at SCV is free.

How much time do you need at SantaPark?

If you are there with kids who want to partake in every workshop and activity, I would put aside an entire day. I also think the kids may want to see the Elf Show more than once because it is really cool!

If you’re an adult visiting or visiting with older kids, half a day or a few hours should be enough. Just keep in mind that there will be lines for some of the things to do there during the busier months.

When is the best time to visit SantaPark?

I always go right at opening at around 10am (I visit on weekdays when it is less crowded). You can immediately go do some of the activities and then wait around for the first Elf Show before calling it a day. It is not as busy then as it gets late morning into the afternoon. The first Elf Show is usually busy, but many people arrive and do that first.

The later hours of the day are also less busy than the middle of the day.

Should adults visit SantaPark (without kids)?

It is hard to say. I visit so that I can understand the attraction and write about it here. But I find it really a fabulous place… for kids.

I think if you want something chill for the day, it is worth going for a few hours, but many adventurous activities around Rovaniemi may be more entertaining for you.

What does SantaPark do in the off-season?

Funny you should ask (which you didn’t, but I wanted to tell you anyway). SantaPark is a bomb shelter that can withstand chemical and nuclear attacks, as well as bombings. It can hold up to 3,600 people. Let’s hope no one ever has to see this side of it!

Where to Stay Near SantaPark

It would be remiss of me not to put the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel in this guide since they are the owners of SantaPark (and have one of my favorite hotels in Rovaniemi). You can read my full Arctic TreeHouse Hotel review here.

Otherwise, you can stay at Santa Claus Village which is fairly close to SantaPark. There is also a hostel nearby called Ibed City. You can technically walk from Ibed City if you don’t mind the cold!

Do you have any questions about visiting SantaPark in Rovaniemi? Let me know in the comments. Thanks!

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