Ever dreamed of visiting Santa Claus for real in Lapland? We visited Santa Park for a chance to do just that
**We were very lucky to be gifted free entrance with lunch for our family to Santa Park, Rovaniemi, in exchange for promotion through this website and our social media channels. All opinons expressed below remain our own.
Introduction
When in Lapland, there is one person in particular that everyone is there to see, the main man Santa Claus himself. Our children were no exception. Therefore, it was with great excitement that on our first day in Lapland (as part of our 7 day winter itinerary for visiting Lapland with kids), we made our way to the Santa Park attraction. We’d heard we’d get a chance there to visit the big man in red for ‘real’ at his underground cavern.
Here is a review of our experiences of visiting Santa Park, Lapland, with our 4 children.
What is Santa Park?
Santa Park is an indoor, underground visitor attraction in Lapland, themed on Santa Claus. It is constructed inside a giant concrete bunker buried deep beneath the ground. One big advantage of this is that it allows you to escape the freezing cold temperatures outside (which in winter can be typically -20°C or colder!).
Inside the attraction there are a range of child-friendly activities to join in with, arranged around a central restaurant area.
Where is Santa Park located?
Santa Park is located just outside of the major town of Rovaniemi, in Lapland, in the north of Finland. It is near to the Santa Claus Village, the other major Santa-themed tourist attraction operating in the area.
Santa Park is actually positioned over the line of the Arctic Circle. Within the cavern there is the chance to cross the Arctic Circle line underground – the only place in the world where this is possible!
What are the opening hours for Santa Park?
Santa Park is only open in the winter months around Christmas. It opens on 1st November and closes again on 11th January.
The opening times are as follows:
1/11-31/11: 10:00-17:00
1/12-11/1: 10:00-18:00
Ticket prices vary depending on the date of visit. Children under 3 are free.
How to get to Santa Park
Santa Park can be easily accessed from the nearby town of Rovaniemi. It has a stop on the main circular bus route that also includes the Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi airport. The buses are regular, heated and comfortable. They don’t always stick to the timetable very well though! Taxis are also available.
To reach Rovaniemi, there are direct flights from a small selection of European destinations. For more options, the capital of Finland, Helsinki, is served by flights from many more locations. Rovaniemi and Lapland can then be reached by overnight train, badged as the ‘Santa Claus Express’. This is how we made our way there.
Can you meet Santa Claus at Santa Park?
Yes, you certainly can! As the main attraction, no visit would be complete without taking the chance to meet and speak with Santa Claus. Visitors can queue to meet him in ‘Santa’s Office’. Visits to meet Santa are included in the entrance ticket price, but official photographs to remember the experience cost more.
We visited in January and my kids were really excited to be able to say “thankyou” to Santa for their recently received Christmas presents.
What else is there to do at Santa Park?
Other than offering a chance to meet Santa, there are plenty of other things to do at Santa Park. Some of the other attractions include:
- A children’s ride through a cute, created winter wonderland.
- A state-of-the-art Virtual Reality simulator ride.
- Workshop area with a chance for craft – create and paint your own mini santa face out of wood.
- Elf training school – a fun, interactive presentation from Santa’s ‘elves’.
- A children’s play zone with basketball-type game with electronic scoring.
- An acrobatic stage show performed several times a day in the central area.
- A room of ice sculptures.
- Decorating cookies with Mrs Claus (additional fee applies).
- Send a postcard home from Santa’s post office (additional fee applies).
Is there a restaurant at Santa Park?
There is a buffet restaurant located in the centre of the Santa Park attraction. It serves a fixed price lunch, with a range of local and international dishes available. Drinks and snacks can also be bought from a cafe/bar.
The best part about the restaurant area is that this is also where the stage show takes place. Performed several times daily, the show consists of some impressive acrobatics and trampolining. The elf characters do a great job of keeping the audience entertained throughout. It is nice to be able to watch the show while having lunch.
Our experiences of visiting Santa Park with kids
Overall, we all had a great time visiting Santa Park in Rovaniemi, Lapland. There is a nice range of things to do, and the Santa theme is consistently well done. Children (and the young at heart) can happily be entertained for several hours.
We visited in January so, for us, Santa Park never felt crowded. We were able to go an all the rides and do all of the other activities without ever having to queue. I imagine this may not be the case in the peak season leading up to Christmas though.
Particular favourites of ours were the virtual reality sleigh ride, decorating (and eating!) gingerbread, and the amazing acrobatic stage show.
That is all before even mentioning Santa! Of course visiting Mr Clause was a memory that I hope will stay with my children forever. Santa was very friendly and my kids were suitable starstruck. It was also good that the clothing and appearance of Santa was consistent with the Santa at the nearby Santa Claus Village. For anyone visiting both (as we went on to do), the illusion is fortunately not spoiled.
As we discovered the longer we stayed in Lapland, the benefit of an indoor attraction such as Santa Park should also not be understated. While the outdoor activities in Lapland are of course really beautiful to do, battling cold hands and feet of small children when outside in -20°C can be hard work. To be able to relax and enjoy a few hours inside a cosy bunker makes a welcome change. This is especially true if the weather is bad outside.
I would say that the only slight negative that I could see in Santa Park is that not all of the activities are included in the price of entry. Certain things cost more. That, combined with no shortage of gift shop opportunities, mean that you are unlikely to leave without having been persuaded to part with more of your money than just the cost of entry alone.
That shouldn’t detract though from the fact that we all had a really fun family day out at Santa Park.
In Summary
Anyone looking for a fun, family activity in Lapland should consider a visit to Santa Park in Rovaniemi. There is plenty to do to keep younger children entertained.
Having an indoor attraction out of the cold also makes a great way to break up any visit to Lapland where otherwise most activities take place outdoors in freezing Arctic conditions.
By the end of our visit, we all left having had a great time. Meeting the ‘real’ Santa Claus at his underground office was, of course, the icing on the cake.
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