Hidden in the forests outside Rovaniemi in Finland is a truly magical place where elves are busy at work and Father Christmas is waiting to greet you. Santa Park Lapland is an underground grotto filled with Christmas delights which families will simply adore. Our review of Santa Park Rovaniemi will take you in to this enchanting land.
Read more: Our DIY trip to Lapland
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Every November and December SantaPark Lapland opens its doors to visitors for an incredible unique experience. In a subterranean land you can spend the day learning elf secrets, watching amazing acrobatic shows and of course meeting Father Christmas. Along with lots more fun and activities.
There are hours of happiness to be had here on your winter experience in Finland, and as all tickets are valid for two consecutive days you can even come back for more if you haven’t managed to fit it all in.
Here’s our round up of the best of SantaPark Lapland.
Table of Contents
Santa’s Office
The absolute highlight to any visit to SantaPark has to be visiting Santa’s office. Here you get the chance to meet Father Christmas himself.
You can spend time talking to him about the year that you’ve had, your present wish list and how excited you are for Christmas.
It’s great to know that you’re encouraged to take your own photos as well as having the chance to buy an official photograph as a lovely memento of your meeting with Father Christmas.
This was a really wonderful part of Santa Park Rovaniemi and is truly magical for children.
Elf School
If you want to find out all the secrets that the elves hold dear then make your way round to Elf School.
This wonderful experience is lots of fun for little ones and happens throughout the day at different times.
Check the schedule outside the Elf School classroom to find out when the sessions begin. Inside you’ll join Teacher Elves who will tell you all about their world, their secrets and skills, and even find out about how they peek through windows to know if you’ve been good this year.
This 20 minute experience gives children the chance to train as elves. At the end of the session they’ll be presented with a diploma and an elf hat to show they’ve graduated as an honorary elf.
Magic Train
Just as popular as Santa’s Office and the Elf Show is the Magic Train.
Jump on the train and travel into a world of Christmas.
Kids of all ages will love this train ride where you can visit Santa’s workshop and see Elves hard at work getting ready for the big day.
There’s so much fun to see here that you may find your kids are dragging you back onto the ride once again. We went around a few times.
This is a lovely magic train ride which really captures the spirit of Christmas.
Elf Show at Santa Park Rovaniemi
Once you’ve enjoyed a number of the activities you may find yourself getting a bit peckish. So head for the very centre of SantaPark where there’s a fantastic restaurant and cafe area.
It’s great to chill out here and grab some food.
There are great meals for veggies and meat eaters too. Or if you fancy picking up some cakes, coffee and snacks there’s plenty on offer here.
This is also the best place to spot the Elf Show which takes place around three or four times every day.
This is an incredible acrobatic show and should not be missed.
Here you’ll see elves busy getting ready for Christmas.
Watch out trampolining, flips and tricks and a bit of magic too. We absolutely loved watching this show and even stayed around so that we could catch it for a second time before we headed home.
Kids will love this show which lasts for around 20 minutes.
Santa Park Lapland Post Office
Close to the Toy Factory shopping area is a lovely Christmas post office.
Here if you can spot a Post Elf you can discover how they sprinkle elf magic onto every child’s Christmas wish list.
This is also a real working post office so you can send your own Christmas greetings to special people back at home.
Elf Workshop
If your kids are feeling creative head for the Elf Workshop where they’ll have the chance to design and create their own piece of Christmas art.
It’s amazing to see all of the other creations that children from across the world have made on their visit to SantaPark. You can add your own artwork to the wall of the Workshop Hut.
This is a lovely, simple and fun activity and perfect to do if you’ve got a little time before the next Elf School or Elf Show.
Crossing the Arctic Circle
Santa Park is actually built on the Arctic Circle line so as you walk through its corridors you’ll cross the Arctic Circle.
Follow the signs and you’ll soon spot the Arctic Circle clearly marked. As you cross it you might notice something special happening to the air around you.
Make sure you grab a nearby Elf to pick up your crossing the Arctic Circle diploma.
Ice Gallery at Santa Park Rovaniemi
Close to the Arctic Circle line is the incredible ice gallery.
Here you’ll discover magnificent ice sculptures and drinks served in real blocks of ice.
Put on one of the warm comfy coats by the entrance and step into the gallery where it’s always minus 10 degrees.
You can take a close up look at the ice carvings of animals inside the gallery and grab a tasty drink at the same time in this magically unique experience.
Mrs Gingerbread’s Bakery
A truly wonderful experience not to be missed is meeting Mrs Gingerbread in her bakery.
The bakery has a lovely atmosphere where you can sit down and enjoy a cup of steaming glögi and at the same time you can decorate your own gingerbread cookie.
My kids loved this activity and enjoyed the chance to enjoy a traditional warm drink. Y
ou can also pick up delicious souvenirs from the bakery to bring home either as a memento or Christmas gift.
Toy Factory Shopping Area
Don’t miss the chance to visit the Toy Factory Shopping Area here you can pick up some great mementos of your trip to Santa Park. There are always Elves on hand who are happy to show you the magical ways that they prepare the gifts. Y
ou can find some lovely presents and gifts here for friends and family back home. Or maybe as a special treat for yourself.
VEP package to Santa Park Rovaniemi
If you’re looking to get that little bit more out of your visit to Santa park you might want to buy a SantaPark VEP (Very Elfish Person!) package.
The package is an enhanced visit to SantaPark where you’ll get gifts from Father Christmas, extra surprises from Mrs Gingerbread and you can also get your printed family photo with Santa. Along with lunch and many other activities included.
It’s worth working out the cost difference. For everything we did on the day it was worth us having the VEP pass.
Magical Sleigh Ride
Fans of virtual reality will love the magical sleigh ride which you can find upstairs at SantaPark.
This trip on Santa’s sleigh is a really fun experience for the whole family and shouldn’t be missed.
Pull on a pair of VR goggles and sit back as Santa’s reindeer helper takes you on a fun adventurous trip on his sleigh. But watch out you don’t head off in the wrong direction or who knows where you might end up.
Getting to Santa Park Lapland
Getting to SantaPark from Rovaniemi is relatively straight forward if you’re driving or have a taxi.
It’s a short 15 to 20 minute drive out of the city. Or if you’re staying in Rovaniemi and planning to use the bus there are plenty of regular buses running throughout the day to and from SantaPark.
Santa Park is open in November and December and is a truly unique Christmas experience. Find out more and grab your tickets here.
Don’t forget to check out our complete guide to Lapland with kids for lots more reviews on this beautiful area of the world. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear of all the best in family travel news.
