Lapland Winter Park Rovaniemi – is it worth visiting with kids?

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Lapland Winter Park Rovaniemi – is it worth visiting with kids? If you’re planning a winter trip to Rovaniemi and weighing up which activities are genuinely worth the money with children, Lapland Winter Park is one that deserves serious consideration. It often gets overlooked in favour of Santa Claus Village (do both if you can!) but it’s actually one of the most flexible, family-friendly winter experiences in the area, especially if you want a mix of included snow fun and optional bucket-list extras in one place. Here’s a detailed, practical guide all about Lapland Winter Park Rovaniemi – covering where it is, how to get there, what’s included, paid extras, photos, bundle tickets, food, facilities and our review of whether it’s worth it with kids.

Visit Date: March 2026

Where is Lapland Winter Park?

Lapland Winter Park is located in the Olleronvaara area of Rovaniemi. It isn’t in the city centre and it isn’t part of Santa Claus Village, instead it’s a winter wonderland set in a beautiful forest – perfect if you’re looking for a less commercial experience. By car, it takes around 10 minutes from central Rovaniemi and about 15 minutes from Santa Claus Village, depending on winter road conditions. Instead of being surrounded by shops and hotels, the park sits in a snowy woodland setting with wide open winter landscapes, which gives it a much more authentic Lapland atmosphere.

Getting to Lapland Winter Park from Rovaniemi City Centre

Lapland Winter Park operates a free shuttle bus service during the winter season which makes it super easy for families to visit the park even if (like us!) you don’t want to hire a car for your trip. They run at set times throughout the day, so do check their website for up-to-date information in case of any changes, but there is typically:

A city centre pick-up point on Poromiehentie, near the football stadium side of the road.
A pick-up point at Santa Claus Village, near Santa Claus Holiday Village reception.

If you prefer you can take a taxi or an uber – it’s just a 10-15 minute journey from central Rovaniemi. For those with a car, driving yourself is straightforward using the address Olleronvaarantie 160. We hopped on the free shuttle bus which took around 20 minutes – for those travelling on a budget it’s worth using the transport included and it certainly makes the tickets better value for money.

What’s included with the area ticket?

The standard Area Ticket gives you access to a wide range of winter activities, plus equipment hire. This is where Lapland Winter Park offers strong value compared to booking activities individually elsewhere. These are the activities included in your ticket:

➤ A hot chocolate for children
➤ Five heated “Kota” huts with fireplaces
➤ A small snack for the reindeer
➤ Meet the reindeer
➤ Long snow slide, equipment included
➤ Christmassy forest with a small-scale elf hunt
➤ Snowshoeing, equipment included
➤ Ice skating, equipment included
➤ Cross-country skiing, equipment included

For families, the inclusion of skis, snowshoes and skates is significant. Hiring winter equipment separately in Lapland can quickly become expensive. Here, you can try several traditional Finnish winter activities in one place. The five heated Kota huts are also a real bonus with children. These traditional wooden shelters have open fireplaces, giving you a genuinely warm place to rest between activities. In Arctic temperatures, this makes the experience much more manageable and means you can stay for the whole day with breaks in between. They’re perfect for toasting marshmallows – so bring a bag and some skewers!

The long sledging hill is absolutely fabulous – I’d like to say just for the kids but my husband and I thought it was brilliant fun too! 😂 So for big kids and little ones, if you want some simple fun in the snow, you can’t beat a family sledging session. Equipment is provided, and children can go again and again without restrictions. We thought this place was perfect for older kids and teens – with places like Snowman World perhaps being better for little ones. My two (13 and 14 years old) absolutely loved all of the activities at Lapland Winter Park – while cross-country skiing and ice skating etc can be a bit physically demanding those sorts of activities suit older kids perfectly.

For children of all ages, meeting the reindeer and feeding them with the included snack gives them a proper hands-on moment, even if you’re not booking a full sleigh ride. Places like Santa Claus Village charge for feeding the reindeer so, if you’re visiting both places, enjoy a free wander around there and wait to get up close to the reindeer until you visit Lapland Winter Park.

Paid activities at Lapland Winter Park

If you want to add more adventure, there are several paid experiences available on top of the Area Ticket. It can be worth doing some of your activities whilst at Lapland Winter Park rather than booking lots of individual excursions for ease with the kids, or if you’re short on time. They’re also a nice added extra if you’re spending the whole day at Lapland Winter Park, the additional activities are:

➤ Husky rides
➤ Ice-karting
➤ Mini snowmobiles for children
➤ Reindeer sleigh rides
➤ Snowmobiling safaris
➤ Snowmobiling for Northern Lights tours
➤ Sauna experiences

Ice-karting is popular with older children and teens who want something faster paced. The mini snowmobiles are designed specifically for kids, with age or height requirements, so they’re great fun for the younger ones. However, if you’re visiting SnowGlow Winter Park during your stay then don’t pay out for the activity at Lapland Winter Park – the kids get a mini snowmobile ride included with their ticket there. The reindeer sleigh rides and husky rides at Lapland Winter Park offer short magical experiences but for longer wilderness safaris, you might prefer to book separate excursions via other local providers. (We opted to book our snowmobiling experience for another day through Get Your Guide with NordicUnique Travels.) We didn’t add on any paid extras, and simply made the most of what was included, during our day at Lapland Winter Park.

Bundle tickets and combos

Lapland Winter Park offers bundle tickets that combine the Area Ticket with specific paid activities or the sauna experience. You can book tickets with activities included and also a buffet lunch. These bundles work out cheaper than buying each activity separately, so plan ahead and decide what you want to do before you visit as it’ll definitely be cheaper. For families planning to add at least one paid experience, checking the bundle options is worthwhile. You might want to spend the first part of the day enjoying the included skiing, skating and snow play, then add one premium activity such as ice-karting or a sleigh ride.

You’re not supposed to bring your own food to Lapland Winter Park but honestly no-one checked so you could definitely enjoy a picnic in one of the Kota huts. There was even a couple cooking a meal on the fire when we visited. Having said that, if you’re planning to spend a long time there, it’s likely worth including the buffet lunch. For this you’ll definitely want to pre-book it as a bundle with your entry ticket as it’s significantly cheaper than tagging on separately. With current prices (2026) tickets you’ll pay an additional €15 to include the buffet – but this is charged at €32pp when not bundled. We booked our area ticket with the buffet included and I’d definitely recommend it. The food was fabulous and being able to refuel and warm up meant we could stay for longer – it was also good value for an additional €15pp. This offer is only available directly through the Lapland Winter Park website.

What is the buffet lunch like?

We loved the Lapland Winter Park buffet lunch – pretty much the entire buffet was gluten free (which was such a rare treat for Finn and I!) and there were drinks like tea, coffee and fruit juice included. You can eat as much as you like and the buffet style means there’s plenty of variety for kids and adults (even fussy eaters!). There were nuggets and chips (perfect for little visitors) and loads of dishes like meat in sauces, rice, potatoes, salads and vegetables. I went for a bit of everything! For pudding there were wafers and little strawberry whip pots, and I even tried reindeer! We spent about an hour in the restaurant midday (you can eat between 11am and 3pm) and it was nice to have a warm break and a rest in between the fun.

How long do you need at Lapland Winter Park?

It’s definitely worth allowing a whole day for your visit to Lapland Winter Park with the kids – largely because after a busy time in the snow you’ll probably want some time to slow down in between activities in the huts and whilst you enjoy your lunch. We didn’t want our experience to feel rushed. Many families spend between three and five hours at Lapland Winter Park, and you’ll definitely need as much time as possible if you’re combining the included activities with one or two paid extras. If you can, catch the first shuttle bus at 10.40am to arrive when the park opens at 11am. We reluctantly caught the 4.30pm bus back to the city (we were all shattered and Finn wasn’t feeling 100%) but if we’d had the energy we could have stayed until closing at 6pm.

We spent about an hour of our day just playing in the forest – the snow was almost up to my bottom in places and it was absolutely magical. The snow suits were fabulous at keeping us warm and dry so we could play without worrying about the cold. If you can block out a whole day for Lapland Winter Park then it’s definitely worth doing – we enjoyed the slower pace and having time to simply wander and play. I think not having a really packed itinerary enhanced our Lapland adventure so much.

How much does Lapland Winter Park cost?

Here are the current prices for Lapland Winter Park (accurate March 2026):

Adults: €69 entrance ticket / €84 with buffet lunch / €115 entrance, buffet & sleigh ride
Children (age 3-11): €39 entrance ticket / €54 with buffet lunch / €79 entrance, buffet & sleigh ride
Family ticket for 2 adults and up to 3 children (age 3-11): €189 entrance ticket / €297 with buffet lunch / €398 entrance, buffet & sleigh ride
Babies 2 and under: Free

If you’re visiting with children under the age of 11 and not purchasing food then it’s definitely worth opting for the family ticket as it’ll save families of four €27 and families of five €66. However, if you’re looking at including the buffet lunch than the individual tickets actually work out cheaper for families with 2 children – though it’s still a good saving for a family of five.

The price does really jump up for those visiting with teenagers as kids over 12 cost the same as an adult – and that was one of the reasons we dedicated a whole day to our visit to Lapland Winter Park to make it worth the cost. Our day at Lapland Winter Park with two teens (age 13 and 14) cost €336 with lunch included – which is around £293 or £73 per person. Whilst it wasn’t cheap, comparing it with the cost of feeding the reindeer at places like Santa Claus Village, or ice-skating in town for €10pp, and the fact that transport, lunch and all of the equipment was included I don’t think it was bad value for money. Plus, if you’re travelling with kids age 11 or under you’d pay a similar price but also have a reindeer sleigh ride included if purchased as a combination ticket.

Can you stay at Lapland Winter Park?

You can also stay overnight at Lapland Winter Park, which is a great option if you want a quieter Lapland experience surrounded by nature – though it can be expensive. The accommodation is set within the snowy forest near the park, giving you direct access to the winter landscape. Staying on-site means you can enjoy the park at a slower pace, with easy access to the activities during the day and a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights above the forest in the evening. For families who want a more immersive Lapland stay away from the busier tourist areas it’s a great option, plus it includes daily entrance tickets to the park.

Is Lapland Winter Park worth visiting with kids?

If you only have one or two days in Rovaniemi, and are prioritising Santa Claus Village and things like husky safaris, then you might not have the time to dedicate a day for the visit. However, if you’re looking at doing some of the excursions whilst there or have a little extra time then I would definitely recommend a visit to Lapland Winter Park – it’s 100% worth a visit with the kids if you’re looking for a more authentic winter experience. While Santa Claus Village is magical in it’s own way it does feel much more commercial, and we absolutely adored spending a day in the snowy forest at Lapland Winter Park. (It was my favourite part of the trip!)

There’s something at Lapland Winter Park for children of all ages but I think it works particularly well for older kids and teenagers – who might want to have a go at activities like cross-country skiing and may be too old to enjoy places like Snowman World or SnowGlow Winter Park which are likely better for younger children. Lapland Winter Park also doesn’t feel like an attraction – which was definitely part of the appeal for us. On top of this, you’ve also got the option of adding on the typical bucket list excursions – so Lapland Winter Park can also be worth it if you want to enjoy everything in one place to keep your trip with the kids fuss-free.

If you are visiting Lapland Winter Park, I’d highly recommend including the buffet lunch as well – food in Finland can be quite pricey so it was good value for money at €15pp when booked in combination with the entrance ticket. Breaking up the day with warmth and food worked well so we felt we could stay longer and really get our money’s worth – Lapland Winter Park is quite a pricey day out so we wanted to make the most of it. Whilst the more high adrenaline activities like husky rides and snowmobiling are incredible and great fun, the calmer contrast of feeding the reindeer, toasting marshmallows around huts, cross-country skiing through the forest and spending hours sledging was absolutely magical.

You can purchase your entrance tickets through Get Your Guide for around £60 per adult and £34 per child, but for combination tickets, extra activities and family prices you’ll want to organise your visit directly through the Lapland Winter Park website. I hope this article has helped you to work out whether a visit to Lapland Winter Park is worth it for your family. If you’re travelling with younger kids you might prefer a visit to somewhere like Snowman World which is a more budget-friendly experience. And, my guide for visiting Santa Claus Village might be a useful read as well. If you’d like more information about our Lapland getaway, I’ve written lots of guides covering just about everything, so make sure you check out my other articles: