Ice karting, e-fatbikes and horse riding in Rovaniemi

Rovaniemi has two ways into ice karting. Santa's Motor Park sits opposite Santa Claus Village, 8 km north of the centre, and you can combine it with the Village on the same afternoon. The other option is a tour from Pekankatu 4 in town, with a van to a 500 m ice track. Both run on frozen tracks, so the season is short: Visit Rovaniemi lists ice karting for November to February. This page also covers two quieter alternatives for people who would rather pedal or ride than drive, electric fat bikes and Finnhorses.

Ice karting at Santa's Motor Park

Santa's Ice Karting is run by Santa's Adventures at the motor park on Joulupukintie, across from Santa Claus Village. According to Visit Rovaniemi the programme has two driving sessions with about 25 minutes behind the wheel in total. You need no driving licence and no experience. The only limit is height: drivers must be taller than 140 cm, whatever their age, which makes this the option with the lower entry requirements.

The bookable hour includes a helmet, a safety briefing, a balaclava and warm juice with a biscuit at the end. Winter clothing is not included, so arrive in your own warm layers. Visit Rovaniemi suggests a base layer that keeps you dry, a warm middle layer and a wind- and water-resistant outer layer, plus hat and mittens. Our page on what to wear in Rovaniemi goes through it in detail.

Getting there is simple without a car. City bus 8 runs all year between the centre and Santa Claus Village, and the winter timetable shows about 30 minutes from the Ruokasenkatu stop to Napapiiri at the Arctic Circle. Check the Linkkari timetable for your day, because the weekend buses run less often.

The 500 m track tour from town

The second karting tour starts at Pekankatu 4 in the city. A van takes you to the track and back, and the guide gives a driving and safety briefing before two races of 20 to 25 minutes in total. The track is 500 m long, and the operator builds a snow wall along it to protect drivers and karts if one leaves the track. Helmet and balaclava are included, hotel pick-up is not. The age and height rules are stricter here: at least 150 cm and 10 years old.

Cold and the −25 °C limit

Santa's Motor Park stops driving when the temperature reaches −25 °C or colder. In Rovaniemi that is a real possibility in midwinter. The long-term average at the airport station is −10.3 °C in both January and February (FMI, 1991–2020). FMI measurements at the same station from 1998 to 2026 show an average of about seven days per January when the daily low reached −20 °C or less. If karting is high on your list, book it early in your stay so there is room to move it after a cold snap.

For very cold days Visit Rovaniemi recommends an extra layer on top: a thick jacket, a second pair of mittens or a scarf, especially for activities where you sit still for a while. Waiting at the track between sessions is one of those moments.

E-fatbike tours

The bikes on these tours have wide tyres, which one operator says give stability on different surfaces, and an electric motor that assists you. The guided ride goes to the top of Ounasvaara, the hill just east of the city centre. Pick-up is included, the start is at Hostel Cafe Koti, and the group is at most eight riders, with a hot drink and cookies. The operator's rule for joining is short: if you can ride a normal bike, you can do this tour.

A second tour rides from Rovaniemi to Santa Claus Village. It starts at Maakuntakatu 29–31 A, includes a helmet, a meeting with Santa and a sandwich with a bar and a drink, and ends at Sampokeskus. Groups are at most five people and outdoor clothing is not included. The product page does not say in which months it runs, so check the available dates when you book.

You can also ride on your own. Santasport, about 2 km from the centre next to Ounasvaara, rents fat bikes in every season and says you can ride to the city centre from there in minutes. Its rental desk was open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 in 2026. We could not find official information on marked winter fat bike routes, so ask there where riding is allowed. The Ounasvaara winter trail, groomed for walkers and starting 1.6 km east of the centre, is meant for hikers.

Horse riding on Finnhorses

Aurora Horses keeps its stable at Joulumaantie 2a, about 700 m from Santa Claus Village. The ride lasts about 30 minutes in the saddle, followed by a warm drink, gingerbread and marshmallows by the fire in a kota. Groups are at most five riders. The stable says the Finnhorse is especially well suited for beginners, and the ride runs all year. That makes it an option for October and early November, before the lasting snow cover, which at the airport began on 12 November in the median winter of FMI records from 1998 to 2026. Transport is not included, but bus 8 to the Village gets you most of the way.

The forest ride is a bigger outing: about an hour's drive from Rovaniemi each way, at most three riders and a stop with grilled sausage, pastry and coffee or tea. The operator says the route includes challenging terrain. Overalls, boots, gloves and a riding helmet can be borrowed.

Fitting it into your trip

The motor park, the horse stable and the Village are close together north of the city. One afternoon can cover the Santa Claus Office or the marked Arctic Circle line and an hour of karting or riding. Our guide to Santa Claus Village has the opening hours there. If you want to drive for longer than a kart session, a snowmobile safari from Rovaniemi gives you between one and two and a half hours on the machine, depending on the tour.

If you would rather drive across frozen lakes and forest, rovaniemisnowmobiles.com compares the snowmobile safaris from Rovaniemi.