Säntispark: Indoor Water Park

Säntispark is a large amusement center near St. Gallen with a fantastic indoor water park. They have a wide variety of water slides to make all ages happy. Everyone loves the Wild Water Canyon, which is a wide curvy water slide with a huge volume of water rushing through it so it feels like going down a river. They recently added seven big water slides, now competing with the likes of Alpamare. They also have smaller slides for younger kids, a wave pool, and a fun toddler splash pool, with a tiny slide and sprays. If you want something quieter, they have two heated relaxation pools (some outdoor) with bubble jets, a lazy river, and waterfalls. Your kids will thank you for taking them here.

See other indoor water parks in Switzerland

Getting There

Säntispark is located near Abtwil, near St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland.

Address: Wiesenbachstrasse 9, 9030 Abtwil SG.  www.saentispark-freizeit.ch

By car: Drive toward St. Gallen on the A1, taking exit 80 and following signs to Säntispark. Park in the big underground metered parking lot. You can get a discount on the parking by validating your parking ticket in a machine in the locker room (ask at the front desk). We paid CHF 2.50 for about 5hrs.

By public transport: Take a train to St. Gallen, then a bus to Abtwil SG, Säntispark, about 1hr30 from Zürich HB.

Opening Times

The children’s water play area, aka Bäderwelt, is open year around from 9:00 to 22:00, from 8:00 on weekends. This includes the splash pools, wave pool, wild water canyon, and relaxation pools.

The big water slides, aka Ruschenwelt, is open 8:00-21:00 on weekends and 12:00-21:00 on weekdays. However during school holidays, they typically open the Ruschenwelt earlier at 9:00, but check the website for current opening times.

Prices

You can buy a 2hr, 4hr or full day pass (see current prices here). We typically get a 4hr pass, which is more than enough time for my kids.

In 2023, a 4 hour pass costs Adult CHF 39, Child (6-15) CHF 29, under 6 free. Discount for families and students (16-25) with a student ID. 

They give each person an armband which gets you into the locker room, but also locks your locker and gives you entrance to the pool area. So your kids need to wear it, not leave it in the locker room.

Entrance to the sauna is for adults only and costs extra. They also have a fitness center and other spa services which are detailed on their website. Säntispark is embedded in an big “Freizeit” complex with shopping, sport facilities, and a hotel.

Food

We love that they allow you to bring in food and provide two picnic rooms where you can eat. Just follow signs to the Rutschenwelt to find the rooms. Just outside the entrance, there is a big Migros grocery where you can buy picnic supplies before you go in.

There is also a small cafe inside the swimming area. They offer hot dogs, pre-made sandwiches, salads, fruit cups, bircher muesli, and lots of snack items. We appreciate that their prices are affordable (CHF 5.50 for a hot dog, CHF 6.50 for a sandwich), so I don’t feel too bad if I don’t have time to get picnic supplies.

Facilities

The locker room has private changing rooms and lockers that are locked with your armband, not coins. There are open showers and stalls. In the bathrooms, there is a changing table for babies.

You can buy water wings at the front desk if you forget yours (or break, like ours).

There are lots of lounge chairs scattered through the facility but people like to reserve chair with their stuff even if they aren’t using them. So if you see a chair, grab it even if you aren’t going to use it until later.

See other indoor water parks in Switzerland

Attractions

I couldn’t take photos inside so I only have a couple taken from outside.

The Rutschenwelt has 7 big water slides with a variety of difficulty for ages 6+. You can see pics and videos of the slides on their website. Half of the slides use tubes (single, double and triple), which are free to use, but on a crowded day you may need to wait until one is available. I’ve seen younger kids with floaties there, but I’m not sure if that’s officially allowed and you might be turned away.

We love the double racer slide, where you can race a friend and the loser get ice cold water dumped on them. I’ve done all the slides (except the free-fall, which of course my 14 yr old loves) are they are in general very fun but a bit tamer than the slides at Alpemare.

The Wildwassercanyon lives up to its name, loosely supervised and they don’t limit how many people are on the slide at the same time. But everyone loves it, even the 4 year olds in our group, who were the youngest ones going that slide. Note that you are often running into other people and the walls. and you might walk away with some bruises.

The children’s water play area has a wave pool that comes on every 15 minutes. You can’t ride the waves like at Alpamare, but it sloshes you around nicely. There are three smaller water slides in this area suitable for kids aged 4+. There is a splash pool with a water parkour course and sprays. There is also a heated outdoor pool with bubble beds and a lazy river.

The baby splash pool is very shallow, with some gentle sprays and a tiny slide, perfect for toddlers. They project pictures of fish swimming around in the water and as you walk, the fish follow you. Little kids love this!!!

Note: The photo at the top of this post is from Säntispark website because they do not allow photos inside the park. The other two photos are mine, taken from outside the facility.