Kolmarden Wildlife Park

Kolmården is a zoo, a cable-car safari and an amusement park on one ticket. Getting a visit right comes down to four things: the right date, a ticket booked online, the right bus, and knowing what’s included. This page covers each one, from the park’s own pages.

When you need this

• You are planning a family day out from Stockholm, Norrköping or Linköping
• You want to know whether the park is open on your date, especially in autumn or winter
• You are wondering whether the Safari cable car costs extra (it doesn’t)
• You want to know whether the dolphin show still runs
• You are getting there by train and bus
• You are visiting with a wheelchair user or someone who needs a companion or a shorter queue

Comparing Kolmården with Liseberg, Gröna Lund and the other big parks? Start with Sweden’s theme parks compared.

The park at a glance

Kolmårdens djurpark (Kolmården zoo) opened in 1965. It calls itself the largest zoo in the Nordic countries, at 1.75 km², with over 50 animal species and a little over 700,000 visitors a season. It lies about 30 minutes north of Norrköping and about 170 km south of Stockholm. The park belongs to Parks and Resorts, the group that also runs Gröna Lund, Furuvik and Skara Sommarland.

A day here combines three things:

Animal shows are included in the entry ticket too.

When Kolmården is open

Kolmården is not open every day, even in season. It opens on selected days, and there are long closed stretches, so check the park’s calendar for your exact date before you book a train. The calendar showed the park closed on 24 September 2026.

In the autumn seasons the park says most animals can be seen depending on the weather, and rides run weather permitting.

Tickets: what the entry covers

You can’t buy a ticket at the gate. The park sells a limited number of places per day, and tickets can only be pre-booked online. The price is set per date in the booking system, which is why we don’t print a summer day-ticket price here. Look it up on the park’s site for your date.

The age bands are simple: children under 3 get in free and need no ticket, the child price covers ages 3–12, and the adult price starts at 13.

The entry ticket includes:

• the zoo and its animal shows
• unlimited rides on the Safari cable car
• unlimited rides on Wildfire
• all the rides in Bamses Värld

Paid extras exist, but none is needed for a full day. The 2026 shop sold a “First in” early entrance and an hour’s early access to Bamses Värld, plus guided animal tours. If you plan to come back, the season pass is the Wild Card, sold for 2027 at a half-price offer in September 2026.

The Safari cable car

The Safari cable car (linbana) is included in the entry, and you need an entry ticket to ride it. Gondolas take up to eight people. The ride is 2,638 m long, takes about 29 minutes, and runs 2.5 to 20 m above the ground. Loudspeakers in each gondola give commentary in English, Finnish and Swedish.

The one paid option is to pre-book a whole gondola to skip the ordinary queue. The park asks you to arrive about five minutes before your slot, not earlier.

Height rules are generous: there is no height limit if a child rides with someone aged 15 or over, and children may ride alone from age 12. Wheelchair users board through the exit.

The dolphins: closing, but not yet

This is where most other pages are out of date, one way or the other. On 9 March 2022 Kolmården announced that it will close its dolphinarium at some point. It says it wants to focus on threatened species, and bottlenose dolphins are not threatened. The park is working with EAZA, the European zoo association, to find new homes for the dolphins. It says dolphins born or raised in a zoo cannot simply be released into the sea.

Until they move, the dolphinarium stays open as usual. The park lists the show HOPE for Halloween 2026. No closing date has been published. If the dolphins are the main reason for your trip, check the park’s dolphin page shortly before you go.

Getting there without a car

The park’s nearest railway stations are Norrköping and Kolmården. Kolmården station is in the village of Krokek, about 10 km from the park, so don’t plan to walk from it.

Bus 420 is the line to the park. It is run by Östgötatrafiken, the regional transport authority. It leaves from Norrköping’s travel centre (resecentrum), calls at Kolmården station and Krokek, and stops at Kolmårdens Djurpark. The ride is about 40 minutes. The park’s own page calls the stop “Djurparken”, and it is about 50 m from the main entrance.

Check the destination on the bus. Some 420 trips, mostly on weekdays, end at Sandviken in Krokek and never reach the park. In the timetable valid to 12 December 2026, 26 of 38 weekday departures from Norrköping served the park, against 22 of 25 on Saturdays and all 22 on Sundays.

Buy the children’s tickets in the app. Tapping a bank card on the reader (blippa) buys a full-price adult ticket, valid 120 minutes. Child and youth discounts are sold only in Östgötatrafiken’s app, on its website, or from ticket machines and retailers. The park also sells a 12-hour county ticket on its own site. If you are coming from outside Östergötland, plan the whole trip in Resrobot, the national journey planner.

Driving? The park is signed from E4 exits 125, 126 and 129. See the practical table for parking.

Accessibility and companions

The park is hilly, with many slopes and about 3 km of main path. What it offers:

• Wheelchairs: a limited number to borrow free for the day from Guest Service outside the main entrance. You can’t book them in advance. Water-safe wheelchairs are available near the Trollskogen water play.
• Toilets: adapted toilets at the main entrance, Bamses Värld, Trollskogen, Tiger World, Marine World and elsewhere. The one at the Safari cable car has a height-adjustable changing bench and a hoist.
• Getting in: färdtjänst (disability transport) can drop off at the main entrance. The main car park has 14 disabled spaces.
• Hearing loops at the dolphin show, the Bamse theatre and the bird show.

Companions go free. One or two companions (ledsagare) get in free on a signed certificate (intyg). The companion must be 16 or older and carry ID. For visitors from abroad, the key point is that Kolmården also accepts Liseberg’s certificate and the EU Disability Card. Once registered on the park’s account, the certificate works for three years at Kolmården, Gröna Lund, Furuvik and Skara Sommarland. A wheelchair user needs no certificate for the accessibility wristband (tillgänglighetsband), which gives access through ride exits. The certificate is only needed for a free companion.

Service dogs are welcome if you show ID for dog and handler and a distemper vaccination from the last four years. The dog must wear its vest and harness. They are barred from some areas, including the petting paddock and the animal shows. See accessible travel in Sweden for the wider picture.

Mistakes to avoid

• Planning to buy tickets at the gate. Book online before you travel.
• Paying for the Safari cable car. It’s included; the paid gondola only skips the queue.
• Walking from Kolmården station. It’s about 10 km; take bus 420.
• Treating late September as summer. The park was closed on 24 September 2026 and reopens for Halloween on 3 October.
• Tapping one card for the whole family on the bus. Every tap is an adult ticket.
• Underestimating the hills. Bring a pushchair for small children; see Sweden with a baby.

Practical information

FAQ

When is Kolmården open?

Kolmården is seasonal and opens on selected days, not all year. In 2026 it opened on 28 March for Easter, ran the summer season, closed in late September, and reopens for Halloween from 3 October to 8 November. HalloXmas follows on two November weekends, then Christmas days in December. Check the park calendar for your exact date.

Is the Safari cable car included in the ticket?

Yes. The entry ticket includes unlimited rides on the Safari cable car, the Wildfire roller coaster and the rides in Bamses Värld, plus the animal shows. The only extra is optional: SEK 269 pre-books a whole gondola for up to eight people so you skip the ordinary queue. You need an entry ticket to ride.

Does Kolmården still have dolphins?

Yes, for now. In 2022 the park decided to close its dolphinarium eventually and is working with the European zoo association EAZA to find new homes for the dolphins. Until then it stays open, and the park lists the show HOPE for Halloween 2026. No closing date has been published, so check before a trip built around it.

How do I get to Kolmården without a car?

Take the train to Norrköping, then bus 420 from the travel centre (resecentrum) to the stop Kolmårdens Djurpark, about 40 minutes. Kolmården station, in Krokek, is about 10 km from the park, and the same bus stops there. Some 420 trips, mostly on weekdays, end at Sandviken in Krokek, so check the destination.

Can I buy Kolmården tickets at the gate?

No. The park sells a limited number of places per day and tickets can only be pre-booked online. Children under 3 need no ticket. The child price covers ages 3 to 12, and the adult price starts at 13. Book before you travel, especially for summer weekends and Halloween.

Is Kolmården accessible for wheelchair users?

Partly. The park is hilly, with about 3 km of main path. It lends a limited number of wheelchairs free on the day, and adapted toilets are spread around the park, including one with a hoist at the Safari cable car. Wheelchair users board the cable car via the exit, and the bus stop is about 50 m from the main entrance.

How tall do children need to be for the rides?

It depends on the ride. The Safari cable car has no height limit if a child rides with someone 15 or older. Wildfire requires 120 cm. Delfinexpressen takes children from 95 cm and age 4 with someone 15 or older, or from 120 cm and age 8 on their own.

Related guides

• Sweden’s theme parks compared: how Kolmården’s all-in ticket differs from Liseberg and Gröna Lund
• Sweden with kids: child fares, museums and water safety for the rest of the trip
• Paying for buses in Sweden: apps, cards and why a tap is an adult ticket
• Train travel in Sweden: getting to Norrköping from Stockholm or Linköping
• Astrid Lindgrens Värld: the other big family park within reach

Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Kolmården (park pages and press releases) and Östgötatrafiken — full register in this topic’s source file. Summer day-ticket prices and bus fares are deliberately not published; check the park’s and Östgötatrafiken’s own sites. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.