The Royal Mint Christmas Experience
Saturday 22nd November to Tuesday 23rd December 2025.
Meet Santa and his elves as you venture through an enchanting workshop and discover timeless tales of Christmas traditions that begin with a single coin.
Please note: The Royal Mint Christmas Experience does not include a factory tour and is, instead, a festive experience. To explore the history and engineering processes of The Royal Mint, please join us for our Guided Tours, which will resume in 2026.
What's on
The Experience: Magical Memories to Last a Lifetime
On this charming journey through Santa’s workshop, meet the Chief Helpers as they bring stories to life about our most loved Christmas traditions. Explore the factory that makes toys for children around the world! Step into Santa’s Grotto and enjoy exclusive family time with the big man himself.
Festive Performances
Belly-laugh together at this hilarious and heart-warming live show. Adults can merrily laugh too, as this is included in the price of your ticket! Please allow time before or after your tour to join us for this festive treat!
Show times are at 11:30, 13:30, 17:30, and 19:30.
On days where the first tour starts at 3pm, show times will be 17:30 and 19:30.
Strike Your Own Coin
Celebrate your visit by striking your very own coin! Keep an eye out for this year’s design by checking our Strike Your Own Coin page. If you’d like to strike a coin during your experience, simply let our team know on arrival.
*available at an additional cost of £7.95 or included in the Ultimate Bundle packages.
Café and Gift Shop
Settle down in our decorated café and enjoy special time together over a delicious meal from our festive menu.
Find the perfect gift for your loved ones in our shop; whether that’s a luxury decoration for your Christmas tree or a precious coin to create a Christmas tradition of your own.
Don’t forget, a meal is included in an Ultimate Bundle Package!
Post your Christmas Wishes
Did you know, Santa gets millions of letters sent to his Sorting Office every year, packed full of wishes and dreams? Why not post your own through our magic post box? All you need is an envelope and a wish in your heart. Need a hand? Here’s a template:
Picture Perfect
Smile for the Elf-Cam to capture your special moment with Santa and time in his workshop.
*Professional photos will be available to purchase from £10 or included in an Ultimate Bundle Package.
Ultimate Bundle Package
Groups of 4+ can book an Ultimate Bundle Package, which includes your experience, the festive performance, 2 Strike Your Own Coins, a meal per person in the café, and one photo print (you can upgrade to a photo magnet or photo snow globe on the day).
This is the best way to save your pennies!
Autism Friendly Experiences
The first tour every day is exclusively an Autism Friendly Christmas Experience. Arrive when the visitor centre is at its quietest, enjoy your tour in a smaller group, feel at-ease with toned-down sensory triggers, and a minimal wait to meet Santa.
Please note, this experience sells out very quickly, please book in advance to avoid disappointment.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The time on your ticket is the time your experience starts, please check in with our team at least 15 minutes before this time. If you arrive late, we cannot guarantee to move you on to a later experience and cannot refund your ticket under these circumstances.
If you have booked an Ultimate Bundle Package, please allow enough time to enjoy your food during the Hot Food Service Hours, which can be found below.
Tickets are limited and sell quickly, please book in advance. We cannot guarantee to accommodate walk-in bookings.
Tickets are non-refundable but can be amended. Please create an account on check-out to manage your tickets.
You can read our full booking Ts and Cs here: The Royal Mint Experience Terms
CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS
22 November to 23 December 2025
| Date | Building / Gift Shop | Experience | Café |
| Off Peak (Monday to Thursday) |
2:30pm to 9:30pm | First Tour: 3pm Last Tour: 8pm |
2:30pm to 9pm Hot Food Served: 3pm to 7pm |
| Peak (Friday to Sunday, and School Holidays) |
8:30am to 9:30pm | First Tour: 9am Last Tour: 8pm |
8:30am to 9pm Hot Food Served: 11:30am to 7pm |
| Reduced Service Days Mon 24 November Tue 25 November Mon 1 December Mon 8 December |
12pm – 3pm | Closed | Closed |
Frequently Asked Questions
Please allow approximately 3 hours to enjoy everything we have to offer on site:
- The experience is approximately 50 minutes
- The festive show is 30 minutes. Performances start at 11:30, 13:30, 17:30, and 19:30 in the café. This is included in your ticket, please plan to join the fun before or after your experience.
- Enjoy a delicious meal in our café, with menu choices to suit a range of tastes and budgets.
- You can spend as much time as you’d like in our exhibition before or after your tour.
This experience does not include a factory tour and is, instead, a festive experience. Guided Tours will resume in January 2026.
Due to our circulating coin factory operating on an 'on demand' basis, we cannot guarantee there will be coin production during your visit.
Yes, a special gift is included in Child and Under 2s tickets. Each child will receive a limited-edition, luxury teddy bear exclusive to The Royal Mint Christmas Experience.
If an adult would like to receive a gift from Santa, simply book a child ticket and let us know by leaving a note in the Accessibility Requirements question on checkout.
If you have a free account with us, you can amend your experience date or time up to 24 hours before your visit, free of charge.
If you do not have an account, you will need to contact us to amend your booking. In these cases, we will charge an admin fee of £5 per order.
To avoid charges, we recommend you create a free account with us on check out.
If you arrive after your ticket time, we will catch you up with your tour. This will mean missing the first few minutes of the experience.
If you are more than 10 minutes late, we cannot guarantee to accommodate you and will not offer refunds under these circumstances.
Yes! The Festive Show will be performed in our café and is included in the price of your ticket. The show is 30 minutes and will be performed at:
Monday to Thursday: 17:30 and 19:30
Friday to Sunday and School Holidays: 11:30, 13:30, 17:30, and 19:30
During your tour, you can Strike Your Own Coin to keep as a precious memento. This is not included in your ticket, unless you have booked an Ultimate Bundle Package.
You can purchase a Strike Your Own Coin on arrival for £7.95 per coin.
You can purchase up to 3 Strike Your Own Coins per person. Due to time limitations on tour, you can strike one coin per person, then we’ll give you pre-struck coins for any additional that have been purchased.
Strike Your Own Coins are only available when taking a tour of The Royal Mint Experience and Christmas Experience.
We are not able to offer discounts, concession, or student rates for this event. We cannot redeem Tempo Time Credits for this event.
Carers can join us for a discounted rate of £5 (Off-Peak) or £7.50 (Peak). Simply choose a Carer ticket on booking and bring proof of carer status. Examples of carer status can include:
- Attendance Allowance or Carer's Allowance letter of award
- GP Letter showing you’ve registered as a carer.
- Credibility’s Access Card with the carer/companion symbol.
- A valid blue badge for the person you are accompanying.
- In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI).
- Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for those aged 16-64, either in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded, or the actual Allowance book.
- Incapacity Benefit books, or a letter stating the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Disability Students’ Allowance (DSA), or DID card (UK Disabled ID card).
Please note, a carer ticket can only be booked with another full paying adult or child ticket.
Vouchers cannot be redeemed during our Christmas Experience. If your voucher is due to expire during the Christmas event, please contact:
For The Royal Mint Experience Vouchers: experience@royalmint.com
For Virgin Experience Days: https://help.virginexperiencedays.co.uk/hc/en-us
As The Royal Mint is a highly secure building, there are areas of your experience where you will not be allowed to take photos. However, you are very welcome to take photos in the following areas:
- The exterior of The Royal Mint Experience (where there are plenty of photo opportunities!)
- The visitor centre, gift shop, and Café.
- In the grotto when meeting Santa.
- In our exhibition.
If in doubt, please ask a member of our team before taking photos.
If you are caught taking photos in prohibited areas, you will be asked to delete these photos. Refusal to do so will result in being escorted off site and a lifetime ban from The Royal Mint Experience.
If you have anymore questions, click below to read our full FAQs
HOW TO FIND US
The Royal Mint Experience
Heol-Y-Sarn, Ynysmaerdy
Pontyclun,
Rhondda Cynon Taff,
CF72 8YT
Conveniently located just four miles from Junction 34 of the M4, The Royal Mint Experience is just 20 minutes away from Wales’ capital city, Cardiff. Easy to get to and simple for visitors to find, our exhibition also has on-site visitor parking clearly signposted upon arrival. Best of all, our car park is free, suitable for both cars and coaches, and is also easily accessible for wheelchair users.
By car
If you’re using a Sat Nav or a GPS navigation device, the postcode is CF72 8YT.
- Exit junction 34 of the M4, take the exit signposted to Llantrisant
- Follow the road through two sets of traffic lights and continue to the first roundabout
- At the first roundabout, take the second exit and continue through two sets of traffic lights to the second roundabout
- At the second roundabout, take the second exit
- Continue to the next roundabout, taking the fourth exit
- Continue straight on and take the third left to arrive in The Royal Mint Experience car park
By bus and train
The closest train station to The Royal Mint is Pontyclun which is approximately four miles from The Royal Mint Experience. There are frequent train connections to Cardiff Central but we advise booking a local taxi firm from Pontyclun to complete your journey. We can provide local taxi firms; please call 0333 241 2223 for assistance.
The closest bus stops are:
- To/from Pontypridd: Parc Busnes Edwards (4 minute walk from us)
- To/from Cardiff: Ely Valley Road, Ynysymaerdy Industrial Estate (12 minute walk from us)
To plan your route in advance, visit www.traveline.cymru or call Traveline Cymru on 0300 200 2233 for assistance.