Lapland for children
Knowing at what age you should take your children is important as the weather can be extreme in December, we experienced temperatures of -17 but the average is around -5. For UK dwellers, bearing in mind you spend a lot of your time outside in Lapland I wouldn’t recommend taking small children under 5. Even though you have protective thermal clothes, it still feels cold. It’s also important to pre-book as availability gets full fast, meaning prices go up the closer you get to departure then once it’s full you’re looking at delaying to the year after. I am able to book from March the year before travel (March 2023 for Nov/Dec 2024) so it’s never too early to start planning.
Of course the main event is to meet the big man himself, but there is so much more to do! Husky-sledding, Reindeer rides, playing in the snow, and searching for the Northern Lights. You can take a day-trip from the UK, but you have to be prepared for a very long, full day- it can be a bit overwhelming for younger children and over before you know it.
We spent three nights in total; two in Lapland’s capital Rovaniemi and one on the outskirts of Santa’s village in a glass igloo to maximise our chances of viewing the Aurora Borealis. Rovaniemi has restaurants, hotels, cafes, and a shopping centre, easily walkable. It’s a good base from where to take trips husky sledding, reindeer sleigh rides, ice swimming and trips to Santa’s village. Santa’s village is lots of fun, you can visit Santa’s post office, the big man himself, or throw yourself down huge ice slides at Snowman World! It is busy and somewhat commercial, but the kids don’t notice and will have the time of their lives. You can do taster husky rides here but by far the best thing to do is to go to a husky farm for a much more authentic experience and get a chance to drive the huskies yourself. The same goes for Reindeer sleigh rides. We visited a husky-farm which for me was a real highlight, the chance to drive the huskies on a 45 min ride through the forest was absolutely thrilling, it was snowing, the experience made you want to pinch yourself to see if it was really happening! You get to learn about the dogs’ lives at the kennels and to pet them afterwards. The Reindeer sleigh ride through the forest was calm in comparison but relaxing and interesting as you got to learn about the local Sami culture.
Finland is expensive so be prepared for this! This is one of the reasons I recommend booking a package where your meals and tours are included is easier to control your budget. This is what I can help with, having your flights, hotels, meals, transfers and trips all pre-booked means you can relax and enjoy knowing it’s all included. Trips are usually 2 or 3 nights; however, I can arrange longer trips for enthusiasts!
You can choose Rovaniemi or visit the quieter, smaller resorts further north in the Arctic circle such as Luosto, Enontekio and Saariselka where the local Elves (yes, you read that correctly) bring out the mischievous child in everyone and take you in search of Santa and you get a chance to go to Elf school. The trip ends with a ‘we found Santa’ party on the last day. Each family get a private meeting with the big man himself via a magical sleigh ride through the forest. Also included are husky sledding, snow-mobiling, reindeer experience meeting local Sami guides, tobogganing and rental of cosy thermal snow suits and boots. You can choose to stay in a log cabin with a sauna or a small hotel. Being further north your chance of spotting the elusive Aurora is higher!
Lapland requires careful planning, most people only visit once as it’s not cheap, so it’s important to get it right. Please contact me if you’d like me to book your magical trip of a life-time!