Destinations / Lapland
Lapland with kids
Rovaniemi puts Santa Claus Village, SantaPark and the airport within a few kilometres of each other, so a young family can do the Christmas visits without long transfers. Add husky and reindeer rides, a polar-bear zoo an hour south, and a few nights in a ski village like Levi or Saariselkä, and the trip covers snow play as well as Santa. It is expensive and cold, but it is the one place where the whole Christmas story is laid out in real snow.
Lapland
Which ages it suits
Ages 0–2 · Possible
possible but hard work: deep cold, short daylight and snow that defeats most pushchairs; under-3s enter SantaPark free and most of the trip is about the older siblings.
Ages 3–6 · Great
the peak age; children who believe in Santa get the most out of the Santa's Office visit, Elf School and reindeer rides, and Levi's under-6s ski free with a helmet.
Ages 7–12 · Great
still keen on Santa, and now old enough for longer husky trips, ski lessons, sledding hills and staying up for an aurora hunt.
Ages 13–17 · Good
the Santa side can feel young; snowmobile safaris (from 12 at some resorts), self-drive husky sleds, skiing and the northern lights are what win them over.
When to go with children
Weather for kids and school-holiday crowds together. Best: February, March, December.
- January · -10°C
- Coldest month and very short days; prices drop sharply after the first week of January and the snow is reliable.
- March · -4°C
- Strong snow, long bright days and still dark enough for the northern lights; a good-value month for skiing families, busier around Easter.
- May · 11°C
- Snowmelt and slush; many safaris pause, and Kakslauttanen's glass igloos close at the end of April.
- July · 20°C
- Midnight sun and green forests, with mosquitoes; Santa Claus Village and Ranua stay open year-round, but there is no snow.
- November · -3°C
- Christmas season opens (SantaPark from late October), lower prices than December, but snow cover can still be thin and days are dark.
- December · -7°C
- Peak season: Christmas trips sell out months ahead and prices are at their highest; the sun barely rises, and further north in Saariselkä it does not rise for several weeks.
Parks and days out, by car
Typical minutes by car from Levi. School-holiday traffic can add a lot.
Indoor pools with one water slide, two children's pools, an outdoor pool and the Ailu Family Fun play area; a useful warm afternoon on a -20 °C day, open daily 12:00–20:00, children 4–14 at a reduced price and under-4s free.
Best for 2–12 · Adult day from about $25 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
Ten children's slopes plus Leevilandia on the South Slopes, with covered magic-carpet lifts, sledding, snowtubing and an indoor play room; under-6s in helmets ski free with an adult holding a pass.
Best for 3–17 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
Science centre and museum with exhibitions from the Regional Museum of Lapland and the Arctic Centre, good for a dark afternoon; a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children is €54.
Best for 6–17 · Adult day from about $25 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
National park that begins at the edge of Saariselkä, with trails and ski tracks starting from the village; free, but the cold and darkness make short outings wiser with small children.
Best for 5–17 · Official site
An underground Christmas park in a rock cavern with Elf School, a gingerbread bakery, a small train ride and a Santa meeting included in the ticket; the 2026–27 winter season runs 31 Oct to 23 Jan, and children under 3 go free.
Best for 3–9 · Adult day from about $45 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
Free-to-enter village on the Arctic Circle line with Santa's Office, the post office and a husky park on site; meeting Santa costs nothing but the official photos are sold separately, and December queues can be long.
Best for 2–10 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
About 50 Arctic species, around 150 animals, including polar bears; open every day of the year (10–16), about 80 km south of Rovaniemi, with a family ticket and free entry for under-4s.
Best for 3–14 · Adult day from about $25 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
Family-run kennel with short family rides, musher-driven trips and self-drive tours; age rules differ per tour, so check before booking, and dress the children far warmer than you think.
Best for 4–17 · Tickets on GetYourGuide · Official site
Where to stay
Rovaniemi city centre
Cheaper hotels, restaurants and Arktikum on foot; Santa Claus Village and SantaPark are a 15-minute drive.
Arctic Circle (Santa Claus Village)
Sleep next to Santa's Office and SantaPark, minutes from the airport; the most convenient base with small children.
Levi
Large ski village 15 minutes from Kittilä airport, with a family park, slope-side hotels and an indoor water world.
Saariselkä
Small fell village beside Urho Kekkonen National Park, darker skies for aurora, quieter and further north.
Family resorts we checked
Floor-to-ceiling glass suites in the forest right beside SantaPark, so the Santa visits are a short walk away.
Glass-roofed igloos for watching the sky from bed, with Santa's Home, reindeer and huskies all inside the resort.
⚠ Glass igloos operate from about the third week of August to the end of April; log cabins are the option outside that window.
Your own cottage with a private sauna in the middle of Santa Claus Village, a few minutes from Rovaniemi airport.
Family rooms at the foot of the slopes, with a water world rated Finland's best hotel spa in 2021 and 2023 in the same complex.
Apartments with a full kitchen and sauna at hotel prices, with ski tracks and the national park from the door.
A central hotel with rooms that take two children, cheaper than staying at the Arctic Circle and close to restaurants and buses.
A 7-night trip, paced for kids
Arrive in Rovaniemi
Land, collect or rent proper thermal outer layers, and keep the first evening short. If energy allows, a short snowy walk or a sauna is enough.
Santa Claus Village
Cross the Arctic Circle line, post cards at Santa's post office and meet Santa in his office in the morning before the queues build. Back to the room for a warm lunch and nap.
SantaPark
Spend a few unhurried hours underground at Elf School, the bakery and the train ride; the cavern is warm, which helps with small children. Keep the evening free.
Huskies and reindeer
Book a short family husky ride or reindeer sleigh in the morning, when children are freshest. Use the dark afternoon for Arktikum or the hotel sauna, and an aurora outing only if the forecast is clear.
Ranua Wildlife Park
Drive or take a tour about an hour south to see polar bears, lynx and wolverines on forest walkways. Go early, as the park closes at 16:00 and light fades sooner.
Move to Levi
Transfer about two hours to Levi and settle in. Spend the afternoon at Water World so everyone warms up after the journey.
Snow play in Levi and fly home
Try sledding, snowtubing and the magic-carpet lifts at Leevilandia, with a ski lesson for older children. Fly home from Kittilä, 15 minutes away.
Good to know
- The catch
- Families book December too late and underestimate the bill: husky, reindeer and snowmobile trips are priced per person, so four people plus Santa photos can cost more per day than the hotel.
- Flights
- Rovaniemi (RVN) and Kittilä (KTT, for Levi) get seasonal direct winter flights from the UK (around 3.5 hours) and some German airports; otherwise fly via Helsinki, and from the US it is one stop via Helsinki or another European hub.
- Jet lag
- Finland is 2 hours ahead of the UK and 7 hours ahead of the US East Coast; from the UK it barely matters, and from the US the darkness makes resetting harder, so get outside in the midday light.
- Health
- No malaria or dengue, and tap water is excellent; the real risk is cold, so dress children in wool layers and check their hands, feet and cheeks often, since young children rarely say they are freezing.
- Safety
- Low crime and no special advisories for Lapland known at the time of writing; icy pavements and roads are the main hazard, so check FCDO or State Department advice before you go.
- Getting around
- Rovaniemi works without a car, as buses and taxis link the centre, airport and Santa Claus Village and most safaris collect from hotels; a car (with winter tyres, and car seats booked ahead) helps for Ranua and a Levi or Saariselkä leg, and pushchairs struggle on snow, so a carrier or pulk sledge works better.
- Budget
- About $320 a night for a mid-range family room for four, $950 for luxury, plus about $380 a day for food, transport and outings.
Pairs well with: Tyrol, Black Forest and Europa-Park, Denmark
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