Taking small children into the deep freeze above the Arctic Circle sounds like a crazy idea at first. And then you see photos of kids meeting reindeer for the first time, riding on a husky sled and shaking hands with the real Santa, and your mind is made up. Lapland in Finland is one of the best family winter destinations in the world, and the whole of Rovaniemi is fine-tuned for little visitors down to the last detail. ☺️
In this guide you’ll find the best tips for visiting Lapland with kids: what will thrill them (and what’s free), when to go so you avoid the darkness and crazy prices, how to dress children for the Arctic winter, where to stay and what to watch out for, from short days to Santa queues.
Good news right off the bat: no jet lag (the time difference is just an hour or two, depending on where you fly from), the flight is shorter than a trip to Egypt, and children handle the dry cold surprisingly well. If you’d first like an overview of the whole region, start with my big guide to what to see in Lapland.
TL;DR
- Best time with kids: February and March, when there’s more daylight, milder cold and lower prices than at Christmas. December is magical but dark, expensive and full of queues.
- Top experiences: meeting Santa (free!), Ranua Arctic zoo, short reindeer and husky rides, SantaPark and the Pilke science centre.
- Clothing: layers, layers, layers. On safaris kids are lent thermal overalls; for everyday walking, quality winter gear plus spare mittens is enough.
- Pace: short days = max one big activity per day. In between: sledding, snowmen and hot chocolate.
- Budget: a 4–5 day family package tour costs roughly from €4,900 for a family of four; going independently you can save the most outside the Christmas peak.
When to visit Lapland in Finland with kids
With children I’d choose differently than without them. December is the most Christmassy and magical, but it also means the shortest days (3–4 hours of twilight), the highest prices and the longest queues to see Santa. For younger kids who need routine and daylight, that can be tough.
For families, I think the ideal window is February and March: the days are noticeably longer, the cold is milder, there’s the most snow, and prices drop after the Christmas peak. Santa holds court in his village all year round, so you won’t miss meeting him, and it’s still northern lights season. You’ll find a detailed month-by-month comparison in my article on when to visit Lapland.
💡 Tip: Plan for a maximum of one big activity per day. Short days and the cold tire kids (and adults) faster than you’d expect. Fill the gaps with sledding by the hotel, building a snowman and hot chocolate, and those are the moments kids often remember most.
How to get there with kids and what it costs
With children, the most convenient option is a direct winter charter to Rovaniemi through a tour operator: the flight takes around three to five hours from most European hubs, transfers and the programme are all arranged, and a rep on the ground helps if anything goes wrong. Family package tours for 4–5 days cost roughly from €4,900 for a family of four, depending on the dates and programme.
Going independently, you fly via Helsinki, from where you can continue on a domestic flight or take the more adventurous Santa Claus Express night train with family cabins (tickets on the Finnish railways VR website). Kids love the train: you board in Helsinki in the evening and wake up in snowy Lapland. A big plus for parents: the time difference is only an hour or two, so no wrecked sleep schedule.
Where to stay with kids
With children it pays to stay close to the action so you don’t have to commute every day. In central Rovaniemi you have restaurants and shops within reach, while near Santa Claus Village you get evening calm and Christmas atmosphere without the crowds. Book family rooms well in advance, as they’re the first to sell out in high season.
In the centre, a great family choice is Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, with a much-praised breakfast and family rooms, everything within walking distance. An experiential classic is Apukka Resort by the lake, with family aurora cabins and its own activities right on site (reindeer, huskies and sledding within reach), or perhaps Arctic TreeHouse Hotel with kitchenette apartments a short walk from SantaPark. And if you want to blow the kids’ minds, take them for a tour (or a whole night) at Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos, a hotel carved out of snow.
What kids love in Lapland: 6 best experiences
Here are six experiences that work on kids almost every single time, ranked from the most famous. For each one I note the age it suits and what it costs.
1. Meeting Santa at Santa Claus Village
This is why most families come, and it’s free. Santa receives visitors in his office on the Arctic Circle every day of the year, chats a little with the kids (the elves translate), and the whole thing is handled with surprising warmth. You only pay for the official photo (from ~€40).
Don’t forget to cross the Arctic Circle line with the kids and send a postcard home from Santa’s Main Post Office, where the Arctic Circle stamp is the cheapest souvenir in the whole village. I’ve covered all the essentials in a separate Santa Claus Village guide. 💡 Tip: come first thing in the morning right after opening to avoid the queues.
2. Ranua Arctic zoo: polar bear and friends
An hour from Rovaniemi lies the world’s northernmost zoo, and with kids it’s a sure thing: the only polar bear in Finland, wolves, lynx, wolverines, arctic foxes and owls in a natural snowy setting. You walk along wooden boardwalks between the enclosures, and the whole loop takes two to three hours.
Entry costs around €24.50 for adults and €20 for children (cheaper online, and a family ticket is worth it), and it’s open year-round. Details on the Ranua Resort website. Buses run here from Rovaniemi too, but with a stroller expect snow, so a sled or a carrier is better.
3. Reindeer sleigh rides and short husky trips
A full husky safari can be long and freezing for the littlest ones, but short loops right by Santa Claus Village or on the farms near Rovaniemi work even for two-year-olds: they sit bundled up in the sleigh under a reindeer hide while the world glides quietly past. A reindeer ride is slow and fairytale-like; huskies are faster and wilder.
A short ride costs a few dozen euros, while a visit to a reindeer farm with a ride and a “reindeer driving licence” runs around €80–120 per person (cheaper for kids). For longer safaris they’ll lend you thermal overalls in children’s sizes too. I write more about huskies and reindeer in my guide to what to see in Rovaniemi.
4. SantaPark: the underground Christmas cavern
When it turns bitterly cold outside or sleet starts falling, SantaPark saves the day: a Christmas theme park carved into the rock, where kids go through elf school, decorate gingerbread in the bakery and ride the little train. It’s all warm and dry, so it’s the ideal “wet-weather option”.
Entry from ~€49 for adults and ~€40 for kids, free under three, with the season running roughly from late October to mid-January (check the SantaPark website). Right next door in the village is the icy SnowmanWorld with slides and a skating rink, open all winter long.
5. Pilke and Arktikum: museums where you’re allowed to touch everything
In central Rovaniemi, two excellent museums stand side by side. The Pilke science centre is all about the Finnish forest and entirely interactive: kids drive a harvester, climb over giant anthills and get their hands on everything. Arktikum next door clearly explains the northern lights and life in the north, which comes in handy in the evening when you head out to chase the aurora for real.
You can buy the tickets together at a discount (Culture Pass); Arktikum on its own is around €30, cheaper for children. Details on the Arktikum website. The ideal combo for a rainy or extra-cold day.
6. Northern lights and simple fun in the snow
Chasing the northern lights works with kids too, just differently: instead of night-time expeditions into the wilderness, opt for accommodation outside town with an “aurora alarm” or a glass roof, where the kids sleep and you only wake them when the sky really lights up. I explain how to do it in my article on the northern lights in Lapland.
And don’t underestimate the simplest thing: a metre of snow is an attraction in itself for kids. Sledding by the hotel, snow angels, building snowmen and igloos, it’s all free and kids often enjoy it more than the paid programme. Leave a free morning in your itinerary just for messing about in the snow.
How to dress kids for the Arctic winter
Cold around −15 °C sounds terrifying with children, but the dry Lapland cold is easier to handle than a damp winter back home. The key is layering: merino thermal underwear as the base, fleece or wool in the middle, and a waterproof insulated snowsuit on top. Add a warm hat that covers the ears, a neck gaiter (scarves come undone), mittens and one spare pair, and winter boots a size up with thick socks.
Two reassuring points: for organised activities kids are lent polar overalls and boots right on site, and Finnish shops (even supermarkets) sell quality winter gear in case anything is missing. With a baby, plan on a sled or a carrier under your jacket rather than a stroller, which struggles in the snow. You’ll find a complete packing checklist in my guide to packing for a flight.
💡 Tip: Kids in sleds and strollers don’t warm up through movement like you do, so dress them one layer warmer than yourself and check their little hands and cheeks regularly. A cold-weather cream (greasy, water-free) on the face is handy for the whole family.
Where next: more article tips
If you’re planning a family trip up north, these articles will come in handy:
- Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi: the complete guide
- Lapland: 20 tips on what to see and do
- When to visit Lapland: weather month by month
Frequently asked questions about Lapland with kids
From what age does it make sense to take children to Lapland?
Even toddlers can manage it, short reindeer sleigh rides are suitable for children from two years old, and Santa will delight them from around three to four years old, when they really start experiencing Christmas. The ideal age for the full magic is 4 to 10 years. With an infant, plan on using a sled or baby carrier instead of a stroller.
When should you go to Lapland with children?
For families, February and March are best: longer days, milder frosts, the most snow, and lower prices than at Christmas. December is the most magical for Christmas, but it’s dark, expensive, and full of queues. Santa is at the village all year round, so you won’t miss out on meeting him.
Isn’t it too cold in Lapland for children?
Dry Arctic frost is surprisingly bearable, better than damp winters elsewhere. The key is layering (merino thermal underwear, fleece, waterproof snowsuit), spare gloves, and rich anti-freeze cream. For organized activities, children are lent polar overalls and boots on site.
What do children enjoy most in Lapland?
Meeting Santa (free), Ranua Arctic Zoo with its polar bear, short rides with reindeer and huskies, the underground SantaPark, the interactive Pilke centre, and simply messing around in a metre of snow. Plan for one big activity per day—the short days tire children out faster.
How much does Lapland with children cost?
A family package tour for 4 to 5 days costs roughly from €4,800 for a family of four. You’ll save more on your own, especially outside the Christmas peak. Lots of experiences are free: Santa, the Arctic Circle, snow. You pay for activities (huskies, reindeer), SantaPark, and Ranua.
Will children see the northern lights in Lapland?
The chances are the same as for adults, you just hunt for them differently: choose accommodation outside the city with an aurora alarm or glass roof, where children sleep normally and you wake them only when the sky truly lights up. The aurora isn’t guaranteed—treat it as a bonus, not the goal of the trip.
Is the flight to Lapland with children demanding?
It’s among the easier ones. Direct charter flights to Rovaniemi take around five hours, the time difference is just one hour, so there’s no disrupted routine. An experiential alternative is the overnight Santa Claus Express train from Helsinki with family compartments—children adore it.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
🚗 Car rental on the roadVerified rental cars in FinlandSearch with the DiscoverCars comparison engine — it compares prices from dozens of local and international rental companies, and most bookings come with free cancellation.
Compare car prices in Finland →Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
Find the Best Experiences
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
