Sunshine holiday’s are great fun and we love nothing more than exploring the destination we have visited, enjoying some water sports and sampling local delicacies, but nothing quite compares to experience the magic of winter in Lapland.
Living in the UK, the country grinds to a halt at the first sign of snow, but the Finnish people have living with the white stuff down to a fine art. Snow in Finland is not the wet slushy stuff that we are used to, but thick powder and although coaches ferry the tourists to and from the airport, it is not unusual to see the locals making their way around on ski’s and snowmobiles.
Many families go to Lapland to see Father Christmas, as we did, however there is so much more to do than just see the man in red and here are some of our favourite activities you must try in Lapland:
Must-Do Activities on a Lapland Holiday
Husky Sledding
No visit to Lapland would be without a chance to try Husky Sledding and you can literally feel the excitement in the air as the sight of passengers walking to the sleds gets the huskies into an excited frenzy – they love the chance to run!!
We tried family sledding, which meant one adult got to sit in the sled with the kids, whilst the other took control of the driving.
When I say driving, you pretty much let the huskies run as they know where they are going, but you are expected to give them a hand when going uphill and apply the brake when needed.
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Wear a scarf / snood over your face and nose. It does get chilly, but these dogs toilet on the run, so it saves you from any unwanted surprises.
Take a Northern Lights Safari
It gets dark in Lapland by 3.30pm and although they cannot guarantee you will see the Northern Lights, putting a snowmobile through its paces is a brilliant experience in itself.
All the extra kit you need is provided for you and the kids got to travel in style in their own trailer, complete with snuggly blankets to ward off the freezing temperatures. We travelled about 30 minutes out-of-town to make sure there was no light pollution and sat around a roaring campfire with mulled wine and traditional ginger biscuits whilst we heard about the local legends of the Northern Lights.
The old local legend that says that the lights were caused by an Arctic fox as it ran along the fells, catching its busy tail in snowdrifts and sending a trail of sparks in to the sky. In Finnish the Northern Lights are called βrevontuletβ or βfox firesβ as its name derives from this legend.
It is then back onto the snowmobiles to head back to base and a nice warming dinner.
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You are provided with all the thermal equipment you need with most Lapland holiday’s, however, although it was sufficient in the daytime when the kids were running around, they did find it particularly cold when doing the Northern Lights Safari, so add an extra layer.
Reindeer Sleigh Ride
You cannot go to Lapland with taking a Reindeer Sleigh Ride and whilst the Husky Dog rides is exhilarating, this is calm, gentle and serene.
Reindeer have large feet and to help them communicate in the dark conditions, their tendons slip over bones in the feet as they walk, producing a relaxing clicking sound, which helps them to stay together.
Go Tobogganing
The kids used toboggans as their way of getting around the town, however Lapland is home to some impressive toboggan runs too.
We stayed in SaariselkΓ€ which is home to the longestΒ toboggan runΒ in Northern Europe at 1.2 kilometers long and a vertical drop of 130 meters. We wereΒ determined to get to the top and do it all and best of all β its FREE!
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Don’t just watch the kids having fun – have a go yourselves too!
Cross Country Skiing
Lapland residents get around using cross-country skis and you will see cross-country ski trails throughout the landscape with adults and children whizzing along, so why not take a lesson and try them for yourself.
It is not only a great way to get around, but also takes you past some incredible, unspoilt scenery too.
Lapland is a stunning place to visit and there are plenty of resorts suitable for those not wanting a Santa experience. Many of these also offer snow shoeing, ice fishing, horse trekking and even the chance to stay in an Ice Hotel.
Check out activities abroad for a great range of options for your ideal holiday to Lapland!
Is a Lapland holiday on your bucket list?
I would LOVE to take the kids to Lapland. Particularly while they’re young and this is such a magical time at christmas
I love snow and with this heat, I would gladly take off for a holiday in Lapland right now. The husky ride must have been so exciting, that is something I would definitely try.
A Northern Lights Safari would probably be the thing I wanted to do most if I was ever lucky enough to visit x
I went to Lapland last Christmas, loved it. I did a lot of these activities. Its a must do trip
This post brings back some memories! I went on a trip to Finland back in 2015 and did all of these activities there the other things I did were snow shoeing, snow mobiling and ice fishing x
It looks like you had an amazing time. I’d love to see the Northern Lights!
Love this – would love to go to Lapland! I saw the northern light’s in iceland and it was such an incredible experience x
Gosh, what an amazing place to visit! I’d love to visit there one day. Fortunately, we live so far north we can see the northern lights in the winter from our living room window. π
You’ve totally sold Lapland to me Kara. I’d love to do every one of those activities. All that snow looks amazing. Michelle X
What an incredible experience or should I say experiences! I loved reading this post and I’d definitely like to visit Lapland with the family one day!
I’m all for going somewhere to see the Northern Lights – that safari looks truly fabulous! I don’t have kids or I’d definitely be going to Lapland to see Father Christmas
I’ve been to Lapland, but only for a day trip. Never got to see the Northern Lights, but I guess maybe we wouldn’t have anyway in a day. Yes, Lapland is a must visit, especially for a little older child.
A trip to Lapland sounds so much fun for big kids and little kids too!
What a fab trip, perfect for kids! I’d love to visit this part of the world, for the sledding and the northern lights!
For me the northern lights has been the top of my list for as long as I can remember. That tome would be the trip of a life time. I love the idea of a husky ride and itβs cool how well trained they are.
This is my absolute dream holiday, what an amazing experience for all. Sledging would be my top activity π
Oh wow it looks like you have all had an amazing time in Lapland. The holiday sounds like my dream! Riding with the huskies and reindeers must be such great experiences. I feel quite silly to admit I didn’t realise you can ski there too!
Ooh thanks for this. We are thinking about going to Lapland this year
The holiday sounds like my dream! one day I will be going there. Lapland!!
will love to do ice fishing. it would be awesome with a cup of hot tea too. thanks for the awesome guide with a bunch of other stuff to do too.