Spain & PortugalCanary IslandsTenerifeLanzaroteFuerteventuraGran CanariaMajorcaMenorcaIbizaCosta del SolCosta BlancaBenidormAlgarveMadeiraPortoMadrid

Holiday typesAll inclusiveMulti-centreCity breaksLuxuryFamily holidaysAdults onlyHoneymoon

Holidays by monthHolidays in JanuaryHolidays in FebruaryHolidays in MarchHolidays in AprilHolidays in MayHolidays in June

Finland · Arctic Circle

Lapland

Snow to the treeline, husky teams, reindeer, and a sky that occasionally does something extraordinary. The best family holiday in Europe between November and March — and the one most often sold in the wrong shape.

3h 30m direct · RVN / KTTNo visa for UK passportsDec–MarGuide price from £949pp

The short version

The one-day Santa trips are poor value and hard work

They leave a UK airport at dawn, land, run a compressed circuit of activities, and fly home the same night. Twelve to fourteen hours of travelling for perhaps five on the ground, with young children, in the dark, for not far off the price of a short break. Three or four nights costs meaningfully more but delivers ten times the holiday — and gives you a second and third chance at the northern lights, which is the whole point of being there.

Manage this expectation

The lights need clear skies, and nobody can promise them

The aurora is happening above the cloud almost every night in winter. What you need is a gap in it. That means the odds rise with every night you stay — one night is a coin toss, four is a strong chance. February and March are better than December: the skies are clearer, the nights still long, and there's daylight for the activities. Anyone guaranteeing you the lights is selling something they can't deliver.

The activities

Huskies, reindeer and snowmobiles are not interchangeable

Husky sledding is fast, noisy and thrilling — the dogs scream with excitement before they go. Reindeer sledding is slow and quiet and better with very young children. Snowmobiles need a licence for the driver and have minimum ages for passengers. Most packages bundle all three; if you're travelling with under-fives, weight the reindeer and the sleigh rides and skip the snowmobile safari.

A snow-covered forest under a pink Arctic sky

Pick your base

Four bases, and who each suits

Rovaniemi and Kittilä both take direct UK charter flights in season. Transfers are short — nothing is more than about an hour.

Direct · RVN

Rovaniemi

The capital of Lapland and the official home of Santa Claus. Best flight choice, most infrastructure, and the busiest.

Santa Claus Village: On the Arctic Circle line. Entry is free — the meeting, the photos and the activities are charged separately.
SantaPark: A cavern under the ground, warm and indoor. The wet-weather answer and good for small children.
Rovaniemi town: Restaurants, the Arktikum museum, and cheaper hotels than the resort ones.
Ounasvaara: A small hill above the town with sledging and cross-country trails.

Ski & snow · KTT

Levi & Ylläs

Finland's biggest ski resorts, which also means the best-equipped for families who want more than one activity a day.

Levi: Downhill skiing, a gondola, restaurants and a proper resort village. The most to do.
Ylläs: Quieter, with the longest cross-country network in Finland and excellent aurora viewing.
Äkäslompolo: The village end of Ylläs. Small, wooden and genuinely charming.
Kittilä airport: Twenty minutes from Levi. The other direct UK gateway in season.

Darkest skies

Saariselkä & the far north

Two hundred and fifty kilometres above the Arctic Circle. Colder, darker, emptier — and the best aurora odds in Finland.

Saariselkä: A small fell village with glass igloos and the Urho Kekkonen national park behind it.
Inari: The Sámi cultural centre and Finland's third-largest lake. The real north, not the packaged one.
Kakslauttanen: The famous glass igloos. Expensive, and worth understanding before booking — see below.
Ivalo: The airport for this region, usually via Helsinki rather than direct.

Alternative

Swedish Lapland

Kiruna and Abisko, over the border. Abisko has a rain shadow that makes it statistically one of the clearest aurora spots on earth.

Abisko: The Aurora Sky Station on a chairlift, and famously clear skies. The serious aurora choice.
Kiruna: The Icehotel at Jukkasjärvi — rebuilt every winter from river ice.
Björkliden: Small, quiet and high, with skiing and a dark-sky position.
Getting there: Usually via Stockholm rather than direct. Adds a leg, and the aurora odds justify it.

Our speciality

A short break that actually works

Four nights is the sweet spot — long enough for three aurora attempts and a proper spread of activities, short enough that the cost and the cold stay manageable with children.

Arrive & kit upDay 1Thermal suits issued, a sleigh ride, and the first aurora attempt.
Huskies & SantaDays 2–3Sledding, reindeer, and the Santa meeting booked for a quiet slot.
Snow day & fly homeDay 4Sledging, an ice bar or SantaPark, and an afternoon flight.

We book the Santa meeting for an off-peak slot rather than the middle of the day, and we check that thermal clothing is included — some operators charge for it separately and it's £60 a head you didn't budget for.

When to go

December is Christmas; February and March are better

December is magical, dark almost around the clock, and the most expensive by a distance. January is the coldest and cheapest. February and March bring clear skies, returning daylight and reliable snow — which is why they're our pick for anyone whose dates aren't fixed by the school Christmas holidays.

Jan−15°C

FebBest

MarBest

AprThawing

MayNo snow

JunMidnight sun

JulSummer

AugAutumn

SepLights start

OctEarly snow

NovSnow arrives

DecChristmas

If you want Santa and Christmas atmosphere, it's December and you'll pay for it. If you want the northern lights and snow activities, book late February or March — better odds, better light, and a fraction of the price.

Worth leaving the resort for

What we'd actually book

Husky sledding

Two to a sled, one driving. Faster than it looks and the noise before the off is unforgettable.

Reindeer sleigh

Slow, quiet and Sámi-run. The right choice with under-fives, and you get an Arctic Circle crossing certificate.

Aurora hunting

By snowmobile sled, minibus or on foot from the hotel. Go out every night you're there — that's the whole strategy.

Santa Claus Village

Free to enter and on the Arctic Circle line. Book the meeting itself for early or late, not midday.

Snowmobile safari

Driver needs a full licence and there's a minimum age for passengers. Check both before booking.

Reindeer farm visit

Feeding, lasso-throwing and coffee round a fire in a lavvu. Better than it sounds and genuinely Sámi-led.

Skiing at Levi

Gentle, tree-lined and floodlit — Finland's slopes are ideal for first-timers and children.

Ice floating

A survival suit and a frozen lake. Absurd, warm, and the thing everyone talks about afterwards.

The practical bits

Things that catch people out

Direct flightsRovaniemi (RVN) and Kittilä (KTT) take direct UK charters from November to March. Outside that, via Helsinki.

It is genuinely cold−10°C to −25°C, occasionally −30°C. Thermal suits and boots are usually provided — confirm this is included.

LayeringThin base layers, fleece, then the suit. Cotton is the wrong choice; it holds moisture and chills you.

DaylightIn December, Rovaniemi gets around two hours of twilight. By March it's twelve hours of proper daylight.

CurrencyEuro. Finland is expensive — a restaurant meal costs noticeably more than the UK.

Glass igloosBeautiful and costly. They're warm, but light pollution from the room itself works against aurora viewing — one night as a treat, not the whole stay.

AgesMost husky and snowmobile activities have minimums. Tell us the children's ages and we'll match the package.

Book earlyChristmas week sells out by around April for the following year. Genuinely — it's the tightest booking window we deal with.

Before you book

Five things worth knowing

Don't book the one-day trip. Twelve hours of travel for five on the ground, with small children, in the dark. Three nights is a different holiday entirely.

Nobody can guarantee the northern lights. You need a gap in the cloud. Every extra night improves the odds — that's the only honest advice anyone can give you.

February and March beat December. Clearer skies, returning daylight, reliable snow, and roughly half the price. December is for Christmas, not for aurora.

Check thermal clothing is included. Suits and boots are essential and some operators charge separately. It's around £60 a head if it isn't in the price.

Book Christmas week a year ahead. It sells out by the spring before. If you want the last week of December, we need to be talking in April.

Next step

Tell us your dates and we'll shape the trip

Send your dates, the children's ages and a rough budget, and we'll come back with the right base, the right activities for those ages, and the payment plan written out in full.

Your money is protected. Trip Tides is a travel agent — we book your holiday with a travel company, and that company is named on your quote and confirmation. Your contract is with them. If your holiday is a package including flights, put together by an ATOL holder, you'll get an ATOL certificate naming that company. We confirm in writing what protection applies before you pay.

Lapland packages

Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.

7 nights in Lapland

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay

from £1,049per person

Get a quote

10 nights in Lapland

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change

from £1,339per person

Get a quote

14 nights in Lapland

Half board · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
Half board throughout
Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight

from £1,589per person

Get a quote

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.