Lapland with Kids: Huskies, Reindeer & the Northern Lights

Lapland with kids works best as a Christmas or deep-winter week in Finnish Lapland, built around three things children remember: crossing the Arctic Circle to meet Santa in Rovaniemi, a sled ride behind a team of huskies or reindeer, and a few dark, clear nights watching for the northern lights farther north. Go in December for Christmas, January or February for deep snow and long nights, or March for brighter days. Children of almost any age can join as passengers; driving a snowmobile or husky team is for adults.

Our Lapland Christmas & Northern Lights journey is the full itinerary, and our Arctic TreeHouse Hotel guide looks closely at one design-led stay on the Arctic Circle. This guide is narrower: which weeks suit which family, what each age can actually do on huskies, reindeer and snowmobiles, how to pace a week in real cold, and where families stay.

In Lapland the cold sets the schedule. Plan one big outdoor moment a day, a warm lunch and a long evening, and children will talk about it for years.

When to Go to Lapland with Kids

Christmas Weeks: December

December is the month most families picture, and the busiest of the year in Rovaniemi. Santa Claus Village is open every day of the year, and between November 30, 2026 and January 3, 2027 Santa Claus Office is open daily from 8 am to 8 pm, with free entry. The magic is real, but so are the queues at peak times, which is why we time the visit for the quieter hours and keep the rest of the day in the forest. Christmas weeks are also the first to fill: the best guides, private sleighs and family rooms are often committed many months ahead, sometimes a year.

Deep Winter: January and February

After the holidays, Lapland becomes quieter and colder. Snow is deep, nights are long, and the northern lights have the most dark hours to appear. This is the best window for families who care more about huskies, reindeer and the aurora than about Santa, and for children old enough to handle real cold. Expect regular days well below freezing and occasional cold snaps of minus 20°C and lower.

Late Winter: March

March is our favorite month for families with younger children. Days are longer and brighter, the snow is still deep, and the nights are still dark enough for the northern lights. Outdoor time is easier to stretch, skiing at the fell resorts is at its most pleasant, and the cold is usually less punishing than in January.

November and the Rest of the Year

Snow usually covers the ground from late November, but conditions vary by year, so we only build a snow-dependent trip from late November onward. Lapland also has a summer under the midnight sun, with hiking, lakes and husky kennel visits instead of sledding, but it is a different trip with no northern lights.

Lapland by Age

A Six-Night Family Week in Lapland

This is the family version of our Lapland Christmas & Northern Lights journey: three nights around Rovaniemi, then three nights farther north for darker skies.

Day 1: Arrive in Rovaniemi

Most families fly into Helsinki and connect on a short domestic flight to Rovaniemi; in winter there are also seasonal direct flights from several European cities. For the most seamless version, private flights straight into Rovaniemi or Kittilä can be arranged through Haute Jets. We arrange thermal outerwear in each child's size before arrival, so the first afternoon is a short snowy walk, a sauna and an early dinner rather than a fitting room.

Day 2: The Arctic Circle and Santa

Santa Claus Village sits on the Arctic Circle about 8 km north of Rovaniemi. Children step across the line, meet Santa in his office and write cards at Santa Claus' Main Post Office, where every letter carries a special Arctic Circle postmark. In the 2026 holiday season, the post office is open daily from 9 am to 8 pm between December 1 and January 6. We go early or late in the day, keep the visit to a morning, and leave the afternoon free.

Day 3: Huskies and Reindeer

Choose one animal day, not two. A husky ride starts with the noise of the kennel and then goes completely quiet once the team runs through the forest. A reindeer farm visit is gentler: a slow sleigh ride, time with the herders, and often a "reindeer driving licence" certificate that children treasure. Both are bookable as private departures, and we always ask for warm shelter on the route.

Days 4 and 5: North for the Northern Lights

Fly or drive north toward Levi, Saariselkä or Inari, where forests are darker and the fells open wide skies. Days are for a snowmobile safari with the children in the guide's sled, snowshoeing, sledging, ice fishing or a morning on the ski slopes at Levi. Evenings are for the aurora: a guided search by snowmobile or sled, a fire in a wilderness hut while the guide watches the forecast, or simply a room with a view of the sky. The northern lights can never be guaranteed, so we plan several clear-sky chances rather than one big night.

Day 6: Sámi Culture and the Sauna

Around Inari, the heart of Sámi culture in Finland, a visit to the Sámi museum and nature centre Siida and time with local hosts give children the human story of the north: reindeer herding, language, crafts and seasons. Finish with a wood-heated sauna by a frozen lake, a family tradition in Finland, before the flight home.

Where Families Stay

Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, Rovaniemi

Featured in our Arctic TreeHouse Hotel guide, it sits on the Arctic Circle near SantaPark and within walking distance of Santa Claus Village, which makes Christmas days easy with small children. Its timber-and-glass suites face the forest through a full-height glass wall, and its GlassHouses add a private sauna and more space for families who want a residential rhythm. We confirm room configurations, extra beds and child policies for your dates before booking.

Glass-Roofed Cabins and Wilderness Lodges (Unnamed)

Farther north, around Levi, Saariselkä and Inari, families stay in glass-roofed cabins built for watching the sky, staffed log chalets and small wilderness lodges by frozen lakes. We describe these without naming a property until your advisor confirms bedroom layouts, connecting rooms, child policies and availability for your dates. The same applies to husky kennels, reindeer farms and safari operators: they are named once your children's ages and your dates are confirmed.

A Christmas base you can walk from, then a lodge under a dark sky. Most of our best Lapland family weeks use both.

How Cold Changes the Plan

Real cold is the single biggest factor in a family week in Lapland. Operators adjust programs for children when temperatures drop. On snowmobile programs from the larger operators, children aged 2 to 14 may be moved by car rather than sled once it falls below minus 20°C, and children under 2 are not allowed to take part. Below minus 30°C, children up to 14 are not taken on longer husky or reindeer rides, though short rides may still run. Some kennels stop all husky activities at minus 30°C, because wind chill on a fast stretch makes it far colder.

That is why we build every day with a plan B indoors, keep outdoor blocks short for young children and never schedule two long outings in one day. Children feel the cold faster than adults, so warm-up stops and dry layers matter more than the activity itself.

What to Skip with Young Children

Practical Notes for Parents

More Family Journeys

For more winter family trips, see our best family ski trips in the Alps, Jackson Hole with kids, Iceland with teens and our family travel page. Comparing northern lights destinations? Look at our Iceland Northern Lights journey. Other festive weeks include Christmas in Aspen and the Vienna & Salzburg Christmas markets, and families ready for the far south can read about Christmas & New Year in Patagonia.

When you are ready, plan your journey with us. Tell us your children's ages and heights, your school dates and whether Christmas or the northern lights matter most, and an advisor will hold the rooms, guides, sleighs and flights around them. No membership is required.