Traveling in Finland with kids
Step through the wardrobe and into Narnia – wintertime Finland is every child's snowy fantasy.![]()
The Finns are extremely welcoming to children, and provided you keep them warm and well fed they should be content to hang out with huskies and reindeers, build snowmen of every shape and size, and toboggan down fells until you are too exhausted to haul them back up again. And don’t forget if you're traveling in Finland with kids, in parts of Lapland, it’s actually Christmas every day. Older children will enjoy snow shoeing, cross country skiing, canoeing and rafting. Thousands of islands, virtually endless lakeshores and beaches offer room to stretch out and relax during the lengthy summer days. There are many activities which the whole family can enjoy together, and ways for curious minds to learn – about reindeer herding, traditional lifestyles, wilderness ecosystems and astronomy. Finland is well worth wrapping up for.
Northern lights family vacation, tailor made
A mix of Lapland family activities and a relaxing Spa hotel
From
£1225 to £2250
4 days
inc UK flights
Family multi activity vacation in Finland with Santa
Winter activities and a visit to Father Christmas
From
£2870
5 days
inc UK flights
Family Northern Lights break
Cozy log cabin and fascinating snow adventure for each day
From
€1357 to €1643
5 days
ex flights
Family winter adventure in Finland
Great range of activities in Lapland's winter wilderness.
From
£1858 to £2125
4 days
inc UK flights
Northern Lights family vacation in Finland
Lapland family hunt for the Aurora at New Year
From
£2929
8 days
inc UK flights
Christmas in Finland, log cabin stay
Log cabin week in Lapland over Christmas
From
€2370 to €2535
8 days
ex flights
Activities for families
Visit Rudolph and his friends
Learn about Lapland’s unique nature and its culture with a visit to a reindeer farm. These gentle creatures do more than just pull Santa’s sleigh – they are pivotal to life in northern Finland, and the herders are always keen to share stories of their daily lives and reindeer husbandry, before taking you on sleigh rides wrapped in warm blankets.
Meet Father Christmas
Finnish Lapland is the official home of Father Christmas – and you can meet the busy man himself in his “office” all year round. Letters addressed to Santa arrive here from around the world, and kids can help the elves with their tasks, ride on a reindeer-pulled sleigh and send their own postcards from the world’s most famous post office.
Take to the water
10 percent of Finland is made up of water – and its lakes, rivers and rapids are fantastic fun for canoeing and kayaking. Older children and teenagers will enjoy the independence this activity brings – as well as the chance to explore the northern wilderness from a new angle, with its unusual wildlife, log cabins and welcoming local communities.
Our top trip
Northern lights family vacation, tailor made
A mix of Lapland family activities and a relaxing Spa hotel
From
£1225 to £2250
4 days
inc UK flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailor made to suit your requirements
This trip can be tailor made to suit your requirements
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Tips for families
Aki Käräjäoja, founder of our supplier Routa Travel, shares his tips on traveling in Finland with kids: “It’s better not to have a very strict timetable and to understand that you are doing things differently than at home because it’s not always easy to plan. Parents often have high expectations but it’s better to be open-minded and see how the kids are and how cold it is. So we can make tours shorter, and instead of a full day sledding, we can go indoors and take a few of the huskies. Thinking flexibly is good – if, after 2km, it’s cold and the kids aren’t happy then you have to work around that.”
Urpo Heikkinen, from our supplier Upitrek offers advice for visiting Finland with kids:
“Families need to pick activities carefully. Kids can do softer treks but if they get tired you may need to take a short cut so that no-one gets left in the forest! They can see reindeer and sometimes elk on the walks, but bear watching is a problem as in the hides you sometimes have to be silent for hours. It depends on the nature of the children and how active they are. Sometimes it works, but it’s not for everyone.”
“Families need to pick activities carefully. Kids can do softer treks but if they get tired you may need to take a short cut so that no-one gets left in the forest! They can see reindeer and sometimes elk on the walks, but bear watching is a problem as in the hides you sometimes have to be silent for hours. It depends on the nature of the children and how active they are. Sometimes it works, but it’s not for everyone.”
More Finland articles
Our Finland travel guide lets you into long and light summer days, for trekking and kayaking, as well as Northern Lights watching, snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the snow covered, darker months of winter.
The best time to visit Finland depends on what you wish to do as winter is ideal for dog sledding and winter sports whereas the arrival of spring in May sees the sun making a return prior to the long hot summer days.
Click on our interactive Finland map and highlights to discover some of the best places to visit in both summer and winter, whether you're seeking wolverines, wild bears, snowshoeing, Santa or Sami hospitality.
If you’re looking to put a bit of colour into the darker depths of winter there’s no better place to start than Finland and if you’re also looking for more info on the best time to go then read as you keep watching the skies.
From snow shoeing and cross country skiing to husky safaris, Northern Lights and warming fires, Finland in the winter abounds with things to do so slip on your woolly socks, grab a glass of Glögi and read on for more info.
There’s no more exhilarating and rewarding way to discover the snowy Finnish wilderness other than on a husky safari, with a team of dogs pulling you through pure white landscapes and across vast frozen lakes.
Finns grow up learning about jokamiehenoikeus: every man’s right to roam. The Finnish landscape is everyone’s, including yours, to explore and forage – so long as you do so carefully.
You don’t need to travel to Alaska to see brown bears; the Wild Taiga region of Finland is home to these fascinating creatures and a supporting cast of other animals, too, from wolves and wolverine to elk and reindeer.
If you think that Lapland is just about snow and Santa then think again as summer vacations in Finland help to create a far more accessible and affordable outdoor experience. including self-drive tours and hiking vacations.
Rail vacations in Finland are far more relaxing than driving. They also encourage an element of destination-hopping, so you will be able to visit Oulu and Kemi instead of heading straight to busy Rovaniemi in Lapland.
Although traditionally semi nomadic reindeer herders, the Sámi are adapting to a changing world with responsible tourism playing a role in keeping alive the languages, music and folklore tales from around the Arctic Circle.
Vacations in Finland don’t have to mean Santa. You could exercise huskies in autumn to help them get fit for sledding season or visit the country in summer, when far fewer people think to come, and try vacationing like a Finn in a log cabin.
The first eSleds have made their debut in Finland, and in the responsible travel stakes, electric beats traditional snowmobiles hands-down, but how can you make sure your snowmobile safari is good for Finnish Lapland?
Finns prize privacy and remoteness above all else, and many choose to vacation in their home country, fleeing to their family cabins in search of solitude. Just like Finns, honeymooners appreciate a bit of alone time – just replace that family cabin with a place for two.
Our specialist vacation companies and travelers have shared their Finland travel advice on everything from cross country skiing and the best time to see wildlife, to packing for the cold and eating locally sourced food.
It's hard to know where to start when planning a trip to Finland but we've picked out our top activities to get you started - from admiring the Aurora to mushing huskies, tracking wolverines and thawing out in a sauna.
If you fancy fat biking in Oulanka National Park, these mountain bikes with big chunky tyres are a great way to enjoy some Arctic exercise and have fun as part of a small guided group without damaging the environment.
When you stay in a log cabin in Finland, you’re often staying in a family’s second home – sauna, open fire and a cupboardful of kayaks and snowshoes included.
Helsinki is the cool capital of Finland – a southerly peninsula city surrounded by lakes, islands and forest parks.
It's hard to go wrong when traveling in this nature loving nation but there are a few things to be aware of including hunting, Sami rights and huskies vs snowmobiles; read our thoughts on responsible tourism in Finland.
Find all our Finland guides in one place, from Husky safaris to the Northern Lights and everything in between.
