Lapland holidays are a great winter treat, taking you to a magical, mysterious land where the days are long and dark. It's a brilliant destination for families, with countless thrilling things to do once you get there, but the weather in Lapland and the winter conditions mean it takes some planning.

If you'd love to take a trip to visit Santa in Lapland this Christmas, and you're new to travelling with young children, here are some tips about how to plan a holiday deep within the Arctic Circle.

How do you eat an elephant? In small chunks. The same goes for planning a holiday for the family! Break the job down into small tasks so they're easier to handle. Your first step is to look at the practicalities.

How old do your children need to be?

If you want to treat the kids to an authentic Santa trip, bear in mind that small children often may find it too cold for comfort. We recommend children be at least 2 years old to fully enjoy the experience. What's more, our daybreaks aren't advised for infants as they involve extended time outdoors in temperatures that can sometimes dip as low as -40° C.

When to go

The most popular time to visit Santa in Lapland is right before Christmas. As a general rule the closer you get to Christmas itself, the more it costs. Our festive family trips run from the end of November through Christmas Eve. We also offer a couple of departures to Lapland after Christmas. With Santa’s busy night behind him, it's the perfect time to visit his snowy home and say a personal thank you for all the presents he has delivered.

Where to go

There are plenty of different Santa experiences on offer, but the best ones are the personal ones, where you get a unique family audience with Santa, and he knows your names. Our private family visit to Santa's remote cottage is truly amazing, even for grown-ups! Location matters in other ways too. We operate exclusively in True Lapland in the far-flung northwestern arm of Finland, an entirely different experience compared to the region's tourist-filled, mass-market resorts.

How long to go for

From a single day to two, three or four nights, our festive holidays are packed with magical moments at every turn. 

Lapland is an awesome place to go. On a daybreak, you'll leave at dawn and return by bedtime, while having a chance to experience all the magic including iconic Arctic activities on a taster basis and tonnes of snow play. 

On our overnight stays at handpicked hotels in remote villages, you get to more fully immerse yourself in the spirit of Lapland as well as enjoy full-length Arctic activities. 

How to pick a provider

It's important to research holiday companies first to make sure they are a safe and reliable travel provider. From unrivalled expertise to seamless service, you can feel confident you are in the best hands when you travel with us. Every detail of our True Lapland adventures has been thoughtfully planned. We provide financial security for all our trips by way of ABTA, and all packages booked with us are also ATOL protected for your own peace of mind.

It's great to be properly prepared rather than running around at the last minute trying to find the essentials.

Passports

Dig out your passports early on and make sure they're all current. Your passport must have three months validity after the date of planned return. Please be aware of 'bonus months' on your passport which do not count towards validity.

Surnames

If you're travelling with a child who has a different last name from yours, you might need to prove their identity. Check with your airline good and early so you have time to prepare, and take a consent letter with you proving you are authorised to take the child abroad, signed by someone relevant who isn't travelling and ideally notarised by a solicitor.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is an essential requirement for our trips. Buy travel insurance in good time and make sure it's a good quality policy that covers all the essentials, including husky sledding and snowmobiling. If you are travelling on a previous policy, check with your insurer before travel that you are covered for these winter sports. If you don't have adequate travel insurance, our travel partner Campbell Irvine offer single-trip policies to cover our holidays.

Bear in mind that the peak period for travel to Lapland is late November to the second week of December, a relatively small window of opportunity. With dates and rooms limited, spaces tend to fill up quickly. We highly recommend you book early to get your preferred choice. Just bear in mind that leaving it too late could see you unable to fly from your airport of choice, faced with a longer journey at either end. The same goes for the Lapland end of things – places do fill up quickly, and you don't want to leave it so late that there's nothing left. 

Can you make your journey as pleasant and smooth-running as possible? Of course. Here's how...

Book your airport travel or parking in good time

If you're driving, we recommend booking airport parking ahead to ensure secure, easy parking and peace of mind before your trip. Remember prices usually rise nearer to departure. If you're not driving to the airport, book your travel there and back nice and early so it's all done and dusted and you can relax.

Take entertainment for the journey

Keep the kids entertained and the journey will be a lot more enjoyable for everyone. It's worth noting that from our UK departure airports, the flight time is approximately 3 hours 30 minutes to Enontekio Airport in Finland. 

Keep snacks handy

You never know when little children will get hungry en route. Hot meals are served on the flights: breakfast on your way out to Lapland and dinner on your return home to the UK. We recommend bringing some of your children's favourite snacks as it's always handy to have familiar treats available along the way.

You will be provided with a thermal suit and boots for your time in Lapland, but you also need to bring lots of warm clothes of your own. Remember not to bring cotton clothes since cotton absorbs moisture and feels cold next to your skin. Wool, on the other hand, is great, as are these items:

• Thermal undies.
• Snow jackets.
• Long-sleeved shirts, fleeces and jumpers.
• Loose-fitting fleece trousers.
• Extra waterproof gloves and hats, in case yours get wet.
• Woollen socks.
• Neck warmers, especially when it's windy.
• Hand and foot warmers – they add extra cosiness to your gloves and socks.

Our biggest tip for Lapland wear? Layer up for supreme warmth!

When children are involved, it's lovely to build the excitement beforehand. Make the most of the feel-good hormones while preparing your kids for the experience. Here are some cool things to do to with your little ones before their Christmas visit to Santa:

• Count the days – you can even make a special holiday calendar for them to tick-off.
• Reminisce about past holidays together.
• Talk about the activities you'll do together in Lapland.
• Read them stories about Santa and watch family Christmas movies.
• Paint and draw pictures of your destination.
• Learn about Lapland, the Sami people, the reindeer, the food, the igloos, snow... there's so much to find out.
• Show them videos and images of the Northern Lights.
• Buy them a sketchbook to draw and write about their trip in, something they can also take with them and work on in Lapland.
• Let them help with their own packing.

If you want your Lapland Santa trip to be a complete surprise you'll need to keep everything really quiet, doing the organisation and admin when they're in bed or at school, and remembering not to get too excited yourself or mention it in front of them. With luck you'll be able to keep the destination a surprise from very small children until you get there and they actually see the snow!

Learn more about our Santa's Lapland daybreaks and short breaks here

Originally published 16 December 2019, updated 10 May 2024