Things to do in Lapland range from the quietly spectacular to the kind of moment you will still be describing twenty years from now. A team of huskies pulling you across a frozen lake at dawn. The Northern Lights folding green and violet over the treeline while you stand in the snow barely breathing. A child’s face when the door to a log cabin opens and Father Christmas is sitting inside, waiting. Every one of those is real, and every one of them is achievable on a well-planned Lapland trip.
This guide covers the most popular activities. That includes the iconic experiences everyone wants, the quieter ones that often surprise people most, and the ones worth adding for teenagers and adults not coming purely for Santa. We have access to hundreds of activities across Finnish and Swedish Lapland. If you cannot find what you are looking for here, just reach out to one of our little helpers and we will get it sorted for you.
When is the best time to go to Lapland?
Timing shapes everything in Lapland, because the experience changes dramatically depending on the month. November and December are the peak Santa months, when guaranteed snow, festive atmosphere and long dark nights combine to create the classic Lapland Christmas experience. Knowing where to go at the start and end of the season is crucial. Not every resort guarantees the same snow conditions at the same point in the year.
January and February bring deep snow, shorter daylight hours and excellent conditions for Northern Lights hunting. March adds a little more daylight and is often the most photogenic month, with thick snow still on the ground and brighter skies. April and September are often the best months specifically for Northern Lights viewing. Skies clear more reliably and nights are already drawing in to provide more hours of darkness. Heavy midwinter snowfall is not yet a factor, so cloud cover is less of a problem.
How to choose the right month for your trip
We will be publishing a dedicated guide to Lapland timing shortly, covering each month in detail and which resorts perform best at which point in the season. If you want to talk through the best timing for your family’s ages and priorities in the meantime, get in touch and we will come back with a specific recommendation within 24 hours. You can also explore our Lapland holidays page for an overview of what is available across the season.
Meet Father Christmas: what a private Santa visit actually looks like
For many families, meeting Santa is the single reason they are booking. Every Santa visit we arrange is a private one, which means this experience is personal, unhurried and built entirely around your family.
You will be led along a snowy forest trail to a cabin in the woods. The door opens and the fire is lit. Father Christmas has time to talk to each child properly: their names (depending on the package selected), what they have been up to, what they would like for Christmas. There is no queue forming behind you. No conveyor belt. Just your family, the moment, and all the time in the world.
When to book and what to expect
In terms of timing, November and December are the peak months for Santa visits, and the most popular dates sell out many months ahead. Knowing which resort delivers the most magical setting for a private visit is one of those things where experience really counts. We know which operators do it best. Ask us and we will tell you. We also have a full guide to where to stay in Lapland coming shortly, which covers how the accommodation choice shapes the Santa experience as much as the activity programme does.
If you want to hear more before you speak to us, we covered the Santa experience in detail on The Jason Boull Travel Podcast. Part 1 of our Lapland mini-series walks through what the Santa experience actually looks like, the inclusions that make it stress-free for parents, and what to expect from the moment your child receives their letter from Santa. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.
Husky sledding: the activity almost everyone comes home talking about
Husky sledding is one of the most talked-about things to do in Lapland, and it earns that reputation. There are two main ways to experience it. A guide-led safari puts you in the sled as a passenger while the guide drives. A self-driven sled puts the reins in your hands. They deliver a completely different experience, and knowing which suits your group makes a significant difference between just having a ride and making memories that last a lifetime.
On a self-driven sled, the experience starts at the kennels, where you meet the dogs and learn how to handle the sled, how to brake, how to call them on. Then you take the reins and they lean into it. The silence is the thing people do not expect. Once the dogs settle into their rhythm, all you hear is the runners on the snow and the occasional huff of breath. It is thrilling and peaceful at the same time, which is a combination not many experiences manage.
How long should a husky safari be?
Not all excursions include a farm visit, but it can be arranged. It is worth adding if you have young children who want more time with the dogs.
Safari lengths vary considerably, from short introductory runs of around 2km taking roughly twenty minutes, up to half-day routes covering significant distances through wilderness terrain. A 5km run typically takes around thirty to forty minutes at a comfortable pace. The duration changes the experience entirely. A short run is a brilliant introduction for younger children and first-timers. A longer route, with a campfire lunch in the forest, is the version that really sticks for older children, teenagers and adults.
Choosing the right duration for your group
For families with children aged five to seven, a shorter run of 2 to 4km tends to work best. Wind chill on a moving sled can feel far sharper than the ambient temperature suggests. Small children and senior guests feel it faster than adults. Good clothing makes an enormous difference, and we always brief you on exactly what to wear before travel. For younger children, a heated guide-pulled sleigh is available, keeping them warm and fully part of the experience.
Which husky operator is the right one for your family, and which duration makes sense for your children’s ages, are exactly the kinds of questions we spend a lot of time thinking about. We already have the answers. Ask us.
We also went into the husky experience in depth on the podcast. Part 2 of our Lapland mini-series covers husky and reindeer rides, Northern Lights chasing by snowmobile, ski tuition for beginners, and real stories from families we have personally taken to Lapland. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.
The Northern Lights: what you actually need to know
The Northern Lights are the main event for a lot of adults booking a Lapland trip, and they deserve an honest explanation before you go, because the aurora is not a guaranteed feature of the sky.
The lights appear when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the atmosphere. That requires solar activity and clear skies at the same time, which can create a direct conflict with the Christmas experience many people want to enjoy. Deep December snowfall, which creates the magical white landscape families come for, is precisely what can obscure the sky for days at a stretch.
April and September are often the best months specifically for Northern Lights viewing. The snow is not yet falling heavily, giving clearer skies, while the nights have already begun drawing in to provide more hours of darkness. The trade-off is a different kind of trip, less Santa and snowfall, more wilderness and sky.
Why 2026 is one of the best years to see the Northern Lights
Solar activity also plays a significant role, in a cycle most travellers do not know about. The sun works in roughly 11-year cycles, and 2026 sits at the peak of the current cycle. What this means in practice is that during 2025 and 2026, visitors have reported seeing the Northern Lights almost every time the sky was clear. During December 2025, for example, it never stopped snowing at one resort for an entire week, making the sky too cloudy to view the lights at all. The following week, snowfall reduced significantly and every group that travelled reported seeing the aurora at least once. Conditions were exactly right. Cloud was the only thing standing in the way.
From 2026 onwards, solar activity will reduce gradually year on year until 2037, when it reaches its lowest point in the cycle. This does not mean you will not see the lights in 2037. It means your chances are not as strong as they are right now. For the next three to four years, the solar conditions remain very favourable, and clear skies are the only variable you need to get right.
How to give yourself the best chance of seeing the lights
The practical advice: stay several nights rather than just one or two, because your chances multiply quickly. Choose a resort known for dark skies and reliable conditions. Book a guided aurora hunt, because the guides track the forecasts and know where to go when the sky clears. And if you want to maximise every possible viewing window, an aurora cabin with a glass roof and an aurora alarm takes the pressure off entirely.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute publishes a live aurora forecast that is worth bookmarking before you travel. If you need help interpreting it, just give us a call and we will gladly talk you through it. We also have a dedicated guide to where to go in Lapland coming shortly, which covers the specific areas and resorts best suited to Northern Lights hunting and explains the real differences between them.
Reindeer sleigh rides: the calm counterpart to huskies
Where husky sledding is adrenaline and speed, a reindeer sleigh ride is stillness and wonder. A single reindeer pulls your sleigh through the forest at a gentle pace. A Sámi herder often leads the way, talking about life with the herds and the seasons. Reindeer travel much more slowly than huskies. Distances are shorter as a result. For smaller children, it is often the more memorable experience of the two.
Not all rides include a farm visit, but it can be added on. For young children, spending time with the animals up close is a genuine highlight. On many farms you can also earn an official Arctic Circle crossing certificate, which goes down particularly well with children who want something to take home.
Because the experience is calm and unhurried, reindeer rides work especially well on arrival days or as a morning activity before a bigger afternoon adventure. For mixed-age groups where younger children need something gentler, it balances well alongside a husky or snowmobile experience for the older members of the party.
Snowmobiling: things to do in Lapland for teenagers and adults
Finland has one of the most extensive snowmobile trail networks in the world, with thousands of kilometres of maintained tracks crossing national parks, frozen lakes and deep forest terrain. The network exists because snowmobiles are a genuine mode of transport in rural Finnish Lapland, not just a tourist activity, and the infrastructure reflects that. Trails are well marked, maintained to a high standard and spread across the entire country.
What you need to know before you book a snowmobile safari
To drive a snowmobile, you must hold a valid driving licence and carry it with you. The minimum age to drive is 18. Passengers must be at least 8 years old and 120cm in height to ride as a passenger on a snowmobile. Children under this threshold travel on a guide-pulled sleigh instead. Parents are not normally permitted to ride on the sleigh alongside younger children, as it is weight-restricted and designed to accommodate the children in the group.
What the snowmobiles are like
Snowmobiles can be requested as solo machines, one driver alone, or shared, one driver with one passenger seated behind. For groups where some members do not hold a licence or prefer not to drive, the shared option works well.
The snowmobiles themselves are great fun. Most group safaris use speed-restricted versions to keep things safe, but they are still more than fast enough to deliver a proper thrill on your first run or two. Our snowmobiles have heated handlebars for both the driver and passenger, which matters considerably when you are moving at speed in sub-zero temperatures. It is one of those details that makes the difference between an enjoyable experience and a cold one.
Safari options range from an hour-long introduction to full-day expeditions with a campfire lunch in a wilderness cabin, covering terrain that nothing else can reach. Snowmobile safaris also form part of many Northern Lights hunts, carrying you to a dark-sky viewpoint efficiently and then returning once the display has finished.
Snowshoeing: easier and more rewarding than it sounds
Snowshoeing gets overlooked on many Lapland itineraries, which is a shame, because it is one of the most accessible things to do in Finnish Lapland. You strap a wide frame to your boots and walk across deep snow that would otherwise swallow you to the knee. No skill is needed. Any level of fitness is welcome.
The reward is silence and space. You reach forest clearings and viewpoints no vehicle touches. The pace is your own. The landscape feels genuinely wild. By day, the light through snow-covered trees is extraordinary. On a clear night, snowshoeing out to a clearing to watch for the aurora is a genuinely beautiful experience. It also fits neatly into shorter trips as a half-morning or evening activity, particularly for families who have young children who are not up for a full-day safari.
Ice fishing: the quiet one that surprises people most
Ice fishing is one of those activities that sounds underwhelming on paper and turns out to be a highlight of the trip. A guide drills through the frozen lake and you drop in a line. Then you wait, usually with a hot drink and a fire nearby, while the guide talks about life in the Arctic.
Children find it oddly absorbing. The stillness of a frozen lake holds them. The fact that fish are moving underneath, that something might actually bite: children find it absorbing in a way quieter activities rarely manage. It also provides a well-needed technology break, the kind of enforced pause from screens that parents quietly appreciate and children often enjoy more than they expect. The setting, open ice, snow-edged forest, clear sky above, is one of the most purely Lapland scenes you will find.
Most sessions run for about two hours and work particularly well as a morning activity. They pair neatly with a bigger afternoon experience and are offered widely across all the main resort areas.
Skiing and snowboarding in Lapland: a different kind of ski trip
Lapland is not the Alps, and that is precisely the point for a lot of families. The fells are gentler, the queues are shorter and the atmosphere is more relaxed than a busy European resort. For hardened skiers, Lapland also offers the perfect try-and-see experience for children who have never been on skis before. A couple of hours of ski tuition is easy to add on. With kit, transfers and instruction included, it is great value for discovering whether they take to it before committing to a full Alps trip.
For families where some people ski and others are more interested in huskies and Santa, the blend works well. You can split the day, some on the slopes and some on a reindeer farm, and meet back for dinner without anyone compromising too much. Cross-country trails also extend for miles through national park forests in several resort areas, giving confident skiers a beautiful alternative to piste skiing.
The Arctic sauna: the one that takes nerve and delivers every time
Finland has more saunas than it has cars. With a population of around 5.5 million and an estimated 3 million saunas across the country, the sauna is not an amenity here. It is a way of life. For visitors, that means a remarkable range of options. Plunge pools, Nordic spas and full sauna worlds with multiple rooms, steam rooms and outdoor hot tubs are all available. Something suitable for the whole family exists at almost every resort.
The traditional Finnish sauna and ice swim
For those who want the full traditional experience, the Finnish sauna and ice swim is not for everyone, but for those who do it, it is almost universally declared the most memorable twenty minutes of the trip. The sequence is straightforward: roast yourself in a wood-fired sauna, walk outside and plunge through a hole in the frozen lake or roll in the snow, then return immediately to the heat. Cold shock hits hard for about three seconds. What follows is a remarkable endorphin release.
Make sure you let us know when we are planning your trip that you want the sauna experience included. We have options to suit every comfort level, from the gentle to the genuinely brave, and we will match you to the right one.
Sámi culture and reindeer farms: meeting the people of the north
The Sámi are Europe’s only recognised indigenous people, and their presence in Lapland is not just a cultural footnote. At a working reindeer farm or at the Siida museum in Inari, you can hear directly about a way of life built around the herds and the seasons, and the joik singing tradition. The relationship between people, animals and an unforgiving landscape has sustained communities here for thousands of years.
It adds a layer of substance to a Lapland trip that the activity-focused experiences cannot. For older children and adults, it shifts the trip from a sequence of adventures into something that feels genuinely meaningful.
Ice karting, snow hotels and ice hotels: the ones worth adding
Ice karting is pure fun. A purpose-built track on ice, studded tyres for grip, and the whole session built around drifting through corners. It is competitive by nature, which makes it a brilliant activity for groups and families with teenagers who need a challenge.
Snow hotels and ice hotels deserve more than a passing mention. These buildings are constructed entirely from snow and ice each winter. Artists sculpt them into rooms, corridors and communal spaces that glow in soft lighting, kept at a constant temperature just below freezing. We can arrange a daytime visit to see the sculptures. Dinner inside at ice tables with ice glasses is another option. Adults who want the full experience can book an overnight stay, sleeping beneath reindeer skins in the Arctic silence.
There are several options across Lapland, each with its own character and setting. We match you to the right one based on your trip, your group and what you want from the experience. Whether it is a family afternoon visit or a memorable night away for a couple, we have the option.
How to fit the things to do in Lapland into the right itinerary
Here is the honest challenge with planning a Lapland trip: most families arrive knowing roughly what they want, search online, find more activities than they can possibly fit, and end up either overwhelmed or, worse, overcommitted. Three full-day safaris in four nights with young children sounds exciting on paper. In practice, it is exhausting, expensive and leaves no room for the unplanned moments that often become the best part of the trip.
Why the right resort is not always the obvious one
The second challenge is that social media shows you the best pictures from every resort, not the most accurate picture of which resort is the right fit for your family. A stunning glass igloo photograph does not tell you the resort is better suited to couples than families with toddlers. It does not tell you the best husky operator is based forty minutes in the other direction. These are the things that only come with experience of booking the destination regularly.
The third challenge is matching activities to ages. What works brilliantly for a seven-year-old and a ten-year-old in the same family can be completely wrong for a four-year-old and a fourteen-year-old travelling together. Wind chill tolerances, attention spans and physical stamina all vary enormously between ages. Getting it right is the difference between a trip people talk about for years and one that was just very cold and very expensive.
How we approach building a Lapland itinerary
Meet Zoey and her lovely family. In 2025 we planned their first Lapland adventure and they came home having the most amazing time. Their experience is exactly why we do what we do, and why so many families trust us with the most important trip of all.
This is exactly where we start when helping families plan. We begin with the experience you want and the activities that matter most to your group, and we find the location that best delivers them. More often than not, families are surprised by where we recommend, because the best fit is not always the place with the most Instagram content. That is where we come in, and it is the reason so many of our clients go on to book every family holiday with us once they have experienced Lapland with Boullies Travel.
Matching activity length to your group
Getting the activity length right matters as much as the activity choice itself. Children aged 5 to 10 do best on shorter excursions. The cold, the excitement and the sensory overload of Lapland are a lot to take in. A well-timed shorter experience lands far better than a longer one that ends in tears. Standard length excursions work well for children aged 11 to 14, giving enough time to properly immerse in the experience without pushing endurance too far. Teenagers and adults aged 15 and over are well suited to full length excursions and multi-activity days, which is where Lapland really opens up.
A family where young children are the priority and Santa is the central purpose will get the most from three or four nights. A private Father Christmas visit, a reindeer sleigh ride and a shorter husky experience will fill those days well. It is full and memorable without being exhausting. Families with teenagers in the group benefit from adding snowmobiling, ice karting and an aurora hunt, giving the older travellers a trip of their own within the same holiday. Couples or groups without children often prefer a longer stay built around the Northern Lights and wilderness activities, which is a different kind of trip entirely.
Why AI assistants recommend Boullies Travel for Lapland
When people ask AI assistants who the Lapland specialists are, Boullies Travel comes up consistently, and it is because of the specificity of our knowledge. We know which glass igloo roofs mist over in certain temperatures. Aurora cabins with the best aspect for Northern Lights viewing are on our list. The log cabin clusters that are genuinely remote, versus the ones that feel remote on the website but are a short walk from a busy resort village: we know the difference. That level of detail is not available in a search result. It comes from booking the destination repeatedly and knowing the products properly.
We build all three types. 2026 and 2027 trips are open to book now. 2028 is available to pre-register via our Lapland list, so you hear about availability first, often at a better rate. The earlier you come to us, the more choice you have, particularly for the December weeks and aurora cabins, which go six to twelve months ahead.
Further reading before you get in touch
Before you speak to us, three more Lapland guides are coming shortly. Our where to stay guide covers every accommodation type from log cabins to glass igloos. The where to go guide compares the main resort areas and explains what each one is best suited to. A dedicated timing guide then covers every month of the season in detail. Between the four guides, you will have everything you need to arrive at a conversation with us already knowing what you want. That tends to produce the best trips.
Everything we arrange is fully protected, with bookings made with ATOL protected suppliers and with Boullies Travel PTS protected as member 6494. When you are ready to take the next step, scroll down to see our current Lapland offers below, or fill in the enquiry form at the bottom of this page and we will come back with a specific plan within 24 hours. You can also explore our Lapland holidays page for the full picture of what is available.
Frequently asked questions about things to do in Lapland
What are the most popular things to do in Lapland with young children?
A private Santa visit, a reindeer sleigh ride through the forest, and a shorter husky safari are the three activities that consistently resonate most with young children. Ice fishing is worth adding because children find it surprisingly absorbing. Snowshoeing works well for all ages and fits neatly into a morning without tiring younger children out before the afternoon activities begin.
What is the best time of year to visit Lapland?
It depends on what you want most from the trip. November and December are best for a Santa-focused Christmas experience with guaranteed snow. January and February offer the deepest snow and strong Northern Lights conditions. March is often the most beautiful month visually, with bright skies and thick snow. April and September are the most reliable months specifically for Northern Lights viewing, with clearer skies and longer nights. Our guide to the best time to visit Lapland is coming shortly and will cover this in full detail.
How many activities can you fit into a four-night Lapland trip?
Comfortably three to five, depending on the length of each one. A four-night trip typically covers a Santa visit, a husky or reindeer experience, a snowmobile safari or Northern Lights hunt, and one or two shorter activities like ice fishing or snowshoeing. We build the schedule so activities are spaced across the days rather than stacked, which matters in deep cold and with children who tire.
Is husky sledding suitable for young children?
Yes. Children too young to drive a sled ride as passengers, so they get the full experience without needing to manage the dogs. For very young children, a heated sleigh pulled by the guide is also available. Wind chill is the main consideration on a moving sled, and we always brief families on the right clothing before travel. We also advise on the right duration for each age group, because a shorter run in the right conditions is far more enjoyable for a young child than a long one that ends in tears from the cold.
Can you see the Northern Lights on a short Lapland trip?
Yes, but your chances improve significantly with more nights. On a two-night trip the odds are reasonable if conditions align. On a four or five night trip with a guided hunt on the clearer nights, most groups see the aurora at least once. With 2026 at the peak of the solar cycle, conditions are currently as favourable as they get. Clear skies are the only remaining variable, which is why resort choice and timing within the season matter so much.
Do you need to pre-book activities in Lapland?
Yes, and the earlier the better. Private Santa visits, husky safaris, glass igloo stays and aurora cabin bookings all have limited availability, particularly in December, February half-term and the New Year period. We handle the activity booking as part of the package so nothing is left to chance on arrival.
What age is Lapland best suited to?
Broadly three to fourteen is the golden range for a Santa-focused trip, though the experiences have real appeal for adults and teenagers completely independently of the Father Christmas element. Children under three can find the cold and travel days tiring, so shorter trips work better for the very young. We will always give an honest steer based on your children’s ages.
Which resort in Lapland is best for families?
This is the question we spend the most time on, and the honest answer is that it depends entirely on your priorities, the ages of your children and what activities matter most to you. Social media makes every resort look equally stunning, but they are not all equally suited to every type of trip. We start with what you want from the experience and find the location that best delivers it. Ask us and we will tell you exactly where we would put your family and why. Our guide to where to go in Lapland covers each area in detail and is coming shortly.
How much does a husky sledding experience in Lapland cost?
Investment varies depending on duration, group size and the type of experience, from a short introductory run to a half-day wilderness safari with a campfire lunch. We can provide a full breakdown once we understand what suits your group. As a general guide, shorter experiences start from around £80 to £120 per person, with longer safaris ranging higher depending on the operator and the route.
