5 Days in Lapland over Christmas
There are holidays you plan and holidays you dream about. Lapland over Christmas sits firmly in the second category for most families, and after years of it being on the vision board we finally went. December 23rd to 28th, Levi, Finland. Northern lights included.Â
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Here is everything we spent, did and everything we'd do differently. Lapland was one of the most overwhelming holidays I booked so hopefully this guide gives you some clarity.Â
Wild Child Rating: 5/5
Best for high-energy explorers needing a nature reset.
Lapland Logistics
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We flew from Manchester to Kittila, purely because of the location we decided to go to. Newcastle flights go to Rovanemi and we didn't want the hustle and bustle lapland, rather the guaranteed scenic route and snow. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Manchester Airport and used the park and ride for the duration of the trip. I've done this a few times now and had no issues.Â
The flight is EasyJet direct to Kittila and takes 3 hours and 25 minutes, and Kittila airport is genuinely tiny. You're through and out in minute, which after a flight with kids who hate sitting still is exactly what you want. Levi is about 30 minutes away with from the airport in a taxi which is manageable.Â
Flights and hotel together came to £2,363.92 with lastminute.com
Getting There
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Hotel Kittilä, which is the closest hotel to the airport. It’s basic, but we weren’t in it much and it did exactly what it needed to do.
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If I went back I’d do it differently. A cabin or lodge in the forest would give you the full Lapland experience in a way that a hotel simply can’t, and an apartment in Levi centre would solve the taxi problem that caught us out significantly (more on that below).
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The choice really comes down to whether you want to wake up surrounded by forest and snow, or whether you want everything within walking distance.
This is the thing nobody told us and I want to make sure it doesn't catch you out.Â
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We didn't hire a car, and because our hotel wasn't in Levi centre we were relying on taxis via Bolt or Uber. A 15 minute taxi from the airport to the hotel was €60. Getting into Levi and back was €60-80 each way for the same 15 minute journey, and over Christmas the prices are higher than usual. In total we spent approximately €600 in taxis across five days.
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Next time: hire a car or stay central. Those are the two options and either solves this completely. If you're staying in Levi centre you can walk everywhere. If you want the forest cabin experience, a hire car from Kittila airport gives you the freedom to move around without the cost stacking up.Â
Getting Around
Read this before you book
We hired our winter clothing through Winter Rent, and this was one of the best decisions we made. Everything was waiting at our accommodation when we arrived and collected the day we left so no packing anxiety, no extra baggage fees, no worrying about whether what you own is actually warm enough for -15°C.
The hire covered snowsuits, boots, gloves, and scarves for the children, and waterproof trousers, jackets, boots, and gloves for the adults. The quality was excellent, super warm, properly waterproof, and worth every cent of the €380.
Underneath the hired kit, the kids wore thermal fur-lined tops and normal leggings, base layers from Primark and Go Outdoors. I wore a thin long-sleeve top and thermal leggings from Primark.
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When you’re running around in the snow you warm up fast, and in restaurants you take the snowsuits off, so the base layers underneath matter more than you’d think. Ear muffs are non-negotiable and I was so glad I packed them.
The cold at -15°C sounds alarming before you go. It wasn’t as bad as we expected once we were in it and moving around.
What To Wear
Breakfast was included at the hotel, which helped significantly.
Zero Point is the main slope area in Levi and there’s a coffee spot here that became a daily stop. The best coffee of the trip, proper croissants, and a genuinely lovely spot to start the morning. A round of drinks and pastries for all four of us came to around €30.
The British Pub in Levi centre, yes, there’s an English pub in the middle of Finnish Lapland, and it became a firm favourite. Warm, welcoming, and familiar when you need a sit-down meal. Budget around €120 for a family of four for dinner.
The Secret Café, if you’ve seen this on TikTok you’ll already know about it. You take the cable car from Zero Point to the top of the slope and follow the signs to a tiny cabin built over an open fire. It’s lovely but small, warm (almost too warm, being honest), with incredible views. It got very busy following the TikTok coverage and we queued around 20 minutes to get in.
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Was it worth it? I don't know if I'd go again. But go early in the day if you want a shorter wait. Prices: hot chocolate €4, marshmallow €2, sausage €3.
Supermarkets are available if you’re trying to manage the food budget and Burger King is also there if the children need something familiar and quick.
Where To Eat
What It Cost: Based on a family of four
Flights + hotel (lastminute.com)
Manchester hotel + park & ride
~£2,750
Winter clothing hire (Winter Rent)
~£220
Taxis
Husky & reindeer excursion (GetYourGuide)
~€600
£380
Levilandia entry
~£530
Arcadia night experience
Food across the trip
~£1,000
~£135
€30
Approximate total
£5,600–£5,800
Our Top 3 Activities
Full Trip Itinerary
Day 01
Arrival & Enchantment
Landed, collected our winter clothing from the hotel, went straight outside to play in the snow (the children needed no encouragement whatsoever), and walked to the supermarket to stock up on snacks and drinks for the room.
Day 02
Levilandia & Town
The Finns celebrate Christmas on the 24th, which means December 24th in Levi has a particular atmosphere that’s genuinely lovely to be part of.
Levilandia sits at South Point slopes and is one of the highlights of the trip. It’s essentially a snow activity park,  sledging, snow tubing, skiing options, restaurants, a bar, and an indoor play area. We spent a good two to three hours here and the children were completely absorbed. Entry was €30 for all four of us, which for the time and entertainment it provided is exceptional value.
After Levilandia we took the free bus into Levi town centre to explore, grabbed dinner at the British pub, and spent time at Zero Point letting the children play in the snow at the main slope area.
Day 03
Christmas Morning & Arcadia
Santa found us in Finland, which the children found both exciting and slightly confusing in the best way. Christmas morning presents in the hotel room, then a sit-down hotel dinner, and in the evening we went to Arcadia.
Arcadia is a park I’d seen on TikTok and I’m very glad we went. We did the night-time experience which is a different world, the park is lit beautifully and the atmosphere after dark is magical. Entry was £47.99 for all four of us, which covers the park itself and all the self-guided activities.
Additional experiences are bought with Arcadia Coins at €3 per coin or €25 for 10 coins. The children did snowmobiling where they drove the snowmobiles themselves, which was an enormous hit. We spent approximately €75 on coins across the evening. You can also add a daytime visit or a food experience, worth looking at when you book.
Day 04
Explore Day
A deliberately relaxed day. Back to Zero Point for the children to play on the slopes, hot chocolates and marshmallows at the huts at the bottom, dinner at the British pub again (no apologies, it was that good), and then up to the Secret Café in the afternoon.
Day 05
Husky & Reindeer Excursion
The standout experience of the trip. We booked this through GetYourGuide (£450.84 for all four of us) as a joint husky and reindeer excursion that runs for approximately three hours.
The first half is with the reindeer, you visit the herd, hear stories about them and Finnish culture, and go on a short ride through the snow. This is exactly what you picture when you imagine Lapland. There’s a hut afterwards for hot chocolate and warming up, which the children thought was brilliant.
Then a short bus to the huskies, where you have the same experience with the dogs, and the husky ride is faster and considerably more exhilarating. The children loved it. The excursion departs from Levi centre which made logistics simple.
The morning before the excursion we went to Zero Point for coffee and croissants, the new daily ritual, and the final evening was sledging and playing in the snow as it got dark.
Day 06
Home
Packed up, returned the winter clothing, and flew home from Kittilä. Kittilä airport is as easy to get out of as it is to arrive into.