Lapland with kids: what it costs

The short answer

Lapland with children is expensive mainly because of three things: peak-season flights and rooms in December, the price of animal and snowmobile safaris, and eating out in a country where restaurant meals cost more than in most of the UK. The good news is that the main event, meeting Santa, costs nothing, and you choose how many paid extras to add.

The figures in this guide are for two adults and two children aged 4 to 14, travelling in early December. They are typical prices from operators, airlines and recent family trip reports, labelled as typical and checked Nov 2026. Safari companies now use dynamic pricing, so the same trip can cost more or less depending on demand. Treat every number here as a guide for budgeting, not a quote.

Flights and getting there

For winter 2026/27 there are direct flights to Rovaniemi from Birmingham and Manchester with easyJet and Ryanair, taking about 3 hours to 3 hours 20 minutes. For Levi, you fly to Kittilä, about 15 km away, with easyJet from Manchester, Gatwick, Luton and Liverpool, at about 3 hours 30 minutes from Manchester. Many easyJet routes only run from mid or late November to early January, while Ryanair's Rovaniemi flights run from late October to late March.

Fares swing widely. Typical December returns from Birmingham to Rovaniemi run from about £150 to well over £400 per person, and on the Manchester to Kittilä route the cheapest dates can be under £150 while flights just before Christmas typically cost £400 or more. One family trip report from Gatwick paid £108 return booked three months ahead, against £400 or more for later pre-Christmas fares. Hold bags cost extra on easyJet and Ryanair, and winter clothes are bulky, so add them when you book.

Once you land, Rovaniemi's airport bus costs about €7 to €8 per person into town, and a taxi to Santa Claus Village takes about 10 minutes and usually costs about €25. In Levi, the airport bus costs about €10 to €15 one way.

Where to stay and what it costs

Accommodation is where your choices make the biggest difference. Recent family trip reports give these typical winter ranges per night for a family of four:

• Basic apartment in central Rovaniemi: from about £120 a night in peak season, though not always walkable to the attractions.
• Comfortable self-catering apartment in Rovaniemi: about £150 to £200 a night.
• Cabin on a husky farm outside town: around £190 a night.
• Glass-roofed igloo or cabin: from about £450 to £1,000 a night in December, and up to about £2,000 at the most sought-after resorts in peak season.
• Inexpensive central hotel room: about €120 a night, according to one early-January trip report.

Santa, safaris and clothing: typical prices

Santa Claus Village is open every day and both entry and meeting Santa at Santa Claus Office are free. You cannot use your own camera during the meeting; an official photographer takes pictures and video, and families typically pay about €40 to €55 for the basic digital package, while a printed A4 photo is listed at €42 on the official shop. If you want to skip the queue, the Christmas Express Pass costs €500 per family of up to eight, including a private meeting, photos and video. In Christmas week the free queue can take 30 to 90 minutes at midday, so arriving at opening time is the cheaper way to save time.

Shorter, simpler activities cost much less. Trip reports from Santa Claus Village mention short reindeer sleigh rides from about €30 and short husky rides from about €30 to €60 per family, and one January visitor paid €50 for a 500-metre husky ride and €60 for a 15-minute reindeer ride. These are tasters rather than safaris, but small children are often happy with them.

Thermal overalls and boots are included on most organised safaris, including all of the Lapland Safaris trips in the table below. If you need warm kit for walking around town, Winterent rents sets of jacket, trousers, mittens, boots and a tube scarf in Rovaniemi and Levi from about €39 to €41 a set, with an all-in-one overall for small children. Check whether the price is per day or for the whole rental before you book.

On snowmobile trips, drivers must be at least 18 with a valid driving licence, and two adults share a machine. Children ride in a sled pulled by the guide. Your damage liability is up to €980 unless you pay a €20 waiver per driver, which reduces it to €150. SantaPark, the indoor cave park near the airport, is a separate ticketed attraction, with tickets from €42 for adults and €37 for children aged 3 to 12, plus a booking fee (open 31 October 2026 to 23 January 2027).

Full safaris cost far more than most people expect. Lapland Safaris' Christmas and New Year prices for 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 in Rovaniemi include:

Food and drink

Eating out is the cost families most often underestimate. Recent trip reports put a pizza or burger lunch at about €16, a fast-food burger meal at Santa Claus Village at about €15, an evening main course in the village at about €25 to €40, and a buffet lunch at an attraction restaurant at about €30 to €50 per person. A bottle of wine in a restaurant is about €40.

For a family of four, two restaurant meals a day can easily reach €150 to €200. Self-catering is the main way round this: a supermarket shop for breakfasts and some dinners, with one meal out a day, can cut the food bill considerably. Ask whether your accommodation has a kitchen before you book.

Sample budget: four nights in Rovaniemi

This example is for two adults and two children in early December, travelling independently. Flights and rooms are usually priced in pounds, and costs on the ground in euros, so they are shown separately. All figures are typical, checked Nov 2026.

Day trip, package or three to four nights

A one-day Lapland trip packs a flight, a Santa meeting and taster activities into a very long day. Magic Breaks lists 2026 day trips to Enontekiö from about £599 per adult and £569 per child, with departures from a range of UK airports, a private family meeting with Santa, short husky, snowmobile and reindeer rides, lunch and loan of thermal suits and boots. TUI also runs day trips, from about £750 per person. For a family of four, a day trip comes to roughly £2,300 to £3,000.

Packaged short breaks cost more but take away the planning. Magic Breaks lists two and three-night 2026 Lapland holidays from about £1,419 to £2,159 per person, based on two adults and two children sharing, so a family of four would pay roughly £5,700 to £8,600. The pre-Christmas weekends are the most expensive dates.

Doing it yourself over three or four nights is usually the best value per day, gives you time for a cloudy evening or a tired child, and lets you choose how many safaris to pay for. The trade-off is that you arrange flights, rooms, transfers and bookings yourself, and December slots for popular trips sell out, so book them before you travel.

How to save money

• Travel in late November or early December, which is usually quieter and cheaper than the weeks just before Christmas. Snow is more reliable from December.
• Book flights as early as you can, and compare Ryanair and easyJet, which fly on different days.
• Choose one proper safari rather than several, and add short taster rides at Santa Claus Village.
• Visit Santa at opening time instead of buying an Express Pass.
• Stay in a self-catering apartment and shop at a supermarket for breakfasts and some dinners.
• Check what clothing your activities include before hiring or buying a full set for everyone.
• Look at January to March for a snow and husky holiday: some safaris have lower children's prices after the Christmas period, if seeing Santa at Christmas is not essential.

Frequently asked questions

Route guides for this trip