Lapland 2025 winter break

[Isabella777]

So, I know you have to book Lapland vacations early, but have I really already missed the boat for Christmas holidays next year?? We don’t need to go before Christmas, any time over the kids break would be fine, but searching for accommodation in Rovaniemi and so many places are booked up already through the first week in January. Seems like we could still get an apt in town and DIY it, but as first time visitors I was kinda hoping to book somewhere that would just take care of all the activities, provide winter gear, etc. Are there other areas further north we should consider, like Saariselkä?

For reference, kids will be 7 and 9 and while we would probably visit Santa, I suspect they’ll be most into the various activities like husky/reindeer safaris, tobogganing, ice go karts, etc. Older DC would really like to see northern lights although I know that’s not guaranteed. I suspect they’d like the overnight train from Helsinki, which was one of the reasons I was focusing on Rovaniemi, but it’s not a must.

We’d consider the 2026 February half term but are likely to have a family event conflict that week.

Any tips would be appreciated! And if I really am too late, you can say that too. ;)

ETA- would the answer change if we also added on a couple days of skiing? Not much of a skier myself but DH and the kids enjoy it and I don’t think that we could swing a separate ski trip in the same winter. In that case would it make sense to stay in Levi, or just for the skiing part and then move elsewhere? My one concern is just how cold it would be….

I suspect that the hotels have been block booked by tour companies.

You could try Oulu for a few nights and then Levi for skiing? If you want the train from HKI it’s a shorter ride to Oulu which is a nice city.

I haven’t personally been to Levi but I’m sure they offer a host of activities there too so you’re not restricted to just the slopes so I’m sure you wouldn’t be bored if you just stayed there the whole time.

Have a look at what Inghams have in Levi.

I booked dec 2022 Airbnb for dec 2023
flights with easyJet first day they were released on March 2023

probably the hotels haven’t been released

there are several fb groups. I joined them for info etc

This is my guess as well.

Hotels are often not released until a year ahead and the 1st of the month so tomorrow basically. For a trip in September next year most options were released on 1st October 24.

Tour companies may have block booked too.

Thanks all- I’ll keep checking back. It is strange because as some of you say at some hotels I can’t search beyond 31 December, but December has no availability. So I don’t know how you could do an actual new years holiday 🙃

I was hoping not to have to use a tour operator but if they have a monopoly on the rooms may need to reconsider.

I just had a look and Scandic Rovaniemi City had a family room from 27.12.24 to 3.1.25 available. But it was nearly 5k 😳

Unless you go with a tour operator, you’d need to sort the activities yourself. But it’s easy, if you stay in Rovaniemi, you can take the bus to the Santa Claus Village and in there you can access a husky farm for rides and also a reindeer farm. There’s also other stuff to do, when we went we spent the whole day there.

Rovaniemi also has a small ski resort which is fine for day or two’s skiing. Finnish ski resorts also always have a section where you can do sledding.

Look up Lapland Safaris too as you can hire the snowsuits and boots through them. They also provide a long list of excursions.

Levi is a great ski resort but it is a purpose built resort (around the original village of Sirkka) whereas Rovaniemi is a proper small Finnish town, not just a theme park.
I have a great rec for a self catering in Levi though, if you decide to go there.

Saariselkä is a lot further up north, it’s a tiny but very charming town/village. It also has a small ski resort with sledges and snowtubing for kids.

Lapland is wonderful, I hope you’ll get to go (It’s my home country 💙).

Re: skiing. It’s not the best time to ski around Christmas, as not all the lifts & pistes will be open then. And it’s also dark most of the day. Pistes will have flood lights though. February is better time for skiing (more daylight) but Finns often have their Feb half term at the same time as here so it gets very busy.

Would you consider going at Easter? Day light hours are much longer by then, it’s unlikely it’ll hit -30 at that point and you may get some amazing spring sun but tonnes of snow conditions 😍

I booked a December DIY trip to Rovaniemi,flying to Helsinki and taking the sleeper train there and back a few years ago now. Booked the sleeper train first in the September same year (you can.check train website and diaries the booking opening window), then the flights. Booked one night in Helsinki, plus one night in Rovaniemi via booking.com. Got cab straight off sleeper to Santa Village,dumping bags at hotel en route.

Worked out fine and so much cheaper DIY.

We went to Saariselkä which was much nicer and less "touristy" than Rovaniemi.