Lapland - what do we need?

[FifthTimeLucky5]

I think I am possibly more excited than my DC to be going to Lapland in December! This is likely a once in a lifetime trip and I want to make sure we all enjoy it and are prepared for the cold but I don’t really know where to start.

Boots, snowsuits and gloves are provided but can anyone who has been, recommend what layers we need underneath, what to buy and where from? Anything you’d wished you’d taken or took but didn’t need? Having never been on a snowy holiday, living somewhere where it rarely dips below freezing and being generally a person who feels the cold I want to make sure we are all warm enough to enjoy it to the max.

thank you :)

I’m not sure who you’re going with, but we were with Canterbury travel and didn’t spend much extra at all. Drinks at the bar in the evening (but we were so tired, I think we managed one Prosecco and then switched to water!) and we stopped at some tourist souvenir shops on the way back to the airport. We got a couple of magnets (our standar holiday buy) and cuddly toys. It wasn’t cheap so I imagine some people were spending a fortune but there were plenty of cheaper bits for the kids to buy.

Very jealous of everyone going this year. Our trip last year was fantastic!

We’ve booked with magic breaks

@Watapalava wss this provided by tui ? Where the trips also included with the price with tui ? Thinking about to go
with them for 2023 but thought it was only the flight and hotel included. I’d like to book my own trips but I can see they mention them so unsure whether they’re included in the price

Watching. Going with Canterbury in December.

Which area does Canterbury go to ?

Suomu Ruka Valley

Tui inc all clothing plus reminder ride, husky and snowmobile

They’re not as long trips as with some operators however even the posher operators can’t compare with the local companies. Posh operators like esprit and Canterbury’s travel offer 30 min excursions but locals do -3 hr experiences

I suggest booking cheaper package and booking excursions with local providers as it’s cheaper overall for more personal day

Thanks! If they are short trips then I’ll write them off and book my own. Tui offers direct flights and stays to roviameni (sp?) which is where I want to stay. Hence why I thought about booking with them

sorry op for detailing your post !

We’re going with tui and staying in Levi I think. some trips included but we’ve booked extras.

my main q is evening - what to wear? Jumpers? Footwear?

We’re going with Canterbury next month. We’re doing 4 days/3 nights in Pyha.

Evenings I wore jeans and jumpers and trainers

even in saariselka which is the furthest north resort, you could still get from hotel to a restaurant in trainers/boots as the paths are flattened out

Normal winter boots also fine but heavier to take

I wore the boots they provided and then only trainers

please be careful booking Rovaniemi in December as it’s very low and frequently doesn’t have snow

go very late December if you really want to

we went elsewhere as we wanted a magical wonderland and Rovaniemi is a city

Hi everyone, I’m really pleased I started this thread as it’s been so helpful! I am spending my Monday morning getting organised and looking at what we have and I have a question about underwear! :) if we have merino and fleece base layers do we need merino pants too? They are very expensive so I’m wondering if we will be ok with our usual cotton knickers and boxers or if I need to be spending money on something more specific. DD has recently turned 3 and while she has been potty trained for a while she still has the odd accident so I’m thinking it might be sensible to put her in pull ups while we are there. I can’t imagine trying to deal with an accident in a snowsuit in minus temperatures being much fun for any of us!

Oh and does anyone know when the snow arrives and stays put? I have been obsessively watching the webcams 🤦‍♀️ - we are going to Yllas. There is snow on the ground this morning but there was last week and it had melted over the weekend!?

You don’t need merino

of course it’s recommended but you really don’t need it

we didn’t take any merino

we wore primark fleece pjs as our fleece under layer bottoms and under them I wore cheap baselayers

people go over board

all these silk glove liners etc are not needed

they give you leather sheepskin gloves and the locals specifically say not to wear anything under

Point I’m making is that 2 layers under your suit and you’ll be fine

it was -20 when we went and we were not cold - strange as it sounds it’s a diff kind of cold - today in uk actually felt colder than Lapland.

number one thing you need is a good snood and a balaclava for kids

normal knickers etc will be fine

We also didn’t take any merino, just polyester base layers from decathlon.

I wore lots of cheap fleece layers from Decathlon. I agree that nobody needs merino wool.

If you're going to be active, and sweat in the cold, damp cotton will feel really unpleasant when you're less active and you cool down. And that includes pants.

Microfibre pants will do the job, and are much more affordable than silk ones.

Did you wear your base layers to travel or put them on once you arrived? I'm thinking we will be cooked on the plane and coach?!

@Hellenbach - you don't need anything super warm until you're doing outdoor activities, just regular clothes for the plane are fine!

Thanks!

sounds daft, but how do you cope wearing glasses in the snow? I'm just a bit worried about my glasses steaming up, but then without them I cant see!

@thebellagio - it's fine, just the same as here really, steam up when you go from hot to cold and vice versa but once they acclimate it's ok, I never had a particular problem with mine