Finland Family Holidays & Breaks

Family Holidays in Finnish Lapland 

• Head to this northernmost part of Finland to visit Santa, explore the winter playground by husky- or reindeer- drawn sled, and marvel at the Northern Lights in winter or the Midnight Sun in summer.  

• Ask us about booking you a family ski holiday in Finland – it’s much cheaper than other Nordic countries. Resorts are charming, with gentle slopes floodlit due to the ‘Arctic Twilight’. We recommend Levi, the ‘Official Ski Resort of Santa Claus’, and Ylläs, a traditional Lappish village with a festive feel that makes it perfect for Christmas ski holidays – beginner-friendly, uncrowded, with beautifully groomed pistes and a great snow park. Other things to to in Ylläs are husky and reindeer sleigh rides, Santa visits and cooking smores over fire pits, and under-6s get free rental equipment and lift tickets as long as they wear a helmet!

Winter Holidays in Karelia

• Discover Finland’s easternmost province, along the border with Russia –  a wilderness of pristine frozen lakes, vast forests and snow-covered hills brilliant for building igloos and for snowball fights.

• Ask us about adventure trips in Karelia that include snowmobiling across the otherworldly landscape, husky-sledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing (and some downhill skiing), ice-fishing and relaxing in a Finnish sauna.

• Climb to the top of Ukko Koli (10-15 minutes up from the Koli Nature Centre Ukko) for the most famous view in Finland – the icy expanse of Lake Pielinen, with trees covered by a thick blanket of snow.

Helsinki with Kids

• Get to know what is Finland’s biggest city by far yet one with a relaxed, small-town feel. It comes into its own in summer, when as well as seeing sights such as the National Museum of Finland and the Heureka Science Centre, you can relax on its sandy beaches and visit the islands of its archipelago.

• Head for the UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna sea fortress with its cannons, catacombs and museums (including a submarine and a toy museum), open-air theatre. It also has cafés, restaurants and picnic spots.

• Tour the Seurasaari Open Air Museum with its traditional houses from around the country, artisans in traditional dress and walking trails, 

• Enjoy the Uimastadion outdoor pool complex with its waterslides and the adjoining Olympic Tower with its wonderful views.

• Spend a day at Linnanmäki, Finland’s oldest amusement park, with a famous wooden rollercoaster.

Tampere with Kids

• Go Moomin mad in Finland’s second city, where the Moomin Museum displays about 2000 works, some originals, by author and illustrator Tove Jansson, plus some 3D tableaux by Jansson’s partner Tuulikki Pietilä.

• Have fun at the Särkänniemi amusement park, with a planetarium, an observation tower with revolving restaurant, and art museum, theme-park rides and a farm.

• With older kids, tour Tampere’s Vakoilumuseo, a spy museum tracing Finland’s active role in international espionage, including spy tunnels and peep mirrors.

Naantali with Kids

• In summer, head to Moomin World theme park  close to Turku on the south-west coast, for book-inspired attractions, Moomin characters doing the rounds, shows,  fantasy paths and  special activities.

• Explore five ‘worlds’ at Adventure Island Väski, including Pirate Harbour and the Hunter’s Camp.