Classic Holidays in Lapland

Lapland is located within the Arctic Circle, south of the Svalbard archipelago. It is sprawled over northern Finland and Sweden, as well as Norway and Russia.

Lapland is a region that covers multiple countries: Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia.

There are over 180,000 residents in Finnish Lapland and at least 91,000 in Swedish Lapland. People do live in Norwegian and Russian Lapland, but the numbers are few so there isn’t an official census.

People in Lapland speak Finnish, Sami and Swedish, depending on which part of the region they’re from. Most people will know basic phrases and directions in English. You won’t have to worry about this on our tours as all of our guides all speak English.

The subarctic climate means that, for a lot of the year, Lapland is covered with snow.

This is why travellers come to Lapland to enjoy holidays filled with winter sports and activities like riding snowmobiles, dog sledding and cross-country skiing. The region is home to 14 ski resorts and perfect for skiing holidays.

Discover even more reasons to visit Lapland in the winter on our blog.

Lapland is a wintry region located in the Arctic Circle, but it’s not within the North Pole. However, the official “North Pole residence" of Father Christmas is in Santa Claus Village, Rovaniemi.

You can meet Father Christmas on a trip to Santa Claus Village all year round. But we recommend you visit during the winter months as it’s far more festive when Lapland is blanketed with snow.

Our team has met Father Christmas himself. Learn about Nordic Visitor’s first-hand experience of Lapland on our blog and discover the best activities to do in Santa Claus Village.

Yes, Lapland is a great destination to see the northern lights as it’s within the Arctic Circle – a prime location to see the aurora borealis. Of course, it’s a natural phenomenon and the correct conditions have to be met for a chance of seeing them. Here are a few tips:

• Get away from the cities or towns, as light pollution can hamper viewings
• Stay up late as the darker the night, the more vividly the lights appear
• Search for them on a clear night without any cloud cover
• Visit during the winter as this is the best season to view them

For more information, check out our northern lights guide.

Lapland is one of the best places to see the northern lights as it’s located within the Arctic Circle. However, it’s a natural phenomenon so sightings are unpredictable. Staying away from light pollution helps though, and you'll have a better chance of seeing the aurora borealis outside of cities and towns.

We recommend spending a night or two in Lapland’s ICEHOTEL as it's located in the countryside. If you want to add nights there to your tour, contact your travel consultant.

Find out what you’ll experience on a Lapland aurora borealis tour in our guide to chasing the northern lights.

Whether you’re on a family holiday or a couples trip, Lapland is a stunning winter destination with plenty of activities and excursions for a range of interests. Here are some of the best things to do:

• Snowmobiling
• Husky sledding
• Reindeer sleighing
• Northern lights chasing
• Meeting Santa Claus

For more activity ideas, have a look at the top things to do in Lapland or check out the best Lapland holidays for winter.

It’s best to dress for the cold weather when you visit Lapland. Your visit may include outdoor excursions. With this in mind, wrap up warm and wear sensible walking shoes, or boots. Here are a few more of our suggestions of what to pack for Lapland:

• Thick woollen socks
• Thermal base layers
• Warm woollen sweater
• Casual trousers or waterproof trousers (depending on the day’s itinerary)
• Thin wool or fleece gloves (ideal as a base layer under snowmobile gloves)
• Snowproof jacket or coat
• Scarf and hat

For a more detailed list of what to bring, read our Lapland packing guide.

The time it takes to travel to Lapland depends on where you’re visiting from. Here are some flight duration estimates:

• UK, the average flight time is 3.5 hours
• USA, travel time can range from 11-20 hours
• Australia, travel time can range from 18-25 hours
• South Africa, travel time can range from 18-24 hours
• India, travel time can range from 17-22 hours

For an idea of where to fly to and which airlines to take, read our Finnish Lapland and Swedish Lapland flight guides.

When purchasing travel insurance, you can rest assured that most European travel insurance policies cover Lapland as both Finland and Sweden are within the EU. However, you should always refer to the terms and conditions from your travel insurance provider.

All Nordic Visitor tours are safeguarded by insurance that meets European Union travel regulations. In a similar way to how ATOL protection works for flights, this insurance covers your package purchase.

You will not need a visa to visit Lapland if you’re a resident of the UK, European Union, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. However, if you have a South African, Indian or Chinese passport you will need a Schengen visa.

For all other countries and more travel advice, contact your travel consultant.

The price of a holiday in Lapland will depend on the activities you want to do. Fortunately, a lot of the most popular ones, like dog sledding, are already added. Take a browse of the tours to see the itineraries.

Even more value is packed into a Nordic Visitor trip, as all include:

• Nights in approved hotels or cabins
• Airport transfers to and from your accommodation
• Daily breakfasts
• A detailed personalised itinerary
• A loan of additional outerwear and safety gear
• Full insurance protection on packages
• 24/7 phone support

If you have some must-do extras, such as snowshoe walks and snowmobile rides, speak to your travel consultant. Read our information page for more details on visiting Lapland.

Yes, you can choose the arrival date that best suits you. However, some accommodation such as the ICEHOTEL and Arctic SnowHotel are in demand, so we recommend you book as soon as possible. All of our tours are online, so you can decide your ideal dates with ease.

Our travel experts use their extensive knowledge to create packages that feature the most popular attractions and activities. However, you can add extras like snowshoe trekking, northern lights tours, and nights in the famous ICEHOTEL.

To customise your trip, you can either book online and add extras during the booking steps, or contact your dedicated travel consultant. You could also add extra days in Lapland, and include more destinations such as Iceland or Norway on your tour.

All you need to do is decide which Lapland package best suits your wish list, then contact our consultant about personalising it. We want you to have an amazing time in Lapland and we’re happy to tailor your package where we can, so that you go home with some exceptional memories.

We recommend that you look over flights for timings and dates, but hold off booking them until you’ve secured your holiday package. This is because certain activities and accommodation (like the Arctic SnowHotel) have limited spaces, so it’s best to have everything planned before you purchase flights.

Another reason is that you’ll have all of your itinerary information from your travel consultant, meaning you can make a more informed decision on flight times. If you have any questions, you can always contact your consultant for advice.

When you pack for your trip, we advise that you bring plenty of warm jumpers and tops as well as winter accessories like scarves, hats and gloves. As well as this, your daily excursions may take you to the countryside where there may be uneven ground, so you’ll need to wear comfortable, protective footwear. Outerwear is provided but do bring a warm coat just in case you want another layer. You may also need power adapters depending on where you’re visiting from.

Here are more packing ideas for your Lapland trip:

• Thermal base layers
• Thick jumpers or sweaters
• Waterproof trousers
• Camera with extra batteriesy
• Small rucksack for day tours
• Heat pads for hands and feet
• Power adaptors with two round prongs (Europlug Type C and F)

Get more ideas on what to bring to Lapland in our packing guide.