Family Vacations to Finland

Finland – Family Vacation Guide

Finnish Lapland is the official home of Santa Claus, but Finland itself has a big, wonderful and exciting life above and beyond the snowy Christmas season. From Helsinki to Tampere, the country’s cities are deeply cultured, creative, forward thinking and techy-to-a-fault. Northern Lights, midnight suns and vast expanses of wilderness are just a few of the more famous natural wonders to hail from this deeply mysterious and enthralling Nordic land. Friendly is the default position of the naturally good humored and welcoming Finns. Will kids be enchanted by a holiday here that doesn’t include reindeers and elves? Without a single shadow of a doubt.

Why Go

The city of Rovaniemi is home to Santa’s Village.

Finland has 40 national parks. Almost every one has marked hiking and walking trails, campsites and cabins to rent.

Finland’s Archipelago National Park has more islands than any other archipelago in the world and is under three hour’s drive from Helsinki and an hour’s drive from Turku.

Urho Kekkoven National Park on the edge of the Arctic Circle is the home of Father Christmas and one of the best locations in the world to witness the Aurora Borealis.

The Midnight Sun is one of Finland’s most famous natural phenomena and the country can have almost constant daylight in June and July – longer the further north you travel.

Helsinki

Stretching out into the Baltic, surrounded by over 300 islands and as famous for churches as it is for enormous green spaces, Helsinki might not be the best known Nordic capital, but it’s a strong contender for most idiosyncratic in almost every way.

In 2011, Restaurant Day in Helsinki was celebrated four times. Now every day is Restaurant Day, meaning anyone in the city can open a pop-up restaurant anywhere and test their culinary skill on the critical palates of their fellow countrymen. Very original and very Helsinki.
Hopping round the 330 island strong Helsinki Archipelago is a favorite weekend pastime in the almost endlessly day lit summer months.
Visit in winter and Helsinki has over 125 miles of snowy trails for cross country skiing and ice rinks and sledding runs all over the city.
Over one-third of Helsinki is green space and Sipoonkorpi and Nuuksio National Parks are under an hour’s drive from the city center.
Impressive Helsinki Cathedral on Senate Square would be enough for most cities but Helsinki also has Uspenski Cathedral. Built in the onion-domed Russian Byzantine style, it’s the reason the Finnish capital was often used as a stand-in for Moscow in pre-Gorbachev era U.S. movies.
Don’t miss: World Heritage Suomenlinna sea fortress, Temppeliaukio church, Ateneum National Art Gallery, the Ice-Breaker Fleet, Helsingen Kaupingenmuseum and Linnanmäki and its Sea Life.
Choose central districts like Kauppatori or Kallio for a wide range of three- and four-star family hotels.

Tampere

Never heard of Tampere? If you’re travelling with kids, right that wrong as soon as possible. This is the city which was comic-strip author Tove Janssen’s home, the place for the world’s only Moomin Museum, and the undisputed capital of magical Finnish Lakeland.

Finnish Lakeland is the largest lake district in Europe. The heart of Finnish culture and tradition, it’s a fairy tale landscape of vast forests, islands, huge stretches of water, tiny villages and historic cities.
Tampere is also known as Lake City and, whatever the weather, the locals like to be outdoors. Visit in winter for skiing, husky picnics, snowshoeing, skating and sledding. Long, long summer days are for sailing, swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, walking and island hopping.
Don’t miss: the Moomin Museum, Rulla Children’s Cultural Centre, Särkänniemi Doghill amusement park, Tampere Spy Museum, Kodin kakkonen flea market and Rajaportti sauna (Finland’s oldest) or Rauhaniemi sauna on the lake
Biking the Näsijärvi Lake Trail from Tampere is a fantastic adventure and the perfect excuse to sail the old fashioned Lakeland steam boats and stay in authentic summer cabins.
Tampere has a good choice of city center hotels ranging from three- and four-star to great value self-service hotels with family rooms.
For an unforgettable holiday, rent a lakeside summer cabin or cottage direct from owners or through agencies in Finnish Lakeland.

Rovaniemi

The capital of Finnish Lapland, hometown of Santa Claus, keeper of Northern Lights in winter and summer-long Midnight suns, Rovaniemi is an incredible city in its own right and a gateway to the remote and magnificent wilderness of northern Finland.

Rovaniemi sits on the Arctic Circle and has snow cover for over six months of the year.
The Northern Lights can be seen in Rovaniemi any time between mid-August and April. Top viewing spot is the summit of Ounasvaara Fell or the Arctic Garden behind the city’s Arktikum Museum.
Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi is open 365 days a year and attracts 30,000 visitors annually – particularly in November and December, naturally.
Don’t miss: Ranua Wildlife Park, Snowman World, Pilke Science Centre, Arktikum Museum, Rollohalli Freestyle Park and Huima Arctic Adventure Park.
Ounasvaara family ski resort is just outside Rovaniemi and has eight slopes, five lifts and two terrain parks.

Places to stay in the city range from four- and five-star hotels in the centre, self-catering chalets and cabins in and around Santa Claus Village and even an Arctic Snow Hotel.

Educational Value for Kids

Many of Finland’s public museums and galleries are free and almost all have guided children’s tours and year-round kid’s events.

Download the app or get a paper copy of the illustrated Helsinki For Kids city map – plenty of useful info for parents too.

Hop aboard Helsinki Tram 2 – it’s the unofficial city sightseeing tram.

Spending an entire holiday or even just a few days in a traditional summer cottage or cabin in Finnish Lakeland is a fantastic experience for kids.

Getting Around

Finland’s a large country with an excellent road network supported by extensive ferry services and domestic flights. Hiring a car’s the best way to explore outside towns and cities, see the fantastic national parks and explore areas like the Lakelands and Archipelago Sea. Public transport in all cities is reliable, inexpensive and easy to use, but most centers are compact and fun to walk around too.

Family Vacations to Finland

Finland – Family Vacation Guide

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