Finland Family Holiday
Finland Family Holiday
Finland Family Holiday
6 Days Starting in Helsinki and ending in Levi
Visiting: Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Levi
Tour Overview
Take the family to a true winter wonderland on this six-day adventure through Finnish Lapland. Start in Helsinki with a visit to the interactive Heureka Finnish Science Center, then take the Santa Claus Express overnight train to Rovaniemi – the official hometown of Santa Claus, where the kids will get the chance to meet the jolly man himself. Spend three nights in the heart of the Finnish wilderness, exploring the snow-dusted woodlands with the help of incredible huskies and visiting a reindeer farm. Whether you’re experiencing arctic cocooning or drinking hot berry juice around the fire, there’s unforgettable fun to be had for travellers of all ages.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Helsinki
Location: Helsinki
Accommodation: Helsinki - Arthur Hotel or similar
Tervetuloa! Welcome to Finland. Your family adventure kicks off in Helsinki with a welcome meeting at 5 pm tonight. If you arrive early, maybe check out the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Senate Square or catch a performance at the National Theatre. You may want to consider purchasing the Helsinki Card – which is both an economical way to travel on Helsinki City Transport (HKL) services and free admission to the main Helsinki sights and nearly 50 museums. After your meeting, you might like to head out for an optional welcome dinner with your group.
Day 2: Rovaniemi
Location: Rovaniemi
Accommodation: Helsinki to Rovaniemi - Santa Claus Express Overnight train
Meals Included: breaksfast
Join your leader on an orientation walk around Helsinki in the morning. Then, hop on a train to the Heureka Finnish Science Center for a guided tour. The kids will love the chance to feel like a mad scientist with all of the interactive exhibits! Later, return to Helsinki and have some free time to prepare for tonight’s journey. In the evening, you’ll board the famous 'Santa Claus Express', a comfortable overnight train to Rovaniemi (approx 12 hours), known to many as the hometown of Santa Claus, located just 6 km south of the Arctic Circle.
Included Activities:
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Day 3: Rovaniemi
Location: Rovaniemi
Accommodation: Rovaniemi - Hotelli Aakenus or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast
The train arrives in Rovaniemi early this morning. Once you’ve settled into the capital of Lapland – and the official hometown of Santa Claus – it's time for the kids to write their list and check it twice as you head off to meet Mr Claus himself at Santa Village. Cross into the Arctic Circle along the way, showing just how far north you’ve come. Once the Christmas wishes have been made, return to Rovaniemi for a free afternoon to explore the city and its surroundings. Maybe head out for a family hike and witness spectacular rapids and aapa mires, or stay in town and visit the Arktikum, the Museum of Finland. It’s a place to learn about the nature and history of the north, where modern technology is being used to have the exhibits come alive.
Included Activities:
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Day 4: Rovaniemi
Location: Rovaniemi
Accommodation: Rovaniemi - Hotelli Aakenus or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
Make sure you rug up for today’s adventures, as you head out to meet sled dogs! In the morning, meet your guides and dogs for an introduction to basic mushing techniques. Then, depending on the season, you’ll head off across beautiful white lakes and into the forest. These incredible huskies are doing what they love most – making a lot of noise before rushing along sprawling trails. The young ones might get to give the dogs a pet and a cuddle – just be sure to ask the sledmaster first. After the ride, warm yourself by an open fire and chow down on sausages and drink some hot berry juice. In the afternoon, you’ll visit a reindeer farm has been operating since 1861, and you may have the opportunity to feed and watch these cute animals go about their daily routine. You will be shown their skills in reindeer herding with the option to get close and personal with some of the animals on the farm.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 5: Levi
Location: Levi
Accommodation: Levi - Hullu Pooro Hotel or similar
Meals Included: breaksfast
This morning, transfer to Halipuu Forest. The family that owns the land wanted to save the trees from being felled, so began inviting visitors in to hug the trees, in an effort to spread awareness of nature conservation. You’ll get to hear about these efforts on a forest guided walk, as well as being able to hug a few trees. There’ll also be an arctic cocooning experience, followed by a hot chocolate around a fire and the option to plant a tree of your own. Return to Levi for the night, making sure to keep an eye out for any hint of the Northern Lights.
Included Activities:
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Day 6: Levi
Location: Levi
Meals Included: breaksfast
Your adventures through Lapland come to an end today after breakfast. If you would like to extend your stay in the region we are happy to book additional nights for you (subject to availability), or we can help to book optional transfer to either Levi or Rovaniemi airports.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotel (4 nights), Overnight sleeper train (1 night) -
Meals
5 breakfasts, 1 lunches -
Helsinki to Rovaniemi - Santa Claus Express Overnight Train
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Helsinki - City walking tour
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Helsinki - Heureka Finnish Science Center visit and guided tour
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Rovaniemi - Santa Village
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Rovaniemi - Reindeer farm
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Rovaniemi - Husky safari experience
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Levi - Halipuu Forest - Tree hugging & cocooning experience
Transport
- Private vehicle , local train , public bus , overnight sleeper train
Accommodation
- We've sourced our accommodation very carefully and picked the best possible hotels in line with the Intrepid style of travel, but please note that service and accommodation in Europe may be different to the standards you are used to. Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges and in particular destinations, rooms may be rather small.
- CHECK-IN TIME
- Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.
- PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
- If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.
Important Information
- FAMILY TRIPS: Please note that these trips are for adults and children travelling together and there must be at least one child under 18 with you.
- MINIMUM AGE: Minimum age for children on this trip is 5 years old.
- DISCOUNT: A discount of 10% applies on this trip to children 17 years and under at time of travel.
- SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: A single supplement is available to book and is inclusive of all days excluding day 02 (overnight train). Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
Finland can be extremely cold at this time of year. Please bring appropriate clothing for adverse weather conditions. Please see the Packing section in the Essential Trip Information document for more details. There may be the rare occasion where your leader has to alter the itinerary and activities due to the weather. In this case an alternative will be offered. Please also note that even though it will be cold, not always will there be snow cover, especially on the departures earlier in the winter season. In these cases snow dependent activities will be replaced with suitable alternatives.
The Northern Lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) are a natural display of coloured lights in the night sky of the northern hemisphere. While Northern Light displays can never be guaranteed, as they are a natural phenomenon, you have a higher chance of seeing them in locations at high latitudes, such as Northern Finland. Keep your fingers crossed for clear skies during your visit. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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Free Date Changes
Intrepid Travel allows you to make 10 free date changes, as long as the change is made at least 56 days before the start of the tour.
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Transfer as credit to Future Tours
Intrepid Travel allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform intrepid travel, 56 days before departure.
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Low Deposit
Intrepid Travel requires a minimum deposit of 400 USD per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 56 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of intrepid travel charges.
Up to 56 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 55 days before tour starts: Forfeit 30% of booking price.
At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 60% of booking price.
At 14 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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Terms and Conditions