Having visited Lapland myself with children ranging for 8-15 years, I know that the activities that we often associate with such a trip, might not appeal to teenagers.
We’ve put together 10 of the best activities for Teens and pre-teens in Lapland, to give you some inspiration for your next trip.
However, there is so much more to Lapland than Santa and his elves! In fact, I’d say there is more to do for older ones, than younger, when you start digging deeper.
Of course, most teens would love to do a husky and reindeer ride (and probably even meet Santa if truth be told), but, there’s so much more available that would appeal to this age group.
Lapland as a destination, can be far better as they get older and the main reason being, teens can handle the extreme in temperature far better than their younger counterparts. This means you can look at some of the more adventurous and longer activities, which are off limits to little ones.
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Available in Levi, Rovaniemi, Saariselka and Pyha, Ice Karting provides teens the opportunity to race round an ice track in an adrenaline-fueled activity – like real life Mario Karting, with the extra thrill of doing it with snow as your barriers.
All equipment, including clothing and helmets are provided, along with a hot drink to warm up afterwards. The activity typically takes around 1.5 hours in total. Each provider has different age and height requirements, so check carefully before booking.
Imagine donning a bright orange suit and then drifting round in a specially cut out hole, on a frozen lake.
Ice floating can be done in the day, but there are also special aurora ice floating activities too. Tours tend to include pick up/drop off, all equipment, plus hot drinks and cookies. We found Ice Floating activities available in Rovaniemi and Yllas.
Relatively new to Lapland, E- Fat Biking, is basically mountain biking in the snow, but with fatter tyres, and electric power behind you. Most trips tend to take you out into the wilderness, to explore the landscape for around 2hrs depending on the provider. Fat Biking tours are available in Rovaniemi, Levi, Saariselka and Pyha.
Snowshoeing is fantastic way to move in deep snow. This ancient form of winter hiking is ideal for exploring the arctic nature, whilst offering great opportunity for photography.
Go off the beaten track, with a guide, all equipment is provided, and hot drinks are usually included too. Tours tend to be around 2hs+ and are available in Levi , Pyha, Rovaniemi, Saariselka and Ruka.
Set in an abandoned Movie set, Arcandia offers the most unusual programmes which are perfect for teens. They have a ‘Parkside’ programme where you can do activities such as axe throwing, knocker balls, human snowballing, and hill sliding. Plus they also have a separate part of the park which is dedicated to laser tag.
Imagine a game of laser tag, but in a beautifully lit forest, covered in snow with lots of hiding spots. Arcandia can be found in Kittila (Levi). To read our full guide to Arcandia click here
Arcandia Parkside Tickets & Info
Acandia Laser Tag Tickets & Info
There are various place in Lapland you can ice skate. Some through the forest on specially created tracks, whilst places like snowman world have small rinks to skate included in the entrance price. Kotatieva Winter Leisure Park in Rovaniemi has a 500 meter long ice skating track in the middle of a snowy forest. You can also find ice skating at Saariselka.
There are some companies in Lapland offer horse treks through the forest, which even a beginner can try, with routes for the more advanced too. What better way to discover Lapland’s beauty forests than on horseback. Riding treks are available in Rovaniemi and Levi.
Rules are pretty strict in Lapland, around who can (and cannot) drive snowmobiles. Most companies insist that their adult sized snowmobiles are only to be driven by adults, with a full driving license.
However, there is the opportunity in Rovaniemi and Levi for tweens to ride one of the mini versions with Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park, which cost around 20-25 euros for 10 laps of a large course. There is no need to pre-book these. The age limit for the mini snowmobiles is 13 years.
What better way to warm up, than by taking an arctic sauna experience. We were lucky enough to try the 3 step sauna at the Arctic SnowHotel in Rovaniemi. You are given a private changing room with shower, and traditional Finnish sauna inside, and are provided with slippers and a robe.
After enjoying a traditional sauna, you get go outside for a snow sauna- this is so unusual, in that the whole sauna is made purely from ice.
To finish off, you then get to enjoy a hot tub surrounded by the snow. You can read about our stay at the SnowHotel and Sauna experience here.
Sauna tickets include pick and return from Rovaniemi, plus a tour of the incredible snow hotel, which is fascinating. The whole hotel is rebuilt each year, and each room is completely different to the next. We stayed for one night, but if you’re not as brave, you can look round and see all the unique ice carvings and learn about how they build it.
The hotel is also right next to a frozen lake, where sledges and tubing rings are available to use free of charge. If you wish you can also stay for lunch and dine in the unique ice restaurant or even have a drink at the ice bar. This is a great value excursion lasting around 6 hours in total, and one I’d highly recommend. You can get more info and check availability here.
Last but certainly not least on our list, we have ice fishing. Most tours involve learning the local Finnish art of ice fishing from a local guide which starts with drilling a fishing hole then catching your own fish and finally cooking it on a fire. Trips are available in Rovaniemi, Inari, Levi, Saariselka and Ruka.
As you can see, we've tried to include a wide range of activities to suit every personality type. From quiet and relaxed activities, like ice fishing and a spa day. To ones for those seeking adventure and thrill, such as ice karting and laser tag through the forest. There is truly something in Lapland for everyone!
To see all our blogs and guides on Lapland click here
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