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January is such an underrated time to visit Lapland and honestly, I think it’s better than peak December for older kids and teens.
✔️ Cheaper – flights, accommodation and activities are noticeably lower once the Christmas rush ends
✔️ Quieter – fewer tour groups, less waiting around, more relaxed experiences
✔️ Deeper snow – proper winter conditions, not slushy paths
✔️ Longer daylight than you’d expect – enough light for activities and exploring without feeling rushed
For teens, it feels more like a cool Arctic adventure than a themed Christmas trip and that makes all the difference.
This blog shares our exact 2-day itinerary, showing how you can fit a huge amount into a very short trip without taking time off school or work. For context this trip was purely done on a weekend, flying out at 6am on a Saturday, and returning late Sunday on a 9.35pm flight.
If you’re looking for:
Things to do in Lapland for teens
Grown-up Lapland activities
A non-Santa Lapland itinerary
Or inspiration for a short January trip
…this one’s for you.
This blog post may contain affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through one of these links, at no extra cost to you. Some of the experiences featured in this trip were gifted in return for coverage; however, all opinions, experiences and views shared are entirely our own and are always honest
We were due to fly from Manchester to Rovaniemi at 6am, but freezing fog was forecast in Rovaniemi, which is a common winter issue that can cause diversions (often to Helsinki), which would have meant losing most of day one.
Luckily, easyJet delayed all their morning Lapland flights by one hour, pushing our departure to 7am to allow conditions to improve. It worked. We landed at 12:20pm, around 45 minutes later than scheduled. Finland is 2 hours ahead of the UK and the flight time is just under 3 hours from Manchester.
Rovaniemi airport is tiny. It was only our flight being processed, so we were through passport control and out of the airport by 12:35pm, another reason Lapland works so well for short trips.
We travelled with hand luggage only, which we often do, even in winter. If you’re curious how that’s possible, we’ve covered it fully in our guide on what to wear and pack for Lapland, including layering tips and backpack-only packing:
Normally in Lapland we use the Menevä Taksi app, but Rovaniemi now also has Uber. On paper, Uber looks tempting as journeys are at least 50% cheaper, but in hindsight, that should have rung alarm bells.
We ordered an Uber from the airport. The app showed the driver had arrived, but the car never did. Despite us standing at the pickup point in -25°C and sending th driver multiple messages which were left unread, the ride was marked as a “no-show” and we were charged €9.41.
I’d already heard scam stories about Uber in Rovaniemi, so while annoying, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Cold, underdressed (because we were heading to collect our winter gear), and unimpressed, we abandoned Uber and took a local taxi from the airport, which cost €32 (around £28) into town and for the rest of the trip used the Meneva Taski app.
👉 Taxi costs in Rovaniemi:
Expect to pay €30–€50 per journey depending on distance. It adds up fast. In hindsight, had we budgeted every journey at local taxi prices rather than Uber estimates, we probably would have hired a car for 48 hours instead.
Rather than bringing all our own winter gear, we hired clothing from Rovaniemi Insider, located in the city centre.
They offer high-quality winter clothing hire, and the package includes thermal jacket, snow trousers, boots and gloves.
Alternatively, to the jacket and trousers, they offer an all-in-one suit.
Prices:
This was ideal for us. My daughter had outgrown her old ski gear, my husband hadn’t been to Lapland before, and honestly, it was cheaper and easier than buying new kit plus we definitely didn't need to pay for a hold case either.
You get to try on as many sizes as you need to until you get the right fit and they stock sizes from small children right up to adult XXXL. They are open until 7pm too, which was great for us to drop the clothes off after our last activity before heading to the airport.
Once kitted out, we took a taxi from Rovaniemi Insider to Santa’s Motor Park, just across the road from Santa Claus Village.
Taxi cost: €32
After we were informed of the flight delay, we made the decision to eat a proper breakfast at Manchester Airport, knowing we’d be short on time later. With a 2pm booking at Santa’s Motor Park and having already lost an hour, we skipped lunch and headed straight there instead.
Once you’re up to speed, the wind chill is intense, but there’s a warm kota with a fire, plus:
Cost: €94 per person
There's no minimum age, but you must be the height requirement.
For teens, this is a huge hit - fast, exciting, and not “babyish” at all.
For this activity, we were split into three small groups to make sure there were never too many people on the track at once. Each person gets two 10-minute driving sessions, which honestly feel much longer once you’re out there.
The full experience takes around an hour, though it can run slightly longer with bigger groups. I’d recommend allowing up to 1.5 hours, just to be safe. There are a maximum of 8–10 people on the track at any one time, so it never feels overcrowded.
The karts themselves are really easy to drive, using just a single pedal for both acceleration and braking. The icy track adds an extra element of fun, making it far more exciting (and hilarious) than standard karting.
After snow karting, we walked about 5 minutes to HuskyPark located in Santa Claus Village (always use the underpass - don’t cross the road directly).
We did the 2km husky ride, which for us is the perfect length, especially in extreme cold.
Ride options:
Prices for the 2km ride:
The ride lasts around 8–10 minutes, taking you through woodland and across open fields beyond Santa Claus Village. It regularly sells out, so booking ahead is essential.
👉 https://huskypark.fi/activities/snowy-activities/husky-park-visit-with-tiny-quarter-2-km-husky-ride/
After an early start and two cold outdoor activities, we were ready for warmth and downtime.
We took another €32 taxi back into Rovaniemi city centre and checked into our apartment.
Accommodation: Arctic Golden Sun City Suite
Cost: £277 for 1 night
The apartment was centrally located in Rovaniemi city centre, just a 2 min walk from the shopping centre. It was fully equipped with kitchen, and washing machine, so pefect for longer stays too. There was one bedroom (a double) plus the sofa bed converted in to a double sofa bed, so slept up to 4 people in total.
Check-in was really easy, with instructions messaged on the morning. The host even messaged at 1pm to say the apartment was ready early (official check-in was 4pm).
In the evening, we headed out for one of the most memorable experiences of the trip: dinner at the Arctic SnowHotel & Ice Restaurant.
I’ve stayed overnight at the SnowHotel before and done the snow sauna package, so it was really special to show my husband and daughter how unique it is. You can read our full guide from that stay here: 👉 https://buildabreak.co.uk/arctic-snowhotel-lapland/
We did the visiting package with transfers included from the city centre (meeting point was a 10 min walk from our apartment). Our schedule was as follows:
Dinner seating times: 17:30, 19:00, 20:30 (15 Dec – 31 Mar)
Starter: Creamy parsnip soup
Main options: Elk, salmon, chicken, or vegan falafel
Dessert: Strawberry-chocolate bavarois
Kids can opt for pasta instead of adult mains.
The food was genuinely excellent, packed with flavour, but you do need to eat fairly quickly as it cools fast.
We finished in about 1 hour, then headed to the Ice Bar for non-alcoholic shots, where you can throw your ice glass at the wall when you’re done.
Includes:
We were dropped back in Rovaniemi around 11.30pm. Nearly 24 hours on the go and collapsed into bed as soon as we were back.
After a lie-in, we checked out at 11am and headed straight to Santa Claus Village.
We decided to get an early lunch as we had pre-booked plans for the rest of the day. Santa's Pizza & Burgers was a quick and easy choice.
We paid around €55 for a pizza (huge would easily fill 2 people), 2 double cheeseburgers, 3 fries and 3 refillable drinks. Not going to lie, but I wasn't expecting much in terms of the burgers, but they were so fresh and better quality than any burger chain.
We then:
For a deeper dive, we’ve covered Santa Claus Village in detail here: 👉 https://buildabreak.co.uk/santa-claus-village-guide/
And if you’re planning longer, here’s our 3-day Rovaniemi itinerary from a previous adults-only trip.
Snowman World is owned by the same company as the Arctic SnowHotel, so you’ll see similar activities and things to do. Snowman World is located within Santa Claus Village, where as the Arctic SnowHotel is on a much grander scale, 30 mins away. Inside the attraction you'll find:
We’ve visited before and you can read our full guide here on Snowman World here
As a rough guide, Snowman World tends to suit younger children best, though it would still appeal to teens. The Arctic SnowHotel, on the other hand, feels more geared towards a teen and adult audience. That said, both attractions can be enjoyed by visitors of all ages in their own right.
At the time of our visit, tickets for Snowman World were priced at €35.
At 2pm, we headed to Lapland Winter Park. The free shuttle didn’t work for our timing, so we took a taxi. However, there are multiple options throughout the day, so it is definitely worth taking up this offer as taxis are expensive at €50 each way.
We did use the free shuttle back at 6pm back in to the city, which was handy.
This was such a great way to end the trip, especially for teens who want something cool but relaxing.
Price: €65 per person
Duration: 1.5 hours
Includes access to:
Cold plunge pool
Saunas range from tar-scented and smoke-style to scenic forest-view saunas. Everyone must wear swimwear and you're provided with a large towel, robe and crocs shoes along with a bottle of water.
You don’t need a general park ticket, Sauna World can be your only activity.
After having enjoying a hot chocolate and cake in the restaurant, we took the free shuttle in to the city, then returning our clothing and getting a taxi back to the airport around 7.30pm. Again, this cost €32 for the taxi.
Outbound Flight cost with EasyJet: £44.49 per person.
Inbound Flight cost with Ryanair: £44.31 per person.
Total Flight Cost £88.80
Flights in January are as low as £29 per person return. However, we paid more as we wanted to keep the trip to a weekend, departing early Saturday and returning late Sunday. You can see our cheap flight finds here
This definitely wasn’t the cheapest trip we’ve ever done to Lapland, and that was a conscious choice.
Could we have saved money? Absolutely. Hiring a car for the weekend would have cost around £150 plus fuel, and with the amount we spent on taxis, that would likely have worked out cheaper overall. But for this trip, convenience, timing and flexibility mattered more to us than shaving every last pound off the budget.
What this itinerary did give us was exactly what we wanted: high-quality, well-run activities that genuinely appealed to a teenager, no Santa queues, no child-focused filler, and no rigid package schedule built for the masses.
Everything we did felt intentional, from adrenaline-fuelled snow karting to a proper Finnish sauna experience and dinner inside an ice hotel. For a short, weekend-only trip planned around a birthday, it was spot on.
That said, if your goal is to experience Lapland as cheaply as possible, we’ve got you covered there too. We share loads of budget tips and DIY guides on our website, including our popular guide to 11 things to do in Rovaniemi for €35 and under which is perfect if you’re travelling on a tighter budget or staying longer.
Lapland doesn’t have to look the same for everyone, and that’s exactly why we love planning it ourselves.
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