How to DIY Lapland

If you're new to DIY and have no idea where to start...this page is for you! Or if you are a confident diy'er looking for some inspo or ideas then this page is also for you! Grab yourself a cuppa and a notebook because its a long one.

Location

Lapland is a big place and spans across several countries. For the purpose of this post I am going to focus on Finnish Lapland, and in particular Rovaniemi. There will be a seperate post on our 6 day diy stay further North, the process was the same though with booking flights etc.

The principle of DIY can be applied to any destination.

Flights

Many cheap flights can be found to Rovaniemi during the winter season. Budget airlines Ryanair and Easyiet fly there often from many airports across the country. We regularly choose Ryanair from Stansted as these tend to be the cheapest for us personally. Flight time is 3 hours 30 minutes.

Cheap flights can be found on the following websites and apps:

Skyscanner
Google flights
Ryanair
Easyjet

It is always worth checking other airlines too. Many airlines fly to Lapland, we use the budget airlines. Norwegian, finnair, lufthansa, British Airways and more also fly there.

If you find a flight on one of the third party sites such as Skyscanner and google flights, be sure to go straight to the providers website or app to book with them directly.

Sometimes it can be worthwhile to book the flights as two one way tickets. It also helps if vou can be flexible with your dates; play around on the calender and see which dates/routes and times are cheapest. It goes without saying that term time is cheapest

We usually pay for seats at booking and add luggage a few weeks later to spread the cost.

Both times we have visited Lapland we have not booked our flights until September and December. We have always managed to get a fab price on flights booking later in the year. If you are able to hold your nerve and book later its likely to pay off.

Once the flight is booked we book airport parking. If you have used airport parking before for the airport you have chosen to fly from you should check your emails; there may be a discount code in there. If you're new to the airport, sign up and then leave it a few days; you will more than likely receive a new customer discount code within a few days then book away :)

Lapland is also accessible by overnight train. You can fly to Helsinki and then board the train there, up to Lapland.

https://www.vr.fi/en/night-trains

Luggage

Ryanair offers the smallest hand luggage bag size. We added one 20kg case. We put thermals, hat, mittens etc in hand luggage and wear snow boots and ski coats. Childrens snow boots, food, ski trousers, pjs and toiletries go in the case. This has worked for both a 2 night and 6 night trip.

For the 6 night trip we spoke with the property host to ask if there was a vacuum/hoover at the property. We then used vacuum bags with all of our clothing in the suitcase.

Accommodation

This part is really important for me to stress again that this is the cheap route so I am unable to comment or recommend glass igloos or anything like that

We used booking.com and air b&b for our Lapland stays. We have used both for stays in Rovaniemi. Using these suppliers can be handy as you often pay a deposit and the remaining balance before you arrive. You can also use klarna and clear pay with air b&b however for the sake of making memories debt free; the deposit option is the one I like. There are a number of properties on both websites: be sure to check the distance from the places that you would like to visit and the supermarket, read the reviews and check that linen is provided. All of our properties have had linen provided but apparently it is common for air b&b especially, to charge extra for linen so double check the small print before you book. If the property is located in the middle of no where and you are not hiring a car; be sure to check that the property is serviced by taxis or buses.

Most properties have a sauna. I am unsure if hotel rooms have personal saunas but they will definitely have a communal sauna. Saunas are very popular in Finland.

For purposes of stress I recommend booking flights first and then finding accommodation. We have done it both ways round and when we booked accommodation first our flights did not match with the booked accommodation; even though I followed the flight days from the previous year, so do be mindful of this. It meant finding one nights accommodation else where but thats a whole different post.

Our most recent accommodation was booked 3 weeks before the stay. The first time we visited the accommodation was booked a year in advance. lf you would like to stay on a resort or in a hotel these can be researched online. You may choose to DIY cheap flights and have a stay at a luxury resort so no cooking etc. whatever works for you and your family.

We have staved at two properties in Rovaniemi that sleep 7+ people. If you need larger accommodation and would like these recommendations please get in touch via instagram. I have a referral code for the accommodation from our most recent stay.

Time of year

This is important in terms of cost. Laplands prime season is December. December prior to Christmas day and/or a weekend is when youre least likely to find an amazing flight price. It isnt impossible but its definitely more difficult and you should expect to pay a premium for these dates. Santa Claus Village is understandably very busy in the lead up to Christmas. bare this in mind. We travel in January as this seems to be a cheap time for Lapland flights.

Another thing to consider is snow. Do not be tempted by cheap November flights. Snow is only guaranteed from mid December to March/April time. Many big providers will book November and then when the time comes the trips are cancelled due to a lack of snow so do be mindful of this even into early December. Some years snow has fallen early but if snow is a big part of your trip, I personally would not risk it; many reindeer and husky rides will be cancelled if the snow is not deep enough. This is less of an issue further North, where snow begins to fall sooner but November is risky.

Christmas remains in full swing even after Christmas. In many places you can see Santa well into January and some places even Feb. Santa is at Santa Claus village all year round. We all thanked Santa for our Christmas presents when we saw him in January 2025. We haven't personally seen any Santa in Rovaniemi so I would be unable to comment or recommend a good one.

Accommodation over the actual Christmas period often gets booked up, sometimes a year in advance, so if those are the dates that you want, id consider booking the accommodation first and figuring the rest out later. Very risky but prices rocket for that time so if youre set on a date and find somewhere perfect, check for free cancellation and then just book it. This will be where possibly booking 2 seperate flights with 2 different airlines may come into play. Do be sure to check for that free cancellation on the property though if you are yet to book your flights.

Some properties do not start advertising again until the end of the current season (March). We have booked accommodation in January, September and December and there always seems to be places available but there is definitely more choice and cheaper prices before a last minute December booking.

Keep Scrolling...

Clothing

Knowing what to wear can be really stressful. We have had great success with Mountain warehouse ski wear Most things we sized up to allow for layers underneath. You will need a thermal base layer, fleecy mid layer, top layer plus ski jacket. Good socks are a must. We doubled up on socks. We wore ski socks and hiking socks from mountain warehouse. Mittens are more effective than gloves, again we purchased these from mountain warehouse. Sometimes if its really cold; liners or normal gloves inside the mittens really help. Mountain warehouse usually always have a good sale on. Black friday is a good time to buy from there too. We mostly got the ski bundles. The 4 year old wore age 6 ski wear. Hand and toe warmers can be useful; which we bought cheap from the high street shop Savers.

Boots you need to size up. Tight boots equal cold feet as there needs to be room for air to circulate. I am usually a UK size 4 and my snow boots are a UK size 6. With double socks they fit well. All snow boots were purchased from Mountain warehouse except the boots for the then 3 year old: his boots were from Sorrel. Sorrel is a recommended brand in Finland and lots of local children wear the brand Again, be sure to size up in the boots

If you plan on dog sledding or skiing, I would recommend taking ski goggles. The youngest childs were from lidl and the adults from mountain warehouse. One child that wears glasses had to get ski goggles from amazon to fit over their glasses. When the cold air is whipping in your eyes it can be a bit cold and your eyes water a lot. I highly recommend goggles, a face covering and even maybe a blanket if one is not provided and you've chosen a longer tour. We have done 9km self mush/drive and also 2.5km being driven. Each had its pros and cons.

You can hire snow clothes once there but this definitely takes away from the time you have in Lapland (important if only a short trip). You have to get to the place thats hiring and then get fitted for your clothes etc. This would be the same -on the last day, personally we decided we wanted more time to play in snow and since we already had all the gear it was easy enough to go again.

Vinted is a good go too for Lapland/ski clothes. Lidl and Aldi hold ski events and this is where I purchased my thermal base layer tops from. Decathlon and Trespass also sell fairly priced ski wear.

Knowing what clothes you will need can be really overwhelming but most of the layers you likely already have in your wardrobe.

You will need:

Thermal base layer - My tops were purchased from Lidl, some purchased trouser & top sets from Mountain warehouse and Matalan. Others in our group used fluffy leggings from Primark. 4 year old wore thermal long sleeve top and trouser set from mountain warehouse.

Fleece or wool mid layer - I wore a fleece mid zip jumper from Primark and fluffy lined tracksuit bottoms. Others wore fleece pyjamas from primark and tesco or a long sleeved top. 4 year old wore long sleeve thick top

Jumper or thick top layer - I wore a fluffy lounge suit jumper from dunelm mill. Others wore a hoodie or tracksuit. 4 year old wore mountain warehouse mid zip fleece jumper.

Ski wear out layer - We all wore 2 piece ski sets (Salopettes/trousers and a coat with built in snow skirt). Some people opt for a snow suit one piece.

Ski socks AND Wool or Thick socks - I used ski socks from Mountain Warehouse and thick hiking socks also from Mountain Warehouse. Others wore merino wool socks.

Snood AND Hat

Mittens and/or ski gloves - Mittens are better for keeping your hands warm as your fingers are together. I used mittons from Mountain warehouse. You can also buy silk liners or wear normal gloves underneath.

Try to avoid cotton as a base layer as it holds moisture which will make you cold. Polyester etc are all ok.

The above clothing items were worn in temperatures ranging from -8 to -16 degrees. When we visited further North it was -30 degrees and we all needed an additional layer.

Getting around

Getting around will depend where you stay. Working out the cost will also depend on where you stay. Many people choose to hire a car. This can work well if you are confident in driving in and on the snow. A deposit is required and its usually via credit card. We have always used taxi or transfer as we travel in a group its either hire a 7 seater or 2 cars which works out more expensive than taxis. There are local taxi firms but we used bolt as new users get a discount code. When we visited Akaslompolo, which is further North we still flew to Rovaniemi. There is an airport in Kitilla but it was very expensive for us to fly there. It worked out cheaper for us to fly to Rovaniemi and then transfer up north (2 hour drive). We used a company called 'Lapland Rides' they also picked us up to take us back to Rovaniemi airport 6 days later

Eating on the cheap

Eating and food etc can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. For us it is the most no frills part of the trip. Thats not to say that we dont eat out; in Akaslompolo our group including the children tried/ate many local dishes such as Reindeer, Bear burgers and Moose meatballs. On that same trip we cooked pasta from home at our cabin. I cant speak for everyone but I absolutely love having a mooch around the supermarket in another country. Once we arrive at our accomodation we usually head back out to the supermarket to get the ingredients needed to make dinner and also eggs etc for breakfast, milk, juice cartons and the all important snacks. There is an amazing allergy friendly range in Finland; dairy free, gluten free etc are all very well catered for across the board. Another silly little thing we like to do when visiting another country is to try their Mcdonalds (of course this is absolutely an unnecessary expense and taxi ride but we done it anyway), so we had mcdonalds for dinner one night whilst in Rovaniemi in 2025. For the children we usually pack mini boxes of cereal from home and a few bags of pasta (Christmas shapes of course). We took a flask with us on the first trip and filled with hot water before heading out for the day, we also took some hot chocolate sachets. We always pack teabags and coffee, although we have found that most places we have stayed are pretty well stocked with tea and coffee.

Drinks are pretty expensive at Santa Claus Village and at most places to be quite honest; 5 euros for a can and 5 euros for a bottle of water, so its definitely worth thinking smart. We take some juice cartons from the supermarket for the 4 year old in our rucksack. Tap water in Lapland is safe to drink and is also some of the cleanest water in the world. so refillable bottles/flasks and a small squeezy squash and you'll save quite a bit of money during the day.

We also bring marshmallows and skewers from home as they are expensive to buy once you're there and they're not always easy to find. There are fires and Kotas (places to warm up with fire and seating around Santa Claus Village and in most places that you will visit for the day; the kotas are where you will toast your marshmallows. You can also buy sausages from the supermarket to cook at the kotas too. Dont forget to take a rucksack to put your drinks and snacks in!

We found it fairly expensive to eat at Santa Claus Village, especially as we chose the fast food option, it was still over €70 and it was not great. There are a few restaurants inside Santa Claus Village and we only ate in one so I cannot comment on other places there. There is a garage over the road from Santa Claus Village and there is a restaurant inside there which is very common in Finland. Prices and reviews for here seem good but we have not eaten there so cannot comment. The city has many restaurants too.

We visited Lapland winter park to spend the bulk of our day and enjoyed a buffet lunch which was included in our ticket. All of us, the children included really filled up here to set us up for the rest of the day. There are lots of other places that also offer a days worth or few hours of activities with lunch included: Snowman world, Apukka plus many more.

Keep Scrolling...

Booking Activities

We book all of our own activities, and we mostly do this prior to arriving in Lapland. This is particularly important over the Christmas period. If you are planning on spending your time at Santa Claus Village, I would highly recommend pre booking as queuing for on the day rides can be long and cold.

There are so so many things to do in Lapland and I really recommend researching a lot, so that you have a perfect trip. We have stayed in Rovaniemi twice and each time we have had 2 nights and one whole day to play with. I can only give advice on and recommend the things that we have done on our visits.

The first time we spent the day at Santa Claus Village; here we visited Santas Pets, had a Reindeer sleigh ride, the children done snowmobilling, sent postcards home from Santas Post Office and they played in the snow. There is everything you need at Santa Claus Village; you could easily spend the whole day there doing the various activites. It is free to visit Santa Claus village but each activity is paid for seperately. We personally found it a lot of walking between activities which caused little legs to get tired. There are sledges around but if they are tied up or have a name on them then dont touch them, and also be prepared that other people may take them whilst youre doing your activity, this is a common issue in Santa Claus Village. There is ice karting, huskies, Santa, snowman World, elf school, cross the arctic circle and get a certificate, Mrs Claus plus more at Santa Claus Village. There are food places and souvenir shops; so everything in one place which is great if youre heading there for a day trip or a night or two. If you head to the official website the activities and food places etc are all listed along with providers.

Santa Claus Village : https://santaclausvillage.info/

The second time we visited we spent most of the day at Lapland winter Park, the sledging there was great fun as they have the longest snow slide in Rovaniemi. There is lots to do and lots is included regardless of which ticket you buy. The basic area ticket includes sledging, ice skating, snow shoeing, snowball throwing area, reindeer feeding plus all the equipment.There is plenty of snow to play in and it wasnt busy when we visited. You can buy bundle tickets which include a reindeer sleigh ride or there is another bundle that includes all of the above plus a buffet lunch. There is ice karting, kids snow mobiles, adult snow mobiles and sauna world at an additional cost. There is a free shuttle bus between Santa claus village and Lapland Winter Park. The bus leaves Santa Claus village at 11:30am and returns back to SCV twice in the early evening.

www.laplandwinterpark.com

There are many places in Rovaniemi that will provide you with many special memories, there are also some amazing places just outside of Rovaniemi (within 40 minutes) that look great too. Its so hard to decide which to do but below are some places I would like to visit at some point. These include but are not limited to

Santa Park looks brilliant if you have younger children. Its indoors and underground. An immersive experience with Santa and you can pay extra for lunch included.

Ranua Zoo looks picturesque and there are endangered Arctic animals here. Polar bear, Arctic fox and wolves to name a few.

Amethyst Mine looks interesting and I would love to mine for my own Amethyst but I am not sure my youngest would appreciate it as much as me haha.

Apukka looks luxury. Its a nice thought and I would love to visit one day but it is definitely a 'on a budget' blow out.

Snowmobiling looks good fun. The only reason we havent done this is because the youngest will absolutely not want to be pulled along in a heated trailer pod.

Ounasvaara looks picturesque. The walking trails look like something out of a fairytale.

Ice floating/ Ice breaker tour I would love to experience this one day

There are some really amazing places in Lapland and it can be really easy to blow your budget, make sure you plan well and if you do plan on spending a day somewhere check that it includes everything you want it to include.

Always try to book directly with the supplier/provider. You do not need to pay to go to santa claus village so never let anyone charge you for entry.

There are a number of Lapland budget groups on social media that have thousands of posts about DIY Lapland trips and these are a great source of information. They are also a good place to see real life reviews of places that people visit and the activities that they do.

Activites will likely be the bulk of your cost. The second trips activities cost the same as the accommodation & flights combined so do be prepared for this.

Keep scrolling....

Tips & Tricks

Check flights from various airports
Check flights booked as one way tickets with same or seperate Airlines
Take some food bits with you (pasta, snacks, marshmallows, flask, squeezy squash, hot chocolates sachets etc)
Book with a group to split the cost on accommodation and taxi/car hire
Use discount codes where possible (airport parking, referral accommodation links, activity discounts, clothing sales, and supermarket winter & ski events)
A lot of time can be spent just playing in the deep snow. Its not like the snow you get in the UK, its light and fluffy and sparkles like glitter. When planning your day/s, do allow enough time for snow play especially if youre travelling with children.
You can take a tube of bubbles, blow them carefully so they land on something and watch them freeze in real time. Our children loved this.
Fill up balloons and leave them outside, in the morning remove the balloon and youll have ice orbs/lanterns
If youre staying out of town and are near forest/woodland, be sure to look for animal tracks you will be surprised what passes by at night. There were moose prints, reindeer prints, Arctic hare and bird prints in the garden of the property we stayed in. The children enjoyed looking around for the tracks in the morning.
Dont forget to take your swim wear. In Finland it is normal to sauna naked, if you are in a public or communal sauna or pool, do not be surprised to see some naked people. You are allowed to wear your swim wear in most places but do check. We only use the saunas in our accomodation and we all use swim wear. In Finland children use the saunas regularly, but only for a few minutes.
You cannot buy calpol over the counter, dont forget to pack some if you are travelling with children. Its better to have it and not need it.
The cold isnt like the cold here. Its a dry cold, as long as youre dressed correctly you will be fine, if you are running around and having fun, sledging etc you will probably even feel hot. This is why layers are good as they can be added and removed as needed.
You need a full driving licence to drive the adult snow mobiles.
Self mushing husky tours are possible but bare in mind these are demanding and fast paced.
Make sure your travel insurance covers winter sports. Check the small print and specific activities. Many do not cover certain snow activities so be sure to double check. Check your bank account to see if it comes with travel insurance; you may already be covered.
Most people wear their warm clothes to dinner out etc, dressing up isnt really a thing. Warmth is key.
The properties are warm, the heating is always on. Thin pyjamas are better than thick pyjamas.

And that's pretty much the bones of it. Booking everything yourself seperately and cutting out the middle man. Of course a package is convenient but you definitely pay for the convenience and can get so much more for your money. December will always likely be more expensive than when we visit in early Jan but Santa is at santa claus village all year, many other santas go into Jan/Feb and there is snow until spring.

Are you ready to get searching, researching and booking your own Lapland DIY adventure? If you would like to know even more, and are interested in how we spent our time in Lapland and exactly how much we spent then head over to 40 hours in Rovaniemi or 6 Nights in Akaslompolo.

I hope you found this interesting and inspiring. If I can do it then you certainly can too!