Santa's Lapland FAQs

Santa's Lapland is above the Arctic Circle, so the right clothing makes all the difference in keeping you and your children warm, happy and having fun.

We've got a lot of information on what to wear and what to pack here, but rest assured we will arrange for each of you to have a complimentary thermal outer-suit for your stay, along with cosy woollen socks, snow-boots, outer gloves and hats, all free of charge.

We recommend you also bring additional mittens or gloves (ideally waterproof ones for children’s snow play) to be worn next to the skin, and balaclavas or scarves to cover your face if necessary.

Hats should have flaps or be able to be pulled down to cover your ears. Several layers are far more insulating than one or two thick items, so the best bet is thermal undies, shirt or roll-neck fleece and a jacket/anorak under your suit when outdoors.

Yes absolutely as there will be so many magical moments to capture! However, extreme cold can adversely affect some cameras, so do check the manufacturers’ guidelines.

Camera and phone batteries also discharge very quickly in the cold, so bring plenty of spares! Also be aware of the ‘twilight’ times, when flash photography is necessary.

All guests will receive a pre-departure pack in the post, 4-5 weeks prior to travel. This will include letters for your children to write to Santa, big reveal ideas and much more information.

Passengers travelling with Titan have a baggage allowance of 1x 20kg Hold luggage 1x 10kg Hand baggage per person.

Passengers travelling with Jet2 have a baggage allowance of 1x 22kg Hold luggage 1x10 kg Hand baggage per person.

As of the 1st January 2021, the UK has left the EU. Here’s what you need to know before travelling with us:

Passports: You'll need to ensure that you have at least six months validity left on your passport when returning from EU countries. You may also be required to provide evidence of your return ticket and that you have enough currency for your holiday when arriving in your destination. For more advice on entry requirements, please visit the Government website.

Travel Disruption: When entering and exiting countries, it is your responsibility to give yourself extra time to get through the immigration queues in the airports as there will be delays. We may have to organise our transfers slightly to help with this and ensure that you have extra time.

Driving in the EU: From 28 September UK stickers will replace GB stickers. Check the GOV.UK Displaying number plates website for more information on what to do if you are driving outside the UK.

If you are hiring a car, ensure you have a green card. In both cases you must make sure that you have the relevant international driving insurance with your chosen provider.

EHIC Cards and Travel Insurance: Under a new agreement with the EU, UK residents are now able to apply for a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your current European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has expired. This will give you access to emergency and medically necessary healthcare in the EU during your holiday. You can still use your EHIC card, excluding Switzerland and Norway, if it is still valid and in date and as part of our terms and conditions, you must also still hold valid travel insurance to cover your personal circumstances, (pre-existing conditions, etc). In Norway, you can show your UK Passport to receive limited urgent healthcare.

Data Roaming: Free data roaming will cease, therefore you need to be aware of any additional charges for using your phone and data abroad. Most of our properties have complimentary Wi-Fi for guests to use, but please remember that this is for social usage only.

ATOL & ABTA: As we are an ATOL and ABTA bonded UK travel company, guests booking with us enjoy comprehensive consumer protection. Your holiday will be protected under the Package Travel Regulations, which means you have the right to a full refund if, for any reason, we can no longer provide your holiday.

Visas:

EES: From Autumn 2025 we expect to see the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) – an automated IT system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay (up to 90 days within any 180 day period) each time they cross the external borders of European countries. It is anticipated that this will replace passport stamping and automate border control procedures. For more information on EES, please visit: General information - European Union (europa.eu).

ETIAS: From late Summer 2026 onwards it is anticipated that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be effective, which will require visa-exempt EU nationals, including UK citizens, to hold an electronic authorisation to travel to or within the Schengen Zone (currently 27 EU member states, plus Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus). An ETIAS travel authorisation is a visa waiver which will be required regardless of the length of your visit. Once granted, it will be valid for 3 years or until your passport expires. It can only be applied for online and a fee will be payable unless an exemption applies. If you are unable to travel on your holiday because you have not obtained an ETIAS travel authorisation, our normal cancellation charges will apply. For more information on ETIAS, please visit: What is ETIAS - European Union (europa.eu).

The UK government and ABTA have also put together some useful information about holidaying in the EU after the 31st January 2020. These resources can be found below:

• ABTA advice for travellers
• Guidance for UK nationals travelling to the EU
• Healthcare for UK nationals visiting the EU

You can fly from 15 regional airports from around the UK, including London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Southend (SEN), Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh & East Midlands.

Our flights fly direct to Saariselkä’s own local airport of Ivalo, with an easy 25-minute transfer from Saariselkä itself.

All flights, both outbound and return, include a full buy-on–board service with drinks and snacks etc, but we always recommend bringing extra snacks for the little ones.

It is a condition of booking with us that you and your party take out suitable Wintersports Insurance from a reputable provider.

It's important to purchase travel insurance as soon as you book your holiday - so if you've already booked and haven't sorted your insurance yet, we strongly recommend that you do this now. Your insurance policy could protect you in the event that you need to cancel your holiday due to unforeseen circumstances between booking and departing for your holiday, as well as providing assistance while you're on holiday, including in the event of injury or illness. You should make sure that your policy covers any activities and events that you'll be participating in on your holiday, particularly for winter activity holidays.

We would strongly recommend that you take travel insurance out at the time of booking that offers additional Coronavirus cover.

Our insurance partner Campbell Irvine offer travel insurance with additional comprehensive Covid-19 cover and will be happy to give you a quote. To contact them, please visit their website. 

Santa's Lapland is an Unregulated Introducer of Campbell Irvine Ltd who are authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Through our partnership with APH, we are able to offer up to 35% discount to all of our Santa’s Lapland customers at airports throughout the UK.

With our Lapland flights all departing early in the morning why not take advantage of some of the great ‘Airport Hotel and Parking’ packages and stay at an airport hotel the night before you fly. This takes the stress out of getting to the airport in the morning on time and finding the car park. Taking an extra night away this allows you to wake up fully refreshed & enjoy your entire break to Lapland

If an overnight stay is not for you then the ‘Meet & Greet’ Valet Parking is the perfect way of dropping your car off. ‘Meet & Greet’ Valet Parking saves you time, hassle free and so convenient. Simply drive to the airport terminal, where an APH chauffeur meets you and takes your car to their nearby secure car-park. On your return, your car is then delivered back to you directly at the terminal, for you to drive straight off home!

To check in for your flight, you must do so in person at the airport. Upon arriving at the airport, please proceed directly to the designated check-in counter for your flight. We recommend arriving at the airport well before your flight's scheduled departure time. This ensures you have enough time to complete the check-in process, pass through security checks, and make your way to the departure gate without rush.

For important advice about airport security and airline travel, take a look at the Air passenger travel guidance and make yourself aware of the hand luggage restrictions.

We will send out full details to you with our special writing paper for your little ones – all this is supplied with your pre-departure information.

A voucher will be in your welcome pack you'll receive locally (not the pre-departure pack) for any optional activities that are pre-booked. Details of extra activities are on your invoices.

All of our experiences include return flights to Ivalo Airport, transfers, half-board accommodation, a fun-filled activity day with a private family visit to see Santa, and complimentary snowsuits to keep you warm.

Our guide will make sure everyone's safe and following the rules before you set off. If a grown-up wants to drive, you need to be over 18 and have a full driving licence. You'll get a helmet too.

The dedicated trails are like roads, with 'give way' signs to look out for. And just like roads, you can't have had any alcohol before heading out.

There's room for one passenger per snowmobile. You need to be able to reach the footrests and be strong enough to hold on properly around the driver's waist or hand grips. There isn't a specific age to ride pillion however it is at the guides discretion as to whether you are allowed to ride as a passenger.

To drive your own snowmobile without a passenger, you'll need to book a single driver supplement. And if a grown-up wants to go in the sleigh, you'll need to let us know in advance and its subject to availability.

Yes, there is time to go downhill skiing on the ‘Adventure Day’ on the Santa's Magic and Santa's Aurora Packages 3 night breaks.

Book at the same time as your holiday, after you've booked via 'Manage Your Booking' or call us.

Our optional adventures are available to book on our two and three night experiences on both Santa's Magic and Santa's Aurora. On our two night trips, Northern lights adventures, if pre-booked will usually take place on the first evening. Most other adventures can be booked for the morning of your last day. Please see each adventure page for details. 

The deposit amount you pay for your holiday is £150 per person. This is taken when confirming your booking. If we have secured additional scheduled or low-cost flights for your booking, we will take payment to cover any additional costs at the same time as taking your deposit. Please note that these are non-refundable in the event of cancellation.

***Price Match Promise: If you are yet to book, and you find your Santa’s Lapland holiday cheaper elsewhere, we’ll price match it. Please contact us to find out more. Applicable to new bookings only.

You can find our latest Santa's Lapland deals here. Our offers are subject to availability and we have often have limited places, so it's best to book early to avoid disappointment. 

For our 4 day breaks, our Optional Adventures are usually on your Adventure Day and for our 3 day breaks, the Northern Lights Snowmobile trip will be on the first evening, with all other excursions on the departure morning. These times are typically given upon arrival, but can change due to unforeseen circumstances. 

The weather is an important factor on our Santa’s Lapland holidays, we’re always keeping an eye on the forecast and speaking with our local suppliers. If we have any cause for concern about the weather conditions, we will endeavour to contact you 7 days before your departure to let you know.

If we and our suppliers believe that there’s not enough snow to run the activities included in your Santa’s Lapland package, we will contact you again 72 hours before travel with an update and advice on the options available to you, which may include cancellation.

In the event that we decide that there is insufficient snow you will have the following choices:

• you can amend your travel dates to any of our other Santa’s Lapland dates that are available in the same season and at no cost, provided that the elements of the holiday (accommodation, room type, duration and party composition) remain the same. If you change any of the holiday elements, you’ll need to pay the difference in price if it is more expensive, or if the new arrangements are cheaper, you will receive a refund of the difference.
• If you decide not to travel at all, you can cancel with a full refund of all monies paid to Santa’s Lapland for the trip.

We do not recommend these trips for infants under 2 years of age due to the cold weather. Toddlers of 3-4 years love the excitement and magic of it all, but unfortunately will not be able to benefit from all of the activities. You can find out more about who our Santa's Lapland holidays are best enjoyed by here.

Yes, absolutely! Many grandparents head to Lapland every year and they have tremendous fun, not to mention the simple joy of being with the grandchildren in such a magically special place! You can find out more about who our Santa's Lapland holidays are for here.

On selected dates we also offer savings for grandparents travelling with family. Find out more about our grandparents savings here. 

Yes, amendments can be made outside of 10 weeks before departure to another date within the same year but cannot be postponed to the following year.

Yes, when you book a  Santa’s Lapland holiday and choose to pay by direct debit through our trusted partner, Trustly, there’s no need to pay a deposit upfront. It’s that easy! See our payments page for more information on our payment options.

Yes, on the itineraries we share with you, you'll spot that there is plenty of free ‘fun-time’. Saariselkä has several small souvenir shops and a supermarket for purchasing traditional Lappish goodies, with Ivalo airport also having a small selection of souvenir shops.

Not a problem as we have a lot of sizes to cater for most, but please mention this when you book so we can ensure our team puts one aside for when you arrive in resort.

During December it is normally about -12°C, but can reach as low as -30°. These temperatures are perfectly manageable however with the thermal suits and boots we provide free of charge. The team will amend itineraries if weather conditions will affect your magical trip. You can find out more about Lapland and Saariselka here.

As you can imagine, we want you to experience the true, traditional spirit of Christmas, set in the unspoilt wilderness of Lapland, where each family’s private meeting with Santa is much less commercialised for example than a department-store ‘grotto’ in the UK.

Saariselkä has kept its charming, unspoilt atmosphere and ‘winter wonderland’ feel, which creates a far more magical and Christmassy atmosphere than some larger resorts.

You can find out more about Lapland and Saariselka here.

Yes, most people in Saariselkä speak English extremely well as do our team.

There's about four and a half hours of daylight in December, with approximately two to three hours of ‘grey light’ either side, rather like twilight in the UK.

The Euro is the local currency in Lapland, with only one cash-point machine in Saariselkä so please ensure you bring enough Euros with you!

Major credit cards (except American Express) are accepted in hotels, most restaurants and for booking the optional adventures locally.

Our Saariselkä accommodations offer a buffet style breakfast with lots of different foods. And on your 'Search for Santa' day, we’ll provide you with a tasty lunch to keep your energy up!

Lunch is not included on arrival or departure days, or on your ‘Adventures Day’ on our Santa’s 4-day breaks. Dinner in the hotels is generally buffet-style, and mostly offers a choice of international cuisine, some Lappish specialties and standard children’s options.

The ‘Aurora Borealis’, more commonly known as the Northern Lights, is a natural phenomenon caused by solar particles colliding with the earth’s magnetic field.

As a natural event, no one can predict or guarantee their appearance during your stay. However, December is one of the best times to see them, and Saariselkä is an ideal location, being one of Lapland’s most northerly resorts.

Lapland is 2 hours ahead of UK time in December (i.e. GMT + 2).

We’ve put together two helpful guides to assist with planning your trip. Explore our guide options based on your package choice below:

• Santa's Magic 
• Aurora Package

Yes absolutely!

We know how important and special this time is for you and your family so it will be just you and Santa himself. You'll have a team of helpers helping you find Santa's hidden log-cabins in the woods, with those on our Santa's Magic package travelling by snowmobile and a driver and our Santa's Aurora package arriving by reindeer sleigh.

Additionally, all children will receive presents from Santa's sack, ensuring a truly magical experience for everyone.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office compiles travel advice which is constantly kept up to date.

Read our policy on Animal Protection here.