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How much does it cost to go to Lapland?

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? A trip to Lapland is on the wish list for many families. There is something special about visiting the snowy paradise with the kids in tow to see Santa. Therefore it is not surprising that the tourism industry in the UK. Really focuses on package style and tour operator-based breaks to the arctic circle.

However, when we were looking at booking our once-in-a-lifetime trip to Lapland I could not find one that would meet our requirements. I did not want to do taster sessions and I did not want to be forced into a timetable that may not work for the boys. Especially as we are ever only going to do this once. I was confident that I could create a DIY trip that would come in cheaper to the capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi.

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How much does it cost to go to Lapland?

Unfortunately, this trip was four years in the planning having been cancelled twice due to the pandemic. This did have a knock-on effect on some of the costs. It also meant that we did a few more what could be deemed ‘luxury’ things. Such as staying in a glass igloo and the snow hotel. Both of which were not in our original itinerary.

You will see as I go through this blog post that I have included the price of the things separately with suggestions on alternatives if you are looking to keep the cost down. It would also be worth looking at our Rovaniemi on a Budget post. We also ended up staying for 6 nights when our original plan was just to stay for 4 nights. This is partly because the flight changes meant we had very little choice. Although it did turn out that we managed to fit way more in and still come out under the cost of a package deal but with way more value.

Flights

When we originally booked with Finnair there were no direct flights from the UK to Rovaniemi airport. This has since changed with both Ryanair and EasyJet offering cheap return flights. When we initially booked our flights. I compared the cost of flying into Helsinki and then getting a domestic flight to catching the overnight train. The prices worked out pretty much on par. Since we were trying to maximise the time we had in the snow I opted for the flights. For four of us, 2 adults and 2 children the price was just under £1800.

We had to move these flights three times because of the pandemic which meant that they went up in price each time. We also travelled completely during the school holidays which was not our intention the first time around, instead, we missed the last two days of term. When re-arranging our flights we were dependent on Finnair to find us a solution as we found the prices quoted online did not match what they could see on their screens. Like for like flights on final rearrange would have cost over £3600! Double what our original return flight cost. In the end, we settled on flights that came in at £2600 for the four of us but it meant that we were there for an additional two nights.

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? Flights cost – £2600 – £650 per person including checked baggage of 23kg each

If we were to do this trip again then we would look at low-cost airlines. If you travel in November or January flights are generally much cheaper.

Accommodation

Now, this also got caught by the pandemic as we needed to add another two nights stay because of the changes in flights. However, we booked our accommodation back in 2019 on a non-refundable basis. Thankfully our Apartment Hotel Santasport was very understanding of our situation and allowed us to carry over the booking for three years to 2022. Without adjusting the price. We paid £980 for five nights, in a two-bedroom apartment which had an enclosed balcony and its own sauna. There was also a swimming pool, bar, restaurants and soft play. Our room rate came with breakfast. Santasport was out of the city center and was pretty functional. Rather than a beautiful log cabin. But it did keep the price down and allowed us to operate on a self-catering basis if needed.

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? Accommodation costs – £980 – £245 per person or £49 per person per night including breakfast

The problem came when we needed to amend the booking to start a day later and have an extra night in the end. To do this they would charge an extra two nights at an additional £1000. For this reason, we decided to add some extras to our trip which originally we did not plan to do. This was a night in a glass igloo at Apukka Resorts and a night at the Arctic Snow Hotel with dinner. I would class both of these as additional stays on the luxury end. But since we knew the minimum we would need to spend is £1000 we thought we may as well get extra value for our money.

1-night stay in a Glass Igloo – £651.75 (€735) – £162.93 per person with breakfast included

1-night stay in the Snow Hotel £581.69 (€656) – £145.42 per person with breakfast included

With these two added extras our total accommodation bill came in at – £2213.44 or £553.36 per person or £92.22 per person per night.

Transport in Lapland

We decided that we were not going to hire a car in late December. There was significant snowfall and my husband and I were not confident in driving on snowy roads. And they really are snowy. They do not grit the roads in the same way as they do here in the UK. This means that there is quite often snow on the roads. Albeit they have special snow tyres on all of their cars. Having now been and seen the roads our opinion has not changed. If you do decide to have your own vehicle then check that the hotel comes with free private parking.

Instead of having a hire car, we used taxis to get around. This is quite commonplace and there are always some close by. I think it actually worked out on par cost-wise with what a hire car would have cost us for the week. Where possible I booked our taxis in advance and agreed on a price for your longer trips. So, for example, when we travelled from Apukka to the Snow Hotel I agreed to a set price of €100. This gave us the confidence that we knew what the cost would be beforehand.

We actually did not use as many taxis as we thought we would. As we have negotiated with our booked activities that they would pick us up from our hotel as part of the activity price. So in total for the six nights including airport transfers and two quite long journeys to different locations or taxis came in at 340€.

Booking an estate hire car would’ve been in comparable value for six nights allowing for four bags coming in at around £400. Depending on the option chosen.

As we were already out of the city centre we did not consider public transportation as it was a 25-minute walk to get to the bus service. However, if you are staying central then the number 8 bus will take you to both Santa Park and Santa Claus Village. The prices are very reasonable with only a few euros each way and this would reduce your overall expenses.

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? Transport costs including airport transfers – £302 or £75.50 per person

Activities

This is where we also splashed out. One of the things which were really important for us was that we had the best experience possible. For this reason, a number of the activities we did were on the higher end. But we tried to balance these with lower costs or free activities. For some extra ideas on things to do – 21 Things to do in Lapland in Winter. Below is a list of paid-for activities in which we took part in.

Instead of going on a snowmobile safari, the boys had a 15-minute ride each at Santa Claus Village which cost 22€ each (£19.50) at the official hometown of Santa Claus. I have allocated this spend to spending money below.
Snowman World, we actually got in for free as we were staying at the Ice Hotels but if you were not the cost of this would have been 28€ (£25) each
We also posted some postcards at Santa’s offical post office which cost 17€ although I have included the price of these in the spending money below.
A visit to Santa Park cost 42€ entrance for an adult and 36€ entrance for a child including all the activities and elf school. We also opted to book lunch in advance at 18.90€ per adult and 12.90€ for children. This brought the total cost to 219.60€ or £195.
Happy Fox Children Fun Day which was half a day spent sledging, ice fishing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiles including transport cost 590€ or £523
The highest extra cost for our outdoor activities was a private meeting with Santa in his command centre located in the secret forest. This was extravagant but one of the main reasons we wanted to go to the capital of Finnish Lapland was to see the big man. We decided to go all in as it would not be something we will do again. The cost of a private meeting with Santa was 1490€ (£1322) including transport. A group experience starts at 190€ for an adult and 160€ for a child. You can also see Santa for free at Santa Village or as part of your visit to Santa Park.
One of the Winter activities which we all really wanted to do was a husky tour. And it turned out to be one of the best things we did. As we were staying at the glass igloos we opted for a Husky Safari there which cost 159€ for an adult and 119€ for a child. So for us a total of 556€ (£493). If you want to read about other options and how to pick the best one for you – Pick the best husky safari experience for you. Opting to visit a husky farm at Santa Claus Holiday Village is the cheapest trip we came across.
The other thing we really wanted to do was to visit a reindeer farm and go on sleigh rides. Again Appuka offered reindeer rides so we did this with them. Looking around it did seem that the average cost of these were less than the huskies. Picking a reindeer sleigh ride in Lapland. It cost 135€ for an adult and 79€ for a child, so for us, the total was 428€ (£380).
We received free entry to the Snow Hotel as part of our stay. We did not pay out for an aurora borealis tour as we had hoped to catch the elusive Northern Lights at our overnight stay at the glass igloo. Alas, it was not meant to be.

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? Activity costs – £2913 – £728.25 per person.

Food & Spending Money

Our spending money and food came in at £900 for our stay this is literally every penny we spent. Including drinks and food in the airports and expensive meals both at Apukka Resort and the Snow Hotel. Where we enjoyed traditional Lappish food and set menus.

I was surprised to find that the average cost of food outside the ‘tourist experiences’ was actually really reasonable. In our hotel, you could order a burger, fries and a soft drink for 12.90€. We also had takeaway pizza for around 15€. This does mean that you can eat reasonably well in local restaurants without spending a fortune. If we had a car then we would have gone to the local supermarket and cooked in as well. The total mentioned also included alcoholic drinks with our meals and anything we brought for the children when out.

We did not need much money to buy souvenirs. We brought a certificate for crossing the arctic circle, fridge magnets and the odd Christmas tree decoration.

How much does it cost to go to Lapland? Food and spending money costs – £900 – £225 per person

Total

There is no getting away from the fact that this is an expensive holiday. Especially when travelling in high season as we did. However thanks to the pandemic we had an extra couple of years to save up for our Lapland holidays during the Christmas season. One thing that is not taken into consideration in this post is the warm clothing which you will need. Especially when travelling during the coldest month. If you visit ski resorts then you will have most of the clothing you require. Many of the tours we went on provided thermal suits if needed within the price of the activity. However, it is one of the additional costs you need to consider if building your own trip to Lapland.

We had the best time making memories that will last a lifetime. Lapland really is the best place and I am glad we chose to experience it at our pace and add in some extra once-in-a-lifetime experiences. This is just as well since our total trip cost…

Total cost £9028, or £2257 per person making the average price £376 per person per day

Looking through this list you can see obvious places to reduce the cost down by removing the extra nights in the glass igloo and snow hotel. As well as not having a private meeting with Santa. This would reduce the overall down to £6472 for four nights, not taking into account the savings we would also make on spending money and transport. This would make the figure £1618 per person.

Other ways to reduce the cost

I wrote a specific post about visiting Rovaniemi on a budget which may give you some ideas on how to reduce costs associated with visiting the home of Santa Claus. You may also want to consider the time of year that you visit. If you are not bothered about seeing Father Christmas before Christmas itself then you can visit any time of the year. As Santa is in residence in Santa Claus Village all year round.
Is snow important for you? Then you will be pleased on know that in an average year, Northern Finland can have snow all the way through until Easter. This opens up the window of travel substantially. Meaning that you could get a much better value trip in the early Springtime yet still enjoy all the snowy activities. Although if you do not want to risk missing the snow then you may want to consider earlier in the year.
Visit Father Christmas for free at Santa Claus Village
Enjoy cheaper options and visit the reindeer at Santa Claus Village where you can get a shorter ride for a reduced price. And the Husky park where you can meet the huskies for a few euros rather than going on a sledge ride.
Make the most of the snow and spend time enjoying some free sledging
Avoid the set menus in Lappish restaurants and opt for self-catering accommodation

How much does it cost to go to Lapland in comparison with a package holiday?

A package holiday for four in December would cost around a similar amount of money for three or four nights. I have even seen some that cost a lot more. The purpose of building our own trip was to ensure that we stayed within our travel budget which was £2000 per person. We did overspend by £1028 which is basically the spending money. We also wanted to ensure that we got good value and it meant we had an extra couple of nights compared to those package deals.

Our travel costs were impacted by the pandemic, and the average cost of our accommodation also went up considerably. However, we were in control of everything. We could do what we wanted when we wanted, look for the best deals and build the sort of trip that worked for our family. We really did have the ultimate Christmas experience and would not change a thing.

I hope you have enjoyed this post – How much does it cost to go to Lapland?

What is your travel style? Would you build your own festive break over the Winter season to Lapland? Let me know your thought in the comments below.