Lapland with kids

Itinerary and best things to do

In this blog, I will share more about our journey through Lapland with kids. Lapland covers the northern part of Scandinavia and is the home of the Sami people. Nature is central to their culture, which is reflected in all aspects of their way of life. The many reindeer herds in the north are largely herded by the Sami. Did you know that Lapland also has a very famous resident? In the Finnish part of Lapland, you can find the home of Santa Claus!

Most travelers who choose Lapland go during the winter, as that’s when the Northern Lights can be seen. For us, however, Lapland was part of a road trip through Denmark and Sweden during the summer vacation. In the summer, Lapland is a huge outdoor playground for kids. Enjoy wild camping, gathering firewood, making campfires, and of course, roasting marshmallows. In the morning, take a dip in an abandoned lake, spot reindeer and perhaps even moose along the way, and explore the most fantastic natural areas.

We have seen many natural areas in Europe, but Abisko National Park in northern Swedish Lapland is truly unmatched. It’s a mix of Lord of the Rings, Lost, and Jurassic Park, and you hardly encounter other people here. If you can only choose one adventure in Sweden, it has to be the two-day hike through Abisko!

This blog is written by Kim from kleineprijsvooreenwereldreis.

Are you looking for a warmer, undiscovered destination in Europe? Consider a road trip through Bosnia with kids!

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Lapland with kids - Itinerary

♥ Copenhagen
♥ Smögen / Hunebo beach (wild camping)
♥ Sollerön
♥ Sonfjället National Park
♥ Arjeplog (from here, we were in Lapland)
♥ Grodkällan (the most beautiful lake in Sweden!)
♥ Jokkmokk (here you cross the Arctic Circle)
♥ Galliväre (wild camping)
♥ Abisko National Park (wild camping)
♥ Rovaniemi (Finland, Santa’s village)
♥ Gammelstad
♥ Trolska Skogen (theater amusement park)
♥ Stockholm
♥ Norrköping
♥ Västervik (kayaking)
♥ Skänor beach (pearl white beach)
♥ Copenhagen
♥ Legoland and Lego House

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Lapland with kids - the best to do's

There is so much to experience on this trip, but these are the things you definitely shouldn’t miss during your road trip through Lapland with kids:

♥ Ájtte Museum in Jokkmokk – the Sami center. A museum where you can learn all about the Sami people. The museum is very child-friendly and also has a free outdoor area where you can admire different types of Sami buildings from the inside!
♥ Certificate confirming that you have crossed the Arctic Circle with stamps in your passport. The Arctic Circle is well marked. Make sure to stop by the visitor center, where you can get your “Arctic certificate” for just a few euros. The gentleman there will personally write your last name and sign it for you. We also received two cool stamps in our passport right away!
♥ Abisko National Park! Here, you can truly go “into the wild.” Get advice at the visitor center about the best route and learn all about the animals you might spot, like the wolverine. Camping is not allowed in the park itself, but you can hike through the park and then wild camp just outside of it. You’ll walk past beautiful rock formations, a ravine, and through stunning landscapes. You’ll also take a cable car up (an experience in itself). The distance was manageable for our 6-year-old son, and as soon as we exited the park, we found a beautiful spot to camp by a fast-flowing river. On the way back, you can take a different route. It was truly an incredibly beautiful hike in an area where we encountered only five people in two days.
♥ Visit Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi. Although the village isn’t very festive in summer, you can still visit Santa Claus. It’s a fun outing for the kids even in the summer!
♥ Arktikum Museum in Rovaniemi. A beautiful and large museum where you can learn all about Lapland, the Sami, and other northern peoples. There is a lot of information about climate change, the lifestyle of the Sami, and the Arctic region itself. The museum is very interactive. Don’t forget to lie back and enjoy the Northern Lights show!

Tip: Looking for an adventure in nature closer to home? Spend the night in a Cosy Cabin at Nutchel Ardennes.

You can easily find more activities in Rovaniemi below:

Lapland with kids - practical tips

♥ The further north you drive, the smaller the villages become. You will also encounter fewer villages along the way. So make sure to stop in time for gas, groceries, and bathroom breaks!
♥ Make sure to stop in Malung and grab some food at the local Chinese restaurant. If the weather is nice, you can enjoy your meal at the nearby playground, which is really cool!
♥ Are you going wild camping? Decathlon sells lightweight blackout tents that are perfect! In summer, it doesn’t get completely dark in Sweden, but it was pitch black inside these tents!
♥ In Sweden, there are many shelters (semi-open wooden structures) and even cabins that you can use for free to sleep in. Check with the locals; they know where to find them!
♥ Make sure to bring very warm sleeping bags if you tend to get cold easily.
♥ Always make sure to have cash on hand. We couldn’t pay by card everywhere, and sometimes there’s no option to “just withdraw cash at an ATM” in the small villages.

Lapland with kids - additional tips

During our road trip, we also traveled through Denmark and southern Sweden. Here are some tips for the rest of the journey:

♥ Christiania (Freetown in Copenhagen)
♥ Norrköping (rock carvings from prehistory and just a really lovely town)
♥ Kayaking in Västervik
♥ Ice Bar Stockholm
♥ Skänor beach (with a beautiful white sandy beach)
♥ Geomuseum Faxe Kalkbrud (between Køge and Vordingborg). Many fossils are found at this limestone quarry, and you can search for them yourself for free! There’s even a beautiful bright blue lake on the premises, but it’s not suitable for swimming. Tip: Be sure to keep an eye out for heavy traffic when visiting with children!

About Kim

Hi, I’m Kim. Since meeting my husband in 2010, we’ve been exploring Europe together with our daughter (2006) and son (2015). We traveled for a long time on a very tight budget. Our solution was couch surfing—staying with locals for free while actually spending time together. Even now that our budget is much larger, we still love couch surfing. Because of it, we’ve discovered not only the most beautiful hidden gems but also formed lifelong friendships! As a family, we definitely want to go to Africa. My husband and I have traveled to Tanzania together, and that trip made a huge impression. From visiting the Maasai to a maternity visit in a tiny village in the countryside where the preschoolers had never seen a white person before. And I haven’t even mentioned the sunrise safari and snorkeling over a thousand colorful starfish! Our ultimate goal is to go on a year-long world trip, and we are working hard behind the scenes to save for it. On my travel blog www.kleineprijsvooreenwereldreis.nl, I share the most beautiful places, the best hotels, and the best tips for saving money while traveling!

Follow Kim on Instagram: @kleineprijsvooreenwereldreis