Winter Wonderland Lapland - Levi with Kids |

For a week vacation at the end of the year 2018 we were hesitating between New York City, Vietnam and Lapland. Finally, the great airfare, no jetlag and what we hoped magical atmosphere of Lapland in december/ january made the rest.

We bought the flight tickets from Brussels to Kittila via Helsinki with Finnair on Skyscanner. Including two checked bags the total came to 1350€ for us 4.

Welcome to Kittila

Hotel in Levi

We booked really last minute and so for the accommodation there wasn’t much left. In the end, we stayed at the hotel Break by Sokos Levi in the center of Levi. This turned out to be ideal. We had a suite with a sauna and breakfast was included.

Activities in Levi and surroundings

Levi panorama and Samiland

Take the Express gondola at Zero point to the Levi panorama. From here you can enjoy the view on Levi and kilometers around. Walk past the Hotel Panorama to a small hill to see the sunrise and sunset. After that, visit Samiland, an interesting indoor and outdoor exhibition which presents the history of Europe’s only indigenous people, the Sami. It costs 24€ for a family of 4, including a hot drink at café Spiella. If you don’t want to visit the exhibition, we still recommend having a drink at Café Spiella for its unbeatable views of Levi.

Sledding in Levi

Close to Zero point in Levi, kids can have hours of fun sledding down the hills. Finding a sled is very easy as there seem to be a lot of abandoned ones in the village. Just take one at the beginning of your stay and leave it somewhere when you go home to make another child happy.

Husky Safari

We did the 5km Husky Safari with Tundra Huskies. We booked online, received the confirmation and were picked up at the meeting point in Levi on the day of the safari. The explanations on how to handle the sled and dogs were very clear and we felt safe the whole time. After the ride we enjoyed a hot berry juice and sausages grilled on the fire. Note that the kids below a certain age have to be in a special sledge.

Snowmobile Safari to the wilderness

After receiving all the necessary clothing, a briefing about the driving and safety rules we were ready for the adventure. With one child each on the snowmobile, we drove through snowy forests and over frozen lakes.

We booked with Lapland Safaris and were pleased with the experience.

Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights Watching

This is a tough one because a lot of criteria need to be met in order to spot the Northern lights. If the conditions are ideal, you still need a lot of patience and luck (especially with kids) And dress warm! Time seems to move even slower at -15C or less! The best place to watch the Northern Lights at a walkable distance in Levi is Lake Immeljarvi.

Restaurants in Levi

We ate at 4 different restaurants during our stay in Levi. Our favorite was Jangalla serving traditional Lappish food. The pizza restaurant Renna is the one we liked least and wouldn’t recommend it.