Book now

Ice fishing with children in Ylläs: short enough, warm enough

A lake freezing at dusk with ice shards on the shore and snowy hills beyond

Illustration photo: a freezing lake, not in Ylläs.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a child under four, book the short walk onto Lake Ylläsjärvi: it is the one trip that says it welcomes them, it is the shortest, and the clothing is lent. With children of four and more staying in Äkäslompolo, the Thursday trip on the village lake keeps them close to the cottage. For older children who can manage half a day, the drive to Luosujärvi ends with soup indoors.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Walk onto Lake YlläsjärviVillage lake, ÄkäslompoloWalk-in introductionLake Luosujärvi by car
Youngest child Under 4, with a parent 4 Not stated 4
Length 1.5 h 2 h About 2.5 h 3 to 3.5 h
Winter clothing Included Included Not listed Included
Food Hot drink and biscuit Not listed Warm juice and a snack Soup lunch in a café

Nothing is marked: a shorter trip suits a toddler and bores an older child. Where clothing is not listed, ask before relying on it.

Where these figures come from
  • Walk onto Lake Ylläsjärvi: An hour and a half on the lake by the safari house, children under four welcome with a parent.
  • Village lake, Äkäslompolo: Two hours on the lake in the middle of Äkäslompolo, on Thursday afternoons, clothing lent.
  • Walk-in introduction: About two and a half hours, walking or snowshoeing to the lake, with a child fare to fourteen.
  • Lake Luosujärvi by car: Three hours or more with a drive, a net demonstration and a soup lunch in a café.

For a family, the ice fishing trips around Ylläs differ most in the youngest child they take and in how long that child stays out.

With a toddler

North Wind Lapland’s walk onto Lake Ylläsjärvi is the one trip that says children under four are welcome, with a parent close by.1

From four

Snow Fun Safaris fishes on the lake in the middle of Äkäslompolo and also drives families to Luosujärvi, lending the thermal clothing on both,2 and Ylläs Experiences walks to the ice with a child fare up to fourteen.3

What each costs a family is on ice fishing prices in Ylläs.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What do children do while waiting for a bite?

On the Ylläsjärvi walk they can lie on a reindeer skin and listen to stories of how the villagers fished the lake in the old days. On the other trips the guide first shows everyone how to drill a hole and how to use the rod, so there is something to do before the waiting starts. Bring a small snack from the cottage for the quiet spells.

Can a child go to the toilet out on the ice?

None of the four listings say. Two of them fish on a lake by the village, and the Luosujärvi trip ends in a café. Ask the guide before you set off, and take the children beforehand, because getting out of full winter clothing on the ice is slow.

How many other people will be on the trip?

The Ylläsjärvi walk takes at most twelve people. The other three do not print a group size. If a quieter trip matters to you or to a shy child, ask when you book how many are already on your date, and whether a family can have a hole a little apart from the rest.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

More about Lapland Handbook →