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Northern lights with children in Ylläs: which evening takes your youngest

Green and violet aurora over a calm bay with ice floes and snowy hills

Illustration photo: the aurora over a bay, not in Ylläs.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

With a toddler, book the fireside evening sold by the big safari company: it takes every age, lends the clothing and keeps the children busy with sausages and marshmallows. From six, the snowshoe walk is a real outing for children who like to move. From eight, the sled evening is the easiest for small legs. Keep the long search by car for older children who will stay awake.

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.

Fireside eveningSearch by carSnowshoe walkSled evening
Youngest All ages Child fare from 4 6 8
Length 2.5 h 4 h 2.5 h 2.5 h
By the fire Sausages and marshmallows Hot drink and biscuit Marshmallows to grill Pancakes in a kota
Starts Tuesdays 20:00 Not stated Not stated Not stated

Nothing is marked, because the right evening depends on the youngest child. All four lend winter clothing.

Where these figures come from
  • Fireside evening: Two and a half hours at a fire a short drive away, with sausages and marshmallows, for all ages.
  • Search by car: About four hours by car in search of the aurora, with a child fare from four.
  • Snowshoe walk: Two and a half hours on snowshoes with marshmallows to grill, from the age of six.
  • Sled evening: A sled towed by a snowmobile to pancakes in a kota, from the age of eight.

For a family in Ylläs, the aurora evenings are best chosen from the youngest child upwards.

Every age

Lapland Safaris’ evening starts with a short car ride to a fire and is sold for every age.1 North Wind Lapland’s search by car sells a child fare from four and lasts about four hours.2

From six and eight

The same company’s snowshoe walk takes children from six,3 and its sled evening, where the children ride rather than walk, takes them from eight.4

What these evenings cost a family is worked out on northern lights tour prices in Ylläs.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Can a baby come on the fireside evening?

Yes. It is sold for all ages, with its own category for children up to three, and it starts with a short car ride rather than a walk. Ask when you book how far it is from the car to the fire and whether the thermal outfits come in a size small enough for your child.

Is the clothing lent for children too?

All four list winter clothing or a thermal outfit in the price. Ask for children's sizes when you book, because the listings do not say which sizes are kept, and dress small children in wool underneath whatever is lent. Mittens rather than gloves keep small hands warmer while you wait by the fire.

What if a child is ill on the day?

The fireside evening is sold by a company that charges 25 euros for a cancellation three days or more ahead and the full price after that. The other three are sold by an operator whose own pages do not print a cancellation rule, so ask for it before you pay.

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.

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