A 1-week itinerary for exploring Finland at Christmas.

Start at the Christmas Markets in Helsinki and then end with reindeer, snowmobiling, and ice-floating in Lapland.

Stockholm is an incredibly family-friendly city with lots of engaging and fun museums for young children.

Learn about our stay in Stockholm and our 5-year-old’s favorite activities.

How much does it really cost to visit Santa Claus Village? How does one visit Lapland on a budget? To be honest, I do not know! We attempted to visit Lapland on a budget, but it was challenging to complete our bucket list AND keep things affordable. Snowmobiling across a frozen lake, and being pulled around in a sled by reindeer is not cheap. We spent 4 days and nights in Rovaniemi, Finland in December of 2024. We stayed over Christmas, so that definitely increased our costs.

If you are looking for a beautiful winter getaway AND you want to visit a European Christmas market without the crowds, then look no further than Helsinki. We loved our two days and night in this capital city. Read on about about family friendly trip.

If you’ve ever seen a photo of Quebec City, chances are you have also seen a photo of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. There is no doubt that the Frontenac is visually stunning from the outside, but we wanted to explore the hotel from the inside, too, and see if it lived up to the hype. Here’s our honest review of the Chateau Frontenac with our young kid.