Best time to go on a winter snow vacation

We always associate snow with Christmas, but staying in a Swedish tree cabin, overlooking a crisp, white forest which was lit up by the Northern Lights at night? That's a Valentine's dream come true.![]()

Our Winter Vacations
Finland Northern Lights vacation, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
From
£1785 to £2010
5 days
inc UK flights
Winter activity vacation in the French Alps
A flexible winter multi activity vacation in the French Alps
From
€698
7 days
ex flights
Cross country skiing vacation in the Dolomites, Italy
A famously beautiful range of jagged peaks
From
US $2049 to US $2249
8 days
ex flights
Transylvania winter walking & snowshoeing vacation
Wander through the mountains and forests of wintery Transylvania
From
US $1849
8 days
ex flights
Husky safari in Finland
Sled with huskies through spectacular Finnish scenery
From
£2945 to £3488
8 days
inc UK flights
Winter vacation in Finnish Lapland
Winter Cottage vacations, Finnish Lapland.
From
£2410 to £2445
8 days
inc UK flights
Responsible Travel recommends
Tom Wilkinson from our winter activities supplier, Exodus, gives some tips on the best time for winter snow vacations:
“Late season can be great in the Dolomites as it feels pretty warm and there’s often still a good base of snow. There’s more daylight so you can afford a longer, lazier lunch, often in the sun, before carrying on. Some of the views can be spectacular at any time of year just as long as it’s clear. You wouldn’t really want to go in early January to some of our remote Norwegian lodges, as there is too little light and it’s extremely cold”.
“Late season can be great in the Dolomites as it feels pretty warm and there’s often still a good base of snow. There’s more daylight so you can afford a longer, lazier lunch, often in the sun, before carrying on. Some of the views can be spectacular at any time of year just as long as it’s clear. You wouldn’t really want to go in early January to some of our remote Norwegian lodges, as there is too little light and it’s extremely cold”.
Ali McLean, from our supplier Activities Abroad, shares his advice on the best time to visit Lapland:
“If you were to take a straw poll of Laplanders, I'd bet the majority would cite late March-early April as their favourite time of year. I couldn’t agree more and always make a point of traveling to northern Scandinavia in late March – the daylight hours are longer (it’s a misnomer that Lapland is dark 24 hours a day in winter); the temperature improves, hovering at around 0°C during the day; there is less cloud cover, which increases your chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis; the snow is deep, crisp and fairly even; and Father Christmas is off sunning himself somewhere, so there’s no chance of being swamped by hordes of young kids in search of a Coca Cola Christmas.”
“If you were to take a straw poll of Laplanders, I'd bet the majority would cite late March-early April as their favourite time of year. I couldn’t agree more and always make a point of traveling to northern Scandinavia in late March – the daylight hours are longer (it’s a misnomer that Lapland is dark 24 hours a day in winter); the temperature improves, hovering at around 0°C during the day; there is less cloud cover, which increases your chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis; the snow is deep, crisp and fairly even; and Father Christmas is off sunning himself somewhere, so there’s no chance of being swamped by hordes of young kids in search of a Coca Cola Christmas.”
Our top Winter Vacation
Finland Northern Lights vacation, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
From
£1785 to £2010
5 days
inc UK flights
Small group travel:
2023: 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec
2024: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 16 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 27 Feb, 5 Mar, 12 Mar
2023: 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec
2024: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 16 Jan, 23 Jan, 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 13 Feb, 20 Feb, 27 Feb, 5 Mar, 12 Mar
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Winter or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

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