Family winter activity vacations
I can never usually persuade my son to go for a walk in the mountains. Give him a pair of cool, high tech snowshoes and a wonderful mountain guide to lead the way, and suddenly he's Chris Bonington![]()
Winter activity vacations are a big pull on the family budget, especially on the back of Christmas. Although, if you choose wisely, they can often be the most memorable escapes you will have together. Most importantly, frosty, family fun doesn’t have to mean downhill skiing. Try hiking through the snow dusted Grand Canyon, snowshoeing and jumping into thermal pools in Slovakia, or reindeer/husky sledding in Lapland. There are many carefully crafted and expertly guided winter vacations for families out there, which go way off piste and way off the tourist trail too. Leave the chair lifts queues behind and lift your snow angels’ spirits in a completely new and exciting way.
Our Winter family Vacations
Winter vacation in Finnish Lapland
Winter Cottage vacations, Finnish Lapland.
From
£2410 to £2445
8 days
inc UK flights
Transylvania winter vacation accommodation
B&B in Transylvania
From
€95 to €183
per accommodation per night (sleeps 2)
Northern lights family vacation, tailor made
A mix of Lapland family activities and a relaxing Spa hotel
From
£1225 to £2250
4 days
inc UK flights
Family winter adventure in Finland
Great range of activities in Lapland's winter wilderness.
From
£1730 to £1935
4 days
inc UK flights
Italian Alps self catering accommodation
Lovely Mountain hideaway in the Italian Alps
From
£400 to £950
per week (sleeps 6)
Northern Lights family vacation in Finland
Lapland family hunt for the Aurora at New Year
From
£2525
8 days
inc UK flights
Winter activities for families
Meet Sámi in Lapland
Spending time with these indigenous people will open your children’s eyes to traditions that they won’t believe still exist. Reindeer herding, ice fishing, felt making, igloo building, husky sledding, music and storytelling. Some Sámi experiences can feel a bit fake, so travel with a local expert who understands and supports the culture in a sustainable and non cynical way.
Snowshoeing
For families who like to hike, there are plenty of snowshoeing opportunities out there, often thrown into activity vacations that include other fun snowy stuff, such as tobogganing, sleigh rides, husky sledding and so on.But snowshoeing in Slovakia or Sweden, Lapland or the Pyrenees will show them what slow travel, in the snow travel, is all about.
Winter wildlife
Children’s adrenaline will be pumping on a winter activities vacation, but nothing will stop them in their tracks, or have their heart beating quite as hard as when they see an elk standing proud in the Finnish wilderness. Or a chamois leaping from one icy rock to another in the Alps, an Arctic hare dashing across Lappish snow or a polar bear crossing the tundra.Transylvania
No lions or witches in Transylvania. But opportunities to break out your winter wardrobe, and take magical Narnia-like horse-and-cart rides through snowy forests. Low-key ski resorts, animal-tracking, ice caves and of course the obligatory vampire folklore, make for magically alternative family winter vacations in Romania.
Our top Winter family Vacation
Winter vacation in Finnish Lapland
Winter Cottage vacations, Finnish Lapland.
From
£2410 to £2445
8 days
inc UK flights
Small group travel:
2024: 7 Jan, 14 Jan, 21 Jan, 28 Jan, 4 Feb, 11 Feb, 18 Feb, 25 Feb, 3 Mar, 10 Mar, 17 Mar
2024: 7 Jan, 14 Jan, 21 Jan, 28 Jan, 4 Feb, 11 Feb, 18 Feb, 25 Feb, 3 Mar, 10 Mar, 17 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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Winter vacations for families tips
No-no to in/out Lapland vacations
Riitta Kiukas, founder of our specialist Lapland partner Skafur Tour, on 24-hour Lapland vacations:“I remember when Rovaniemi was little more than a couple of gas stations. Now it’s so commercialised, it’s pretty awful. Occasionally our groups will spend a day there, but for the most part it’s very inauthentic. We get them elsewhere as soon as we can. Experiences like that are not what winter in Lapland is about.”
High Tatras vacations
Petr Ivanek from our partner Slovakia Explorer on why the High Tatras is becoming such a popular family destination:
“The High Tatras region is a simply stunning place for family winter sports vacations. These are the highest mountains in Central-Eastern Europe, and vacations here offer a wide selection of activities for the whole family, not just skiing. In the mornings you play in the snow, in the afternoons you relax in outdoor thermal pools. It’s only a two-hour flight from London and very affordable too – you can find pretty much everything here that you’d get in the Alps, but for less.”
“The High Tatras region is a simply stunning place for family winter sports vacations. These are the highest mountains in Central-Eastern Europe, and vacations here offer a wide selection of activities for the whole family, not just skiing. In the mornings you play in the snow, in the afternoons you relax in outdoor thermal pools. It’s only a two-hour flight from London and very affordable too – you can find pretty much everything here that you’d get in the Alps, but for less.”
More about Winter
You don't have to go far to find true winter wilderness, where reality matches the fantasy.
When to go on a winter snow vacation depends on where you're going and what you're doing.
Our winter vacation destinations take you to Scandinavia and the Alps, and beyond.
Winter vacations in Austria escape busy ski resorts and lift queues in favour of snowshoeing and cross country skiing.
Winter vacations in Finland take advantage of a long season and a smorgasbord of classic activities.
There’s much more to winter vacations in France than strapping into your bindings before plunging down the piste.
Always look north for winter vacations in Italy, especially toward the Dolomites.
The best Lapland winter vacations give Santa a swerve and head into the wilderness.
There's so much more to winter activity vacations than just downhill skiing.
Find winter fun by escaping to a frozen wonderland of bracing and exciting activities.
Exploring issues around artificial snow production, and the future for downhill skiing.
Look beyond skiing if you want to climate proof your next winter trip.
Responsible winter vacations benefit local communities, wildlife and the environment.
Find all our Winter guides in one place from Lapland to Austria and everything in between.
