Winter vacations for families
snow angels
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.
Winter activities for families
What to do with little ones
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.
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.
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.
Winter vacations for families tips
responsible travel asks the experts

Photo credits: [Top box: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters]
[Meet Sami in Lapland: Heather Sutherland]
[Snowshoeing: USFWSmidwest]
[Wildlife - chamois: Robert J Heath]
[Laura Greenman quote: Suvodeb Banerjee]
Finland Northern Lights vacation, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
From
£1495
5 Days
inc UK flights
Tailor made vacation in Lapland
Tailor-made week in Finnish Lapland
From
£1265
8 Days
inc UK flights
Northern lights family vacation, tailor made
A mix of Lapland family activities and a relaxing Spa hotel
From
£1265
4 Days
inc UK flights
Lapland vacation, husky safari & log cottage
Luxurious log suite,northern lights & overnight husky safari
From
€1950
5 Days
ex flights
Husky safari in Finland
Sled with huskies through spectacular Finnish scenery
From
£2275
8 Days
inc UK flights
Cross country skiing vacation in the Dolomites, Italy
A famously beautiful range of jagged peaks
From
US $1879
8 Days
ex flights
Transylvania winter walking and snowshoeing vacation
Wander through the mountains and forests of wintery Transylvania
From
US $1479
8 Days
ex flights
Alternative family winter vacation in Chamonix, France
Easter family ski, yoga & circus vacation
From
£835
7 Days
ex flights