Christmas in Finland
Kuhmo, Finland highlights
Christmas trees, sledging and snow angels
Reindeer, campfires and saunas
Snowmobiling
Husky sleigh rides
Winter War Museum
Father Christmas
Why visit Finland?
For arctic adventures, tranquillity and breathtaking scenery (not just the home of Santa).
Getting there and around
In December 2018 when our children were 3 and 6 years old we visited Finland.
We flew to Helsinki from Manchester Airport, and then from Helsinki to Kajaani with Finnair.
The hotel provided a transfer in a mini van and the drive from the airport took 90 minutes.
Accommodation
We stayed for 5 nights over Christmas at the Hotel Kalevala near the town of Kuhmo in the Finnish Lake District, 350 miles north of Helsinki. The hotel provided an all-inclusive package with meals and activities which made this an easy stay. We didn’t love the food but we did love the helpful staff.
We avoided the tourist seeing Santa further north, and found ourselves in a peaceful and beautiful part of Finland.
Temperatures ranged from -5 to -20 Celsius. Days were short with half light from 11am - 3pm. We brought thermal layers to wear and the hotel provided waterproofs.
Our star rating: 4
Our cost rating: 4
Christmas trees and sledging
We walked with the hotel staff through the forest to chop down a Christmas tree.
We helped take the Christmas tree back to the hotel where the children decorated it.
Reindeer, campfires and saunas
We walked through pristine fresh snow to visit and feed the reindeer each morning.
In the evenings we walked down to the lake where there was a campfire and big tent. We listened to music, ate hot dogs and drank warm berry juice.
We also relaxed in the saunas and braved the outdoor jacuzzi. A fun game was jumping out of the jacuzzi and seeing how long you could lie down in the snow before jumping back into the warm water!
Snowmobiling
We rode through breathtaking scenery and attempted different terrains.
Whenever we paused in the forest the silence was truly remarkable.
We’ve never been anywhere so isolated and peaceful.
Snowmobiling was much easier than we expected it to be and totally exhilarating.
Husky sleigh rides
This was one for all the family!
The hotel provided transport to a husky farm where we learnt about the dogs. Each adult drove a sleigh pulled by 4 dogs, while the kids sat in the sleigh.
The dogs were raring to go and it was quite a challenge to avoid crashing into the sleigh in front. It was really fun but much harder than snowmobiling!
We loved meeting the Finnish husky farmers who clearly cared for the animals very well. They welcomed us into their home and told us stories about Finnish customs and folklore.
Winter War museum
Rather surreally we found this small museum on one of our walks in the forest.
The museum tells the story of Soviet troops invading in 1939 and the Soviet - Finland ‘Winter War’ that followed.
The museum was a rather gruesome, but very honest and educational lesson on this important part of history.
Father Christmas
On Christmas Eve Father Christmas arrived to give presents to the children and sing carols.
The kids truly believed it was the real deal although of course they deny it now!
After the big meal, some local children came to the hotel and showed us traditional dancing.
We finished the evening with hot chocolates and glasses of wine in front of the cosy open fire.
Final thoughts
Finland is a stunningly beautiful and mesmerising place. This was a special way to spend Christmas and a magical experience.
The staff at the hotel were warm, funny and welcoming and really made the trip fantastic.
We’d love to return to Finland to visit Helsinki and the Lake District in summer, to see brown bears and wolves in the wild!
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