Some of the happiest groups we see in Rovaniemi are grandparents with their grandchildren: a grandfather in borrowed overalls laughing in a reindeer sleigh, a six-year-old explaining the Northern Lights to her grandmother. And some of the most exhausted groups are the same families, two days later, after booking one tour too many.

This four-day plan is how we would do it with our own family: one activity a day that everybody can share, a gentle or active option where ages split, and an aurora night early on so there is time for a second try.

How we planned four days for three generations

Three generations in Lapland is one of the loveliest trips you can take, and one of the easiest to over-plan. Grandparents tire differently from five-year-olds, teenagers want speed, and everyone needs to be warm, fed and back at the hotel at a reasonable hour. After years of watching families come through Rovaniemi, our rule is: one shared activity a day that everybody can do, plus an optional "active" extra for whoever has the energy.

The anchor of this plan is the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, because it is the one experience we can recommend to a 75-year-old and a four-year-old in the same breath. It is rated very easy, lasts about three hours and the sleigh does the work. Around it we put a warm Northern Lights hunt by bus, a guided Santa Claus Village morning, and a short husky ride for the little ones, with a self-drive husky option for the adventurous.

A practical note before the days: most tours here include pick-up within 10 km of the city centre and winter overalls, boots and gloves in adult and children's sizes. The Arctic Paws husky ride is the exception, as it has no pick-up and no thermal clothing, so plan a taxi and dress everyone warmly that day.

Days 1 and 2: settle in, reindeer and the aurora

Day 1 — arrival, nothing booked

Arrival days with grandparents and children always take longer than you think. Let everyone unpack, eat, and take a short walk in the snow so the little ones can roll around and the grandparents can test their boots. Early night.

Day 2 — Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure, then the Northern Lights bus

In the late morning you are picked up for the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5. The guide talks about reindeer herding and life on a reindeer farm, everyone gets bundled into warm overalls, and then you glide 2–3 km through the forest by reindeer sleigh. Cookies and juice follow. It is slow, quiet and very Lappish. If the snow or weather does not allow a sleigh ride, the tour becomes a reindeer walk instead, which grandparents with stiff knees should know. Note that infants must not sit on laps.

Gentle choice: this is already it. Active add-on: none needed today; save the energy for the evening.

After an early dinner, it is aurora time. The Professional Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour by Bus5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is our pick for mixed ages. You sit in a warm bus while expert guides route by the weather, professional photos are included, and there is a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured. It lasts about five hours, with ticket categories for ages 3–12 and 13+. If the youngest grandchild is under three or simply cannot stay up, a grandparent and the toddler can enjoy a cosy evening at the hotel while the rest go. We put the aurora on night two so nights three and four remain as back-ups.

Days 3 and 4: Santa, huskies and a back-up aurora night

Day 3 — Santa Claus Village Tour

Sleep in after the aurora night. The Santa Claus Village Tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 runs with morning and afternoon departures, so pick the afternoon if you were out late. It lasts about five hours, includes winter clothing and pick-up, and the guide's whole job is to show the family the best parts of the village in a streamlined way, so nobody wanders around lost in the cold. It is rated very easy: perfect for grandparents.

Alternative on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: the Ranua WildLife Zoo Park Visit5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €139) takes you to see over 50 Arctic species including polar bears, with lunch included. Good for animal-mad grandchildren, and grandparents can rest in the warm in between enclosures.

Day 4 — gentle or active huskies

This is the day to split up for a few hours if you want to.

Gentle choice: the Arctic Paws 2 km family-friendly husky ride at Lapland Winter Park5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €65). A guide drives the sleigh for about ten minutes, roughly 2 km, and afterwards you meet the dogs and take photos. The exact ride start can vary by up to 40 minutes from the meeting time on your ticket, so do not book anything tight around it. Remember: no pick-up and no thermal clothing included.

Active choice: older grandchildren (three and up) and the more energetic adults can do the Nulkki Husky Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €189): you drive your own sled for 5 km through the Kuoksajärvi forest after instructions from the musher, then warm up with cookies and juice in a teepee. It is rated easy, but it is still driving a team of excited dogs.

In the evening, if the aurora hid on night two, try again with the Northern Lights Tour in Atmospheric Cottage5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €109), a three-hour evening by the fire that even includes a surprise gift for the children.

Between activities, build in real rest. Children and grandparents both get cold faster than they admit, and a warm lunch back in town, an afternoon nap and a hot chocolate are part of the plan, not a waste of holiday. A quiet hour in the hotel sauna, if yours has one, does more for the next morning than a third outing ever will.

What to choose if you only book two, three or four activities

Two activities: the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 and the Northern Lights bus tour. Every generation can do both, and between them you have covered reindeer and the aurora.

Three activities: add the Santa Claus Village Tour if the grandchildren are young, or the Nulkki husky ride if they are teenagers.

Four activities: the full plan, with Arctic Paws for the little ones and Nulkki for the adventurous.

By age: under three, stick to Arctic Paws, the reindeer and Santa days, and check every age rule in the booking window. From three to about ten, everything in the plan works, though the self-drive husky ride needs an adult on the sled. Teenagers will love a snowmobile: the Arctic Snowmobile Tour on Private Trails5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €99) is family-friendly, with about an hour of actual driving by a frozen lake.

By energy: be honest about the slowest member of the group. A three-hour reindeer outing plus a five-hour evening on the bus is already a full day for someone in their seventies. If that worries you, split the aurora onto day three and do the Santa village on day two instead; the plan works in either order, and nothing here needs to be done on a particular day except the zoo, which runs on set weekdays.

By budget: the gentle core of reindeer, bus aurora, Santa village and Arctic Paws is from €502 per adult. Swap Arctic Paws for Nulkki and it is from €626.

What the four-day plan costs

These are "from" prices per adult at the time of writing; children's prices show in the booking window.

Our 5% reader discount works on every booking separately, so for a family of six or eight it adds up quickly.

Book your whole plan in one go

Every button below opens live dates and prices right here on the page. Book the whole family's tickets in each checkout, and type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off — on every activity you book.

Day 2: Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure →

Night 2: Northern Lights Hunting Tour by Bus →

Day 3: Santa Claus Village Tour →

Day 4 gentle: Arctic Paws husky ride →

Day 4 active: Nulkki Husky Adventure →

Book the reindeer and aurora first: they are the shared moments. The code HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 works on each one. If you want more ideas first, browse our full guide to activities in Rovaniemi.

Private options for a slower, more personal trip

With a big family, private tours start to make sense, both for comfort and because you set the pace. The Private Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €990 for your group) is the same gentle reindeer farm visit and 2–3 km sleigh ride, just for you, with pick-up included. The Private Reindeer Sleigh Ride & Santa Visit5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €1,490) combines a 1 km reindeer sleigh ride with a 30-minute exclusive meeting with Santa in a private kota, a gift for each child and a personal elf from pick-up to drop-off. For a once-in-a-lifetime family Christmas, it is the most special thing on this list. A lighter alternative is the Magical Private Santa Visit5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 (from €249). Private tours have a stricter cancellation policy, free up to seven days before, so book them once dates are firm.

We have written more about this kind of trip in our three-generation winter plan and in our look at the aurora bus tour for seniors and grandparents.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best activity in Rovaniemi for grandparents and grandchildren together?
A gentle reindeer safari. The Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure is rated very easy, lasts about three hours, includes a 2–3 km reindeer sleigh ride, warm winter clothing in adult and child sizes, cookies and juice, and pick-up within 10 km of the centre. It is from €159 per adult.

Is the Northern Lights bus tour suitable for older travellers?
It is the most comfortable way to hunt the aurora: you travel in a warm bus, the guides choose the direction by the weather, professional photos are included and there is a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured. It lasts about five hours, so plan a slow next morning.

Can toddlers join the activities in this plan?
Some of them. The Arctic Paws husky ride lists tickets for ages 0–2 and 3–12, and the reindeer and Santa days are family-friendly, but infants must not sit on laps on several tours and the Nulkki husky ride is not suitable for children under three. Always check the age rules in the booking window.

Do grandparents have to drive a husky sled or snowmobile?
No. Every 'active' choice in this plan has a gentle alternative. On Arctic Paws the guide drives the sled; on the reindeer safari you simply sit in the sleigh. Only the optional Nulkki Husky Adventure asks you to drive your own sled.

Are private tours worth it for a three-generation group?
If you are six or more people, or someone needs a slower pace, private tours remove the waiting and the strangers. The Private Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure is from €990 and the Private Reindeer Sleigh Ride & Santa Visit from €1,490 for your group; check in the booking window what group size the price covers.

How do we get the 5% discount for the whole family?
Book each activity separately and type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout every time. The 5% comes off every booking, including children's tickets in the same checkout.

Our pick for grandparents and grandkids

If you book one thing for the whole family, book the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5. It is the calmest, most inclusive Lapland experience we know: no one has to drive anything, everybody gets dressed warmly, and the photo of grandma and the grandchildren in a reindeer sleigh will end up framed. Add the bus aurora hunt on the same day and you have the heart of the trip in one go.

Check dates for the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure →

Type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off on every booking. Enjoy the time together.