We live in Rovaniemi, and every winter friends ask us the same question: when should we bring the children? Our honest answer is often February, because the cold is real but the days are no longer a dark smudge, and the snow is dependable.

This guide is for parents planning one week and one big aurora night. We explain what the bus tour is, how to read its guarantee, which night to choose, what to wear and what to do if your youngest is under five. We will say plainly when the tour is not the right fit. Use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 in the booking window if you decide to go.

Why February suits families chasing the aurora

February is the month we tell friends with children to consider first, and it surprises them. December has the Christmas magic, but it also has the darkest days, the highest prices and the longest queues. By February the sun is clearly coming back, the snow cover in Rovaniemi is usually deep and stable, and the nights are still long enough for a proper aurora hunt. You get snowy daytime walks without the feeling that the whole day happens in twilight.

For a family this matters more than it sounds. A child who has had a bright morning outside, a nap and a decent dinner is far more likely to stay awake and curious on a night tour than one who has been dragged through a dark December afternoon. Our rule of thumb is simple: the happier the day, the better the night.

The northern lights themselves do not care about school holidays. Activity depends on solar conditions and, above all, on clear sky. That is the honest framing for everything in this guide: a tour can improve your odds enormously, but it cannot switch the sky on. What a good tour does is move you away from cloud and city light, and that is exactly what the bus format is built for. You can browse the full range in our guide to activities in Rovaniemi, but for a week-long family stay, this is the tour we would anchor the week around.

What the bus tour is, and what the guarantee actually covers

The Professional Guaranteed Northern Lights Hunting Tour from Rovaniemi by Bus5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is a five-hour evening trip led by aurora guides who read the cloud forecast and decide where to drive that night, rather than taking everyone to the same car park every time. The booking page lists professional photos as part of the experience and a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured during the tour. It starts from €109 per adult.

We would read that guarantee carefully and recommend you do the same in the booking window. It is a promise about photographs of the aurora, which is a sensible and checkable standard, and it is a fair deal compared with tours that simply take your money and shrug if the sky stays grey. It is not a promise that you will see a dramatic, dancing, overhead display. Sometimes the lights are a pale green arc that your eyes read as a thin cloud and the camera turns into something striking. Tell your children this before you leave, and manage the expectation of the relative who has seen only postcards.

Because the guides move with the weather, you may drive a long way. That is the point. If you want the full detail on what to wear for those hours, we wrote it up in our layers guide. For the dates and live prices, use the button below and enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off.

Check bus tour dates & prices →

Ages, tickets and the sleep question

The product listing shows two age bands, 13+ and 3–12, so the tour is set up for children from three upwards, with a separate ticket category for the younger group. Check the child price in the live booking window, because we do not want to quote a figure that may change. What we can say from local experience is that five hours is a long evening for a three-year-old and an easy one for a ten-year-old who loves the idea of the adventure.

Our practical advice is to let the age of your youngest child decide. Under five, ask yourself honestly whether they will sleep in a moving bus. Many do, and that is wonderful, but they will wake up cold and confused if you carry them out into the snow at midnight. Between six and twelve, the bus is usually a gift: it is warm, there is room to move, and the stops are short bursts of excitement rather than endless standing around. Teenagers tend to enjoy the photography side, especially when a guide tells them how to set a phone for night shots.

Plan the day around the evening. Avoid a six-hour snow day with a late finish the day before. A gentle morning, a proper hot lunch, an afternoon rest at the hotel and an early dinner give you the best chance of a happy night. If you want to build a full family week around this, our February half-term plan has the day-by-day logic.

Choosing the night in a February week

If you are in Rovaniemi for four to seven nights, do not book the bus tour for your first evening. Jet lag, a cold arrival and a late flight make the first night a poor candidate. Wait until the second or third night, so you know how the children cope with the dark, the cold and the rhythm of the place.

Then think about forecasts without becoming a slave to them. The cloud outlook is useful; the aurora index is only a rough signal. The beauty of a guided hunt is that the guide interprets it for you. Book for a night in the middle of your stay and keep one evening in reserve in case the weather turns. If you have flexibility, check the free cancellation terms in the booking window so a bad forecast does not leave you stuck.

We also like to keep the last night free. A final evening of sauna, pizza and early bed is a lovely way to end a family trip, and it saves you from the awkward feeling of having planned too much. The tour calendar below shows live availability, and you can compare dates in the booking window without committing. Use HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 when you check out.

See February availability →

What to pack and what to wear

Dress as if you will stand still in the open for longer than you expect, because you probably will. Thermal base layers, a mid layer of wool or fleece, warm trousers, a proper winter jacket, a hat that covers the ears, a scarf or buff, thick socks and good gloves. Mittens are warmer than gloves for children. If the booking page or confirmation email says winter overalls are supplied, take them; if not, wear what you would wear on a long winter walk and add one more layer.

Bring a small bag with a thermos, snacks, spare gloves for children and a charged phone, preferably with a power bank. Cold drains batteries quickly, so keep the phone inside your jacket until you need it. For photographs, remember that the professional pictures are included in the experience, so you do not have to spend the whole night fiddling with a camera. Let yourself look at the sky.

One small tip from living here: a very light, warm hat that fits under a hood is more useful than a bulky one. Another: lip balm and a little face cream before you leave the hotel. Dry cold air is surprisingly hard on small faces.

What the five hours feel like

A typical evening starts with a pick-up and a briefing on the bus, followed by a drive out of town while the guides watch the sky and the cloud forecast. The tour listing shows a five-hour duration and a start window that depends on the date, which you confirm after booking. After the drive you stop somewhere dark, step out, wait, look up and wait again. The stops are where the magic happens, and between them the bus is warm.

The waiting is part of the experience, and we always tell families to treat it like a night picnic: one flask of hot chocolate, a game of spotting satellites, a few jokes. When the lights do appear, the change is sudden. People go quiet, then loud, and then everyone runs to see what the guide has set up for photographs. Even a faint display can feel moving when you have waited for it in a snowy field beneath thousands of stars.

If nothing appears, you are not stranded. The guarantee is there for exactly that scenario, and we think the sensible attitude is to enjoy the night sky regardless. If you like the sound of this, the booking widget on this page lets you see real-time dates; type HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off.

Upgrading: small group, private, or a different format

The bus is the best value, but it is not the only option. If your family is large or you want a calmer pace, consider the small group aurora hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, which the listing describes as a group of two to eight people with a professional guide and photographer, from €199. For a special night, the private guaranteed hunting tour5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 is from €1,990 and is built around your own group.

For smaller children, an atmospheric alternative is the Northern Lights Tour in Atmospheric Cottage5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 from €109, a three-hour evening with a campfire, snacks and a surprise gift for children. It is not a long-range hunt, but it is a gentler way to spend an evening if your youngest is under five. Combine whichever tour you choose with a daytime activity such as the Kuoksa Reindeer Adventure5% off · HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5, a three-hour, very easy outing from €159.

We cover the trade-offs between formats in more detail in our bus versus small group comparison. If you only read one thing before you book, read that.

Check small group dates →

Frequently asked questions

Is the bus tour suitable for children?
The listing shows ticket bands for ages 13+ and 3–12, so children from three are accepted. Five hours is long for small children, so consider their sleep and your day plan before booking.

What does the guarantee mean?
The booking page promises a 100% refund if no aurora photos are captured during the tour. It is a photographic standard rather than a promise of a spectacular show, so read the terms in the booking window.

How much does it cost?
From €109 per adult before our 5% reader discount. Child prices are shown in the live booking window and may differ.

Is February a good month for the northern lights?
Aurora activity depends on solar conditions and clear sky, not on the calendar. February offers long nights, stable snow and returning daylight, which many families prefer to the darkest weeks.

What if the sky is cloudy?
Guides adjust the route to look for gaps in cloud. If no photos of the aurora are captured, the listed guarantee applies. Check the terms before you pay.

Should we book on the first night?
We would not. Book for the second or third night so the children have adjusted, and keep the last evening free.

Our pick for a February family week

Book the bus tour for the middle of your stay, make sure the children have an easy day beforehand, dress them in more layers than seems necessary, and bring a thermos. That is the whole recipe. The tour is long enough to chase clear sky, comfortable enough for children, and priced so that a family does not need to think twice.

If you want to book now, the calendar below shows live availability. Enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY5 at checkout for 5% off, and read the cancellation terms in the booking window before you pay, so you know your options if the forecast changes.

Book the bus tour →