You've always wanted to see the magical Northern Lights for yourself. And you're sure your kids will love the experience just as much as you. But the Arctic Circle is a cold and dangerous place... there might be quite a lot of waiting around to endure, and you need to be aware of how to keep your children stay safe, warm and entertained on free child place holidays far north. Here's our family guide to the ultimate Northern Lights trip.

A quick word about safety in the Arctic Circle

The Arctic is a remarkably safe place, with very little crime. The hospitals are excellent. And that means your biggest enemy, when travelling with the kids, is the cold. As long as you keep them warm and cosy, your children will have the most amazing time way up north.

The older the child, the more they'll appreciate the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights appear after dark, after bedtime for small children and toddlers, and that in itself is really exciting when you're little, when midnight is a magic hour that you might not have experienced for yourself before. As a rule the older the child, the more they appreciate the aurora. Really little ones tend to remain pretty unimpressed by the phenomenon, a sight which renders adults speechless and leaves us awe-inspired.

The pre-trip build-up

One way to get smaller children interested and keep their levels of enthusiasm up is to spend time talking about the trip beforehand, show them pictures, read about the place together, find out about the animals and the people. You might want to stock up on drawing materials so your kids can draw the reindeer, Santa, the Sami people and anything else that fires their imagination.

The clothing

Even if you're a seasoned skier, you'll notice how much colder it is there than in, say, the French Alps or the Rockies. It's properly cold, and that means you need to take great care to keep the little ones warm. Snow boots and layers of wool socks, thinner next to the skin, are essential. You'll need long johns or thermal undies. Polyester track pants make an excellent underlayer. Either ski pants or salopettes are perfect over that, on top of a good basic thermal layer next to your torso. Add a fleece top or shirt then a 100% wool jumper. Put a snow coat on top of all that, add a scarf, hat and gloves, and they should stay good and cosy. Keep checking in case your children are getting cold, and if so bring them indoors to warm up.

Entertainment for the kids

At most Lapland resorts, little ones will enjoy activities like making snowmen and visiting Santa. Older children love reindeer sledding, tobogganing and building igloos from blocks of snow. Teens adore the challenges of cross country skiing. And children of every age are happy simply playing in the lovely, powdery snow for hours on end, enjoying completely natural outdoor fun.

Remember you need to have a licence to drive a snowmobile, and little kids can’t do cross-country skiing. So when travelling with little ones it's always a good idea to bring extra options for entertainment, just in case.

• The joy of reindeer safaris – People of every age love the gentle reindeer with their big, brown, thickly lashed eyes, friendly faces and funny flat feet designed for walking on soft snow. Combine these delightful creatures with the enormity, the drama, the sheer spectacular vastness of Lapland's wonderful winter landscapes and it's a trip everyone will remember. You'll zoom past frozen fjords and vast snow-covered peaks, through fragrant, silent pine forests and along deep, white river valleys. And you'll meet the extraordinary Sami people, who have lived comfortably in this incredibly cold place for millennia.

• Children adore husky sledding – Husky dogs remain one of the fastest and most reliable ways to travel the snowy landscapes. No wonder dog-sledding is a such a popular attraction for visitors, something people never forget. Imagine being pulled at high speed through the icy snowscapes by happy dogs who love their job. You'll navigate ice-covered lakes, dodging snow-dusted tree branches in the thick forests and even taking your Northern Lights tour via husky sled. This is great for teens, who can have a go at driving the sled. And everyone falls in love with the dogs themselves, such dedicated, clever, friendly animals.

Practical things to consider on the Northern Lights experience itself

It's more than likely that your trip to see the aurora will involve a bus journey, and while some stop en route there are few places to stop at, it's so remote and empty. Make sure you go to the loo before you leave the bus terminal, just in case there are no stops, and dress your kids in clothing that you or they can undo easily without freezing their bare skin.

The cold weather means you'll be hungrier than usual. Take some snacks with you and take money along just in case there's the chance to buy hot drinks and more snacks along the way. Some tours stop, others don't.

Small children might fall asleep on the journey, so make sure they'll be comfortable if they want to drop off for a while. While the bus might be nice and cosy, it's still nice to have something cosy to snuggle into, maybe a blanket. And it isn't always easy to relax when you're wearing layer upon layer of warm clothing. A warm coat and a blanket each might be more comfortable on the bus than loads of layers and no blanket. Just make sure you have choices.

You'll be outdoors to see the aurora, not in the bus, and now you need warm clothing. It's incredibly dark and extremely cold, so you'll probably need thermals, gloves, thick socks, hats, jumpers and coats. Your kids might find they have to hop on the bus now and again to stay warm, in which case a tour guide will be happy to stay with them while you photograph the lights.

Your hands are particularly vulnerable to the cold, and hand heat packs make a huge difference. You'll need steady hands to take photos and video, so stock up on hand heat packs beforehand. Photography after dark is tricky, requiring a long exposure to capture the lights. And that means you have to stay still while the camera does its thing. You'll find it a challenge with the shivers, another reason to do everything you can to prevent cold hands. A tripod will help you capture the magic without wobbles.

You need to be seen, too. You don't want to get separated from your party or find yourself lost. High visibility is an advantage in the pitch dark, so take a high vis strip to stick on your coat or buy high vis vests to wear on top of all your other layers. High vis hats might be the ideal solution, and it makes sense to provide every family member with a small LED torch to keep in their pocket, either wind-up or battery-powered.

Safety first at all times – your guide knows best

It's impossible to imagine how cold it is until you get there. Some people can't stay off the bus for more than a few minutes at a time, it's so incredibly cold the wind simply roars through your clothing. This is an extreme environment, and an experienced guide knows best, knows exactly how dangerous it can be out there. Listen carefully to everything they say, especially the advice they give about staying safe and warm.

Ready to chase the aurora in the heart of Lapland? Learn more about our family-friendly trips here

Originally published 25 October 2018, updated 15 November 2023