Free kids offer in Lappland this Summer – free stay, food and activities for under 16s
Written by Anna EtmanskaKids up to the age of 15 get to experience the Swedish Lappland for free. A new deal from the Kiruna Tourist Office for this summer offers a special option for families with children. And because this is Sweden, the word “family” is very loosely defined as “children accompanied by an adult guardian”.
So what’s in this deal?
For starters, room and board for kids under 15 is free. And the following attractions offer free activities for children:
- Abisko Mountain Station
- Björkliden Fjällby
- Camp Ripan
- Riksgränsen
- Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi (yes, they do have a ton of stuff to do during the summer months as well!)
Plus, both tourist offices in Kiruna and Narvik (yes, Narvik’s in Norway, and I’d say, anything in Norway they offer for free is a good thing, considering local prices) have special summer activities for kids, too. In Kiruna that includes the Esrange Space Center, where Richard Branson plans to launch his Virgin Galactic, and the LKAB Iron Mine. (I love the mine, by the way! Been there several times.)
Just look for the “Barn Fri Entre” (or its English equivalent) icon on participating websites, or contact the Kiruna Tourist Office for help. They haven’t done a great job of promoting this offer and are somewhat disappointed with the response so far. So if Sweden is in your travel plans this summer, take the kids and go North! It’s well worth it! Incidentally, Lappland is also my favorite part of Scandinavia. Though midnight sun season is already over (it ended in Kiruna on July 18th), the nights are still white and the weather very agreeable. I’m heading there myself in two weeks!
The deal is valid until the end of August, and SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) even offer free flights to Kiruna for kids under 15 from any Swedish getaway.
Torne River in the village of Lovikka (yes, that’s the village where Lovikka mittens come from).
Photo by Anna Etmanska
PS. In Swedish “Lappland” is spelled with two “p”, so in order to make your google searches easier, I kept the Swedish spelling here.
Anna, I think that Lappland is still perceived as a Winter destination by many travellers but I think it would make a great location for a family Summer holiday.
Lappland in the winter? I shudder at the thought – it’s strictly for foreign tourists who flock to the Ice Hotel. Winters in Lappland are cold, dark, and generally miserable. And did I mention dark? Summers, on the other hand, are lovely. This summer is unusually lovely too, because the mosquitoes are not as fierce as in the past years. It never gets dark, you can see places that are covered with snow for 8 months in a year, you get to experience the nature and see something other than mind-numbingly boring snow. And Abisko in the summer is simply divine. I can’t wait to be there. Only two more weeks!
[...] colleague Tim Leffel on Western Canada through the eyes of a child, fun (and freebies) with children in Swedish Lappland, enjoying Frankfurt, Germany’s Palmengarten and the charms of Wasaga Beach – less than two [...]
[...] colleague Tim Leffel on Western Canada through the eyes of a child, fun (and freebies) with children in Swedish Lappland, enjoying Frankfurt, Germany’s Palmengarten and the charms of Wasaga Beach – less than two [...]
[...] resident writer Anna Etmanska previously mentioned that lapland in winter is “strictly for foreign tourists…cold, dark, and generally [...]
[...] resident writer Anna Etmanska previously mentioned that lapland in winter is “strictly for foreign tourists…cold, dark, and generally [...]