23 Amazing Things To Do In Levi With Kids In 2023
Levi is a great destination for families choosing to visit Lapland. It is the best place to ski in Finland but there are so many other fun things to do in Levi with kids.
The only problem you will have is making sure you have enough time there to try everything!
We’ve listed the top things to do with kids in Levi that you really don’t want to miss and we’ve also listed some of our favourite free activities to do with kids in Levi at the end.
Many of these Lapland activities are expensive, but you can keep the costs down by planning and booking a DIY Lapland holiday which is what we did.
Make sure to check out our Lapland packing list post so that you are fully prepared. There are some really good tips in there for making sure the kids stay warm.
We also have a post on our favourite, family-friendly restaurants in Levi.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and book or buy something, we may earn a small commission but this is at no extra cost to you.
Visit Santa in Levi
Lapland is undeniably the best place in the world to visit Santa so a Santa visit should really be topo of your list of things to do in Levi with kids.
There are a few places to visit Santa in Levi.
Northern Lights Village
The Northern Lights Village is a little way out of Levi but they have the best ‘Santa Experience’. It is called ‘Searching For Santa‘ and you really do go searching for him.
It is a 3 hour trip and involves feeding reindeer, making gingerbread cookies, taking a reindeer ride, taking a snowmobile ride and a private meeting with Santa.
We have written about our stay at the Northern Lights Village in Levi if you are considering a stay in a glass igloo in Lapland and it includes details on the activities we did there.
Elves Village
The Elves Village is located about 8km from Levi and is open from 10 am to 4 pm daily.
It is a real life fairytale land where you can come and meet Santa (as well as try out many other Lapland activities like husky and reindeer rides). You can check out their winter activities here.
You can also just come and explore it on your own and pay the entrance fee only but you won’t be able to see Santa if you just pay the entrance fee.
You can even stay at the Elves Village as they have Aurora Pyramids as well as rooms in the Hotel Taivaanvalkeat.
Santa’s Christmas Cabin
We don’t have much information on Santa’s Christmas Cabin but if you don’t manage to book one of the other Santa experiences in Levi, this could be a back up.
Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi
If you have the time, you can also do a day trip to visit Santa in Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi – but it is an 8 hour round trip.
Go skiing in Levi
We have written a very detailed post on everything you need to know about visiting Levi Ski Resort with kids so we would urge you to read that.
What we would say, in brief, is that Levi is a fantastic family ski resort. There are lots of beginner and easy slopes (43 slopes and 27 lifts) and the slopes are very quiet.
You may not immediately think of skiing as one of the things to do in Levi with kids because everyone is so focused on it being a Santa trip but it is the best ski resort in Finland.
Just look at those wide open, empty slopes. It is a parent’s dream to be able to spot their kids from a mile off on the slopes and not have hundreds of skiers whizzing past isn’t it?
We stayed at the Hotel Levi Panorama which is a ski in / ski out hotel on the slopes. You can read all about Hotel Levi Panorama here.
Visit Kids’ Land in Levi
Kids’ Land is an area next to the main ski slope in Levi which is dedicated entirely to children.
You can visit there for free and check out the play hut, go sledging or take marshmallows and sausages to roast on the firepit in the kota / picnic hut. There is even a small ski lift they can use to practice their skiing.
Kids can also take ski lessons here and there is a creche available for children aged 2 – 10 years old if you fancy some time away from the kids.
Kids’ snowmobiling in Levi
There are two main places to do snowmobiling for kids in Levi. We aren’t talking about kids getting on a snowmobile with you driving. We’re talking mini snowmobiles that they can drive themselves.
One place was at VMax Rentals in Levi where it was EUR 50 for 30 minutes. The other was at the Northern Lights Village where it was EUR 30 for 30 minutes or EUR 60 for 60 minutes.
We opted for the Northern Lights Village because we were staying there and it was really convenient but it was also luckily the best value.
The kids receive suits and boots from the rental store and a quick intro to driving a snowmobile and then have 30 minutes (or longer if you pay more) to drive around a loop in the forest.
It was so much fun for them and we highly recommend doing it if you can.
Take a Lapland reindeer safari
Taking a reindeer ride in Levi is a lovely way to see the beautiful countryside around Levi. The reindeer rides are a complete contrast to the snowmobiles as they are so peaceful.
It has to be one of the most relaxing things to do in Levi with kids!
You can hear the snow crunching under the sleigh as you glide through the frozen wilderness. It is just magical, especially if you go at sunrise or sunset.
We did our reindeer ride as part of the Searching for Santa experience at Northern Lights Village (which is why we think their Santa experience is such good value) so we didn’t feel that we needed to do another one.
Top tip for the reindeer rides – if you are in a group with a sleigh behind you, look back at and you will get a lovely view of the reindeer. It is better than always looking at the reindeer’s bottom in front of you!
If you aren’t visiting the Northern Lights Village, you can find a Lapland reindeer safari in Levi here.
This excursion offers a mix of everything – reindeer rides, husky rides and kids’ snowmobiling.
Take a husky ride in Levi
There are lots of places offering husky rides in Levi and we only tried one at the Northern Lights Village so we can only offer advice on that one.
We drove the sledges ourselves and it was challenging but fun. Two people can fit on the sledge – with one person driving and the other person sitting in the sledge.
If you are looking for a self-drive husky experience – see here.
What we would say in general is that it can be very cold for the kids as they are the ones sitting. If you are driving, your hands will get cold gripping onto the sled.
If you are looking to do a husky ride with kids in Levi, look for the shorter length ones. We chose one that was 5 km and that was plenty, particularly because it was at night and very, very cold.
We would also recommend choosing to go during the day time because the route that the huskies will take will be out in the wilds and you will be able to appreciate the scenery when there is some daylight.
One very important thing to bear in mind is that husky riding can be dangerous, which is why a lot of insurance policies do not cover it.
Make absolutely sure you have read the small print of your insurance policy. Some will say that it covers you – but only for cancellation of the excursion. You need to have personal accident and liability cover.
If you do not want to drive the sledge yourself, you can go on a husky sledding experience where the guide drives. See here for a guided husky ride. (Eanan Tours are highly recommended).
Sledging in Levi
Not all of the things to do with kids in Levi cost money. Not even sledging. You can usually find a sledge lying around (make sure nobody else is using it) and head off to find a suitable slope.
Great places for sledging with kids in Levi are:
- Behind the Hotel Levi Panorama
- Kids’ Land
- Bottom of the main ski slope at Zero Point (only once the ski slope has closed for the evening)!
- All around town (according to our kids it was the best way to get around)!
This is one of our top recommendations for free things to do in Levi with kids.
Walk to the secret café
The Secret Café sounds enchanting doesn’t it? The thing is – the secret café is not so secret any more. But it is still worth visiting – and it is enchanting.
It is located about 300m from the Hotel Levi Panorama but it is actually a little tricky to find. If you stand with your back to the main entrance of the hotel, head to the Audi building and as if you’re going behind it.
There is a path in the snow that leads off into the trees and takes you on a wonderfully scenic walk as if you were in Narnia. The town of Levi is down in the valley on your right hand side.
It is a good idea to take sledges for the kids. Keep an eye out on your right for a little cabin. As it is no longer a secret, the chances are there will be people queuing to get in. When we went, there was nobody there and so we thought it was just a deserted hut at first.
If you reach the lookout platform on the path, you have gone too far. My husband was skeptical about waiting for the customers already inside to finish so we could go in but he was pleased we did.
We got in at 3.45 pm. It closes at 4pm and we were just allowed to roast marshmallows and have a hot chocolate because there was no time for roasting sausages but we didn’t mind.
The café is associated with the Hotel Levi Panorama. It’s official name is the Café Panorama Laavu and is usually open from 12 – 4pm but it is currently closed for the season. Check on their website for opening times.
Other things to do in Levi with kids
Visit the Ice Village – Each year, 20 million kilos of snow and 350,000 kilos of crystal clear ice are used to build the snow village. It usually opens from around mid December to the beginning of April. See here for a guided tour of the Ice Village.
Ice Fishing – this sounds like a lot of fun and something quite unique – but apparently it is almost unheard of to actually catch a fish! See here for ice fishing tours.
Arctic Sauna World – a great place to visit if you like saunas! It’s about 25km outside of Levi and has a number of themed saunas.
Visit Levi Hotel Spa – if you are staying in the hotel, you get free access to the spa but for non-guests, the entrance fee is EUR 22 for adults, EUR 12 for kids aged 4 – 14 and under 4s are free. They have a pool with slides, indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, sauna and kids pools.
Ice karting – a completely different an exhilarating experience for the kids – driving a go-kart on an ice track! Kids must be at least 140cm to participate.
Arctic Adventure Park – this place is mainly for adults but older kids may be able to join in some of the action.
Ideas for free things to do in Levi with kids
There’s no denying that a lot of the activities for kids in Levi are expensive, so how about trying out some of these free things to do in Levi with kids?
- Visit the Christmas market.
- Roast marshmallows and sausages on the kotas around town.
- Build snowmen.
- Make snow angels.
- Climb the 766 steps to the Hotel Levi Panorama for the views.
- Watch the Northern Lights – if you are not taking a Northern Lights tour, the best chance you have of seeing the Northern Lights (when they’re out) is to get away from the centre of town. Head to the Frozen Lake or up to the Hotel Levi Panorama for your best chance of seeing them.
- Visit Santa’s Secret Cabin – this post details how you find it.
- Go snowshoeing and take in the scenery.