Travel with Children - Finland - page 63

Lapland
Winter wonderland with Kemi's snow castle, sled trips and children's ski runs. In sum-
mer there's gold-panning, meeting reindeer or huskies, and national parks. The re-
gion's most famous resident, Santa, is at Napapiiri year-round.
Finland for Kids
As it's such an outdoors-focused destination, planning a trip for kids could include splash-
ing about on lakes and rivers, hikes in national parks, and cycling. In winter the reliable
snow opens up a world of outdoor possibilities, and there's also the Santa Claus angle in
Lapland. There are several standout theme parks across the country, and even potentially
stuffy museums make the effort to engage kids, with simplified child-height information,
hands-on activities, interactive displays or activity sheets in English.
Activities like boat trips, canoeing and fishing are available almost everywhere, and
large towns all have a swimming complex that includes water slides and Jacuzzis; excel-
lent for all ages year-round.
Children's Highlights
Castles
Suomenlinna , the fortress island in Helsinki's harbour.
Raseborg , on its rocky perch near Ekenäs.
Savonlinna 's island castle is Finland's most impressive.
Turun Linna lords it over the medieval city of Turku.
Animals
Boat it over to the zoo in Helsinki, or learn about Arctic fauna at Ranua in Lapland.
Admire the fish at aquariums in Kotka, Helsinki or Tampere.