It costs as much as a weekend in Finland but I thought Lapland UK Manchester's Golden Experience was priceless – here's why...

If you have children under 10, chances are you’ll have heard the hype about Lapland UK at the school gate. Every spring, thousands of parents and grandparents have been effectively breaking the internet queuing to get tickets to the country’s most lavish Father Christmas visit. It’s not cheap, with prices starting at about £85 per person for Lapland UK Manchester, but in terms of being a magical, immersive experience, its fans – and there are many – claim it’s hard to beat. And it's also the perfect place to rock your festive knits.

With my eldest daughter celebrating her eighth birthday this December, I decided it was time to embrace the cost – and the magic – while she still believes. On top of standard tickets, there’s an option to upgrade to the Golden Experience, which offers a VIP journey throughout the Lapland UK experience. It costs the same as a weekend trip to Finland, and my husband and three-year-old are notoriously hard please, so would we think it was worth it?

What is Lapland UK?

The original Lapland UK – designed to recreate a visit to Santa’s workshop in the North Pole but without the need for a flight – was set up by husband and wife team Mike and Alison Battle in Tunbridge Wells back in 2007. It later relocated to Ascot, before opening a second branch near Manchester, earlier this year. As it’s closer to where we live in Worcestershire, we decided the Golden Experience at Manchester was the best option for us.

Before your visit, Little Folk (children) receive a magical invitation to come and help Father Christmas build presents in Lapland. The invitation allows them to be accompanied by their Big Folk (adults). When I say every detail is thought of, you get instructions on how long to chill the invitations in the freezer before you give it to your children so that it genuinely feels like it’s come from the North Pole. If that’s not attention to detail, then I don’t know what is.

The main difference between Lapland UK Ascot and Manchester is that everything is indoors at Manchester, so you’re less at the mercy of the great British weather. However, this does mean you lose the feeling of being tucked away in a real forest.

For us, being indoors meant there was no mud to worry about and the paths were pushchair friendly – handy when your three-year-old refuses to walk, but also useful if anybody in your party is using a wheelchair. It also meant we didn’t need to worry about what to wear in the snow.

What do you actually do at Lapland UK?

From mid-November to Christmas Eve there are time slots starting every 30 mins throughout the day. You arrive about half an hour before your slot to check in for your 'departure' to the North Pole. My eight-year-old is savvy enough to know real Lapland is in Finland, and that it requires a flight to get there, so we explained you go through a magical portal that transports you, and luckily she didn’t ask any further questions.

Your journey begins with a theatrical performance by some of the elves on a raised central stage in a woodland glade called the Elven Bazaar. At this point, they explain that no ‘grumpalumps’ can travel to the North Pole, and one reluctant dad per session has to go up on stage and be made an example of. Thankfully for my husband, it wasn’t him.

If you think elves are tiny red-clad nuisances you have to move every night, then think again. At Lapland UK, they’re human-sized whimsical creatures, inspired by nature. Wish, with her light-up skirt and cascading blonde curls, was our girls’ favourite, alongside cheeky Conker, who hasn’t managed to earn the golden bell to attach to his elf hat just yet.

After the welcome, you go through to the Enchanted Forest, which genuinely took my breath away. Even I was questioning how they’d managed to make a marquee look so incredible. Here, you join elves Sage and Eeko to say the magical words that open the portal to Lapland. As the door illuminated and mist filled the stage, my daughters sat wide-eyed and silent...possibly a first for either of them.

You step through into snowy Lapland, surrounded by real trees and feeling the chill in the air. As I said, the attention to detail is incredible. The Nordman Fir’s – the tree of choice for Kate Middleton – look stunning with a sprinkling of very realistic faux snow.

It’s into the Toy Factory – with a special mini entrance door for Small Folk – where you help Father Christmas make a polar bear soft toy for other children before popping it onto a conveyor belt to be wrapped.

Thank goddess my girls are worried about being on the naughty list so they didn’t refuse to hand the toy over! There were a few little ones upset they couldn’t keep the bear, so it’s worth forewarning your kids if you know this may be an issue!

From there, you wander into Mother Christmas’ bakery to be regaled by a Christmas story while you decorate moreish gingerbread houses, which you’re given a box to transport home.

Biscuits made, you head to the Elven Village which is truly magical. There's a huge, curved ice rink with pine trees nestled around it, where you can skate, plus shops, a bakery and a restaurant offering family-friendly fare, such as burgers and pizza.

You can head to the Post Office to write your letter to the big man, listen to a story in the Library-come-book-shop, and see the sleeping reindeer in the stables next to Santa's sleigh. Regular visitors can spend up to 90 minutes in this section, before heading to see Santa at the time allocated on arrival.

The Santa's here are truly exceptional – you submit personal details about your children before. It was wondrous seeing my girls' reactions when Santa knew about their Christmas performances, birthdays and favourite toys. We were in Santa's cabin for at least 20 minutes, making memories that will last a lifetime. Each child receives a soft toy husky and a bell to attach to their hats.

The magic doesn't stop there. Make sure you take an empty bag as you'll be given a photograph and white bag containing one of the polar bear toys your child made earlier to present them with on Christmas Day. You also receive a thank you letter from Santa to give with the bears. Told you it was magical.

What is the Golden Experience

The Golden Experience honestly is something else. You get everything included above, plus these added extras:

• Beautiful hats for everyone
• VIP parking outside the entrance
• Amazing guide, Serena, who was with us all day
• Golden Explorer badges for everyone
• Private welcome room where we had drinks and snacks. You could have breakfast baps or pastries
• Front-row or early access to each experience
• Professional photos, prints and digital downloads - plus loads of pics on my phone without having to ask somebody to take them!
• As long as we wanted in the Elven Village
• Private dining room with hot meal, drinks and special visitor. We chose pizzas, chunky chips and burgers, so there were no worries the girls would go home hungry,
• 25 jingles (£) per child to spend in the shops
• Ice skates and penguin supports whenever we wanted them
• Hot chocolates topped with whipped cream and chocolate twirls, plus treats from the bakery. Our picks were the crumble with creamy custard and the oozing, gooey warm chocolate cookies. The reindeer cupcakes also went down a storm.
• Visit to Father Christmas as soon as we were ready
• Exclusive 2025 Lapland UK bauble
• Goodie bag to take home packed with drinks, cakes and cookies
• Our guide accompanied us back to our car and would have carried all our bags but we refused this bit!
• Hardback Lapland UK book set, signed by the founders
• Memories to last a lifetime

Is the Golden Experience at Lapland UK Manchester worth it?

Our experience, on a Monday in December, came in at £1,500 for two adults and two children. Yes, that's a huge amount of money. Would I do it again if I could afford it? Yes, in an instant.

My husband is a pilot and flies to actual Lapland, in Finland, during the winter so I know first-hand the amount of flights – and disappointed children – that are unable to land due to bad weather. Then there's the airport stress to factor in, the packing and trying to keep little ones happy in the sub-zero conditions.

We go skiing every year so snow and sledging aren't novelties to our girls. If they were, I may be more tempted to head to the real deal but for us, the luxury, convenience and truly magical atmosphere at Lapland UK Manchester were exactly what we were looking for.

Anything I should know before I go?

Firstly, there’s a lot of walking. If a relative has mobility issues, I think they could find it a struggle. That said, Manchester is pushchair and wheelchair accessible.

If you don’t have the Golden Experience, head to the far side of each room as you enter, which means you’ll be first to head to the next stage.

Food and drink is reasonably priced but you can take in snacks and drinks, which is very helpful with little ones.

The first 45 minutes of the experience is very theatrical and I personally don’t think children under the age of three would have a clue what’s happening. If you have children that don’t like performances or sitting down, this bit may take some of the aforementioned snacks, I saw a couple of parents scrolling mobiles during the performances and one kid on an iPad – if that’s going to be you, I’d honestly save your money and see Father Christmas at a local garden centre, instead.

Finally, make sure you take an empty bag to hide your children's polar bear teddies in ready for Christmas Day.

How can I book?

Bookings for Golden Experience upgrades are still available at Lapland UK Manchester and Ascot.

To book standard entry for next year, which can later be upgraded to the Golden Experience, sign up for ticket release details on the Lapland UK website. They're normally released around March.