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British Airways is launching flights to a ‘cheaper alternative’ to Lapland

Christmas planning starts NOW!

Annie McNamee
Written by
Annie McNamee
Contributor, Time Out London and UK
Torsø in Norway with Northern lights
Photograph: Shutterstock
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It’s already June. You know what that means: it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. 

Okay, it’s not quite ‘hang up the tinsel and put on the Mariah Carey’ season yet, but it’s fast approaching. Before you know it it’ll be December 23 and you’ll be fighting for your life to get last minute presents on the high street thinking ‘why didn’t I just book a blooming holiday instead?!’ 

But that doesn’t need to be the way. We’re telling you now so you’ve got ample time to arrange to get yourself off this island for Christmas. You can even do it for cheaper than before, thanks to a brand new British Airways route from Tromsø, a city in Norway. 

Starting from December 1 this year, flights will go from Heathrow to Tromsø twice a week, on a Thursday and a Sunday. Return fares start at £153 per person, which, while not a drop in the bucket, is certainly cheap compared to the cost of a round trip to Lapland in Finland.

Situated in northern Norway, the town is postcard perfect. You even might see the northern lights on a clear night, if you missed them appearing over our own skies a few weeks ago. At Christmas time, it has an authentic Scandinavian Christmas market in its centre, and you can book trips on husky-driven sleighs if you want something really memorable on your agenda. 

A spokesperson for British Airways said that Tromsø has ‘a growing winter leisure market thanks to its abundance of cold-weather activities,’ adding that BA will be ‘the only premium carrier operating there from the UK’. 

So start planning your Christmas now, before it’s too late and the trips to Norway are all booked up – you can book your flights hereJust make sure to bring a big jacket – it rarely gets warmer than 1C there in the winter.

Family friendly fun

There’s plenty to keep the kids entertained this side of the North Sea. If you’re in the capital we have an entire page dedicated to the best things to do with kids in the city, but if you’re not we also have guides to some great campsites you could head to this summer, as well as a list of some fabulous immersive museums you can visit with your family.

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