Finland Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

Helsinki
The Finnish capital is a city of parks, forests and water. Helsinki has historic architecture that recalls its Russian and Swedish past and modern buildings from famous Finnish designers, as well as excellent museums, superior shopping, animated nightlife, and the UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress.

Turku
The oldest town in Finland, Turku gazes across the Åland Sea towards Stockholm in Sweden. The city boasts a magnificent medieval castle, a stately cathedral, plenty of intriguing museums and a lively nightlife centerd on the floating 'boat bars' moored along the Aurajoki River (www.turku.fi).

Lakeland
Finland is a nation of lakes - some 188,000 of them - providing a natural adventure playground for swimmers, canoeists, fishermen and boating enthusiasts, as well as people who just appreciate the soothing calm of sunsets over still waters. The heart of the lake country is Lakeland (www.lakelandfinland.fi) in eastern Finland.

Karelia
Split in two by the Russian border, the district of Karelia is famous for its quirky Orthodox Christian culture, its unique cuisine, its distinct language, its traditional villages and its centuries-old religious festivals. This is also the spiritual home of the epic Finnish poem, the Kalevala.

Åland Islands
Closer to Sweden than the rest of Finland, in culture as well as geography, this picturesque, Swedish-speaking archipelago (www.aland.ax) has a proud maritime heritage and some of the country's oldest churches. During the warm summers, the islands are a playground for cyclists and watersports enthusiasts.

Jyväskylä
The Finns are rightly proud of Alvar Aalto, a giant of 20th-century architecture, and this appealing Lakeland university town (www.jkl.fi) contains many of his most famous buildings. Jyväskylä is also the base for the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship in August (www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi).

Savonlinna
Famous for its medieval castle and its summer opera festival in July (www.operafestival.fi), Savonlinna is an enchanting base for exploring Lakeland. The surrounding lakes and forests are full of camping grounds that provide a perfect base for watery activities and birdwatching.

Lapland
Point your nose northwards and keep going until you reach Finland's Arctic North. Mystical Lapland (www.lapland.fi) is an awe-inspiring wilderness, home to traditional Sámi culture, three spectacular national parks and around 300,000 reindeer.

Inari
The capital of Sámi culture in Lapland, the tiny village of Inari is home to the wonderful Siida museum and the 'wilderness church', a meeting place for reindeer herders since at least 1646. Nearby Lemmonjoki National Park is the largest in Finland, and a popular destination for trekkers and gold-panners.

Rovaniemi
Nudging into the Arctic circle, Rovaniemi (www.rovaniemi.fi) is the gateway to Lapland and the setting for a series of chintzy but child-friendly attractions themed around Santa Claus - great for young children, but arguably less fun for the adults who are left to pick up all the entry fees.

Kuopio
Turn up the heat in the world's largest smoke sauna in this peaceful Lakeland town. Loads of outdoor activities are possible in the surrounding lakes and forests, and Puijo Hill provides all-season training for ski jumpers and leisurely winter trails for cross-country skiers.

Kilpisjärvi
In the far northwest corner of Finland, a tiny spit of land juts out between Sweden and Norway. If you climb from the village of Kilpisjärvi (www.kilpisjarvi.fi) to picturesque Saana Fell or Haltia Fell, the highest peak in Finland, you can look out over three countries from one spot.

Pohjanmaa
See a different side of Finland in the Swedish-speaking villages that sprawl along the west coast near Vaasa. Also known as Ostrobothnia, this region offers long sandy beaches, warm summer weather, forested islands full of swimming elks and quaint wooden villages such as Jakobstad and Kristinestad.

Oulu
Famed for its beer terraces and technological whizz-kids, Oulu (www.oulu.fi) is one of the most appealing cities in Finland, particularly in summer, when stalls selling wild berries and seasonal foodstuffs fill the marketplace. Just offshore is the bird-filled wonderland of Hailuoto Island.

Top Things to Do

Trekking
Strap on your hiking boots and head off into the wilds on one of Finland's classic trekking routes (www.outdoors.fi). This is particularly appealing in Lapland in early autumn, when trees and vegetation erupt into rainbow colors for the ruska season.

Skiing
During the icy Finnish winters, cross-country skiing is often the only way to get around. There are marked tracks all over the country, including in many national parks. Fans of downhill skiing and snowboarding should head to the hills of Lapland - see Visit Finland's 'Winter Activities' pages (www.visitfinland.com).

Watersports
When the Finns can't ski on snow, they love to ski on water. The 1,000-plus lakes of the Lakeland region (www.lakelandfinland.fi) provide some fantastic opportunities for water-skiing, jet-skiing and sailing. Many holiday cottages and outdoor centers offer watersports facilities.

Dog sledding
Harness up your huskies and whizz across the snow on a traditional Arctic dog sled. There are numerous dog-sled centers in Lapland, including Harriniva (www.harriniva.fi). In 2010, the first Arctic Barents Race (www.arcticbarentsrace.com) will mush its way through Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Saunas
Sweating your troubles away in a steamy sauna is one of the quintessential Finnish experiences. Most hotels and holiday cottages have saunas, but there is a special magic to the timeworn Kotiharjun public sauna in Helsinki's Kallio district, and the Jätkänkämppä smoke sauna just outside Kuopio.

Scanning the skies
No, we are not talking about UFOs. There is a purely natural explanation for the spectacular Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) which transform the skies over Finland into a psychedelic light show during the polar night (kaamos) from November to May.

Midsummer
In summer, the sun never truly sets and Finns take full advantage of the 24-hour daylight to party through the night. Midsummer is also the time when thousands of locals retreat to their mökkit (summer cottages) in the countryside to enjoy the great Finnish outdoors.

Festivals
Some of Finland's colorful festivals are just plain bizarre. Air-guitarists engage in bizarre rock mimes for Oulu (www.airguitarworldchampionships.com), husbands haul their wives like sacks of potatoes for the Wife-Carrying World Championships in Sonkajärvi (www.sonkajarvi.fi) and Naantali's laziest resident is tossed into the sea on Sleepyhead Day (27 July).

Canoeing and rafting
The lakes and wilderness rivers of Finland provide some excellent opportunities for canoeing and white-water rafting. Top spots for paddlers include Saimaa, Lake Oulujärvi and Lake Inari. For churning white water, head to the Kukkolankoski rapids or Oulanka National Park.

Design tours
Finland's designers are world famous and you can explore their creations on specialist tours of Helsinki. Architecture tours focus on the buildings and public spaces created by the internationally acclaimed Alvar Aalto. Other tours are themed around jewelry, ceramics, glassware and traditional wooden architecture.

Icy nights
For the full Arctic experience, spend a night at the Lumi Linna Snow Hotel (www.snowcastle.net), located in Kemi. The hotel is constructed entirely from snow and guests sleep in cosy down-sleeping bags at temperatures of -5°C (23°F). Helsinki's frosty Arctic Ice Bar (www.arcticicebar.fi) is also recommended.

Ice fishing
Every winter, thousands of Finns drill holes in the ice and try their luck at the masochistic sport of ice fishing, with a bottle of kossu (Finnish vodka) on hand to keep the chills at bay. Of course, you could always go fishing in summer in lovely Lakeland (www.fishing.fi).

Lapland museums
Learn about life in the frozen wastes of Lapland at Rovaniemi's Arktikum (www.arktikum.fi), a comprehensive exploration of the ecology and anthropology of the Arctic, and Siida (www.siida.fi), a glorious museum of Sámi culture in Inari.