Planning a trip to Finland? Find out how to get the most of it. Northern lights, husky safaris, cute wooden houses, and thousands of lakes and archipelago islands. It is a fast-growing tourist destination. But if you want to travel Finland – you should do it right, otherwise, you may end up disappointed.
In my travel blog, I talk honestly about my experiences in Finland. After reading this post, you will get to know which things are worth your time and money, and which are not. You will know when is the best time to visit Finland and the prime places to visit.
This 2000+ words’ post is my ultimate guide for traveling Finland. It will help you to plan a perfect trip (or make you decide not to go). Everything is accompanied with some of my best pictures of Finland and explained in 5 easy steps. There are a lot of links provided for detailed information.
Table of Contents
1. Understand tourism in Finland and why you should travel
I think, before planning a trip to Finland, it is important to have an overall view of the country and its people. In a nutshell, there are three things:
- Finland is very close to nature
- it is modern with good infrastructure
- people of Finland are extremely self-reliant and respect personal space.
Tourism in Finland
Tourism in Finland is expensive, and for the price, you don’t get much of a service. Everything is “Scandinavian-style” simple. For example, in many restaurants tables are not served and for rented cottages – you are supposed to clean them yourself or pay extra.
If you plan to travel Finland, I would recommend concentrating on things that are either unique or provide the best value out of the Nordic countries. For example, many standard Helsinki travel guides start with churches and cathedrals. If that is your interest, I would recommend traveling Rome, I think Finland is not about that.
Finland and its neighbors
Finland belongs to Nordic countries and is among countries in the Arctic circle. It has many similarities with them and budget-wise, for Northern activities (Aurora, husky, etc.), it makes sense to choose Finland. Yes, it costs, but among its Scandinavian neighbors, it is the least expensive destination.
With a small population, Finland has a large territory (one of the biggest in Europe). Most of the country is covered by forests and lakes. Nature is taken a very good care of and it is easy to find a calm place away from people. Visitors from large cities love it! They tell that solitude and relaxing rest is the best thing Finland can offer.
2. Understand Lapland and best things to do in Finland in winter
Yes, that is what Finland is famous for! Many picture Finland as a land of Northern lights, home of Santa Claus and associate the tourism with Finnish Lapland. And yes, this is fantastic! Even Finns from the south like going there. (nothing can be worse than wet snow on the south). In my opinion, it is the best time to visit Finland.
Northern lights
Let’s start with one of the top things to do in Finland – seeing the Northern Lights. The simple rule is, the closer you are to the North magnetic pole – the better are the chances. This makes countries in the Arctic circle the best, including Finland. I think Finland is the best country to see the Northern Lights.
On the Internet, you can find guides, showing all the countries that can see the Northern Lights. Well… NO, chances are too low, travel to Lapland.
Lapland wilderness safaris
Apart from Northern lights, Lapland offers a variety of safaris. First snow comes during the autumn and stays until the mid-spring. During that time, the land looks like a white paradise. You can take most of postcard-like travel photographs there (find out how).
To explore the wilderness, you can go for a reindeer or husky safari, you can go cross-country skiing or explore everything on a snowmobile. You can also visit reindeer and husky farms. I think all of these worth doing at least once.
Saami culture
Saami are the people of the far north; their land is spread along Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Some things in Lapland are advertised as “authentic Saami lifestyle”, but, I have heard an opinion that these are very inaccurate copies made for tourists, which are insulting to Saami.
I have to tell that I haven’t done proper research on this topic, but I would like to have a post. If you want to contribute to it – please contact me.
Santa Claus Village
Should you travel Finland for Santa Claus Village? Yes and No. I have heard very positive feedback from families.
As an individual, I found it is cool, but only worth going if you are already in Rovaniemi. Santa tells a lot of fun stuff, he can probably work as a comedian, and when you are all smiling, he tells you to sit down for a picture. The Santa’s post office can deliver postcards right before next Christmas, no matter when you bring them. There is a border of the arctic circle going through the Village, but other than that – a lot of shopping and activities, that can be done elsewhere.
Compared to other countries in Arctic Circle
Finland is not the only country in the Arctic circle. While Finnish Lapland is generally cheaper than other courtiers, I would still recommend checking Iceland and Norway. There are occasionally good holiday packages and cheap flights. They don’t have Santa Claus Village, but in Norway, you see fjords, cool wooden architecture, and rich maritime culture, in Iceland there is the blue lagoon, Icelandic horses and much more.
3. Get to know about outdoors and best things to do in Finland in summer
I love the northern nature, and similar to Finns, I find it important to spend time outdoors. National parks, lakes, archipelago islands and calm cottages in the middle of nowhere are few of many things that Finland’s tourism can offer.
Finnish archipelago
Finland has an archipelago, and it is one of the world’s largest! Just open Google maps and scroll along the shoreline. Don’t bother counting, there are around 40000 islands. In summer, the Finnish archipelago is full of life, there are sailing boats going around, small coastal towns open shops and host events.
Bright nights and midnight sun
Many travel to Finland in the summer, the northern nights are bright, and the best place to be is next to a lake or a sea. At night, during a few hours, the sky changes dramatically; sunset, sunrise, and moonlight create amazing reflections in the calm Finnish waters. Up in the North, for one month, you can see the midnight sun phenomena, basically, the sun does not set at all.
Cottages and camping
If you want to travel Finland like a local – go for summer cottages, as Finns do. Most of them are located next to a lake or sea and there are plenty of rental options. Cottages are very well equipped and normally have a sauna. Camping is very popular as well, you can set up a camp temporarily anywhere in the countryside if it is at a reasonable distance from a property.
Lapland in early autumn
Right after summer, in early fall, Lapland becomes a hot destination again. Golden autumn and landscapes of the far north combine beautifully. There are vibrant colors, and because the trees are small, you can see every feature of the landscape. (hope to photograph and make a post this fall)
Compared to other Nordic countries
I would say that Finnish outdoors are the same as Finland, they are calm and relaxing. It is easy to pick up mushrooms and berries. There are no mountains, so hikes are less challenging, the water in lakes and the sea is very still, which makes kayaking easy. The most popular National park is Nuuksio in Espoo, most popular kayaking is at Turku archipelago, all very easy to access from the cities.
If you want mountainous landscapes and more challenging outdoors – choose Norway or Iceland.
4. Cities in Finland, get to know what they are like!
The biggest cities in Finland are located along the shoreline, the majority are in the south. Finnish cities combine two things: modernity and closeness to nature. Houses are made with large panoramic windows to gather all the sunlight and almost everywhere you see trees outside. Torni tower in Helsinki old town is the only place in Finland, from where you can see only the city.
Largest cities in Finland are Helsinki with its satellites Vantaa and Espoo, Tampere and Turku.
Best time to visit cities in Finland
When should you visit the cities? The fast answer is summer. In summer Finns try to catch every warm day. They fill up shoreside cafeterias and gather up in parks for picnics. There are many cafeterias and shops that work exclusively in summer.
Winter is kind of lottery, it could be cute snow everywhere, but it could be wet and windy. (And as I have mentioned, nothing can be worse than wet snow.) In winter, most Finns comfortably spend time at homes, breaking it with winter activities, when the weather is fine.
Don’t even think of traveling Finland in October-November. Weather is nasty and people are unhappy. They start to get into the better mood when Christmas decorations are put down.
Old wooden architecture
Many cities have some areas with traditional wooden houses. They often have small design shops and non-chain restaurants.
I have to tell that it isn’t unique to Finland. For amazing wooden architecture, I would recommend Tromso and Trondheim in Norway.
Finnish design
If you are the one, who loves a great design – Finland should be on your bucket list. In 2012, Helsinki was named the world design capital. Architecture-wise, you should look at Finlandia Hall by Alvar Aalto, who is the father of Finnish modernism. There are much more buildings in such a simple, minimalist style.
In the center of Helsinki, you find the Design district. There are more than 200 shops, ateliers, galleries, and cafeterias, including some of the most recognizable Finnish brands. Shopping is quite pricey though…
Should you visit cities in Finland at all?
So why would you visit cities in Finland? In my opinion, the main thing about tourism in Finland is nature. In the cities, I think everything is done for comfortable work, relaxing rest and they are all very close to nature. Cities have good infrastructure, public transportation and bicycle roads (you can cycle safely even in winter!). Of course, there is plenty of good things to do in Finland listed on TripAdvisor, but I would argue that none of them are exceptionally good.
Compared to other countries
Helsinki is very “livable”, comfortable city, but in “cultural weight” and places of interest, it doesn’t compare to Stockholm or Copenhagen. For modern design, I think it has a solid place in Scandinavian design family. Other than that, I think the main advantage is closeness to nature and day-trips (mostly related to nature).
However, there are several things to do that are unique to Finland…
Useful links
5. Get to know unique things to do in Finland
And the fun part for the last! I have randomly picked fun things to do, that don’t fall into the categories above.
Sauna
Saunas! There are so many, that they can fit the entire population of Finland! If you settle somewhere, claim your sauna! It would be in your flat, or one for a building, or at least somewhere nearby. It is also interesting how Finns socialize in saunas, cultural barriers disappear and previously shy people want to talk. (post about Finnish saunas is planned)
Insane competitions
Sometimes in Finland, it gets boring as hell, and Finns come up with random creative ways to entertain themselves. They host a number of weird competitions, mainly designed to make you laugh.
Here are some most notable ones: wife carrying, air guitar (there is no guitar, but you move your fingers like you play), snow swimming, mobile throwing, swamp football and more.
And… do they really play golf in Finland at -15?
Heavy metal
There is the largest amount of heavy metal bands per capita! And probably the largest number of listeners per capita. Many bars have a bit heavier songs, compared to other countries and small concerts are organized pretty frequently.
Moomin and Angry Birds
Something for the kids… (though, I heard adults go there as well) Finland is home for Moomin and Angry Birds. Naantali (a small town near Turku) has a huge Moomin theme park, located on an island. In few cities in Finland, are Angry Birds activity parks. I have an old Moominland post, back from dinosaur times.
Weird black-colored food
Salmiakki – black, nasty looking candies. They taste very weird, something salty-sweet.
Blood sausage – a black colored sausage, filled with… blood. It is served with lingonberry jam and is a specialty of the city of Tampere.
Mämmi – a dessert from rye flour, again with weird salty taste (picture below). Feel free to speculate what it loks like.
Conclusion.
That’s it! Now you are ready to travel Finland, you know the best sides of it.
I am an expat and because I am a foreigner I see the country the way you do. I am constantly trying to bring new, unique things from Finland. My goal is to create the best portal about Finland for travelers and expats. You can help me with that by subscribing or sharing the post. Happy travels!
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