Finland
The land of a thousand lakes
Get ready to be swept off your feet by the outstanding beauty of Finland. No matter the season, the country’s nature dazzles visitors. Resembling a frozen wonderland in winter, it is a paradise for hikers and lake-lovers in summer. On this page, you’ll find everything you need to know about the regions of Finland.
The Capital
The capital of Finland is a vibrant seaside city with beautiful green parks and surrounded by numerous islands. Helsinki can be easily explored on foot.
The city’s rhythm is laid-back but at the same time refreshingly active. The city has also held onto its maritime charm. You can be sure that every day of the year there is something going on in Helsinki. Design, architecture, culture, restaurants and shopping are all great exploration angles and large park areas, forests, lakes, and the coastline with islands like the famous Suomenlinna fortress provide a great diversity of natural presence and cultural heritage.
Nearby Porvoo is a popular destination for a day trip and most famous for its charming Old Town that dates back to the Middle Ages. Beautiful manors, museums, churches and handicraft boutiques characterize Porvoo.
Archipelago
Finland’s coast boasts the world’s largest archipelago. Old wooden towns, lighthouses, historical manors and stone churches, large national parks stretching over land and sea – this all sums up coastal Finland in a nutshell. The laid-back islander lifestyle and a strong maritime culture are key characteristics of this fascinating area. Beaches, handicraft markets, small town events, cafes and village shops – Finnish coastal towns are especially alive in the summer months.
Finland holds seven Unesco World Heritage sites of which three can be experienced in the coastal area. Åland is an autonomous and monolingual Swedish region of Finland and consists of more than 6 500 islands. The capital, Mariehamn, a cute village-like town with a strong maritime and shipping heritage, is the only city in the unspoiled, ruggedly beautiful archipelago. Finland’s second largest city Turku is the oldest in the country.
Lakeland
A blue labyrinth of lakes, islands, rivers and canals, interspersed with forests and ridges, stretching for hundreds of kilometers in a placid and beautiful expanse – this is Finnish Lakeland, the largest lake district in Europe. A great part of Finland is covered in water and the lakes rank among the cleanest in the world. Finnish Lakeland provides excellent conditions for kayaking and paddling of all kind. Lakeland also houses beautiful cities and places to visit.
One of Finland’s major cities, Tampere is a great example of industrial heritage reinvented for modern urban purposes. Cafés, shops, restaurants, cinemas, galleries and museums in old factory buildings are complemented by the glittering lakes Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi that surround the city. A mix of old and new, Hämeenlinna is a medium-sized city with two impressive castles to visit, large park areas to enjoy and galleries and museums to hop, among them the birth place of Finland’s most famous composer Jean Sibelius.
Finnish Lapland
Finnish Lapland lets your dream of a winter wonderland become reality. Contrasts are a key factor in the allure of Lapland where 24-hour sunlight in the summer replaces the dark winter days. The thrill of witnessing the Aurora Borealis is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Finland is one of the best places on Earth to spot the Northern Lights – they appear on more than 200 nights a year in Finnish Lapland.
In Finland, the Sámi population is approximately 6 000 strong, and the preservation of their endangered language and culture is governed by the autonomous parliament in Inari, Finland. Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and the hometown of Santa Claus. Here you can enjoy plenty of activities with modern facilities and great infrastructure all year round. Saariselkä–Ivalo–Inari is Europe’s northernmost holiday resort where travelers can experience genuine hospitality and outstanding overnight possibilities like glass igloos.
