Finland Information

Finland is in Northern Europe and has borders with Russia to the East, Norway to the North and Sweden to the West. The country is thoroughly modern with well-planned and comfortable small towns and cities, but still offers vast areas of unspoiled nature. Finland has approximately 188,000 lakes (about 10% of the country) and a similar number of islands. In the northernmost part of the country the Northern Lights can be seen in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. Finns also claim the mythical mountain of Korvatunturi as the home of Santa Claus, and a burgeoning tourist industry in Lapland caters to Santa fans. Despite living in one of the most technologically developed countries in the world, the Finns love to head to their summer cottages in the warmer months to enjoy all manner of relaxing pastimes including sauna, swimming, fishing and barbecuing.

Provinces

Finland is divided into the following provinces (lääni):

   1. Southern Finland — the southern stretch of coastline up to the Russian border, including the capital Helsinki and the historical province of Uusimaa (Nyland)
   2. Western Finland — the coastal areas, the old capital Turku, Finland's number two city Tampere and the southern parts of the historical province of Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa, Österbotten).
   3. Eastern Finland — forests and lakes by the Russian border, including Savonia (Savo)
   4. Oulu — Kajanaland (Kainuu) and northern Ostrobothnia, named after the technology city of Oulu
   5. Finnish Lapland — tundra and reindeer above the Arctic Circle
   6. The Åland Islands — an autonomous and monolingually Swedish group of islands off the southwestern coast of Finland

While a convenient and unambiguous bureaucratic division, the provinces do not really correspond to geographical or cultural boundaries very well. Other terms you may hear include Tavastia (Häme), covering a large area of central Finland around Tampere, and Karelia (Karjala) to the far east, the bulk of which was lost to the Soviet Union in World War II (still a sore topic in some circles).

Cities

    * Helsinki — the "Daughter of the Baltic", Finland's capital and largest city by far. Helsinki pulls off the trick of being something of an international metropolis while still retaining a small-town feel. The best time to visit is in summer, when Finns peel off their overcoats and flock to outdoor bars and cafes to enjoy the sunshine.
    * Jyväskylä — a university town located in Central Finland. There is a nature preservation area just a few hundred meters off the city center. The area is located on the bank of the Tourujoki-river. There are also six other recreational 'nature paths' in Jyväskylä. Ice skating is available on Lake Jyväsjärvi in the winter once the ice is thick enough.
    * Oulu — a technology city at the end of the Gulf of Bothnia. Hosts the International Air Guitar Festival every year. Also is home to Nallikari and its Eden sea resort. Summer visit is preferred, but you can bathe outside all year round in Eden's cozy temperature of +26°C. A bone-chilling dip in the freezing Oulu river can also be made in at the swimming spot (maauimala) of Tuira all year round. Quite close to Raatti swimming hall are the remaining ruins of the Castle of Oulu. Their café, Linnankahvila is open daily during summertime. It lies on the remaining premises of the Castle of Oulu after the explosion of gunpowder deposit (by a bulb of lightning) in the 18th century.
    * Pori — an industrial city at the western coast, known from its annual Pori Jazz festival.
    * Rovaniemi — gateway to Lapland, largest city in Europe measured from the surface area. Various arctic safari companies, many of which are on the west bank of the river, can arrange all sorts of cold and snowy activities like snowmobile safaris and dog sledding. Santa Claus Village, 8 km north of Rovaniemi and right on the Arctic Circle, is a tourist trap if there ever was one – but few tourists can miss the chance to meet Santa himself. Apart from meeting the man, there are also other attractions like small-scale sledding hills for kids. The village hosts also several safari companies organising different types of activities. During dark times the village has nicely lit ice sculptures. Another Santa attraction, Santapark, is nearby.
    * Savonlinna — The main attraction, St. Olaf's castle, was built in 1475. The yearly Opera Festival is also popular and is hosted at Olaf's.
    * Tampere — an industrial town, home to the Lenin Museum and Spy Museum, in the middle of other big cities in Southern Finland. There are also many other museums and historic churches. Tampere features a large number of highly unusual museums. These include the Chain and Handcuffs Exhibition, the Coffee Cup Museum, the Finnish Hockey Hall Of Fame, the Finnish Refrigeration Museum, Moominvalley, the Museum Centre Vapriikki, the Museum of Dolls and Costumes Hatanpää Mansion, the Sara Hildén Art Museum, Spy Museum and the Tampere Art Museum.
    * Turku — the former capital on the western coast. Medieval castle and cathedral. Some of the main draws of Turku are its history and historical significance and the great natural beauty of the neighboring archipelago. Turku is at its best during the summertime, and hosts a great number of festivals, including rock festivals, chamber music festivals and a renaissance faire.
    * Vaasa — a city with strong Swedish influences on the west coast located near the UNESCO world natural site Kvarken Archipelago. Many museums and other cultural attractions also.

Other destinations

    * Archipelagos, especially along the southwestern coast
    * National parks -- Finland has numerous national parks protecting examples of Finlands beautiful and unique forms of nature. Most of the parks are open to the public offering special services such as marked hiking paths, maps, authentic cottages, kotas and saunas for rent and more. Please inform yourself what are the rules to be followed by all visitors.

Ski resorts

Levi is one of the largest winter sport resorts in Finland. It is located in the Kittilä municipality in Finnish Lapland. Levi is very popular place among young people, especially those living in rural areas in Lapland, and has significant nightlife. Almost everything is concentrated around tourism and virtually all visitors come here for wintersports. At the summertime hiking in nature is popular and at the autumn incredible colors of ruska will offer unforgettable experience. From the top of Levi fell there are great views to surrounding forests and nearby fells (Aakenustunturit, Pallastunturit, Ylläs). Town Kittilä is about 10 kilometers south. On the northern side of Levi center there is Sirkka village inhabited by local people. At the summertime nights are lit by midnight sun while during winter auroras are visible almost every cloudless night.

Saariselkä is a largish winter sports center high up in Finnish Lapland, some 250 km north of the Arctic Circle and nearly 1000 kilometers away from the southern capital Helsinki. Nestled in a valley, Saariselkä is a compact strip of a village with one gas station, one supermarket, one liquor store and a slew of hotels and restaurants, but it's quite manageable on foot and located only 30 km away from the town of Ivalo and its airport. The fell of Kaunispää, equipped with ski lifts and the primary center for winter sports, looms nearby. Many tourists, especially the Japanese, come to Saariselkä to gawk at the aurora borealis. While they occur with a probability as high as 75% every night in season (November to March or so), they are all too often obscured behind a bank of clouds so don't count on it. But there's plenty of standard Lappish tourist fare to keep you occupied during the day as well, ranging from husky safaris and reindeer-pulled sleighs to snowmobile and snowshoe treks through the countryside. For arctic scenery, climb (or take the bus) up Kaunispää to take in the view.

Ylläs is a popular ski resort located in the municipality of Kolari, at the Swedish border in Finnish Lapland. Ylläs is Finland's largest downhill ski resort in terms of total drop (465 m) and single slope length (3000 m). There are 37 slopes in total.

Driving in Finland

Traffic drives on the right, and there are no road tolls in Finnish cities or highways so far. Roads are well maintained and extensive, although expressways are limited to the south of the country. Note that headlights must be kept on at all times when driving, in and outside cities, whether it's dark or not. Drivers must stay very alert, particularly at dawn and dusk, for wild animals. Collisions with moose (lethal) are common countrywide, deer (survivable) cause numerous collisions in South and South West parts of the country, and half-domesticated reindeer are a common cause of accidents in Lapland. Bear collisions happen sometimes in eastern parts of the country. VR's overnight car carrier trains are popular for skipping the long slog from Helsinki up to Lapland and getting a good night's sleep instead: a Helsinki-Rovaniemi trip (one way) with car and cabin for 1-3 people starts from € 215.

Winter driving can be somewhat hazardous, especially for drivers unused to cold weather conditions. Winter tires (M+S) are mandatory from 1 December through the end of February. The most dangerous weather is in fact around the zero degree mark (C), when slippery but near-invisible black ice forms on the roads. Finnish cars often come equipped with a block heater (lohkolämmitin) used to keep the engine warm overnight, and many parking places have electric outlets to feed them. Liikenneturva, the Finnish road safety agency, maintains a Tips for winter driving page in English.

Finnish speeding tickets are based on your income, so be careful. A Nokia VP who'd cashed in some stock options the previous year was once hit for $204,000! If you are not from Finland, the Finnish police has no access to your tax records, so a speeding violation will probably be around 100-200 Euros. You have the right to respectfully say "that information is private" if someone tries to ask what your salary is, as that information is protected under European Union law. A blood alcohol level of over 0.05% is considered drunk driving, so think twice before drinking that second beer.

Keep in mind that if you are driving at night when the gas stations are closed (they usually close at 9 PM), always remember to bring some money for gas. Automated gas pumps in Finland DO NOT ACCEPT foreign visa/credit cards! However, you can pay with Euro notes.