For a long time, progress was elusive for the countries of Northern Europe, but since the end of the Second War no one can deny that they grew and developed to become some of the most democratic and rights-just societies in the world. One of those countries is Finland.
If that happened in the twentieth century, it must be said that throughout the little that we have traveled in the twenty-first century, these countries have become very attractive and popular tourist destinations. Books, movies and TV series have contributed to this growing fame, so today it is your turn to discover what to do in finland.
Finland
We can divide the country into four regions and then decide if we want to go through all or part of them. These regions are: Helsinki, the lake area, Lapland and the coastal area. Obviously we are going to start with Helsinki, national capital.
It is also the largest city in the country and it is inhabited by 1.4 million people. It's well north of Europe and it's actually a archipelago of about 300 islands of different sizes that can be reached by plane or by boat, as it is on the Baltic Sea. From here you can plan other little trips around Finland, both to smaller towns and villages and to national parks.
The city's transportation system is super efficient And you can buy a daily ticket that covers your trips by metro, bus and tram, even the use of the ferry. From the airport to the city center there is only half an hour and then you can also usar public bikes, yellow, or take the ferry to go to the islets. Then, What can we visit in Helsinki? Their churches, such as the Helsinki Cathedral, Uspenski Cathedral, Temppeliaukio Church or the Kampi Chapel of Silence.
In terms of museums is the Kiasma of contemporary art and architecture, HAM (Museum of Art), Design Museum and the National Museum of Finland. You can add a visit to the Opera House and if you are lucky to participate in one of the festivals that are organized locally, such as the mid-winter or jazz festivals. If it's about doing purchases is the Toriquarters special district with bookstores, antique houses and household items.
If you go in spring or summer when the days are much better then walking, eating and strolling in the sun is what you should do. There are many coastal places and beautiful islandssuch as Lonna, Vallisaari or Suomenlinna which is a World Heritage Site. Ferries depart from the Market Square and only take 10-20 minutes. And as an experience at night, what do you think of a public sauna of those who open late?
Above we said that from Helsinki you can make small trips and the truth should not miss some of the rural villages there are only eight XNUMXth century villages on the south west coast, rich in history, today inhabited by artisans: Fiskars, Strömfors, Billnäs, Mathildedal, Teijo, Leineperi, Verlay and the industrial area of Noormarkku.
A second area of the country to visit is the lake area. Finland has around 188.000 thousand lakes and about 180 thousand islands and many are here, in this region that is the largest in Europe: rivers, canals, lakes, lagoons, islands. One option is to hire a package from a travel agency, another is to rent a car and take advantage of the fact that Finland's roads are free of tolls.
You can basically choose to four types of trip in the lake area. The routes are designed by the agencies themselves so you will find that they all offer you a bit of the same in all cities. There is a route for culture lovers, Culture Lovers, with 1300 kilometers to travel through the regions of Kouvola, Mikkeli, Savonlinna and others and passes through medieval places such as Olavinlinna Castle.
This route is to be done by car or by bike, although public transport is also possible. Another route is the Sauna Lovers, another one is the Family Route since it includes amusement park, camps, hotels family friendly, zoos and active excursions. And finally there is the route for natural lovers which includes hiking, fishing, canoeing, national parks, mountain biking, and even sleeping on a farm.
Do you like to ride your bike a lot and do you think that a bike tour it's great? Then you can do the Turku Archipelago Trail, a circular route that is very popular with tourists, especially in summer, from May to September. There are bikes, cars and motorcycles and more than a single route is a network of routes that includes some ferry crossings. Will be just over 200 kilometers.
We then arrived in Lapland, a magical land, the land of the sun in the sky for 24 hours and the beautiful Northern Lights. In winter it is a white land, with dog sled rides or the ski season beginning in October. In autumn all the foliage turns ocher and red, this is called "ruska," and it is a beautiful period, mid-September, to behold.
In Lapland you can do hiking, rafting, visiting national parks, kayaking, meeting the Sàmi, the original people of Lapland, Sweden and Norway, and go out bars in Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland and reputedly home to Santa Claus.
Finally, there is the coastal region of Finland, where the sun shines a lot. Here are many picturesque, ancient villageslovely with wooden houses still standing: Turku, Naantali, Louhisaari, Hiuntie, Lyökintie, Rauma, Vuojoki, Laitakari, Reposaari. The best thing is to rent a car and visit them on your own.
As you can see, Finland is a great destination but you have to plan what you are going to do and that will largely depend on the time of year of your trip. Winter is beautiful but it limits your movements. I believe that summer is the best because you can enjoy longer days and more pleasant trips through the interior of the country.