Finland Travel Guide

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Finland is the deep north, with forests and lakes as far as the eye can see, and revitalising crisp air. Choose between summer's endless light or winter's eerie frozen magic.

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Paddle the calming, reflective waters of the Lakeland region ()

The Finland you encounter will depend on the season of your visit, but whatever the month, the call of the wilderness is a siren song not to be resisted. Theres something pure in the Finnish air and spirit thats really vital and exciting; its an invitation to get out and active year-round. With vast tracts of forest, speckled by picture-perfect lakes as if an artist had flicked a blue paintbrush at the map, Suomi offers some of Europes best hiking, kayaking and canoeing. A fabulous network of national parks has well-marked routes and regularly spaced huts for overnighting. There are bears deep in the eastern forests, where you can watch them on nature-watching trips.

Finlands short but reliable sunny season sees the country burst into life. Finns seem to want to suck every last golden drop out of the summer in the hope that it will last them through the long dark winter months, and theres an explosion of good cheer and optimism. Its a time for music festivals, art exhibitions, lake cruises, midnight sunshine on convivial beer terraces, lazy days at remote waterside cottages and mouth-watering market produce.

Winter, too, has a special charm. The best way to banish those frosty subzero temperatures is to get out and active. For starters, theres great skiing until May. But how about chartering a team of dogs, a posse of reindeer, or a snowmobile for a trek across the snowy wastes, lit by a beautiful, pale winter sun? Catch the aurora borealis (Northern Lights) after your wood-fired sauna and youll feel blessed by the universe. Need to cool down? A night in an ice hotel or an ice-breaker cruise should do the trick.

Dont get the idea that the countrys just a backwoods emptiness, though. Vibrant cities stock the southern parts, headed by the capital, Helsinki, a cutting-edge urban space with world-famous design and music scenes. Embraced by the Baltic, its an enticing ensemble of modern and stately architecture, island restaurants, and stylish and quirky bars. And complaints about Finnish food are so last-century: the new Suomi restaurant scene is kicking.

The real bonus? The Finns, who tend to do their own thing and are much the better for it. Independent, loyal, warm and welcoming a memorable people in an inspirational country. Make it your business to get to know some.

GREG BALFOUR EVANS / ALAMY
Admire striking art-nouveau architecture in central Helsinki ()

Finlands great swaths of protected forests and fells make it one of Europes prime hiking destinations. Head to the Karhunkierros () are other great northern options. A network of camping huts make itinerary planning easy and are good spots to meet Finns.

BLICKWINKEL / ALAMY
Oulanka National Park

Design Shopping in Helsinki

Functional, elegant, outrageous or wacky: the choice is yours. The capitals decidedly nonmainstream chic is best explored by browsing the vast variety of design shops that spatter its centre. Whether examining iconic 20th-century Finnish forms in the flagship emporia of brands like Iittala, Marimekko and Artek, or tracking down the cutting edge and just plain weird in the bohemian Punavuori district, youre sure to find something you didnt know you needed but just cant do without.

ANNA WATSON / ALAMY

Sledding & Snowmobiling, Lapland

Fizzing over the snow behind a team of huskies under the low winter sun is tough to beat. Short jaunts are great, but overnight safaris give you time to feed and bond with your lovable dogs and try out a wood-fired sauna in the middle of the winter wilderness. Its no fairy-tale ride though; expect to eat some snow before you learn to control your team. If youre more of a cat person, you can enjoy similar trips on a snowmobile or behind reindeer.

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Gulf of Bothnia, near Kemi

Music Festivals

Are you a chamber-music aficionado? Or do you like rock so raucous it makes your ears bleed? Whatever your pleasure, Finland has a music festival to suit. Savonlinnas fort-ress is the dramatic setting for a month-long opera festival; fiddlers gather at Kaustinen for full-scale folk; Pori, Espoo and Tampere attract thousands of jazz fans; workaday Seinjoki flashes sequins and high heels during its five-day tango festival; temples to rock are raised in Seinjoki, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa; and the Sibelius Festival ushers in autumn with classical grace.

LEBRECHT MUSIC AND ARTS PHOTO LIBRARY / ALAMY
Savonlinna Opera Festival

Bear-Watching, Eastern Finland

Old Honeypaws, the brown bear (Ursus arctos), is the national animal of Finland. Around a thousand of these powerful creatures live in the northeast, coming and going with impunity across the FinnishRussian border. Several operators run bear hides close to the frontier, where you can sit a silent nights vigil as bruins snuffle out elk carcasses and carefully hidden chunks of salmon. The best time to see them is between mid-April and August with a slight gap in July when the bears have mating rather than meals in mind.

DAVID TIPLING / LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Summer Cottages

The symbol of the Finnish summer is a cosy cottage perched on a placid blue lake, with a little rowing boat, a fishing pier, and perhaps its own swimming beach. The simplest rustic cabins have outside loos and water drawn from a well, while the most modern designer bungalows have every creature comfort, from state-of-the-art coffee machines to infrared saunas. Whether youre looking for a wilderness escape or somewhere for a big family party, youre bound to find the perfect place from the thousands of rental cottages on offer.