Marco Polo - Finland. Travel with Insider Tips

Summer at last! One of the best celebrations in the country takes place on the island of Seurasaari

One of the most magnificent Neoclassicist squares in Europe

The creative heart of the Finnish capital beats in the shops here

If you arrive in Helsinki harbour by ship, youll be right in the thick of things

Where Swedish is spoken: the skerries that make up this autonomous archipelago are truly delightful

Scandinavias largest, single, wooden house district is a World Heritage Site

Finlands sunny summers: the Moomins are also at home in this lovely coastal town

A boat trip through this labyrinth of interconnecting waterways which form Finlands largest lake

Finlands heritage viewpoint: from the Koli hills you have a superb panoramic view across the country

The centre of the Orthodox church in Finland

This wonderful protected area is well known among passionate hikers for the Bears Ring

Like the gold diggers of old: a trip through the most untouched of Finlands national parks with a river of the same name

This museum on the river bank could not have been better designed: the award-winning building in Rovaniemi houses an impressive display of information on Lapland and the Arctic Circle

This Sami village is surrounded by magnificent countryside, among mountains more than 1000 m high, where Finland, Sweden and Norway join

Where Finlands most important international event takes place every year

Sail away with Astrid or Svandhild: the sailing ships operated by Purjelaivakonttori will take you out into the skerries around Helsinki and off on a real maritime adventure

A lift will take you to the capitalss most famous bar: sip your cocktail in the Ateljee Bar on the 14th floor of the Sokos Hotel Torni high above the roofs of Helsinki. The furnishings are by Alvar Aalto

Mustion Linna is a top-class hotel-restaurant: kings and tsars have spent the night in this manor house in the former iron foundry village of Svrt

No electricity but with food from a gourmet restaurant on the hermits island Sviskr in land

Picturesque fishing villages and harbours are scattered along the sunny west coast. The section in the Archipelago of the Seven Bridges between Pietarsaari and Kokkola is particularly beautiful

A balmy evening in August, the band strikes up a foxtrot, couples sway to the rhythm: if you like dancing away the summer evenings, dont miss the dance pavilion in Valasranta near Turku

Virtually every Finn knows the granite building Kultaranta as it has been used by Finnish Presidents as their summer residence since 1922. The private apartments are closed to the public but Kultaranta has a park with 3500 roses that is open for all to enjoy. A wonderful place for plant lovers

The tradtional lamb dish, prepared in a birchwood trough in Srpirtti Kippurasarvi, virtually melts in the mouth

When travelling around Finlands lake district, a visit to Hella & Huone is a must. The restaurant in Tampere has raised Finlands cuisine to gourmet standard. And what is good for those just passing through: the restaurant runs a deli in the station

Whetting the appetite for the fauna and flora of the North East: exceptional pictures are on display in the Centre for Nature Photography in Kuusamo

A canyon like in a picture book: Julma lkky, a lake in a ravine, is surrounded by sheer cliffs