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Finland
Trip Planning & Itineraries
6:27 AM Tuesday, Nov 24
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Finland is for the most part a quiet land, where a cottage by a lake and a properly stoked sauna is all that's required for happiness. It's a vast expanse of forests and lakes and more forests, punctuated by towns full of people who are genuinely surprised to see tourists.
During the months of the midnight sun, coastal regions are a sailing and fishing paradise. Inland, the largest unspoilt wilderness in Europe attracts thousands every year. In the south, the capital Helsinki is a paradise for lovers of art and architecture.
Helsinki Card
The Helsinki Card comes with a guidebook and excellent maps of the city. You also get free travel on public transport plus fee entrance to major sights and museums.
Best of Finland: Top Hotels
In addition to these options, check out these self catered holiday homes in Finland from HomeAway.
Linna is Finnish for 'castle', which is a perfect fit for the building's turreted facade and the royal treatment guests receive. Built in 1903 as the student clubhouse for the technical university opposite, the rooms have now been thoroughly renovated in Nordic chic style. A nice feature of this hotel is that two of the rooms interconnect to form a family room if required - this should be booked well in advance. After getting settled, be sure to try one of the three saunas.
If you like Finnish design, you'll love Helka. A substantial renovation in the Nordic chic style has made this a hip hotel. Keitto (Finnish for kitchen) is the in-house restaurant that is decked in a forest theme with woodland photos melding into real birch trunks. All this and the convenience of bus connections make Helka one of the best stays in the city.
This beautiful boutique hotel is a stylish welcome to the Finnish capital. Set in a courtyard, it exudes a quiet charm and more romantic air than most of the city's hotels. Each floor features a distinct design and color scheme, all in a classic French-influenced style. The hotel's crowning glory is the suite with its enclosed balcony, rich-hued curtains, huge bed, Jacuzzi and sauna. They also offer four slick apartments with office space and kitchens for those interested in staying by the week.
Suggested Itineraries: Finland
Midsummer's Day (Juhannus) is the most important annual event for Finns. People leave cities and towns for summer cottages to celebrate the longest day of the year. Bonfires are lit and lakeside merrymakers swim and row boats. Enthusiastic alcohol consumption is a key feature of midsummer partying.
On the lighter side, check out the Sleepyhead Day, where on 27 July the laziest person in the towns of Naantali and Hanko is thrown into the sea. Finland's strangest event is the annual wife-carrying championship held every July in tiny Sonkajärvi. For more travel tips in Finland read the what to do in Finland post in the Viator Travel Blog.
- Plan Finland vacations on Yahoo! Travel
- Finland hotels from PlanetWare
- English-language news from the Helsinki Times
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