Onko sauna lämmin? (Is your sauna warm?)

Tucked away in the northernmost expanses of Europe, Finland has a distinctive charm that sets it apart from its Scandi neighbors. It’s capital, Helsinki, is a bustling Baltic port city renowned for its striking architectural design and lively food and music scenes. Snap photos of gorgeous monuments lining the Helsinki Central Railway Station or wander through the partially underground Temppeliaukio church, an architectural masterpiece carved into the natural rock. For a more remote experience, journey to Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed fortress built along a series of eight islands. And if huskies, reindeer, and the Northern lights are the essential currency for a winter wonderland, head to Lapland where the quiet wilderness and storybook towns of this spellbinding corner of the world will surely reignite your belief in St. Nick.

Traditionally thrown in with Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway and Denmark, Finland is Scandinavia’s eccentric cousin from out of town: quirky, enigmatic but with a contagious and captivating self-confidence. So while you get the Nordic staples of cinnamon buns, hand-knit sweaters, cross-country skiing and ice-cool interior design, you also get Sami reindeer herders with hand-embroidered slippers listening to ear-splitting death metal and goth rock. This is, don’t forget, the land that invented the sauna and the sport of wife-carrying. For both visitors and locals, the real appeal is the landscape – a vast, sparsely populated natural adventure playground, cloaked with silent forests and tranquil lakes. The trade-off is the cost of living, particularly when it comes to alcohol; it’s easy to see why the Finns are the largest per capita consumers of milk and coffee.

Finland is Scandinavia’s eccentric cousin from out of town

Tucked away in the northernmost expanses of Europe, Finland has a distinctive charm that sets it apart from its Scandi neighbors. Whether you’re out for Helsinki’s trendy-cool, a summer cabin by the lake, or chasing the Northern lights in the wilds of Lapland, Finland has something for everyone.

Customized travel to Finland. Explore rich Helsinki architecture, marvel at the Northern Lights in Lapland, or visit the Suomenlinna Fortress. Local travel. Responsible travel.