Discover
Finland
Land of a thousand lakes, saunas, and the magical Arctic wilderness.
Top Destinations
Explore our curated selection of landmarks and cities you must visit.
Helsinki Cathedral
The dominant landmark of Helsinki's cityscape, a neoclassical white cathedral completed in 1852 and standing atop a broad flight of granite steps overlooking Senate Square. Designed by Carl Ludwig Engel, its five green domes and Corinthian columns represent the purest example of neoclassical architecture in Finland.
Best Time
May to September for outdoor photography. December for the stunning Christmas market filling Senate Square below.
Insider Tip
Visit on midsummer's eve when...
Santa Claus Village
The official hometown of Santa Claus, located exactly on the Arctic Circle (66°33'N) near Rovaniemi. The village operates year-round with Santa's Office, reindeer safaris, husky rides, and aurora hunting experiences, attracting over 500,000 visitors annually.
Best Time
December for Christmas magic and fresh snow. February–March for the best Northern Lights conditions and snowmobile safaris. June–July for the Midnight Sun.
Insider Tip
Book the 'Private Audience with...
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress
A UNESCO World Heritage sea fortress built on a cluster of islands off Helsinki's coast, begun in 1748 when Finland was under Swedish rule. One of the largest sea fortresses in the world, Suomenlinna is today home to some 800 permanent residents alongside its museums, galleries, and historic bastions.
Best Time
May to September for outdoor exploration. The island is magical in winter with snow-covered cannon emplacements and far fewer visitors.
Insider Tip
The ferry from Market Square...
Nuuksio National Park
A pristine lake and forest wilderness just 30 kilometres from central Helsinki, offering hundreds of kilometres of marked trails through Finnish boreal forest, past crystal-clear lakes, and over smooth granite outcrops. Home to rare flying squirrels, white-tailed deer, and the Siberian jay.
Best Time
June–August for swimming and hiking. September for spectacular autumn foliage. Winter for snowshoeing and ice fishing.
Insider Tip
Rent a rowing boat on...
Lakeland (Saimaa)
Finland's Lakeland region — centred on Lake Saimaa (4,380 km², Finland's largest lake) — is a vast labyrinth of interconnected lakes, islands, and straits covering southern central Finland. The rare Saimaa ringed seal, found nowhere else on Earth, inhabits these waters.
Best Time
June–August for kayaking, lake swimming, and cottage life. September for autumn colours reflecting in the mirror-flat lakes.
Insider Tip
Rent a traditional Finnish log...
Koli National Park
Finland's most celebrated landscape — a series of ancient fells rising 347 metres above Lake Pielinen in North Karelia. The summit view from Ukko-Koli inspired Finland's greatest artists and composers, including Jean Sibelius and Akseli Gallen-Kallela, creating what became the defining image of the Finnish national identity.
Best Time
March for skiing and winter landscape. September–October for spectacular autumn foliage from the summits. June–July for hiking and lake panoramas.
Insider Tip
Take the chairlift to the...
Turku Castle
Finland's largest medieval building, a massive grey granite castle at the mouth of the Aura River, built from the 1280s onward when Turku was the capital of the country. Its halls contain a superb historical museum covering Finnish and Nordic medieval history across 1,300 years.
Best Time
Year-round. Summer festivals and medieval markets are held in the castle courtyard.
Insider Tip
Allow 3 hours for the...
Olavinlinna Castle (Savonlinna)
A medieval castle built on a small rocky islet in the Saimaa lake system in 1475, one of the best-preserved medieval fortifications in Scandinavia. Three massive round towers connected by thick walls rise directly from the water, creating one of Finland's most photogenic landmarks.
Best Time
July for the Savonlinna Opera Festival — a world-class event held in the most atmospheric setting imaginable. June and August for quieter visits.
Insider Tip
Book Opera Festival tickets at...
Urho Kekkonen National Park
Finland's second-largest national park, covering 2,550 km² of fell tundra and boreal forest in the heart of Finnish Lapland. Named after Finland's longest-serving president, it encompasses the fell landscape around Saariselkä — a major skiing resort — and extends to the Russian border.
Best Time
March for skiing, snowshoeing, and Northern Lights. July–August for hiking on the open fell landscape. September for golden Arctic autumn colours.
Insider Tip
Book a wilderness hut (autiotupa)...
Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort
The world's largest glass igloo village, offering guests the extraordinary experience of sleeping under the Northern Lights in a heated glass igloo with a panoramic view of the Arctic sky. Located in the darkness zone of Lapland where the Northern Lights are visible 149 nights per year.
Best Time
August to April for aurora viewing. December–January for the most dramatic snow landscapes and polar night atmosphere.
Insider Tip
Book the glass igloos at...
Oulanka National Park
A national park on the Oulankajoki River featuring spectacular riverside gorges, thundering rapids, and the famous Kitka River. Home to the Bear's Ring trail (Karhunkierros) — Finland's most celebrated long-distance hiking trail — crossing pristine boreal wilderness for 82 kilometres.
Best Time
Late June to mid-September for hiking and river kayaking. The rapids are most dramatic in late May after snowmelt.
Insider Tip
Walk the 'short Bear's Ring'...
Archipelago National Park
Finland's only national park covering a maritime area — thousands of islands, islets, and skerries in the outer archipelago southwest of Turku. The outermost islands are bare granite washed by the Baltic; the inner islands are wooded and dotted with traditional fishing villages.
Best Time
June–August for kayaking, island hopping, and wild camping. Late August for warm seas and fewer visitors.
Insider Tip
Join a guided kayaking expedition...
Pyynikki Observation Tower
A 26-metre observation tower perched on top of the Pyynikki ridge — the world's highest gravel ridge — overlooking both Lake Näsijärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi, the two lakes between which Tampere is uniquely situated. The tower café is legendary for its fresh doughnuts.
Best Time
Year-round. The view in winter with frozen lakes is spectacular. May for spring forest colours.
Insider Tip
The tower café sells what...
Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
An open-air museum on a forested island connected to Helsinki by a pedestrian bridge, featuring over 80 historical buildings moved from across Finland — farmhouses, manor houses, churches, and workers' cottages from different centuries and regions.
Best Time
June–August for open buildings, folk demonstrations, and the famous Midsummer bonfires on the island.
Insider Tip
Visit on Midsummer Eve (late...
Bengtskär Lighthouse
The tallest lighthouse in the Nordic countries at 52 metres, built in 1906 on the outermost skerry of the Finnish archipelago. Staying overnight on this isolated rock — with nothing but open sea in all directions — is one of Finland's most extraordinary experiences.
Best Time
June–August when the passenger boat operates from Kasnäs (1.5 hours).
Insider Tip
Book overnight accommodation in the...
Hossa National Park
A young national park (established 2017) in central Finland, featuring thousands of lakes and rivers in a pristine boreal forest landscape. Famous for its ancient rock paintings (kalliomaalauksia) dated to 3,500 years ago, visible from a kayak on Lake Somerjärvi.
Best Time
June–August for paddling the lake systems and viewing the rock paintings from water. March for cross-country skiing.
Insider Tip
Rent a canoe and paddle...
Riisitunturi National Park
A fell national park in Finnish Lapland known for its extraordinary crown snow trees (tykky) — trees so encased in ice and snow from Arctic storms that they become fantastical sculptural forms covering the entire fell summit. This unique phenomenon is among the most bizarre and beautiful natural sights in all of Scandinavia.
Best Time
February–March for maximum snow accumulation on the trees. The tykky forest is at its peak after heavy snowfall.
Insider Tip
Snowshoe to the summit rather...
Savonlinna Opera Festival
One of the world's most celebrated opera festivals, held in the courtyard of the medieval Olavinlinna Castle every July since 1912. International opera stars perform grand operas beneath the open sky in a setting of extraordinary historical and natural beauty.
Best Time
July only — the festival runs approximately 4 weeks during July.
Insider Tip
Book tickets at least 6...
Tampere Vapriikki Museum
Finland's largest museum complex, housed in a converted 19th-century textile factory on the banks of the Tammerkoski rapids. Vapriikki contains numerous permanent collections under one roof including the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame, the Natural History Museum, the Ice Hockey Museum, and temporary exhibitions.
Best Time
Year-round. Good wet-weather activity. The rapids are particularly dramatic in spring.
Insider Tip
The Moomin Museum within Vapriikki...
Midnight Sun Experience
Above the Arctic Circle in Finland, the sun does not set at all for weeks around midsummer — in Rovaniemi this lasts approximately 52 days. The diffuse golden light that falls continuously throughout the 'night' creates a hypnotic, dreamlike atmosphere unlike any other natural phenomenon.
Best Time
June 21 (summer solstice) is the peak. From May 25 to July 18 in Rovaniemi there is continuous light.
Insider Tip
Join a midnight sun canoe...
Travel Tips for Finland
- 1.
Sauna etiquette is important – clothing optional
- 2.
Silence is a sign of respect
- 3.
Try salmiakki (salty liquorice)