Finland Travel Guide

Best Places to Visit in Finland

Noted for fine landscapes, functional architecture, and independent people, Finland is a country that travelers seem to find either very interesting or fairly boring. Finland is a good place for a side visit on the way to or returning from other destinations in Europe.

Finland offers the tourist three distinct venues: Helsinki, the capital city and economic powerhouse of the country, The Lakelands, and Finnish Lapland.

For many travelers, Helsinki is main attraction and touring Helsinki will take no more than two days. The Lakelands provide beautiful scenery and an abundance of water sports. Lapland is a unique experience featuring almost endless forest that is consider that last true wilderness in Europe.

Names in Teal are regions of the country.

• Helsinki   

  • Helsinki is an interesting, efficient city that offers insights into Finland, its people, and its history.  As with many Nordic countries, the architecture is often understated and sometimes stunning.
  • Visit in the summer when the days are long.   In middle of  winter the sun rises around 9 AM and sets in the early afternoon.
  • See the official Helsinki tourism website   for details on visiting and more detail on the attractions you can experience in this enjoyable city.
  
  

• Lapland

  • Lapland is a beautiful wilderness area that should be explored only with an experienced guide.  You will find the land of the Midnight Sun  quite enchanting, but not without its challenges.

  • Visit the official tourism website of Lapland   for details on visiting, especially its information on observing the Northern Lights.

• Lakelands

  • Once you pass through over 150,000 lakes, who's counting? The Lakelands area of Finland offers boating, fishing, lakes, islands, canals, and passages in abundance.  If you like water vacations, you should find the Lakelands enjoyable, but it is a long way to go for boating.

  • Discover more on the Lakelands at the official tourism website of Finland .

  
  

• Åland Isles 

  • A chain of islands off the Coast of Finland, the Åland Isles are known for fishing and tourism.  The islands were originally Swedish (and most of the residents still speak Swedish), became part of Russia, then were transferred to Finland and, finally, granted autonomy by Finland in 1917.   There are over  6,000 islands in the Åland Archipelago, which is a remote though beautiful area.  The archipelago's only sizable town, Mariehamn, is on the main island.

  • See the official tourism website  of the Aland Islands for more details on visiting this rustic, enjoyable section of Finland.

Additional Resources

Visit Finland is the official tourism website of Finland.  It provides additional detail on the best places to visit that we recommend, as well as information on places that did not make our list.

For country facts on Finland, as well as travel information related to visas, driving rules, safety, medical conditions, visas and other travel-related information, see this page on Finland Travel from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. State Department.  Regardless of your home country, we think you will find the information provided to be useful when planning a trip to Finland.

If you need information about another travel destination, try our Destination Guide Index or Googling ThereArePlaces.

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 Map of the Best Places to Visit in Finland

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