Best Tourist Places to Visit in Finland, Europe

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Finland, Europe

Finland is a North European country located in the Fennoscandian region, surrounded by Norway in the north, Russia towards east, Estonia in the south and Sweden to the west. It is the 8^th largest country in Europe with a total area of 338,424 sq. km.

Helsinki is the capital and the largest city of Finland, Finnish is the official language and Euro is the currency used in Finland and the government of Finland follows a parliamentary republic system.

Geography of Finland:

Finland is geographically placed between 60°10′ N latitude and 024°56′ E longitude, houses around 179,000 islands and 188,000 lakes. The major cities in Finland are:

Helsinki
Espoo
Tampere
Vantaa
Oulu
Turku

History of Finland:

What is now Finland was inhabited around 8500 BCE during the Stone Age. Finland was earlier part of Sweden from the 12^th century until the beginning of the 19th century and later, until the Russian Revolution, it was a division of the Russian Empire as an autonomous Grand Duchy. Finally, Finland achieved independence from Soviet Russia on 6^th December 1917.

How to reach Finland?

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the major airport of Finland, situated around 20 km away from the heart of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It handles flights to Riga, Pori, Berlin, Moscow, London, Minsk, Amsterdam, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Tokyo and other major European and Asian cities.

Helsinki in Finland is connected to St. Petersburg in Russia by train, served VR and Russian Railways mutually.

All the cities in Finland have good road network, catered by both luxury and general buses. There are regular ferries running between Finland, Estonia and Sweden.

To get around, taxis, rental cars and local trains and buses are useful.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Finland:

Finland is rich in culture and tradition and some of the major national holidays or festivals in Finland include Epiphany, Walpurgis Night, Midsummer Festival, New Year’s Eve and Independence Day.

Traditional colorful clothes and handicraft products are famous in Finland and some special dishes of Finland include karelian stew, gravlax, reindeer and piima.

Tourist Attractions in Finland:

Korkeasaari:

Korkeasaari is an island as well as popular tourist destination housing Helsinki Zoo which is the largest zoo in Finland. It is connected to mainland through bridge and by ferry and water buses. Korkeasaari is home to around 200 animal species and 1000 plant species.

Lutheran Cathedral:

Being an identity of Helsinki, Helsinki Cathedral or Lutheran Cathedral was constructed in the neoclassical architecture, inaugurated in 1852. It is open for tourists between 9AM and 6PM every day. No entrance fee.

Central Park in Helsinki:

Helsinki Central Park is situated near Helsinki Olympic Stadium covering an area of 1,000 hectares. This beautiful park features bikeways, riding paths, typical Pirkkola Sports Park and Paloheina, great site for outdoor activities.

List of the other places of interest in Finland include:

PowerPark
Moomin World
Puuhamaa
Heureka
Hartwall Areena
Wasalandia
Turku Castle
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Santa Claus Village
Helsinki Music Centre
Pihlajasaari
Repovesi National Park
Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre
Finnish National Gallery
Nuuksio National Park

Ideal time to visit Finland:

Finland experiences a long cold winter and warm but short summers, probably from June to September will be the best time to trip Finland.

Accommodation options in Finland:

Finland is peaceful country housing around 500 world class hotels welcoming tourists from the different regions of the world throughout the year with superior facilities and services. The prominent hotels in Finland (Helsinki) include: