Finland

Mara Vorhees, Catherine Le Nevez, Virginia Maxwell

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Kareliap173

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Welcome to Finland . . . . . 4

Finland Map . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Finland’s Top 15 . . . . . . . . .8

Need to Know . . . . . . . . . .16

What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . .18

If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Month by Month . . . . . . . 22

Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Great Outdoors . . . . 28

Travel with Children . . . . 36

Regions at a Glance . . . . 38

HELSINKI . . . . . . . . . . 42

TURKU & THE SOUTH COAST . . . . . 82Turku . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Naantali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Turku Archipelago . . . . . 93Pargas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Nagu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Korpo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Houtskär . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Iniö . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Kustavi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97The South Coast: West of Helsinki . . . . . . . 97Kimito Island & Archipelago National Park . . . . . . . . . . . 97Hanko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Raseborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Fiskars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Lohja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104The South Coast: East of Helsinki . . . . . . 105Porvoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Loviisa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Kotka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Hamina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

ÅLAND ARCHIPELAGO . . . . .114Fasta Åland . . . . . . . . . . . 117Mariehamn . . . . . . . . . . . . .117Jomala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Hammarland . . . . . . . . . . . 122Eckerö . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Geta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Saltvik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Sund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Vårdö . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Finström . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Lemland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Lumparland . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Northern & Southern Archipelagos . . . . . . . . . 128Northern Archipelago . . . 129Southern Archipelago . . . 130

TAMPERE, PIRKANMAA & HÄME . . . . . . . . . . 132Tampere . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Pirkanmaa . . . . . . . . . . . 140Ruovesi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Helvetinjärvi National Park . . . . . . . . . . 141Keuruu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Mänttä . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Häme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Iittala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Hämeenlinna . . . . . . . . . . . 143Lahti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

THE LAKELAND . . . 150Savonlinna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Punkaharju . . . . . . . . . . . . 155The Seal Lakes . . . . . . . . . 157Sulkava . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158Mikkeli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158New Valamo . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Jyväskylä . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Around Jyväskylä . . . . . . . 167Kuopio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

KARELIA . . . . . . . . . .173South Karelia . . . . . . . . .175Lappeenranta . . . . . . . . . . 175

PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD

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Contents

Imatra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179North Karelia . . . . . . . . . .181Joensuu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Ilomantsi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Hattuvaara . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185Lake Pielinen . . . . . . . . . 186Koli National Park . . . . . . 186Paalasmaa Island . . . . . . . 188Vuonislahti . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Lieksa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Patvinsuo National Park . . . . . . . . . . 189Ruunaa Recreation Area . . . . . . . . 190Nurmijärvi District . . . . . . 192Nurmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

WEST COAST . . . . . . 194Uusikaupunki . . . . . . . . . . 196Rauma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Pori . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200Around Pori . . . . . . . . . . . .203Kristinestad . . . . . . . . . . . .204Närpes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Seinäjoki . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Vaasa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206Around Vaasa . . . . . . . . . .209Jakobstad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Around Jakobstad . . . . . . 211Kokkola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Kalajoki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

OULU, KAINUU & KOILLISMAA . . . . 215Oulu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Around Oulu . . . . . . . . . . . 222Kajaani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Sotkamo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Kuhmo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Hossa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Kuusamo & Ruka . . . . . . . 226Juuma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Karhunkierros Trek & Oulanka National Park . . . 232

LAPLAND . . . . . . . . . 235Southern Lapland . . . . . 238Kemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238Tornio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240Rovaniemi . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Around Rovaniemi . . . . . . 249Kemijärvi . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Pyhä-Luosto . . . . . . . . . . .250Fell Lapland . . . . . . . . . . 252Ylläs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Levi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Muonio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255Hetta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park . . . . . . . . . . 257Kilpisjärvi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258Northern Lapland . . . . . 259Sodankylä . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Saariselkä . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Around Saariselkä . . . . . . 262Saariselkä Wilderness & Urho Kekkonen National Park . . . . . . . . . . 263Ivalo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265Nellim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266Inari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266Lemmenjoki National Park . . . . . . . . . . 268Inari to Norway . . . . . . . . . 270

Finland Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

The Sámi . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Finnish Lifestyle & Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Finnish Design . . . . . . . 289

The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . 295

Directory A-Z . . . . . . . . . 298

Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Language . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314

Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . .319

SURVIVAL GUIDE

UNDERSTAND

SPECIAL FEATURESSauna Culture . . . . . . . . . 56

The Finnish Lakeland . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Native Wildlife . . . . . . . 228

Snow Sports . . . . . . . . . 244

Itineraries

Lappeenranta

Kuopio

Rovaniemi

Porvoo

Savonlinna

Kemi

Oulu

HELSINKI

SWEDEN

RUSSIA

Saimaa

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Essential Suomi

This highlights tour of Finland covers some of the best places the country has to offer, with cities, castles, lakes, saunas and Santa on the menu.

Kick off in capital Helsinki, prowling the buzzing Design District and unwinding in excellent restaurants and bars. Hit Suomenlinna or an island restaurant to get a feel for the archipelago, and day trip to historic Porvoo’s enchanting wooden buildings.

Next head to Lappeenranta on the shores of Finland’s largest lake. Then – go by boat in summer – it’s gorgeous Savonlinna, where the stunning castle hosts an opera festival.

From there, head to the heart of the Lakeland, Kuopio, another segment you can do on a lake boat. Try to time your visit to coincide with the convivial smoke sauna.

The high latitudes are in evidence once you get to Oulu – depending on the season, the sun barely sets or barely rises. It’s one of Finland’s liveliest towns, with a great summer marketplace.

In winter stop in Kemi to see the snow castle and take an icebreaker cruise. Finally head to Rovaniemi, capital of Lapland and a great base for outdoor activities. From there, explore the north or get the sleeper train or fly back to Helsinki.

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Lapland’s unique charms deserve plenty of time. This trip can be done in a week, but take two if you can, giving yourself time for some of the numerous activities on offer.

Rovaniemi is Lapland’s capital and a logical place to start. It’s also a good spot to hire a car. Santa Claus is the big crowd-puller here, but the real don’t-miss attraction is the Arkti-kum museum. Further south, you can see some of the region’s fauna at Ranua’s zoo.

Cut eastward to Ruka, a lively winter ski resort and activity base. Here, there’s walk-ing to be done in Oulanka National Park, including the Karhunkierros, one of Fin-land’s best treks. You can also canoe or go bear-watching from nearby Kuusamo.

From Ruka, head north via Kemijärvi to Sodankylä. Don’t miss the wonderful old wooden church. Continue north through ever-more-sparsely populated territory; when you reach Urho Kekkonen National Park you’re in one of Europe’s great wildernesses. Take some time out for a hike across the fells, or try gold-panning at Tankavaara’s Kultamu-seo. Saariselkä is the best base to organise all sorts of summer and winter activities.

Inari, one of Lapland’s most intriguing towns, is the capital of Finland’s Sámi, a handicrafts centre and home to the memorable Siida museum, where you’ll learn a lot about the Sámi and the wildlife of these northern latitudes. Next it’s nearby Lemmen-joki National Park, where treks, river trips, gold-panning and more Sámi culture await. With time, head up to Kevo Strict Nature Reserve for a great three- to four-day trek.

Continue the loop towards northwest Finland, perhaps cutting through Norway and ending up at Hetta, another Sámi town and the trailhead for more excellent walking.

If you have time, take a detour up the ‘arm’ of Finland to remote Kilpisjärvi, in the shadow of fearsome Norwegian mountains and the smaller bulk of Saana Fell, a reward-ing climb with some memorable views over three nations.

Then head to Muonio. In winter you should go husky sledding, but even in summer it’s worth meeting the lovable dogs. Finally, return to Rovaniemi, stopping to ski or rent a summer cottage at built-up Levi or peaceful Pyhä.

10 DAYS

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Saariselkä

Ranua

Rovaniemi

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This trip takes you through Swedish- and Finnish-speaking communities and gives the chance to see picture-perfect towns, sparkling blue water and decent beaches.

Heading west from Helsinki, stop at the pretty ironworks village of Fiskars, near family-friendly, seaside Ekenäs. Then head on to the noble wooden villas of Hanko.

Turku has many drawcards, as does the surrounding Turku Archipelago and picturesque Naantali. Further offshore, Åland offers cycling and maritime history. To the north, Uusikaupunki’s museum deserves a prize for ironic humour, while Rauma features charming wooden build-ings. Pori hosts a pumping jazz festival.

The next coastline is ‘Parallel Sweden’: first stop Kristinestad with its Swedish-speaking majority. Vaasa has an excellent museum and kids’ attractions. West of here, Kvarken Archipelago is an ever-changing landscape of land rising from the seabed.

Jakobstad’s Old Town rivals Rauma’s for beauty. Beyond here, beautiful coastline runs north to vibrant Oulu. Stop off at Hai-luoto island for a stay by the beach; it’s not often you can have a dip this far north.

10 DAYS

Baltic & Bothnian Coasts

Finland’s thriving design and music in-dustries mean that its cities, though small, pack plenty of contemporary punch.

Take a few days to get to know Helsinki. Check out the Design Museum, then snoop around Punavuori’s small studios and shops. See what’s on at Kaapelitehdas and Korjaa-mo cultural centres, and pay Kiasma a visit. Fine-dining restaurants and quirky or just plain weird bars make evenings fly by.

Catch a ferry across to Tallinn, Estonia’s capital. The traditional architecture of the Old Town meets the post-Soviet generation’s creative energy in an intriguing mix.

Sail back to Helsinki and head to Tam-pere, a model of post-industrial regenera-tion. Take in the city’s bohemian vibe and stunning lakescapes, and head for a half-day trip down to Iittala to see the home of one of Finland’s iconic design brands.

Cut southwest down to Turku. The country’s stateliest city has plenty going on, whether it’s the Ruisrock festival or the latest exhibition in Ars Nova.

Head back to Helsinki along the coast. Thirsty for more? Sort out your visa and the city of St Petersburg is just a train ride away.

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Kristinestad

Vaasa

Jakobstad

Pori

Uusikaupunki

Rauma

Naantali

Oulu

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Walking Tour detourWalking Tour

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ShoppingNote: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book

Map Legend

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.

Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Dublin, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.

Published by Lonely Planet Global LimitedCRN 5541539th edition – May 2018ISBN 978 1 78657 467 1© Lonely Planet 2018 Photographs © as indicated 201810 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.

Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasona-ble care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

OUR WRITERSMara VorheesTurku & the South Coast; Åland Archipelago; West Coast Mara Vorhees writes about food, travel and family fun around the world. Her work has been published by BBC Travel, Boston Globe, Delta Sky, Vancouver Sun and more. For Lonely Planet, she regularly writes about destinations in Central America and Eastern Europe, as well as New England, where she lives. She often travels with her twin boys in tow, earning her an expertise in family travel. Follow their adventures and

misadventures at www.havetwinswilltravel.com.

Catherine Le NevezHelsinki; Karelia; Oulu, Kainuu & Koillismaa; Lapland Catherine’s wanderlust kicked in when she roadtripped across Europe from her Parisian base aged four, and she’s been hitting the road at every opportunity since, travelling to around 60 countries and completing her Doctorate of Creative Arts in Writing, Masters in Professional Writing, and postgraduate qualifications in Editing and Publishing along the way. Over the past dozen-plus years she’s written scores of Lonely

Planet guides and articles covering Paris, France, Europe and far beyond. Her work has also ap-peared in numerous online and print publications. Topping Catherine’s list of travel tips is to travel without any expectations. Catherine also wrote the Plan and Understand features, as well as the Survival Guide content.

Virginia MaxwellTampere, Pirkanmaa & Häme; The Lakeland Although based in Australia, Virginia spends at least half of her year updating Lonely Planet destination coverage in Europe and the Middle East. Though the Mediterranean is her major area of interest – she has covered Spain, Italy, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt and Morocco for Lonely Planet guidebooks – Virginia has also written Lonely Planet

guides to Armenia, Iran, Australia and the previous edition of Finland. Follow her @maxwellvirginia on Instagram and Twitter.

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’