Finland

Finland, in a few days

From Helsinki to Rovaniemi, by way of the wooden old town of Porvoo and the lakes of Saimaa: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Helsinki

Days 1-2

A capital on the Baltic, laid out in the nineteenth century around the white cathedral of Senate Square. Public saunas, design shops, and the island fortress of Suomenlinna a short ferry ride away.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Suomenlinna fortress (ferry and visit)Half day · from €15
  A sea fortress built across a group of islands from 1748, UNESCO-listed, reached by the city ferry in about fifteen minutes.
• Public sauna and a cold dip2h · from €20
  The Finnish ritual: heat, a plunge into the sea or a cold pool, then back in. Löyly and Allas Sea Pool are the best known in Helsinki.

✦ Free to visit

• Helsinki Cathedral
• The Market Square by the harbour
• The Design District

📲 Book things to do in Helsinki on GetYourGuide

2

Porvoo

Day 3 · 🚌 Bus 1h

One of the oldest towns in Finland, fifty kilometres east of Helsinki. Red wooden storehouses line the river, and the cobbled lanes of the old town climb behind them.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Guided walk of the wooden old town1h30 · from €12
  The red riverside storehouses and the wooden houses behind them, with someone to tell you who lived there.
• Cruise from Helsinki3h · from €35
  Along the archipelago to Porvoo by boat, a few hours each way. It runs in summer only.

✦ Free to visit

• The red storehouses along the river
• Porvoo Cathedral
• The cobbled lanes
• Craft and chocolate shops

📲 Book things to do in Porvoo on GetYourGuide

3

Lake Saimaa

Days 4-5 · 🚆 Train 3h

The largest lake in Finland, a maze of islands and forest. It is home to the Saimaa ringed seal, found nowhere else, with only a few hundred left.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Lake cruise and locksHalf day · from €30
  Half a day on the water between the islands. Some routes pass through the locks that join the lake basins.
• Kayak or floating sauna2h · from €35
  Paddle between the islands, or take a sauna on a raft and swim straight off the edge.

✦ Free to visit

• Islands and forest as far as you can see
• Saimaa ringed seals
• Lake swimming in summer
• Lakeside nature trails

📲 Book things to do in Lake Saimaa on GetYourGuide

4

Rovaniemi (Lapland)

Days 6-7 · ✈️ Flight 1h20

The capital of Finnish Lapland, rebuilt after 1944. The Arctic Circle crosses at Santa Claus Village, a few kilometres north, and the northern lights show on clear nights from late August to early April.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Snowmobile safari and northern lightsEvening · from €120
  An evening out on the snow, away from the town lights, to give the aurora its best chance. Sightings are never guaranteed.
• Santa Claus Village and reindeerHalf day · from €45
  Santa's village on the Arctic Circle, then a sleigh ride or a visit to a reindeer farm.

✦ Free to visit

• The Arctic Circle line
• Snow-covered forests
• The northern lights (winter)
• The midnight sun (summer)

📲 Book things to do in Rovaniemi (Lapland) on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Trains, then a flight north · VR trains are comfortable and punctual in the south. For Lapland, the flight to Rovaniemi takes about an hour and a half and saves most of a day; the overnight train is the slower alternative.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Salmon and lake fish: perch, whitefish and vendace, smoked, fried or cured.
• Karjalanpiirakka: Karelian pasties, a thin rye crust around rice porridge, eaten with egg butter.
• Lohikeitto: a creamy salmon soup with potatoes and dill.
• Rye bread and forest berries: bilberries, lingonberries and cloudberries, picked in late summer.
• Coffee and korvapuusti: Finns drink more coffee per head than anyone, with a cardamom and cinnamon bun alongside.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Budget ahead: eating out and drinking cost a lot, and most wine and all spirits are sold only in the state Alko shops.
• Mosquitoes are thick in Lapland in summer, above all in July: bring a strong repellent.
• Sauna has its customs: shower first, sit on a towel or paper seat, and expect nudity in single-sex saunas.
• Winter means deep cold and short days: dress in layers and plan time outdoors around the light.

Words that help

English ↔ Finnish

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/finland

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.