Attractions in Finland! -From sauna culture, popular cities, children's attractions, -to the unheard of!Popular
Attractions in Finland -- The
bathing culture of Finland relaxes you the most!
Attractions in Finland during the colder seasons? Spas are especially welcome. It's the place to relaaaaaaax! What are you waiting for? The spas in Finland are
warm and
comfy. Have a hot Finnish sauna, a steam sauna or a dip in an ice-cold
polar pool inside a public swimming pool. A
cold season Tip:
Experience what some Finns may not have experienced. It is the learned 'Avanto' ice-swimming routine. Much more than dipping into icy water while screaming! Go from a cold lake into the hot Finnish sauna room and back, over and over, until you feel an endorphic rush. -Trust me, it takes time to achieve a rush, so you want to do it right.(example from the Kaupinohja sauna in Tampere)
Geographic
regions. -Areas of attractions in Finland
What attractions in Finland in what cities, are worth visiting, and why?Cities to consider traveling to in Finland are for example: Kotka, Savonlinna, Imatra, Helsinki & area, Turku and Tampere. To visit all these cities you need more than two weeks holiday vacation.Attractions in Finland - Kotka A one and half hours drive east of Helsinki. See lot's of sea. Observe and photograph the Kotka seascape with the seaside views in Kuusinen, Katariina Seaside Park or Mansikkalahti. Get a taste of Finnish architecture and visit a museum at the Vellamo Maritime Center. At the Maretarium attraction, see live Finnish fish species in aquariums. Get a 'very near' representation of what Finland looks like underwater, from Lapland streams/lakes, to the coast of Helsinki. If you are looking for a short summer boat tour vacation consider a trip to the Varissaari island(with children). The island is a 10 minute boat ride from the city center of Kotka, with beaches for swimming, volleyball court and a restaurant. For the more archealogically/historically/curious minded person, between the Lehmäsaari and Varissaari islands is a round fortress attraction called Kukouri(just a photo) Fort Slava. A former prison. Attractions in Finland - Savonlinna Savonlinna, or in English means, castle of Savonia. The main attraction in Savonlinna is the Olavinlinna Castle. -A medieval castle with vaulted/gated entrance, and towers, all the way back from year 1475. Throughout history, the Olavinlinna castle was owned either by Russians, Swedes or Finns. See pictures of the inside & outside of the castle.(Finnish language site) If you are by car, in the area...See the largest wooden church in the world in Kerimäki, Finland. Once in Savonlinna, take road 14 which turns into road 71 and drive 15 kilometers/9 miles east of Savonlinna. Attractions in Finland - Imatra Close to the border of Russia in south-east Finland. If you are in Lappeenranta, drive north-east ward half an hour to get to Imatra. Once in Imatra, you want to see the most popular attraction since the 19th century in Finland. The Imatra dam, which, created a high and wide 20 meters/65 foot waterfall originating at lake Saimaa. Attractions in Finland - Helsinki Much of Helsinki is free to observe. Well, that is of course, the sightseeing does not cost a penny such as the natural attractions of the Helsinki's coast. With 100 kilometers of shoreline, and over 300 islands to see. Getting to the island is fairly inexpensive. Besides, the already mentioned Suomenlinna sea fortress attraction, Linnanmäki amusement park, Korkeasaari Zoo, and the Uspenski Cathedral. Other interesting attractions in Helsinki to see are... ...city sightseeing of the Senate Square for some Neoclassical Finnish architecture. Within walking distance, visit the Helsinki Cathedral, Government palace, the main University of Helsinki building, and the National Library of Finland. ...try out the Market square and indoor Market hall called Kauppahalli. This is a Finnish food attraction selling traditional Finnish foods, souvenirs and traditional Finnish handcrafts. Tip while traveling in Helsinki: See a cheap tour of Helsinki by tram. Catch the 3T tram right next to the Kauppahalli indoor Market Hall. The tram gives you a cheap sightseeing tour of the Senate Square, National Opera, Parliament House, and the Finlandia Hall. Shop at Stockmann's in Aleksanterinkatu, Mannerheimintie or at the north and south ends of Esplanadi. The Finnish design district -An area in the city for shopping and seeing Finnish designed products. This includes shops, dealers, studios for interior decorating, antiques, artist's work-shops, etc. The area(s)/districts are called: Kamppi, Punavuori, Kaartinkaupunki and Ullanlinna. Here are the addresses of a few typical Finnish design shops in Helsinki. Rule of thumb. Always call the shops before going. Aarikka Oy, Pohjoisesplanadi 27, Kauppakeskus Forum, Second floor. This has Jewelry and other Finnish gift items. For cheaper prices we recommend... ...the Factory Shop Nokiantie 2-4 C, 00510 Helsinki Tel. +358 9 770 44 202 Fax +358 9 773 12 56 Business hours: Mon-Fri 9 am -5 pm. E-mail: tehtaanmyymala at aarikka.com Artek -Eteläesplanadi 18, +358 9 6132 5277 This has glass gifts. furniture, lamps and fabrics from designer Alvar Aalto and others. http://www.artek.fi/index.html Attractions in Finland - Turku Located at the south-western tip of Finland by the sea. Once inhabited by Vikings and traders, now Turku offers tourist attractions in the city and archipelago(20,000) islands. The castle of Turku goes all the way back to 1280's. The castle's Renaissance floor was built in the 1650's. You get an idea of the history and influencing culture while visiting the castle while touring the permanent exhibitions. There are special events for children and parents. Linnankatu 80, Turku Phone: +358 (0)2 262 0300 See: www.museumcentreturku.fi for more information. Luostarinmäki Handcraft Museum -This 1827 built wooden building structure houses 30 different workshops, where artisans show of their work each day. See what Finnish home life looked like in the 1800's. Vartiovuorenkatu 2 Phone: +358 (0)2 262 0350 See: www.museumcentreturku.fi for more information. If you like to see and experience the designs of Finnish Manors in Turku, along with the feel of Finnish manor milieu, see the neo-classical manor like: The 16th century Brinkhall Manor, the Kaukola, Nuhjala and Louhisaari Manors. See the islands in the Turku archipelago. There are more than a dozen inter-island ferry charter services in the Turku archipelago unreachable by automobile or bicycle. So you need a boat. Hmm! There are plenty of charter services at: www.ely-keskus.fi. One option is to do a day tour on the MS Fiskö, which takes you around the Archipelago islands during the day. A seven hour boat tour, enables you to see what the islands look like. -You will need to pack a lunch for this boat trip. Attractions in Finland - Tampere Finland's first industrial town, a city on a ridge in between two large lakes. Located 170 kilometers north of Helsinki. Whatever touristy thing you want to see in Tampere, you can walk there. No need for any extra driving around. On the other hand, a bicycle may be easier than walking and fun to zip through the city center. Free admission into the Arboretum: See every plant species that grows in Finland, and smell ahhh.. the Roses. The Metso library is worth a go through, which brings up the theme of Finnish architecture. Bertel Strömmer is responsible for designing the Grand Hotel Tammer from 1929. General points/places of attraction in Tampere are: Pyynikki, Amuri, Pispala, Finlayson and Tampella. See the Kaleva Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Church
visiting hours:
Kaleva Church Liisanpuisto 1, May - August, Mondays to Sundays 10 am to 5 pm. September - April, Mondays to Sundays, 11 am to 3 pm Orthodox Church Tuomiokirkonkatu 27 In May, Tuesdays to Fridays 10 am to 4 pm. June - August, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11 am to 5 pm, Sundays 12 am to 4 pm. For a more off-shore experience in Tampere, take the family to the Viikinsaari island. The Viking island is a short 20 minute boat trip to an open island. There's a beach, nature trails for short nature walks, a playground for children, as well as mini-golf and volleyball. Bring your soccer ball and Frisbee along. You can even eat at an a-la-carte restaurant. This attraction is open from May 29th to August 16th, and the ferry-boat depart from the Laukontori market place. Children's Attractions in Finland -What's nice to do and see with the children?For free: Since taking a holiday vacation in Finland is not the cheapest, you may want to find some low priced attractions for kids. This is what locals do. We took Tomi and Rosa near a beach in Valkeakoski for local Finnish Children's attractions in Valkeakoski, during a hot summer day.Mid priced attractions in Finland : For school children, school visits(groups), and technical/scientific interested individual. In the Helsinki-Vantaa are there is the Heureka science center. -See rats playing hoop-ball. If you travel to or through Oulu, try out the Tietomaa Science Center, Get a great view of the city. Train yourself in the ski-jump simulator, and participate in over 150 types of 'hands-on' scientific activities for kids, and adults. Simple Attractions in Finland along the roadsides.Almost any main road has these types of sites/attractions.
 Rock climbing for kids..this wall is more for a pro!(zoomed up picture)  The walk up to this tower takes 5 minutes. The tower is made mostly of steel with steel spiral steps. The height is over 20 meters, and well over 50 meters from sea-level. Cheap thrills... if you're not in the mood for bumper cars or roller coasters. At the top! The view from above of the rest area and car. Viewing the Finnish landscape from the top of the Ojoinen-Jutikalla tower.(zoomed up picture)  Viewing the Finnish landscape from the top of the Ojoinen-Jutikalla tower.(zoomed up picture) See this attraction on a Map After you are on the map, click on the icon for driving directions.
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Along
highways and motorways in Finland there are numerous places you can
stop, take a break and see more than just the road. 
