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.

Doing the 'sauna thing' right from the beginning

Tip: The learned 'Avanto' ice-swimming routine is much more than dipping into icy water while screaming!

Go from a cold lake into the hot sauna room, 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. Learn the best Finnish sauna routine here

Top 5 Most popular tourist attractions in southern Finland.

The Linnanmäki Amusement Park located in Helsinki.

Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and getting to Suomenlinna. Go with us and see a picture tour of our Suomenlinna vacation along the coast of Helsinki.

Sarkanniemi Amusement Park -located in Tampere. Sarkanniemi Adventure Park

Temppeliaukio Church and Korkeasaari Zoo (opens a pdf.file) -Helsinki.

Uspenski Cathedral -Helsinki.

Attractions in Finland -geographic regions.

If you are looking to go to a specific area in Finland, here are the most popular areas in Finland.

Finnish Lapland -above the Arctic circle

Includes everything above the Arctic circle in Finland with respective towns like: Kittilä, Pello, Kolari, etc. Visit the Santa Clause Village in Rovaniemi. These are areas for skiing and winter sports, and pretty hikes in the summer.

If it's your first time to Finland, northern Finnish Lapland is the ultimate place of adventure. Lapland envelopes you in a genuine Lapland-like environment: The landscape changes its shape and feel. You begin seeing Reindeer instead of cattle. And plenty of snow.

See our See our trip to Lapland we made with our two children as we drive by car from Tampere to Rovaniemi.

In case you can't make it all the way up to Finnish Lapland we found a Lapland like shelter where you can rest at a cozy fire pit while roasting hot-dogs. Being inside the shelter gives you the feeling of being above the arctic circle.

Attractions in Finland below the Arctic Circle

Northern Ostrobothnia...

...in Finnish, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa borders Finnish Lapland at the south.

Attractions in Finland, like Fishing in Kuusamo on water ('Yep...on the water!') Could this be considered extreme? It means you'll be walking with your boots,(sometimes knee high) on a layer of vegetation. As you are walking you can literally feel the water under you feet. Squash,Squash!! Be careful to avoid the streams under the vegetation.

Ostrobothnia

Also know as Pohjanmaa. Geographically, lies south of the previous region. This area is mainly coastal area. The city of Vaasa is located in the upper part.

Southern Ostrobothnia

Covers the southeastern part of Etelä Pohjanmaa. This is where, among other towns, Seinäjoki is located.

While driving on road E12/3 from Tampere to Seinäjoki, along the roadside in Jalasjärvi is a small tourist attraction for cheese lovers. At the Juustoportti Finnish cheese attraction and cheese plant...taste fresh cheese, and find shopping discounts.

Plus...shop at Finnish designer stores like Marimekko and Pentik, while seeing how Finnish cheese is made.

Tavastia proper

Kanta-Häme is where the popular city of Hämeenlinna is situated, where the Iitala glass factory and other popular attractions in Finland are located.

Northern Savonia

Pohjois-Savo -the eastern part of Finland. This area includes cities like Iisalmi and Kuopio.

Attractions in Finland. -in what cities?

Cities to consider traveling to in Finland are:

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

You can get to the seashore town of Kotka by driving one and half hours 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, 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 Olavinlinna castle.

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-eastward half an hour to get to Imatra.

Once in Imatra, you really want to see the most popular attraction since the 19th century in Finland. The Imatra dam. The dam periodically let's water gush out over 20 meters(65 foot) wide 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: 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

located at 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 located at Nokiantie 2-4 C, Helsinki Phone +358 9 770 44 202

Business hours: Mon-Fri 9 am -5 pm. E-mail: tehtaanmyymala at aarikka.com

Artek

Located at Eteläesplanadi 18, Phone +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 southwestern 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

Established in the 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.

Castle location: Linnankatu 80, Turku Phone: +358 (0)2 262 0300 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.

The Arboretum

See every plant species that grows in Finland, and smell ahhh.. the Roses. -free admission

Other free admission places to walk through

The Metso library is worth a go through, which looks like a snail from the eye of an eagle.

Pyynikki, Amuri, Pispala, Finlayson and Tampella.

See the Kaleva Church and the Greek Orthodox Church.

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.

Simple attractions in the winter. -being out in nature.

In the winter time there are lot's of outdoor activities in Tampere. One of the most simple and overlooked by the common tourists are the Finnish nature trails in February and March, when the days start getting longer. There are free overnight shelters one can stay at. No need to book an expensive Hotel.

Get a preview of some weekend winter activities like this trip in Tampere in March.

Attractions in Finland for children -nice to do and see with kids.

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 children

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 the northern town of 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.

For more attractions in Finland, go to the "100 Plus Places to Visit in Finland"

Go from this page "Attractions in Finland" to "Finlandinsider" Main page