Many people think of Finland as a winter or Christmas destination and some travellers like to visit Finland only in the summers, but there is so many things that you can experience during all seasons in Finland. Here are 5 things we recommend to travellers in Finland all year around.

1. Visit Santa Claus and his village. Many people think you can only visit Santa Claus during Christmas time, but actually you can visit Santa Claus all year round in Santa’s Village. Santa’s Village is located in Lapland, in the city of Rovaniemi. It’s a magical experience for all travellers, but especially for families with children. Santa’s Village has a lot of activities for visitors, little shops, restaurants and cottages or hotels to stay in.

2. Hike in National Parks. Finland has over 40 national parks. Hike trails in Finland are gorgeous and well taken care of during all seasons. Because of every man’s rights anyone can hike at a national park in Finland. National parks in Finland have picnic areas where you can have a snack or lunch, information boards, marked nature routes and hiking trails. Just remember to take care of the nature and don’t leave anything behind that goes belong in the nature. 

3. Visit archipelagos of Finland. Finland has the world’s largest archipelago of over 80 000 islands in the coast. Archipelagos are easy to access by car, bike, cruice boat or yacht. There are 4 principal archipelagos in Finland: the Kotka archipelago, the Helsinki archipelago, the Archipelago Sea and the Kvarken archipelago which is a UNESCO World heritage site. The beautiful archipelagos of Finland are definately worth a visit from a day trip to longer overnight stays.

4. Swim in a lake and go to a sauna. Finland has a lot of lakes and ponds which makes it very easy to go for a swim, all year round. In the winter it’s little harder, but there are lakes and ponds with holes made in the ice so you can still swim in the frozen lakes. It is a very finnish thing to go to the sauna before and/or after swimming in the lake or pond. The temperature change is good for blood circulation.

5. Old Wooden Towns. Decades ago all the houses in Finland were made of wood. That is why Finland still has many towns with old wooden houses that have been entirely preserved. In Helsinki you can find old wooden houses in the district of Vallila and Käpylä. If you’re looking for a roadtrip to an old town with wooden houses, you should visit Porvoo, Rauma or Loviisa.

-Nella