Vacations in Finland
Introduction to Finland
Finland is a country of thousand lakes and islands. More than 187 thousand lakes of at least 500 meter square in size, about 180 thousand islands, complemented with thick pine forests, rolling hills and national parks have made Finland a popular vacation destination for natural beauty enthusiasts.
Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, is also regarded as living in the Lapland region, the extreme north of Finland. Lapland is well known for its proximity to the Arctic Circle, the border where north of it the sun does not set in mid summer and does not rise in mid winter. The Aurora Borealis, or atmospheric fluorescence can also be seen regularly in winter.
Transportation in Finland
The main international airport in Finland is the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, offering direct flights around the world and serving as a transit stop-over point for travelers between Asia and Europe. There are also other domestic airports offering scheduled passenger services.
Most passenger traffic utilizes the extensive road system and motorway in Finland. Urban rail network is available in Helsinki. There is also ferry services between bigger cities such as Helsinki and Turku to Tallinn and Stockholm. As one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world, the Helsinki-Tallinn route is also served by helicopter line.
Official Language in Finland
Both Finnish and Swedish are the official languages in Finland. Their language belongs to the Finno-Ugrian group, which is similar to Estonian, and distantly related to Hungarian and Turkish. However, it is not all comparable to the languages of the Swedes, Russians or Germans.
Currency in Finland
Finland is a member of the Eurozone and adopts the Euro as their official currency.
Best time to Travel to Finland
The southern part of Finland, in particular the city of Helsinki, enjoys four distinct seasons in a year. The moderate weather is influenced by both maritime and continental climate patterns, known as the North Atlantic Current. Finnish summer is pleasant and comfortable with average temperatures around 20°C, which is also the best time of the year to visit. During the summer equinox in late June, there are no less than 19 hours of daylight between sunrise and sunset with temperatures up to 30°C. If you are a fan of skiing and winter sports, then early spring (March-April) is the time to vacation in Finland especially the northern region when snows start to melt.
Places of Interest in Finland
The beautiful classical city of Helsinki has so much to offer for vacation travelers from historical heritage to cultural museum, fabulous shopping to lively nightlife.