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Finland Travel Information

Introduction

When the nights are long in Finland (and they can be very, very long) there's much more to do than huddle inside with a vodka or two. You can ski across vast frozen lakes or relax in a sauna, beating yourself ever so gently with a fragrant branch of birch leaves to loosen the travel grime. During the months of the midnight sun, coastal regions, including the Turku archipelago and ?land Islands, are a sailing and fishing paradise. Inland, the largest unspoilt wilderness in Europe attracts thousands of trekkers every year.

In the south the capital Helsinki has over 30 art galleries and museums, while in the north Santa Claus kicks back 364 days a year. Where else in the world can you take a reindeer tour or an icebreaker cruise then hit the green for some midnight golf?

Area: 338,000 sq km
Population: 5,158,000
Capital city: Helsinki (pop: 560,000)
People: 98% Finns, Gypsies, Samis
Language: Finnish & Swedish (English is widely spoken in tourist establishments)
Religion: Lutheran & Orthodox
Government: Democratic republic

GDP: US$118.3 billion
GDP per head: US$22,900
Annual growth: 5%
Inflation: 2.6%
Major industries: Metals and engineering equipment, telecommunications, timber and paper products
Major trading partners: EU (Germany, Sweden, UK), Russia, USA
Member of EU: yes
Euro zone participant: yes

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History

Finland's traces of human settlement date back to the thaw of the last Ice Age some 10,000 years ago. The Finns' ancestors seem to have dominated half of northern Russia before arriving on the north of the Baltic coast well before the Christian era. By the end of the Viking Age, Swedish traders and chieftains had extended their interests throughout the Baltic region. Over the centuries, Finland has sat precariously between the Protestant Swedish empire and Eastern Orthodox Russia. For seven centuries, from the 12th century until 1809, it was part of Sweden.

Finland was blighted by constant battles with Russia, and severe famines. From 1696-97, famine killed a third of all Finns. The 1700s were punctuated by bitter wars against Russia, culminating in the eventual loss of Finland to Russia in 1809. With nationalism beginning to surge during the latter half of the 19th century, Finland gained greater autonomy as a Grand Duchy, though new oppression and Russification followed, making Finns emotionally ripe for independence.

The downfall of the tsar of Russia, and the Communist revolution in 1917, made it possible for the Finnish senate to declare independence on 6 December 1917. Demoralising internal violence flared up, with Russian-supported 'Reds' clashing with nationalist 'Whites' who took the German state as their model. During 108 days of a bloody civil war, approximately 30,000 Finns were killed by their fellow citizens. Although the Whites were victorious, Germany's weakened position after WWI discredited it as a political model and relations with the Soviet Union were soon normalised. Political salves did little to heal the wounds of civil war, however, and stories of 'peacetime' massacres are still emerging from these dark days of Finnish history.

Further anticommunist violence broke out early in the 1930s and, despite the signing of a nonaggression pact in 1932, Soviet relations remained uneasy. The Soviet Union's security concerns in the Finnish Karelian territory led to the Winter War in 1939. After months of courageous fighting, Finland lost part of Karelia and some nearby islands. Isolated from Western allies, Finland turned to Germany for help and slowly began to resettle Karelia, including some areas that had been in Russian possession since the 18th century. When Soviet forces staged a huge comeback in the summer of 1944, the Finns sued for peace. Finland pursued a bitter war to oust German forces from Lapland until the general peace in the spring of 1945. Finland's war experience was not only an enormous military defeat, it was an economic disaster because of the burden of reparations imposed by the Soviets.

A weakened Finland took a new line in its Soviet relations, ceding the Karelian Isthmus and agreeing to recognise Soviet security concerns in defending its frontiers. The 25 years of Urho Kekkonen's presidency (1956-81) were a clever balancing act: Kekkonen kept a tight grip on domestic power, and managed to strengthen ties with Scandinavian siblings without alienating the big huggy bear to the east.

The collapse of the Soviet Union came at a difficult time for Finland. Its right foot - bogged in the free market - had to endure the late-1980s slump, and its left foot - tied up by Soviet borrowings - encountered the dissolution of its debtor. Due to Finland's generous social security payments, sudden rises in unemployment put intolerable pressure on government finances. In the 1990s Finland's overheated economy went through a cooling off period marked by the floating of the Finn markka. The currency devalued by around 25%. Finland voted to join the European Union in late 1994 and became a full member in 1995. In the 1995 elections a Social Democrat-dominated coalition ousted the right-wing coalition. In February 2000, Finns elected their first ever female president - left-leaning Tarja Halonen.

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Culture

Tove Jansson, the author of the Moominland stories, probably has the highest international profile among contemporary Finns, although you cannot escape the design work of Alvar Aalto in public buildings, towns and furniture. Jean Sibelius, one of the greatest of modern composers, wrote recognisably Finnish pieces for the glorification of his people and in defiance of the Russian oppressors. Sibelius and the nationalistic painter Akseli Gallén-Kallela fell under the spell of Karelianism, a movement going back to the folk songs Elias Lönnrot compiled for the national epic, the Kalevala in the 1830s. The Kalevala is an epic mythology that includes creation stories and the fight between good and evil. Aleksis Kivi founded modern Finnish literature with Seven Brothers, a story of brothers who try to escape education and civilisation in favour of the forest.

Finnish is a Uralic language and belongs to the Finno-Ugric group. It is closely related to Estonian and Karelian, and has common origins with Samoyed and the languages spoken in the Volga basin. The most widely spoken of the Finno-Ugric languages is Hungarian, but similarities with Finnish are few. With 6% of the population speaking Swedish, Finland is officially a bilingual country. Finlandssvenska, or 'Finland's Swedish', is very similar to the language spoken in Sweden, but local dialects have many Finnish words.

Finnish food has elements of both Swedish and Russian cuisines, but with a lot of variations and local specialities. Potato is the staple food, served with various fish or meat sauces. Some traditional meals include game: try snow grouse, reindeer stew, glowfired salmon or raw pickled salmon. Strong beers, wines and spirits are sold in licensed bars and restaurants and by the state network, aptly named Alko. Coupled with strict import restrictions, this makes alcohol prices prohibitively high and merry-making a serious business. Finnish humour often ties in the locals' love of a tipple with their legendary reticence to make small talk. This is demonstrated in the joke below, which features the stoic Finnish heroes, Pekka and Toivonen.

One day Pekka and Toivonen meet after a long time apart and they go to a sauna in the woods. They drink vodka for a couple of hours. Pekka asks how Toivonen has been doing. Toivonen says nothing, but continues drinking for a couple of hours. Then, slowly, he replies: 'Did we come here to babble, or did we come here to drink?'

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Getting There & Getting Around

There are excellent flight connections to Finland from all over the world. Finnair and SAS have scheduled flights to Helsinki from most major cities in Europe, as well as from New York, San Francisco, Cairo, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo. Twenty-two other international airlines offer regular flights to Helsinki. There are no departure taxes when leaving Finland.

Land crossings into Finland from Sweden and Norway are hassle-free, serviced by frequent buses and trains. Land crossings from Russia are a little more problematic, but border crossings are becoming more relaxed all the time. If you stick to the main tourist corridors (eg. Helsinki-St Petersburg) you won't have any troubles, but make sure you have a Russian visa before you roll up at the frontier. The Trans-Siberian Railway connects Europe to Asia, although its popularity has declined in recent years due to the general state of chaos in Russia. You can buy a ticket in Helsinki for the Chinese border via Moscow. Beware of sharks offering discounted tickets on this service; it's almost certain you'll be ripped off.

Baltic ferries run from Sweden, Estonia and Germany to Helsinki and Turku. The ferries are impressive seagoing craft and have been compared to hotels and shopping plazas; they actually make more money from duty-free shops than they do from passenger tickets! If you want to gamble while you sail, there is also a casino boat that goes from Ume?, Sweden to Vaasa.

Getting Around

Finland has a superb network of domestic train, bus and air connections. Over 20 cities are linked by daily air services, as far north as Ivalo on the 67th parallel. Buses are the principal carriers of domestic and visitor traffic to more remote parts, although trains carry passengers efficiently along intercity routes right up to the Arctic Circle. The highway and freeway network is good between city centres, although you can encounter unsurfaced dirt and beaten tracks in the forests. No international licence is needed to drive in Finland, but you should carry your own licence when driving. Traffic keeps to the right and you should always drive with your headlights on. In most towns bicycles can be hired and are a recommended mode of transport during the summer. Lake and river ferries operate over the summer period, and come in handy if you're walking or cycling around the country.

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Attractions

Helsinki

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the centre of cultural, financial and economic activity. Its green parks and waterways, fresh sea winds with seagulls flying over the busy market square, and many open-air caf?s make Helsinki a pleasant place to visit in summer. The city retains a small-town feel: there are no high-rise buildings, and the market square is still surrounded by 19th century architecture. Built on a peninsula, Helsinki is linked by ferry to Suomenlinna Island in the Gulf of Finland, which is perfect for picnicking daytrippers.

Helsinki contains some of the most notable art museums in Finland. The national art foundation's Ateneum is the principal gallery and covers Finnish and international art from the 19th century. The National Museum, also located in the city centre, has extensive collections of Sami and Finno-Ugric ethnological artefacts. Johnny Head-in-the-airs will notice the Kalevala-inspired frescos on the ceiling of its main hall. The Raitioliikennemuseo, with a dozen old rattlers, is a delightful tram museum. Located in an old depot, it depicts Finnish street life in decades past. The Rock Church, hacked out of solid stone, attracts many visitors seeking a few bars of albino gospel. There are concerts here as well as services. West of the city centre in the dormitory town of Espoo is the magnificent studio of Gall?n-Kallela, the notable Finnish painter.

Ferries and motorboats shuttle from Helsinki to Suomenlinna Island, where you can ramble around the ruins of the mighty fortress or look around its several museums. The Ehrensvärd Museum, which covers the history of the fortress from Swedish heyday to mayday, is the best. If you want to do a boy's-own battle reenactment, a torch is all you need to squeeze that body through bunkers and caves on either side of the fort.

Helsinki has numerous budget hostels in the city centre, although it isn't a bad place to unroll your sleeping bag outdoors in summer. There are plenty of hamburger restaurants, kebab joints and grills in the city centre, but those who baulk at using their body as a grease trap can try one of the caf?s south of the centre or around the market square. Theatres in Helsinki have shows in Finnish, but you may prefer opera and ballet, as performances will be incomprehensible in any language. Helsinki also has its fair share of good pubs and clubs for midnight ramblers.

Turku

Turku, Finland's first capital, is the country's oldest city. Fire has destroyed it several times over the centuries, but its biggest blow was the transfer of the capital to Helsinki in 1812. Today, Turku is a substantial city with fine attractions, though locals sometimes joke that after Turku spread culture to the rest of Finland it never returned. Luostarinmäki is the only surviving 18th-century area of this medieval town - developers have ravaged Turku every bit as much as fires - and here, in summer, artisans work inside the old wooden houses. To the north, medieval Turku Cathedral is the national shrine of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Finland. It dates from the 13th century, and the museum here is open daily.

Turku Castle, founded in 1280, is the most notable historic building in Finland. It houses an interesting museum, with many rooms decorated to evoke a specific decade or century. Situated on the southern coast of Finland, Turku is the most likely gateway to the country if you are coming from Sweden.

Åland

The Åland province, with its own flag and culture, comprises more than 6400 autonomous islands. Several dialects of Swedish are spoken, and few ?landers speak Finnish. This beautiful island world is perfect for bicycle tours, camping and cabin holidays, and for experiencing the islanders' distinctive culture, expressed in folk dancing, Maypole decorating and pervasive small-town charm.

The most interesting municipality is Sund, at the eastern end of the main island, where you'll find the impressive Kastelholm Castle. Of strategic importance during the 16th and 17th centuries, its exact age is not known, but it was mentioned in writings as early as 1388. Also in the vicinity, and one of the best places in Finland to witness Midsummer festivities, the magnificent open-air Jan Karlsgården Museum should not be missed. The ruins of Bomarsund Fortress are a memorial to the time when Åland, together with the rest of Finland, was under Russian rule. The main fortress, finished in 1842, was big enough to house 2500 men.

Regular ferries connect Åland to both Sweden and the Finnish mainland, and for those interested in island-hopping, free transport is provided by inter-island ferries. Sund is accessible by bus or, better yet, bicycle.

Rauma

The old town of Rauma was recently placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Finland's first entry. Although it is the largest wooden town preserved in the Nordic countries, Rauma's old town is not a museum but a living town centre, with many artisans, lace makers and goldsmiths working in small studios, most of which were erected in the 18th and 19th centuries. There are several interesting house museums and a 15th century Franciscan church, which used to be a Catholic monastery until Lutheran reformers kicked out the monks in 1538.

The market square is the heart of Old Rauma and a lively centre for commerce even today. This is where you come for refreshments: try a pystcaffe - a café where you stand while drinking. If you find the voices around you even less comprehensible than other Finno-Ugric garble, then you've encountered another feature of Rauma - its dialect, which is almost a separate language. Rauma is located on the south-west coast of Finland, just over four hours by bus from Helsinki.

Olavinlinna Castle

Olavinlinna Castle is the principal attraction in the beautiful Savonlinna lakes area. Founded in 1475, Olavinlinna was meant to protect the eastern border of the Swedish-Finnish empire. It got its name from Olof, a 10th century Norwegian Catholic saint. Russians occupied the castle early in the 18th century, and hung around for almost 200 years, adding the red towers and a yellow house inside its walls. Two small museums in the castle have exhibits on its history plus displays of Orthodox treasures. You are not allowed to visit the castle without a guide, but there are hourly guided tours every day, all year round. The castle is located in the eastern town of Savonlinna accessible from Helsinki by plane, train and bus. A motorised floating bridge to the castle is removed when ships pass.

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Money & Costs

Currency: euro (EUR), formerly markka (mk)

Finland was declared the world's most expensive country in 1990, right before it was hit by recession. Since then the markka has been reasonably low and prices are much more bearable. If you're travelling on a tight budget you should be able to get by on around $25 a day. This would cover hostel accommodation, self-catering and no alcohol or bottled drinks. If you want to have a slightly more user-friendly holiday, a budget of around $50 a day should do it, and for a few more luxuries, such as your own bathroom, taxis and a restaurant meal or two a day, you'll need about US$100 a day.

Finland's three national banks have offices all over the country, but they will charge you slightly more for exchanges than private exchange bureaux. Travellers cheques are expensive to change. Many Finnish ATMs will accept foreign cards on the Visa or Plus system, but if they don't take your plastic rest assured that credit cards are accepted all over the country.

Tipping is generally not necessary anywhere. Service charge is usually included in restaurants' listed price. Bargaining will get you nowhere in most shops, but could come in handy if you're after trekking equipment or used bikes, when you might get a 10% discount if you ask nicely.

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Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Most western nationals, including Americans, citizens of EU countries, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Malaysians, Singaporeans and most South Americans do not need a visa.
Health risks: Slippery pavements. If you're mushroom picking, make sure you know what you're eating.
Time: GMT/UTC +2
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 2.5 million visitors per year

When to Go

Whatever time of year you visit Finland, there's something happening. Most museums and galleries are open year-round, and there is as much to do in the depths of winter as there is at the height of summer. Nevertheless, you'll probably have a better time if you come in the warmer months, either in summer or anytime from May to September. As well as the advantages of warm weather, summer is the time of the midnight sun. Winter north of the Arctic Circle is a chilly confluence of strange bluish light and encroaching melancholy. Despite snow falls from November, it stays pretty sludgy until late winter: skiing isn't great until February, the coldest month, and you can ski in Lapland right through to June.

Events

Midsummer's Day (Juhannus) is the most important annual event for Finns. People leave cities and towns for summer cottages to celebrate the longest day of the year. Bonfires are lit and lakeside merrymakers swim and row boats. Enthusiastic alcohol consumption is also a feature of midsummer partying. The Pori Jazz Festival in July is one of the country's most popular festivals, but the Savonlinna Opera Festival, held at medieval Olavinnlinna Castle, is the most famous. Some of the best (and the most international) festivals are the most remote: check out chamber music in Kuhmo, or folk music in Kaustinen (near Kokkola). For rock, there are big festivals during the Midsummer weekend, and big annual events, such as Ruisrock, the longest-running of rock festivals, at Turku in July. On the lighter side, check out the Sleepyhead Day, where on 27 July the laziest person in the towns of Naantali and Hanko is thrown into the sea. Finland's strangest event is the annual wife-carrying championship held every July in tiny Sonkajärvi