Finland Off The Beaten Path

  The fire station
by Airpunk
 
  • The fire station
      The fire station
    by Airpunk
  • Western shore of Lauttasaari
      Western shore of Lauttasaari
    by batigo
  • A viem from Skattanniemi cape
      A viem from Skattanniemi cape
    by batigo
  • Western shore of Uutela
      Western shore of Uutela
    by batigo
  • Sarkkaniemi area in spring
      Sarkkaniemi area in spring
    by batigo
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Finland

1.

The Sibelius Monument   Helsinki

The Sibelius Monument, Helsinki

 12 Reviews  This monument was created to honour the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The designer of the monument was Eila Hiltunen. This monument (called 'Passio Musicae') was one of the first... 

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2.

Vanhankaupunki (old city)   Helsinki

Vanhankaupunki (old city), Helsinki

 8 Reviews  The city of Helsinki is was founded by Gustavus Vasa, the king of Sweden, more than 450 years ago. He needed the city as a new trading post in southern Finland and a competitor to Tallinn in Estonia.... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

where construction turns into a bed of flowers

by lochness_syndrome

walking around on my last rainy morning in helsinki, finland drowned by the actual physical rain and my stress of having to take the train back to new york within hours I got up at 7am that morning and while waiting for the supermarket in KAMPPI(mall, but unlike any mall you know, its massive) to open I decided to walk. to walk until I was soaked and freezing.. I also brought along my minolta to see if I could take some last pictures of this second home I had travelled to. And I did, when in doubt and your bored of all the usual cool touristy pics to take of a city you love.. walk behind all the dept stores and the apartment building museums cinemas and offices and you bet you'll find something damn worth taking a photo of and something that will bring some sort of enlightenment to your trip just when you need it.. this little trip did just that for me..I walked around from Kamppi past...

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Finnish Housing Fairs

by Pomska

The first housing fair was held in Tuusula in 1970. The housing fair means that that Finnish modern homes and interiors are on display for visitors. It's a good way to see the latest ideas in living.The housing fair is held every summer and it is open to the public for one month. It's a good event for the whole family. It has been said that in recent years an average of 200 000 guests have visited the fair.The housing fair is a good way to spend your weekend.

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National park in Helsinki

by Scandic

This nature loving country is sometimes very surprising. There is even National park near Helsinki.Most travelers come to Helsinki and if they want to see nature, they continue for example to Lapland. But you don't need to do that to feel relaxing city/nature trip.Nuuksio national park in Espoo is wonderful for one day trip or over night stay. I really love this park, it is 38 sq.km. full of lakes and forrests. You can easily reach it by bus or train from Helsinki and you don't believe that you are so near capital. The national park offers plenty of scope for informal hiking, skiing, berry and mushroom picking. There are sign-posted trails only on the park's eastern edge. Map and compass are necessary elsewhere. The national park's character is vastly affected by broken bedrock crossed by innumerable faults. Thanks to the action of the Ice Age there are valleys and ravines, with...

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To the woods

by Hockeylady

Go hiking to the Finnish national park and feel the mysteries of the deepest forest and clear blue lakes or ponds! There are free sites for tents and cooking places so you can have a really cheap holiday in the middle of our beautiful nature! The parks are signposted, so you won't get lost.

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Kaunissaari Island - Beautiful Island

by finlandia

Kaunissaari (literally Beautiful Island) Island is a traditional, small but still lively fisherman village on the sea outside the city of Kotka. Boats from Sapokka Harbour (in front of Maretarium Aquarium) about 2-3 times a day in summer. Tickets are sold on boats. For timetables see the link below, please.There may be quite windy on the sea (even if a day may be warm). So take warm clothes with you. On the island you find a very small museum, a restaurant (good fish dishes) and accommodation. Remember to taste extremely delicious salmon pastries which are sold at a kiosk near the museum. Many tourists visit Kaunissaari during a day but only a few stays overnight there. It is quite an experience! Sit on sea rocks, have a campfire, sleep in your own tent or in a small b&b house...Other very interesting islands are Tammio (only one permanent inhabitant!), Ulkotammio and Haapasaari (10...

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Juminkeko - Culture foundation of the Kalevala

by sinoda

In the middle of Kainuu, in the town of Kuhmo is a very special building, where the foundation of Kalevala resides and which hosts many changing art expositions related to the very subject of Kalevala.Come and ask experts Markku and Sirpa all you want to know about the finnish epos.

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Isolated lighthouse island.

by kimmo_v

I hadnt done this, but will do some day for sure!Bengtskär`s lighthouse is one of the biggest and in best condition lighthouses in Finland.At winter-spring time you can get there by helicopter, spend a night there(there is a small reastaurant), enjoy your breakfast and fly back to mainland.Can you imagine to be on the small island, surrounded by sea and ice, freezing breeze and some seagulls? Well, neither do i, so it has to be done.The price for this is 240-270 EUR. In the summertime, there are trips to Bengtskär arranged from Hanko and Kasnäs every day. Cruises every day 1.6-31.8.2003The cruise from KASNÄS departs every day with the following time-table: Start at 11.00 from Kasnäs, at 14.45 from Bengtskär and 16.45 from Rosala, arrival in Kasnäs at 17.15. The route includes a guided visit to the Rosala Viking Centre. This route is used also for over-night visitors; arrival at Bengtskär...

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Ear Mountain - Santa's home

by finlandia

Finland is the home country of Santa Claus. Santa lives on a fell called Korvatunturi (Ear Mountain) in the municipality of Savukoski. Santa can't live on the North Pole because there isn't anything to eat for his reindeer there. But in Finnish Lapland a reindeer is a very common animal and it has a lot of food there. There are about 200 000 reindeer in Finland. Eagles, foxes, swans and wood grouse are other common animals. The spruce is the most common tree in Lapland. Wild cloudberry and Arctic bramble are the two most highly valued berries of Lapland. Lapland is a paradise for all nature lovers!Ear Mountain is near the Russian border (border zone) and it isn´t possible to visit this Santa's secret cave, his real home. (You may meet him in Rovaniemi where Santa has his office.) However, you can visit Santa's home municipality Savukoski. It is a very small municipality with interesting...

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Cruise from Mariehamn to Kapellskär in Sweden

by hopang

Take a two hour cruise via M/S Rosella of Viking Line from Mariehamn to Kapellskär on the outskirts of Norrtälje just north of Stockholm in Sweden. Lots of things to do or see are available onboard the passenger cruise ship. You can do your tax-free shopping for perfumes, cosmetics, leather goods, clothings, chocolates, liquor, wines, beer and cigarettes at the tax free shop. You may watch the popular local artists sing or perfom or you may just dance your evening away at the nightclub. For those who are very fond of gambling, there are never short of slot machines for you to pass your time. For those who are hungry and thirsty several cafés, bars and restaurants are available onboard for you to chill out such as the popular Seaside Café. Other facilities onboard include conference and meeting rooms, video arcades, sun deck and cabins.

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Grill at Mariehamn

by hopang

Take the opportunity to grill your fresh food when you are visiting Mariehamn on your vacation! Locations for grill are provided along the beach just outside the city center for the convenience of local and foreign picknickers and tourists. In some locations, firewoods are even provided complete with axes. Please do not litter the grill area after enjoying your food and drink. Waste disposal bins are usually provided at all grill locations. Please make sure that fires at the grill are completely extinguished before you leave the area.

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Top 3 Hotels in Finland

Hotel Kamp  Helsinki

 16 Reviews and 331 Opinions  Located on Pohjoisesplanadi, in the heart of Helsinki, Hotel Kämp is one of the city's most... 

 Hotels in Helsinki

Sokos Hotel Ilves  Tampere

 5 Reviews and 58 Opinions  I stayed at Sokos Hotel Ilves for one night in July 2011 and had a very pleasant stay in this 4 star... 

 Hotels in Tampere

Radisson Blu Marina Palace Hotel Turku  Turku

 4 Reviews and 125 Opinions  We had never stayed in Radison hotels before, because they are allways more expensive than any other... 

 Hotels in Turku

Questions and Answers

bulls910 profile photo

Q:  Planning to travel Finland September 17 - 23rd. Is this still a good time in the year to visit? (trying to stay out of high... 

Durfun profile photo

A: Hi, Trains can be fast & good value if you book in advance, as the rates start going up closer to departure. www.vr.fi For quirky, economical, and decent living,... 

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