When you visit Finland, the first thing that you will notice is its peaceful atmosphere. The capital city, Helsinki is also very quiet, peaceful and the air is pollution free. The countryside of Finland also has a serene beauty. The weather in Finland is generally very cold but the summers are marked by longer days, where tourists can enjoy a lot.
Finland is characterized by different kinds of landscape, tradition, food and climate. Given below are some famous places in Finland
Helsinki
Helsinki the capital city is one of the famous places in Finland. It is a densely populated area of Finland with diverse culture. Of the total area of 800 sq km, only 300 sq km is developed, the rest being lakes, shorelines, forest and natural vegetation. You can also find Finnish architecture in Helsinki. The Helsinki University of Technology, situated in Otaniemi is one such architectural piece of the 20th century.
Lakes in Finland
Finland is a country of many lakes and approximately it has 20,000 lakes which include small and big. Finnish lakes are one of the most famous places of attraction in Finland. It is known for its crystal clear water and the forests surrounding the seas, rivers and lakes. Tourists in Finland can spend a lot of time on the shore of the sea and lakes, fishing or simply by watching reindeer and moose.
Winter sports in Finland
As Finland has chilly winters you can enjoy cross- country skiing and alpine skiing that Finland tourism offers you.
Wildlife in Finland
Among famous places in Finland, Finnish wildlife is worth mentioning. Finland also has a wide range of fauna. Various types of wildlife is found in Finland which includes brown bear, elk, whooper swan, caterpillar, willow, redwing and also fresh water fishes which are plenty in Finland.
Old Rauma
Old Rauma is one of the famous places in Finland, is the wooden city and is one of the heritage sites in the country that is a must see The oldest building in Rauma dates back to 18th century but two devastating fires in 1640 and 1682 destroyed the buildings. The other sites of interest in Rauma are the Church of Holy Cross, the church of Holy Trinity and the old Franciscan monastery.
Petajavesi Old Church
Petajavesi Old Church is another wooden church situated in Petajavesi, in Finland. The church was built between 1763 and 1765. The clock tower that was built in 1821 can be found here. The old style of the church is still retained and if you look into the architectural style, you can find the Nordic country style of late 1600.
Archipelago and Aland Islands
Finland is surrounded by seas on either side and you can find a huge archipelago consisting of thousand islands. The archipelago is generally composed of rocks and is low lying. The beaches are clean and there are low tides, which gives it a lake shore like appearance. You can enjoy the archipelago in local cruises.
Aland Islands on the other hand is warmest part of the country which has a thick growth of deciduous forests. Various types of fruits and vegetables are cultivated here.
Reaching Finland
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main passenger airport that ferries international passengers to Finland. The urban railway network in Finland is also a good means of transport while most of the international cargos access the ports as Finland has a number of waterways.
Best time to visit Finland
As the weather in Finland, is neither extreme cold nor extreme hot, you can visit any time of the year, if you want to enjoy the various famous places in Finland. There are lots of activities for tourists in Finland both in winter and in summer.