Finland Travel Guide: How to Plan a Trip to Finland

A trip to Finland fits into 7 to 10 days: 3 days in Helsinki and the south coast, 2 days around Tampere or the Lakeland, and 3 to 5 days in Lapland. A trip to Finland also costs roughly €140-200 ($162-232, £120-172) a person a day at a mid-range standard, which is close to Sweden and well above Estonia or Poland. June to August gives warm days and light that barely fades, and late September to March is the aurora and snow season, so the month you pick decides the trip more than the route does.

Finland is the northernmost member state of the European Union, bordered by Sweden, Norway and Russia, with Helsinki as its capital, the euro as its currency and 19 regions. The country has topped the World Happiness Report for 9 years in a row, counts 3.3 million saunas for 5.6 million people, and keeps about three quarters of its land under forest, a higher share than any other country in Europe.

This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team for independent travellers. It covers when to go, how long to stay, what a day costs, entry rules, getting to Finland and around it, where to stay, what to eat, sauna etiquette, packing, festivals and the 19 regions.

Finland quick facts

The Finland quick facts below cover the country’s name, capital, population, size, language, currency, government, time zone, plugs, EU and Schengen status, driving, tap water and the emergency number.

The table stops at the practical facts. Trivia such as the wife-carrying championship and the number of islands sits in our interesting facts about Finland post, and every article we have published on the country is in the Finland archive.

Best time to visit Finland

June to August is the time to visit Finland for warmth and daylight, and late September to March for the northern lights and snow. The best time to visit Finland therefore depends on which of those two countries you want, because they barely overlap. Finland’s 4 seasons are described below.

• Summer (June to August): July is the warmest month, averaging about 13-17°C (55-63°F) with spells well above that, and north of the Arctic Circle the sun does not set for weeks around midsummer. Lakes are warm enough to swim in, cottages and festivals fill up, and the mosquitoes in Lapland are at their worst.
• Autumn (September and October): the ruska, the short season when the birch and bilberry turn red and gold, runs from early September in Lapland to early October in the south. Aurora nights start again once it gets dark, prices drop, and the trails are quiet.
• Winter (November to March): February is the coldest month, averaging roughly -22 to -3°C (-8 to 27°F) across the country, and the far north can fall below -30°C (-22°F). Snow is reliable in Lapland from late November to April, the polar night (kaamos) keeps the sun below the horizon for weeks in the far north, and this is the season for husky sledding, snowmobiles, ice fishing and Santa.
• Spring (April and May): the snow holds in Lapland into April with long, bright days that make it the pleasant end of the ski season, while the south thaws into a grey few weeks before the leaves come out in May.

Aurora season runs from late August to early April, and Finnish Lapland records aurora displays on a large share of clear nights. Cloud, not solar activity, is what usually spoils a sighting, so plan 3 to 5 nights in the north rather than 1.

How many days in Finland and a sample route

Plan 7 to 10 days for a first trip to Finland: 3 days in Helsinki, 2 in Tampere or the Lakeland, and 3 to 5 in Lapland. Fewer than 7 days works if you skip Lapland and stay in the south. The 10-day sample route is listed below.

1. Days 1 to 3, Helsinki: the Suomenlinna sea fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site reached by a 15-minute ferry from Market Square, the rock-hewn Temppeliaukio church, the Design District, the Market Square and the old market hall, and an evening in a public sauna such as Löyly on the waterfront.
2. Day 4, a day trip: Porvoo, with its red wooden warehouses on the river, sits about 50 km (31.1 mi) east of Helsinki, and Nuuksio National Park is under an hour away by bus for a forest walk and a campfire.
3. Days 5 and 6, Tampere or the Lakeland: Tampere is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Helsinki by train and calls itself the sauna capital of the world, while Savonlinna, deeper into the Lakeland, has the medieval Olavinlinna castle standing in the water.
4. Days 7 to 10, Lapland: Rovaniemi sits on the Arctic Circle and is 8 hours from Helsinki on the day train, 12 hours on the night train and about 1 hour 30 minutes by plane. Base yourself there, or go further north to Levi, Saariselkä or Inari for darker skies.

Guided trips do the work that a rental car cannot in deep winter, from aurora hunts and husky farms to Helsinki food and design walks.

What a trip to Finland costs

Finland costs roughly €70-100 ($81-116, £60-86) a day for a budget traveller and €140-200 ($162-232, £120-172) a day at a mid-range standard, with accommodation and restaurant meals the two lines that move most. Finland’s prices below are approximate, they rise sharply in Lapland between December and March, and they are worth checking against a live rate before you budget.

Lapland winter activities sit outside that table and are the reason a Lapland week costs what a Helsinki fortnight does: aurora tours, husky safaris and reindeer farm visits each run well into three figures per person. Book them before you fly, because the good operators sell out for Christmas week by autumn.

Is Finland safe?

Finland is safe for travellers, including solo women: it ranked 9th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Finland’s real risks are environmental rather than criminal, and the 4 to plan for are listed below, most likely first.

1. Ice underfoot: pavements freeze from November to March, and strap-on ice grips for your shoes cost a few euros in any supermarket.
2. Cold: temperatures below -20°C (-4°F) are normal in Lapland in midwinter, so cover every patch of skin and keep your phone warm, because batteries die fast in the cold.
3. Winter roads: black ice, drifting snow and darkness make driving slower than the map suggests, and reindeer and elk step onto the road without warning.
4. Petty theft: pickpocketing happens in Helsinki’s crowded trams and around the railway station, which is the same care you would take in any capital.

Dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance, from any phone, free of charge.

How to get to Finland

You get to Finland by plane to Helsinki, by ferry from Sweden, Estonia or Germany, or by bus and train through Sweden. Finland’s land border with Russia has been closed since December 2023 and remains closed until further notice, so no route in from the east is open. The 3 ways in and the entry rules are described below.

Flights to Finland

Flights to Finland land mainly at Helsinki Airport (HEL) in Vantaa, 19 km (11.8 mi) north of the city centre, where the I and P trains of the Ring Rail Line run from a station under the terminal to Helsinki Central in about 30 minutes on an ABC ticket. Lapland has its own airports at Rovaniemi (RVN), Kittilä (KTT) and Ivalo (IVL), which fill with charter flights from November to March, and Oulu (OUL) and Turku (TKU) serve the west. Compare fares on Trip.com for flights to Finland once your dates are fixed, and set a price alert if they are not.

Ferries to Finland

Ferries to Finland cross from Tallinn in about 2 hours 15 minutes, from Stockholm to Turku in about 11 hours or to Helsinki overnight, and from Travemünde in Germany in about 30 hours. Tallink Silja Line, Viking Line and Eckerö Line run the Baltic passenger routes and Finnlines runs the German one, all of them taking cars. Ferries are also how you reach the Åland Islands from either country. Compare crossings and fares for ferry routes to Finland before you commit to a flight, because a cabin overnight saves a hotel night.

Trains and buses to Finland

Trains to Finland do not run directly from Sweden or Norway, because Finnish track is a wider gauge than the Swedish network. You take a Swedish train to Luleå or Haparanda, cross to Tornio by local bus and pick up a Finnish train or coach south, and an Interrail or Eurail pass covers that combination. Long-distance coaches connect Finland to Sweden and Norway through Lapland in summer, and you can compare train and coach routes across Europe on one search rather than checking each national operator.

Entry requirements for Finland

Check the current entry rules for your passport before you book, because they are changing. Finland is in the European Union and the Schengen Area, so EU and EEA citizens enter on a national ID card, and visa-exempt visitors such as US, Canadian, UK and Australian passport holders get up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, with a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the day they leave. The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been recording biometric data at Schengen borders since April 2026, which adds time at passport control, and the ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors is expected to follow; check the EU’s official ETIAS pages for the start date. No vaccinations are required for Finland.

Getting around Finland

You get around Finland by train between the cities, by coach where the trains do not go, by domestic flight to Lapland, and by rental car for the national parks and the small roads. The 5 options are listed below.

1. Trains: VR, the state railway, runs the main lines from Helsinki through Tampere and Oulu to Rovaniemi and Kolari, and its night trains carry cars as well as sleeping compartments, which is how many Finns get to the ski slopes.
2. Coaches: Matkahuolto sells tickets for the long-distance network that covers the towns the railway misses, and OnniBus undercuts it on the busy intercity routes.
3. Domestic flights: Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Kittilä or Ivalo takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and saves a day each way compared with the train.
4. City transport: Helsinki’s HSL network puts trams, buses, the metro, local trains and the Suomenlinna ferry on one ticket, sold in the HSL app; Tampere and Turku have their own tram and bus systems.
5. Rental car: a car is what lets you reach the national parks, the lake cabins and the Lapland farms. Drive on the right, keep headlights on at all times, and expect winter tyres to be fitted from 1 November to 31 March, which rental companies in Finland do as standard. Compare prices on DiscoverCars for Finland before you land, because the airport desks in Lapland run out in season.

Finland’s everyman’s right (jokamiehenoikeus) means the roads are only half the story: you may walk, ski, cycle, swim, forage berries and mushrooms and pitch a tent for a night on most uncultivated land, whoever owns it, as long as you stay clear of homes and gardens, damage nothing and leave no litter. Lighting a fire is the exception, and needs the landowner’s permission or a marked campfire site.

Where to stay in Finland

Stay central in Helsinki for a first visit, in a lakeside cottage (mökki) for a summer week, and in Rovaniemi, Levi, Saariselkä or Inari for a winter one. Book Lapland early, because the glass igloos and cabins that people fly in for sell out for December and the February ski holidays months ahead, and prices there in season run higher than Helsinki’s.

Booking sites do the filtering. Sofie books hotels, guesthouses and cabins through Booking.com for Finland, because its filters turn a whole country of listings into a short list that meets her criteria, and she uses Vrbo when an apartment or a cottage suits the trip better than a hotel.

What to eat and drink in Finland

Finnish food is built on rye, fish, berries, game and dairy, and it is plainer and less sweet than its Swedish neighbour’s. The 10 dishes and drinks to try are listed below, with the Finnish name first.

1. Ruisleipä: dense sourdough rye bread, eaten at every meal and the thing Finns abroad say they miss.
2. Karjalanpiirakka: Karelian pies, thin rye cases filled with rice porridge and eaten with munavoi, a spread of chopped egg and butter.
3. Lohikeitto: creamy salmon soup with potato, leek and dill, served with rye bread.
4. Korvapuusti: cinnamon buns, the name of which translates as “slapped ears”, eaten with coffee at the mid-afternoon pause Finns take seriously.
5. Lihapullat: meatballs with mashed potato and lingonberry jam, the everyday plate in any lunch canteen.
6. Hernekeitto ja pannukakku: pea soup with smoked pork, followed by oven pancake and jam, traditionally eaten on Thursdays.
7. Grillimakkara: fat grilling sausage eaten with mustard beside a lake, which is what a Finnish summer evening smells like.
8. Mustikkapiirakka: bilberry pie made with a cake-like base rather than pastry, from berries anyone may pick in the forest.
9. Kaalilaatikko and makaronilaatikko: cabbage casserole and macaroni casserole, the two comfort dishes on every school and canteen menu.
10. Poronkäristys: sautéed reindeer with mashed potato and lingonberry, the dish to order in Lapland.

Coffee comes with all of it, and Finns drink more of it per person than any other nation, at roughly 12 kg (26.5 lb) a year each. Alcohol works differently from most of Europe: supermarkets may sell fermented drinks up to 8% alcohol since the law changed in June 2024, and anything stronger comes from Alko, the state-owned chain, which keeps shorter hours and closes on Sundays. Ask for a lonkero, the gin long drink invented for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, and try salmiakki, the salty liquorice that divides every visiting group.

Sauna and Finnish etiquette

The sauna is where Finnish etiquette starts: with 3.3 million saunas for 5.6 million people, a sauna is a normal room rather than a spa treatment, and UNESCO added Finnish sauna culture to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2020. Sauna manners and the wider social rules are listed below.

1. Undress fully, shower, then sit on a towel; swimsuits are usual only in mixed public saunas such as hotel and lido saunas, and never in a private or single-sex one.
2. Throw water on the stones (that water and the steam are both called löyly) rather than asking someone else to, and cool off outside or in the lake between rounds.
3. Take your shoes off at the door of any Finnish home, without being asked.
4. Let a silence sit. Finns do not fill pauses, and interrupting someone mid-sentence lands far worse here than it would in the UK or the US.
5. Queue, keep your distance in a line and keep your voice down on public transport, all of which Finns treat as basic courtesy.

A few Finnish words go a long way even though English will get you through. The phrases below use the spellings and pronunciations from the original guide.

Money, cards and tipping in Finland

Finland uses the euro, and cards work almost everywhere, including buses, market stalls and public toilets, so you can travel a fortnight without touching cash. Finland’s card habit is far ahead of most of Europe, and the exception is a rural petrol station or a small kiosk, so carry a €20 note as a backup rather than a wallet of them.

Tipping in Finland is not expected. Service is included in the bill, restaurant staff are paid a full wage, and the normal gesture is rounding up rather than adding a percentage. Tipping employees of state-owned institutions, some museums among them, is not allowed at all. Our tipping in Finland section sets out what to do at hotels, in taxis and on tours.

What to pack for Finland

Pack layers, waterproof shoes and a universal adapter for any Finnish trip, and add a serious coat and merino base layers for anything between October and April. Wool beats cotton in this climate because it keeps warming you when it is damp. The 3 seasonal lists follow.

What to pack for Finland in summer

Summer in Finland is warm in the day and cool at night, so the 7 items to pack are listed below.

• sunglasses and sun cream, because the sun stays up for most of the night
• a swimsuit for the lake, the sea and mixed public saunas
• light clothing with one warm layer, since evenings cool fast
• a pair of good walking sandals
• a reusable water bottle, which you can fill from any tap
• a pair of hiking trousers
• insect repellent for Lapland in July, where the mosquitoes are relentless

What to pack for Finland in winter

Winter in Finland runs from November to March and calls for wool next to the skin and a windproof shell over it. The 8 items to pack are listed below.

• a hat that covers your ears, a scarf or buff, and warm gloves
• a pair of merino woollen socks
• a merino woollen base layer
• a pair of merino woollen leggings
• a warm, water and windproof coat
• a pair of snow boots and comfortable waterproof shoes
• a set of strap-on ice grips for icy pavements
• a reusable water bottle

What to pack for Finland in spring and autumn

Both spring and autumn are cold in Finland, and autumn is the better of the two for travelling, because the ruska colours and the returning aurora nights come with it. Bring winter layers either way and shed them as the day warms up. A good jacket is the one item worth buying properly.

Staying connected in Finland

You stay connected in Finland on your EU SIM at home rates, on an eSIM bought before you land, or on a portable hotspot. Finland has some of the fastest mobile data in Europe, and coverage holds up in most of Lapland, although it thins out in the fells. The 3 options are listed below.

1. An EU SIM: roam-like-at-home rules mean no extra charge for calls, texts or data in Finland; UK plans vary by operator since Brexit, so check yours before you fly.
2. An eSIM installed before departure: data from the moment you switch your phone on at the airport.
3. A portable hotspot: Sofie carries a portable hotspot and buys day passes outside the EU and as a backup when her phone plan runs low. If you would rather not carry a second device, an Airalo eSIM installs on the phone you already have and does the same job.

The code HARRY5578 takes €3 off a first order. Cold kills batteries, so keep your phone in an inside pocket on an aurora night and carry a power bank if you are photographing.

Festivals and public holidays in Finland

Finland’s festival calendar runs from Midsummer in June through the summer music season to the Christmas markets, and Finland has 13 public holidays, most of them Christian or seasonal. Dates shift each year, so check the current programme before you plan a trip around an event.

Finland has 13 statutory public holidays: 1 January (New Year’s Day), 6 January (Epiphany), Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, 1 May (Vappu), Ascension Day, Whit Sunday, Midsummer Day in June, All Saints’ Day in early November, 6 December (Independence Day), 25 December (Christmas Day) and 26 December (St Stephen’s Day). Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve are not statutory but function as holidays, and most collective agreements treat them as paid days off. Shops, banks and many restaurants close from the afternoon of Midsummer Eve and Christmas Eve onwards, and Vappu on 1 May is the loudest party of the Finnish year, with students in white caps and picnics in every park.

The 19 regions of Finland

Finland has 19 regions, each governed by a regional council, and a first trip usually covers 2 or 3 of them: Uusimaa for Helsinki, Pirkanmaa or one of the Savonias for the Lakeland, and Lapland for the snow. The 19 regions and what each is known for are listed below, north to south.

1. Lapland: the largest and northernmost region, home of the Sami people, reindeer herding, Santa Claus in Rovaniemi, the aurora and the fell landscapes of Pallas-Yllästunturi and Urho Kekkonen national parks.
2. Northern Ostrobothnia: national parks and a coastline of flat marsh and open bog, with Oulu as the regional capital and the host of the Air Guitar World Championships.
3. Kainuu: boreal forest and bog, the Vuokatti resort, Lake Oulujärvi and the swamp football world championship at Hyrynsalmi.
4. North Karelia: eastern lakes and ridges, the views from Koli National Park that Finnish painters made famous, and the Ilosaarirock festival in Joensuu.
5. Northern Savonia: Kuopio on its lake, the Tahko ski resort, and the wife-carrying championship at Sonkajärvi.
6. Southern Savonia: the heart of the Lakeland, with Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland and home of the endangered Saimaa ringed seal, and the opera festival at Olavinlinna castle in Savonlinna.
7. South Karelia: the Imatra rapids, the fortress and lakefront at Lappeenranta, and Karelian pies at their source.
8. Central Finland: lakes, forests and the university city of Jyväskylä, which hosts Rally Finland, the old 1000 Lakes Rally, every summer.
9. Southern Ostrobothnia: flat farmland and river valleys, with Seinäjoki hosting the Tangomarkkinat tango festival every July.
10. Ostrobothnia: one of 2 regions with a Swedish-speaking majority, with the Kvarken Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Replot Bridge, the longest bridge in Finland, near Vaasa.
11. Central Ostrobothnia: folk music country, with the Kaustinen festival every July and dairy farming around the regional capital, Kokkola.
12. Pirkanmaa: Tampere between 2 lakes, a former mill city that calls itself the sauna capital of the world, next door to Nokia, the town the phone company was named after.
13. Satakunta: the industrial and farming west coast, with Pori and its jazz festival, and Old Rauma, a UNESCO-listed quarter of wooden houses.
14. Päijänne Tavastia: the region south of Päijänne, the second largest lake in Finland, with Lahti about 100 km (62.1 mi) north of Helsinki, its ski jumps, the Lahti Ski Games and the Messilä slopes.
15. Tavastia Proper: Hämeenlinna with its medieval Häme Castle and the Aulanko nature reserve, an hour by train from Helsinki.
16. Kymenlaakso: the Kymi river delta and the port city of Kotka, with the Sapokka water garden and Katariina seaside park.
17. Uusimaa: Helsinki, the wooden old town of Porvoo, the seaside town of Hanko and Nuuksio National Park on the capital’s doorstep.
18. Southwest Finland: Turku, the former capital, the Archipelago Sea with its thousands of islands and its ring road, and Naantali with Moomin World.
19. Åland: an autonomous, demilitarised, Swedish-speaking archipelago of more than 6,700 islands, of which about 60 are inhabited, reached by ferry from Turku or Stockholm and easiest to see by bicycle.

A short history of Finland

Finland’s history runs from post-glacial hunters through 6 centuries as part of Sweden, a century as a Russian grand duchy, independence in 1917 and the wars that followed, to EU membership in 1995 and NATO membership in 2023. The 5 periods that explain what you see are listed below.

1. Prehistory to the 12th century: people settle the land as the ice retreats, and the Finnic tribes live by hunting, fishing and trade with the Baltic and the east.
2. Swedish rule (12th century to 1809): Finland is drawn into the Swedish realm, Turku becomes its centre, the Reformation brings written Finnish, and Swedish stays an official language to this day.
3. The Grand Duchy of Finland (1809 to 1917): Russia takes Finland from Sweden, the capital moves from Turku to Helsinki in 1812, and a national awakening produces the Kalevala, Sibelius and, in 1906, the first vote for women in Europe.
4. Independence and war (1917 to 1945): Finland declares independence on 6 December 1917, fights a civil war in 1918, and holds off the Soviet invasion of the Winter War in 1939 and 1940 at the cost of Karelia.
5. Modern Finland (1945 onwards): the country pays its war reparations, builds a welfare state, joins the European Union in 1995, adopts the euro, and after the invasion of Ukraine ends decades of non-alignment by joining NATO in April 2023.

Finland travel FAQ

What month is the best time to visit Finland?

June to August for warmth and daylight, and February or March for snow and northern lights with usable daylight. December is the month for Christmas in Lapland, but it is also the darkest and the most expensive.

How many days are enough for Finland?

Plan 7 to 10 days for Finland: 3 in Helsinki, 2 in the Lakeland and 3 to 5 in Lapland. A long weekend covers Helsinki alone, and a week without Lapland covers the south comfortably.

Is Finland expensive?

Yes, Finland is expensive by European standards, at roughly €140-200 ($162-232, £120-172) a day for mid-range travel. Lunch buffets, supermarket food, tap water and free national parks bring that down quickly.

Is Finland safe for tourists?

Yes, Finland is one of the safest countries in the world for tourists, 9th of 163 in the 2026 Global Peace Index, and the hazards to plan for are ice, cold and winter roads rather than crime.

Do you need a visa for Finland?

EU and EEA citizens need only an ID card, and visa-exempt visitors such as US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders get 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen Area. Check the current rules before booking, because the EU’s Entry/Exit System is already running and ETIAS is coming.

Can you see the northern lights in Helsinki?

Rarely. Aurora season runs from late August to early April, and the odds rise the further north you go, so Lapland and the north-eastern lakes are where trips are planned around them.

Do people speak English in Finland?

Yes, English is widely spoken in Finland, in cities, hotels, restaurants and on transport. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, and a few words of Finnish are appreciated rather than expected.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below come from Finnish government, transport-authority and tourism-board sources checked in September 2026, and each one is a detail that changes a booking rather than a nice-to-know.

1. Rule out any route into Finland from Russia. All 8 land crossings have been shut since December 2023, the Finnish government’s decision of 4 June 2026 keeps them closed until further notice, and Russia closed the remaining rail crossings from 1 July 2026. Guides that route you Helsinki to St Petersburg by train are describing a service that no longer runs.
2. Buy the alcohol before Sunday, and buy the strong stuff at Alko. Supermarkets have been allowed to sell fermented drinks up to 8% since the law changed in June 2024, and anything stronger comes only from the state chain Alko, which keeps shorter hours and closes on Sundays.
3. Treat winter tyres as a weather rule, not a calendar one. The requirement runs from 1 November to 31 March whenever conditions call for them, which is wider than the fixed December to February window many guides still quote. Finnish rental companies fit them as standard across that period.
4. Take the I or P train from under the terminal at Helsinki Airport. The Ring Rail Line station sits directly beneath the airport, 19 km (11.8 mi) north of the centre, and the ride into Helsinki Central takes about 30 minutes on an ABC ticket, which is cheaper and usually faster than a taxi.
5. Book the Lapland activities before the flights. Aurora tours, husky safaris and reindeer farm visits each run well into three figures per person, which is what makes a Lapland week cost what a Helsinki fortnight does, and the good operators sell out for Christmas week by autumn. Rovaniemi itself is 8 hours from Helsinki by day train, 12 overnight or about 1 hour 30 minutes by air.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, who travels the Nordics as an independent traveller and books her own hotels, cottages and cars the way this page describes. The team covers Finland for independent travellers, including the flights, ferries, car rental, Lapland tours, hotels and packing gear worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and rules change.