Founded in the mid-16th century, Helsinki is a city that encompasses the old and new worlds like few others. Located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland in the country’s southern portion, it is Finland’s capital and most populous city, with about 650,000 residents. Helsinki is often referred to as the ‘Daughter of the …
The Finnish capital since the early 1800’s, charming Helsinki was designed by the Russians to look somewhat like a mini St. Petersburg. Brimming with stunning architecture, the city blends the feeling of a buzzing metropolis with a small-town vibe. One of the world’s northernmost capital cities, Helsinki’s coastal location means that winters can be exceptionally …
Finland is perhaps not as well visited as other countries in northern Europe and as a result it still has an ‘other-worldly’ quality to it. When people think of Finland they imagine majestic forests and stunning natural landscapes all of which you will find here, but if you prefer a little urban sprawl then you …
Set where the River Aura empties into the Archipelago Sea, Turku is Finland’s oldest city and was the country’s first capital. National monuments like Turku Castle and Turku Cathedral will bring Finland’s origins to light, and you can learn how vaunted cultural figures like Jean Sibelius and Wäinö Aaltonen helped to shape the nation in …
The largest inland city in Scandinavia, Tampere in Finland is wedged between two large bodies of water in a part of the country that is woven with rivers, ponds and lakes. The fast-moving Tammerkoski rapids here were harnessed as a power source and brought about an industrial boom in the late-1800s. So Tampere today is …
The first thing that most people know about Lapland is that it’s the home of Santa Claus, and nothing could make a child’s Christmas more magical than a trip to where that very magic happens. For older people there’s magic of a different kind: The ghostly Northern Lights, the heart-melting beauty of Nordic woodland in …
Finland’s capital was founded in the 16th century but the city you see today really took shape in the 1800s. This was when the Russians laid out Helsinki along similar lines to St. Petersburg, with its broad streets and neoclassical mansions. A little earlier the Swedes had completed Soumenlinna, an ambitious sea fortress that was …
The long and icy backbone of Scandinavia, Finland rarely fails to enchant. It draws travelers with the promise of Lapland’s far-flung forests and fells, snow-packed ski fields, the Sami and Santa, the cutting-edge cities of Helsinki and Turku, uber-friendly locals, swish design studios and some of the most wonderful and rugged coastal stretches in the …