One year in Finland

Lapland is Finland's most northern region, bordering Sweden, Norway, Russia and the Baltic Sea. It is sparsely populated and known for its subarctic wilderness, ski resorts and natural phenomena such as the midnight sun and northern lights. The capital Rovaniemi is the gateway to the region. Lapland is also the settlement area of the Sami people, which extends far into neighbouring countries. Lapland offers many different activities for travellers. Husky Ride: A husky tour is an excellent way to experience the arctic wilderness. There is something primeval about crossing a snow-covered landscape on a dog sled. Snowmobile Tours: On a snowmobile tour in Finland, the route takes you through the beautiful wilderness of the far north. With the snowmobile you will drive at a speed of up to 80km/h through forests and over frozen lakes in beautiful Finnish Lapland. A feeling of pure freedom. Skiing: There are about 75 winter sports areas in Finland. They are mostly sm...

Helsinki is the Finnish capital in the south of the country, situated on a peninsula on the Gulf of Finland. It is very easy to reach. There is the possibility to arrive by bus (e.g. Onnibus) or by train. Things you can do in Helsinki Suomenlinna: Outside Helsinki, one of the largest sea fortresses in the world, Suomenlinna, is located on six interconnected islands. It is worth knowing that the sea fortress is actually on the UNESCO World Heritage List and that it was built in the 18th century when Finland was part of Sweden. To get to this admirable sea fortress, there are ferry boats that depart from Helsinki city centre. Explore the city centre of Helsinki: Most major European cities have a historic district where the old architecture has been preserved for several centuries. Helsinki also has a historic district, but what is unique about it is that it has been mixed with new buildings, so there is also new and modern architecture. There is more new than old in Helsi...

The Archipelago area is a part of the Baltic Sea off the southwest coast of Finland. The Archipelago Sea lies between the mainland Finland and the Åland archipelago, bordered by the Gulf of Finland to the south and the Gulf of Bothnia to the north. The sea area is interspersed with thousands of archipelagos and cliffs. It is difficult to estimate the number of islands in the Archipelago Sea, because most of them are just small rocks. Estimates range from 20,000 to 50,000 islands. Especially during the summertime, the archipelago is a good destination for one day or even a weekend trip. The little islands offer beautiful scenery and a good possibility to cool down by jumping to the water of the Baltic sea. For people who visit Turku and the surrounding area, the archipelago is definitely a must-visit spot. Maybe one more hint for people who are planning to go to Sweden by ferry one day. Take a look out of the window when you leave Turku. The hight of the ferries offers a...

The next stop on my tour around Turku was Kaarina. Kaarina is a city in southwest Finland with 32,738 inhabitants. It is located on the Baltic Sea coast in the immediate vicinity of the city of Turku. Kaarina is a nice city that does not offer too many touristic places. For me, the nicest was the wooden church in the center. Kaarina is the ideal starting point for trips to the archipelago. We used Kaarina for the starting and endpoints of our trips to the archipelago. Föli is offering connections to between Turku and Kaarina pretty frequently. Another activity that can be done in Kaarina is Frisbee Golf. There is a free Frisbee Golf area where you can go without booking anything. Just go there with your friends and discs and enjoy an active time outside in beautiful nature.

Starting with Ruissalo in my last post, I want to focus now on places that are definitely worth a visit. The next place that I can highly recommend visiting is the city of Naantali. Naantali is a town in the southwest of Finland with approx. 19,068 inhabitants. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast in the Varsinais-Suomi region not far from Turku. Naantali is one of the oldest towns in Finland and is now an important port and a popular tourist destination thanks to its picturesque wooden old town. It is also possible to visit the Mumin-Island there. (It is currently closed but will open for the summer) For me, Naantali was one of the first places that I visited because it offers many interesting things to see. The biggest advantage for me as a student compared to other cities in south Finland is that it is so easy to reach. Just take the Föli bus numbers 6 or 7 and go there without any further expenses. If you decide to visit Naatali, remember to take a camera an take ...

Now we have to talk about in my opinion the most beautiful place on Turku’s territory – Ruissalo. It is an island that is beginning next to the harbor and leads some kilometers towards the sea and the archipelago. The location is south-west of Turku if you search it on a Map. Ruissalo is easy to reach for everyone. There is the chance to go there by car, bus, bike or even walk there. I tried all of these ways to go there already and have to say that every one of the options is simply equal and has benefits. Ruissalo offers different nice nature walks, dog parks, camping areas, barbecue places, festival area and beaches. So there should be something for everybody. Activities that I can recommend at Ruissalo are the following: -           Go there for a nice walk in nature. The variety of different nature walks will offer a suitable walk for everybody or all members of a group. The nature experience is just great. -  ...

I want to finish the reports about Turkus shopping centers with the biggest one. (At least I think that it is the biggest one) I am also not sure if it is correct to say that it is in Turku because it seems that Mylly is closer to Raisio than to Turku. Mylly is offer an impressive variety of different stores, coffee and food places. There is literally something for anybody. The shop sizes vary a lot as well. There are small shops that are just run by a single shop assistant and then you have the big shops with hundreds of square meters and dozens of employees. Mylly is like Skanssi outside the city but still easy to reach by car or bus. For the ones who own a car I can say that they do not have to worry about a parking slot since there is quite a big number of parking spaces available. I think I have been to Mylly 3 times since I arrived in Turku in August.