Travel Guide for Finland
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Here you will find travel information and insider tips about Finland that has been cooperatively contributed by other friendly Hospitality Club members. Please become active as well, and share your vast budget travel and backpacking knowledge with other members and the internet community - it is very easy to edit any information here (more info in the Help File). We hope that these Travel Guides will quickly become a great and fun resource. If you want to print this guide out to take with you, we have prepared this Printer Friendly Travel Guide for you. Enjoy!
For Introduction, Top Things to See and Do, Neighboring Countries, Who is coming?, Want more guests!, Hospitality Club Meetings and the geographic navigation please see the main Finland Page.
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Basic Facts |
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Official Country Name: Finland
Capital: Helsinki (population 559,046 and metropolitan area population 980,412)
Population 31.12.2005: 5,255,580
Telephone Code: 358
Time Zone: GMT + 02:00
Area: 338,145 sq km
Languages: Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities)
Ethnic Groups: Finn 93.4%, Swed ... more |
Attractions and Things to See and Do |
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Finland has lots of things to do and places to see. In major cities you have many kinds of restaurants and night life, and you don't have to go far to experience the peace and tranquility of nature.
If you are interested in amusement parks, Finland has two bigger ones. Linnanmäki is located in the capital city Helsinki, and Särkänniemi is in Tampere.
Finnish nature is mostly clean, very beautiful, and ... more |
Maps |
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Browse rough 2001 version of the Finnish
road
map.
Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa
Tampere
Turku
Oulu
Lahti
And so on.. |
Off the Beaten Path and Insider Tips |
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Suggested Itineraries |
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1 Day, 1 Week, 2 Weeks, 1 Month ... |
Transport |
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Getting there and away
You can travel here by air or train, and even by ferry. Lots of options, you might want to browse the net.
Getting around
Easiest transport is defenitely by train. Distances are long in Finland, and even though sometimes you can get by with a bus and even with your bike, usually it is better to rely on our high quality railways. Go to
VR Passenger Service to learn more. Sometimes fl ... more |
Accommodation |
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Travel Portal
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Food and Drinks and Local Specialties |
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Finfood - Finnish food information service
Finland doesn't have such a big streetfood culture, but sometimes you can find a hotdog stand or sausage grill on the streets. In the summertime finns enjoy various flavours of ice cream from ice cream stands, which are numerous especially in bigger cities.
(NOT) only for Vegans: Finland is THE icecream country! In Supermarkets (K-Market and S-Market best a ... more |
Money and Costs |
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Currency
The currency used in Finland is Euro, so it is easy to come from middle Europe. More about Euro
Exchanging Money
There are exchance points, for example in the main railway stations.
Credit Cards
Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Eurocard, Diners Club and American Express are widely accepted
ATMs
There a ATMs thru out Finland. ALL of them are Otto. chain ATM's ... more |
Visa and Documents and Embassies |
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PRINT visa application for yourself.
A Schengen visa permits a short term stay (up to 90 days) in the Schengen-countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden). The visa should always be applied at the consulate/ embassy of the country of the jouney's main destination.
REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS TO ENTER FI ... more |
Borders and Customs |
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Foreign nationals must carry a passport when entering Finland. A visa is also required for all those not exempt from visa on the basis of an agreement between Finland and their country of origin. Most EU citizens can, however, use an identity card as a travel document. More information concerning travel documents to Finland You can find from web-pages of Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Finland Travel Community
Jolly Dragon
Nightlife Guide
Helsinki Nightlife
Tampere bars and nightlife
Gateway to Finnish Culture on the Net
Virtual Finland — Your Window on Finland
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Language and Useful Phrases |
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Finnish - English
Päivää - Hello! (formal)
Moi - Hi! (unformal)
Kaunis ilma - It's a nice weather
Näkemiin - Goodbye
Kiitos - Thank you
Anteeksi - Excuse me
Sori - Sorry...
Mitä kuuluu? - How are you?
kasvisruoka - vegetarian food
ruoka - food
nukkua - to sleep
leirintäalue - camping area
Voinko saada kyydin Helsinkiin? -
Can I have a ride to Helsinki?
kersa |
Events and Holidays |
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Festivals, Sports, Concerts, Public Holidays... |
Climate and When to Go |
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Geography |
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Environment and Flora and Fauna |
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Dangers and Warnings |
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Tourist Traps |
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Health |
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History |
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Government and Politics |
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Economy |
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GDP: 143,4 Billion EURO (2003, estimate)
GDP: per head 27512 EURO (2003, estimate)
Annual growth: 1,9 % (2003, estimate)
inflation: 0,9 % (2003)
Major Industries: Electrical and optical equipment, Forest industry
Major trading partners: Germany, Sweden, Russia
wessi, Finland
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Arts |
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Music, Literature, Theater, Movies ... |
Media |
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Newspapers, Radio and TV, Magazines ... |
Religion |
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Volunteer Opportunities and Work |
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Organized Tours |
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What to Bring or Packing List |
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Shopping |
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Books and Further Reading |
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Guidebooks, Travel, History and Politics
Please enter Amazon links to the books - we will put info on how to do this here shortly. This way we hope to get a bit of funding for the running of the club, if someone buys the books you recommend. |
Other Information |
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Could not fit it into any of the categories above? Put it here...:-) |
External Links |
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Official Country Website:
Only add really valuable resources here. Also, please ask the webmaster of the site you link here to add a link back to the Hospitality Club. If the link exists, please add (L) behind the URL of the link.
TRAVEL.org FINLAND
Surf Finland. The geographic map displays all
official municipal web sites in Finland.
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