When someone comes to visit me in Salo from far away, I always know where I’ll take them. We head for Teijo National Park, to its very best spots: Lake Matildanjärvi and Teerisaari. Over the years I’ve gotten to lead wonderful guests down these paths — from Lapland, from Ukraine, and most recently from Alta […]
We arrived in Rovaniemi in the early evening, after almost 12 hours on the road from southern Finland, winding our way up through the small towns of Ostrobothnia. There’s an easier way to get here — the night train will take you from Helsinki straight to Rovaniemi without you lifting a finger — but our […]
If you want to know whether the Finnish blueberry season has started, you don’t even have to go into the forest. Just look down: bird droppings have turned purple. Birds love blueberries as much as people do, and by late July their droppings give away the fact that it’s time to head into the woods. […]
The sky was grey and the air rich with oxygen when my husband, our friend, and I set out on a weekday in July to walk the Värikallio Loop trail in Hossa National Park, in Suomussalmi, Kainuu. The forecast promised heavy rain all day, but we’d decided in advance not to let it ruin the […]
Sapokka Water Garden spreads across the area surrounding Sapokka Bay in Kotka. It’s a beautiful park where water features play a central role. My memory had long held onto an image of a tall waterfall in Sapokka, so when I arrived in Kotka for an entirely different reason and that very waterfall happened to catch […]
Haapasaari island is one of those wonderful destinations you can reach for free by a scheduled commuter ferry service. The M/S Otava operates from Kuusinen harbour, and the crossing takes two hours each way — long enough to let the sea breeze blow away the everyday worries while getting a taste of the Eastern Gulf […]
In commercial collaboration with Visit Raseborg Brimming with small-town charm and celebrating its 700th anniversary, Karjaa (Karis) is home to a delightful collection of day-trip destinations: there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a laid-back sun-seeker, an adventurer yearning for the peace of a forest lake, or a history enthusiast. Karjaa, located in Raasepori (Raseborg), is […]
First-timer’s guide: what to expect, what to bring, and how to avoid the most common mistakes on one of Finland’s most beautiful lakeshore trails. Iso-Melkutin is the kind of lake that stops you mid-step. The water is exceptionally clear: the sort of clarity that makes you want to stop, stare, and eventually wade in with […]
Earlier this week we told you about the wonderful summer town of Hanko, located at the tip of the Hanko Peninsula far out in the embrace of the Baltic Sea, about a two-hour drive or train ride from Helsinki. When you travel to Hanko, make sure you set aside time to stop for a good […]
Hanko is a remarkably exotic city: grand old ornate villas, long beautiful sandy beaches with changing cabins, and the scent and breeze of the Baltic sea coming from almost every direction are all hallmarks of this southernmost corner of mainland Finland, which stretches far out into the sea in western Uusimaa. Many Finns cherish Hanko […]
