Official languages: Finnish, Swedish
Capital: Helsinki
Currency: Euro
Population as % of total EU: 1.07
Joined EU: 1995

Did you know?

• Although Finnish and Swedish are both official languages in Finland, the latter is the first language of just a small proportion of the country’s population (around 5%), mainly in the South West. The two languages are quite different – while Swedish is a North Germanic language (similar to Danish and Norwegian), Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language (similar to Estonian). In Finland, you can expect to see road signs and place names in both languages.
• In Finland, every citizen has a legal right to access a 1 Mbps broadband connection.
• Arguably the most famous Finn is author and artist Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of the Moomins. Jansson’s Moomins books have been translated into about 50 languages and their characters can be spotted on various products all over Helsinki. Jansson wrote for both adults and children and one of her only novels, The Summer Book, is a poetic evocation of family summers on an isolated Finnish island, inspired by her own childhood.
• There are four ‘Restaurant Days’ every year in Helsinki, on which anyone can set up and run their own restaurant for the day. The concept was created in 2011 and has since been exported to other cities around the world, including Norway and the Netherlands.
• In 1906, Finland was the first country in the world to give women the unrestricted rights to both vote and stand for parliament. The world’s first female members of parliament were elected in Finland in 1907.

Visiting Finland: city comforts and a night on a lake

Anyone familiar with Monty Python probably thinks of one thing when they hear the word “Finland”: Michael Palin singing the following verse (and several others) along to a jaunty tune:

“Finland, Finland, Finland
The country where I want to be
Pony trekking or camping or just watching TV
Finland, Finland, Finland
It’s the country for me…”

Although I’d never listened to the song before, thanks to the efforts of my boyfriend Matthew, who burst into song whenever we discussed our upcoming trip, I had it stuck in my head for weeks prior to heading to Finland. And, as a result of a busy few weeks at work, I had precious little else to go on – just a few recommendations from friends and a some blogs hastily Googled in the days before departure.

But now, having spent a long weekend in and around Helsinki, I can safely report that the city is an excellent holiday destination. We didn’t manage to squeeze in any pony trekking or camping, but who knows? Maybe we’ll go back one day and give them a go.

Töölönlahti
For a day walking semi-aimlessly around Helsinki, you can’t beat Töölönlahti, a self-styled urban oasis just behind the main train station. Set around a bay with various picturesque squares and parks alongside walking and cycling routes, it’s a mix of city sights and cultural highlights.

I would particularly recommend visiting Oodi, the new Central Library. A stunning building whose upper section blends into the sky on a cloudy day, Oodi is much more than a library. It has a range of workspaces and meeting rooms, a craft area (including sewing machines and 3D printers for public use), drop-in video games areas and a café and terrace with brilliant views over Kansalaistori Square and Finlandia Hall. For a mere €0.60 you can even make your own magnet – we took the opportunity to make a souvenir out of our Helsinki city map.

The City of Helsinki has produced a handy walking route guide for Töölönlahti, which you can pick up from Oodi.

Löyly sauna
One thing we learnt pretty quickly was that Finns love a good sauna. According to some sources, there are more saunas than cars in Finland, and almost all Finns have at least one sauna a week. Ever keen to get involved with local customs, we headed to Löyly, a public sauna on Helsinki’s Baltic coast.

Löyly (Finnish for ‘steam’) is a striking wooden pyramid-like structure perched on the edge of a neighbourhood that is still very much under construction. It features three saunas (one for private parties, a smoke sauna and a steam sauna) and a decked area over the Baltic sea. Aside from its design and sustainability credentials, Löyly’s location on the coast is one of its main selling points, as it allows users to take an icy dip in the sea between saunas. I was brave enough to give it a try after chickening out only once – and it really did feel great.

Pre-booking is recommended, and a sauna session lasts two hours. The on-site restaurant and bar is a great post-sauna option (especially as there’s not much else nearby!).

Foodstuffs
As always, one of my favourite things to do when visiting a new place is to try out some local delicacies. Whilst Finnish cuisine is undeniably meat-focussed, I was surprised by how many vegetarian alternatives were on offer, both at restaurants and at the supermarket. My top food-related specialities and establishments are listed below – give them a whirl if you’re in town.

• Karelian pastries (karjalanpiirakka): small pasties with a thin rye crust and a rice filling. Traditionally served with egg butter (boiled egg mixed with butter) – yum.
• Salted liquorice (salmiakki): savoury salted liquorice. Omnipresent and available in many forms – we had it in chocolate, beer and even crisps.
• Helsinki long drink: a mix of gin and juice, usually sold pre-mixed in bars and shops. A range of exciting and typically Scandinavian juice varieties, such as lingonberry and cloudberry, are available.
• Kaffeost: coffee with small cubes of cheese in it. The cheese in question is leipäjuusto; drink the coffee and eat the cheese. Surprisingly scrumptious.
• Hills Dumplings: not Finnish cuisine, but certainly tasty. Order your choice of dumplings at the counter then choose your seats. Iced tea, lemonade and water are included in the price, which is reasonably low by Finnish standards. Quirky décor and tasty food.
• Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppahalli): beautiful market hall that makes up part of the rather more hectic Central Market, which has been in business since 1889. Traders include cafes, bakeries, chocolatiers and more.

Suomenlinna
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Finland’s most popular visitor attractions, Suomenlinna is a sea fortress on an island off the coast of Helsinki. It dates back to the 18^th century and features six museums (including one on a submarine), various sites of historical interest and even a brewery.

The main attraction for us was the beautiful setting, so we took a leisurely walk around the island to see some of the main sights.

There is a number of cafes and restaurants to choose from on the island, but we plumped for some pastries and hot drinks at the cosy Café Vanille. It’s a tight squeeze, but the food is tasty and you feel like you’re being welcomed into someone’s front room.

Temppeliaukio Rock Church
A semi-subterranean church excavated into rock with a copper-lined dome, ring-shaped skylight and excellent acoustics – need I say more? This spectacular-looking church was designed by architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen as part of a competition in 1961, and its construction was completed in 1969.

The church can be visited for a small fee (€3) during its opening hours, and also hosts regular music concerts. More information about these can be found on the church’s website.

Saunaferry
Keen to venture out of the capital city for at least a short period of time, we spent our last night in Finland on a boat in rural Kirkkonummi, about an hour’s journey (train plus taxi) from Helsinki. As the name suggests, the boat also has a sauna – in fact, it is essentially half sauna. This time we got to set up and light the sauna ourselves, which added another dimension to the experience.

With barely another human being in sight and a beautiful, tranquil setting, this was the perfect end to our time in Finland. If we could have stayed longer, we definitely would have.