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About Finland
Click here to see a map of Finland.Finland is a large, clean country with some great wilderness, friendly people and an interesting culture. The main highlights in Finland are the many Museums, Galleries, Castles, Manor Houses, Historic Towns and Churches. Finland has some great Museums and Galleries including Kiasma, the national museum of contemporary art, located in Helsinki. Also in Helsinki is the Mannerheim Museum. Other museums that are worth a visit are Ateneum and Retretti, Seurasaari near Helsinki, Luostarinmaki in Turku, Arktikum in Rovaniemi and Saamelaismuseo in Inari. There are some magnificent Castles and Manor Houses in Finland. The greatest and best preserved medieval castle is Olavinlinna, located in Savonlinna. It has a beautiful setting between two lakes. There are also the stunning castles of Turku and Hameenlinna and the Kastelholm castle in Åland. One of the most superb places to visit in Finland is Louhisaari Manor in Askainen. It was built in 1655 in Dutch Renaissance style. Finland has many historic towns, however, the best ones to visit are Turku, which is the oldest city in Finland, Porvoo, Rauma, Hamina, Naantah and Hanko. Finland houses the world’s largest wooden church, located in Kerimaki. The Tampere Cathedral is stunning also, and the medieval churches of Åland are particularly beautiful.
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Culture
The language spoken in Finland is Finnish, which is a Uralic language and belongs to the Finno-Ugric group. The most widely spoken of the Finno-Ugric languages is Hungarian, but similarities with Finnish are few. The main religion in Finland is Evangelical Lutheran, which makes up about 86% of the population. There is also a small percentage of Orthodox and Roman Catholics. Finnish food has some Swedish and Russian influences. Potato is the base food, and it is served with various fish or meat sauces. Some traditional meals include snow grouse, reindeer stew, glowfired salmon or raw pickled salmon. Alcohol is quite expensive, due to the strict import restrictions. However, strong beers, wines and spirits are sold in licensed bars and restaurants and by the state network, called Alko.
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Local_Currency
The currency in Finland is the euro (EUR).Finland's three national banks have offices all over the country. Travellers’ cheques are expensive to change. Many Finnish ATMs will accept foreign cards on the Visa or Plus system, credit cards are accepted all over the country. Tipping is not necessary anywhere. A service charge is usually included in restaurants' listed price.
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Transport
The quickest way to travel around Finland is by air, however, this can get quite expensive. The best way to get between cities is by train and the best way to get to the more remote parts is by bus. If you would prefer to drive, the highway and freeway network is good and no international licence is needed to drive in Finland. Bicycles can also be hired and they are a great method of transport in the summer. There are also ferries, which operate over summer, you are able to take your bike on these also.
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Visa_Information
Most western nationals, including Americans, citizens of EU countries, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, Malaysians, Singaporeans and most South Americans do not need a visa.
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