A short guide about Finland
Finland is a northern European country of four seasons for the discerning traveller, not a land of mass tourism.
Finnish language belongs to the Finno-Ugric group of languages together with Estonian and Hungarian. English is the most widespread foreign language and German, French and Russian are not uncommon at the bigger towns and tourist centres.
Finland has a high standard of living, comparable to other Nordic countries, facilities are good and especially the telecommunications are next to none in the world. The five million Finns may appear reserved at first, but they soon show a friendly face after contact, especially if you show interest in the local culture like sauna.
Finnish flora is rich and varied during the warm period between late May and September. The most common mammals in the forests include elks, foxes, lynxes, lemmings and hedgehogs, but also brown bear exists. Reindeer is very common in Lapland in northern Finland,. There are also over 300 species of birds including black grouse, whooper cranes and birds of prey, such as ospreys.
There are thousands of lakes separated by few agricultural and urban areas; the Baltic Sea with widespread archipelagos offers plenty of possibilities for sailing and fishing. Summer offers you a wide variety of activity from trekking to urban holidays, or you can simply relax at a hidden summer cottage with a sauna near a lake.
The winter months are the best time for a skiing holiday or to visit Santa Claus and take a reindeer tour. The skiing centres in Lapland temp enough people to make it a crowd in the pure northern winter nature. You can find the midnight sun in the summer months from July to August but the nights can be chilly, visit Tourabout to find the best tour to suit your needs.