11 Things to Know Before You Visit Finland

Things You Should Know Before Your Finland Vacation

Greetings from Helsinki, Finland! I used to live in Finland, and I want you to have a really great time when you come here. When people think of Finland, they think of Nokia and saunas, and maybe they know about really great race car drivers, but there’s so much more to Finland. Finland has beautiful lakes, modern architecture and it’s a very safe country. So, today I’m sharing some Finland travel tips and things you should know before you come to Finland.

Language in Finland

There are three official languages in Finland. Finnish and Swedish are both official languages in Finland. The third language in Finland is Sami, spoken in Lapland by less than 0.5% of the population. But don’t worry, people in Finland speak English very well, so you won’t have a language problem in Finland. That said, learning a few Finnish words will really open up the people to you, as they can be a bit reserved. Here are some key Finnish words to know:

Kiitos = Thank You
Minä haluan = I want
Anteeksi = Sorry
Olut = Beer
Moi = Hi
Moi Moi = Bye

In some areas, you’ll see signs in both Finnish and Swedish and towns may even had a different name in Swedish. For example, Turku is Åbo in Swedish because it was part of Sweden at one time.

Money in Finland

In Finland, the currency is the Euro, which comes in several bills from 500 Euros to 5 Euros. Then there are the Euro coins, which come in 2 and 1 Euro, plus 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents. In Finland, they don’t use the two-cent or one-cent Euro pieces, so if your bill is 98-cents, it will just be rounded up to one Euro. You can also use your credit card all over Finland, just make sure you have a PIN as some machines require you to enter a PIN. You can even pay with your phone at some places in Finland.

10 Things That SHOCK Tourist in Finland

Safety in Finland

Finland ranks as one of the safest countries in the world. The biggest dangers my kids have experienced are skinned knees from falling on the cobblestones, and bug bites! (Make sure you have some good bug spray in Finland because the bugs can be pretty bad, especially near lakes.) if you are visiting Finland in winter, the pavement can ice over, so be careful walking around the city streets.

Best Time to Visit Finland

We’re here in June and it’s a gorgeous time to visit Finland. June, July and August are all great times to visit Finland. Summer in Finland means sunlight all day and all night, so that means winter in Finland is pretty dark. It can be pitch black outside at 10 a.m. if you visit Finland in the winter. However, winter in Finland also mean you can see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. Music festivals are all over Finland in the summer, so look out for those when choosing your travel dates, whether you want to attend them or avoid them!

Getting Around Finland

Public transportation in Finland is great. Trains and buses go all over the country. In the cities, public transport is also easy to use, and covers most areas of the cities. You can also use ferries in Finland to get to some of the island areas. Trains and buses make for easy day trips all over Finland. You can also buy day passes for transportation, so that you can easily hop on or hop off the trams and trains all day.

As far as getting to Finland, FinnAir has connections from all over, but ferries are a popular way to get to Finland. There are ferries to Finland from Sweden, Estonia and Russia, and these are a common way for tourists to travel.

Insider Tip: Buying alcohol on the ferry is cheaper than at the government-run alcohol stores!

Places to Visit in Finland

Finland is mainly a nature paradise destination. You might choose to come and stay at a summer house on a lake, or you might go stay on an island and enjoy the saunas. Saunas are a quintessential part of Finnish culture, so you definitely should experience a Finnish sauna while in Finland.

Some of the best places to visit in Finland include:

Helsinki is a great destination, with museums, churches architecture and live music.
Finland’s Lake District, including Savonlinna and Tampere, is a great place to rent a house and relax in nature
Turku is the old capital of Finland, where I went to school, so it’s my favorite town in Finland. Don’t miss the castle and the cathedral in Turku, and take the ferries out to the archipelago.
Visit Rovaniemi and Levi in the North
Porvoo in the South Archipelago
Aland Islands

What to See in Turku, Finland

Food in Finland

The food in Finland isn’t the most exciting, but there are some special Finnish foods you should try. Mushrooms and mushroom hunting are very popular in Finland, so I recommend trying anything that comes with a mushroom sauce. Reindeer is another food you will try in Finland, along with many varieties of fish and excellent dark breads. Finland has great candy, so be sure to try Salmiakki. Finland has some local fast food chains, which are a good option if you are trying to save money. Hesburger is like a Finnish McDonald’s but so much better! When you do go out to eat, tipping in Finland is not expected.

Prices in Finland

Finland is an expensive country to visit. Hotels and restaurants are quite pricy; I feel it’s about 30% more than prices in the U.S. For four crepes and a couple of sodas, it cost 40 Euros. Once you get outside of Helsinki, prices are a bit less expensive.

More Finland Travel Tips

A few more things you need to know before you visit Finland:

Electrical outlets are the same as the rest of Europe, with two round plugs. You just need an adapter for your U.S. electronics.
Finland is one hour ahead of Germany and two hours ahead of the UK.
Finland is very tech-savvy. WiFi is great in Finland, so you won’t have a problem staying connected during your Finland vacation.

Additional Finland Travel Resources

Check out some of our other videos about traveling to Finland!