Finland Travel Video Guide

Finland Travel Itinerary

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Mainland Scandinavia's most culturally isolated and least understood country, Finland has been independent only since 1917, having been ruled for hundreds of years by first the Swedes and then the Tsarist Russians. Much of its history involves a struggle for recognition and survival, and it's not surprising that modern-day Finns have a well-developed sense of their own culture, manifest in the widely popular Golden Age paintings of Gallen-Kallela and others, the music of Sibelius, the National Romantic style of architecture, and the deeply ingrained values of rural life.

Finland is mostly flat and punctuated by huge forests and lakes, but has wide regional variations. The South contains the least dramatic scenery, but the capital, Helsinki, more than compensates, with its brilliant architecture and superb collections of national history and art. Stretching from the Russian border in the east to the industrial city of Tampere, the vast waters of the Lake Region provide a natural

means of transport for the timber industry - indeed, water here is a more common sight than land. Towns lie on narrow ridges between lakes, giving even major manufacturing centres green and easily accessible surrounds. North of here, Finland ranges from the flat western coast of Ostrobothnia to the thickly forested heartland of Kainuu and gradually rising fells of Lapland, Finland's most alluring terrain and home to the Sami, the semi-nomadic reindeer herders found all over northern Scandinavia

Your Tips For Finland

Traveler, USA

Frank says "If you are visiting Helsinki but want to get out of the city to find out what country is really like, check out rudolfcity.com. I tried them on a day tour to Turku and visited out of the way places that I would never have found myself. It was the best experience of my Finland trip!"

• Helsinki Finland Travel Videos
  Finland Travel Itinerary
  The southern coast of Finland is the most populated, industrialized and richest part of the country, with the densest concentration, not surprisingly, around the capital, HELSINKI . - Finland
  

• Southwest Finland Travel Videos
  Finland Travel Itinerary
  The area immediately west of Helsinki is probably the blandest section of the country, endless forests interrupted only by modest-sized patches of water and virtually identical villages and small towns. - Finland
  

• Lake Region Finland Travel Videos
  Finland Travel Itinerary
  About a third of Finland is consumed by the Lake Region , a huge area of bays, inlets and islands, interspersed with dense forests. - Finland
  

• Northern Finland Travel Videos
  Finland Travel Itinerary
  The three northern regions of Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lapland take up by far the largest portion of Finland. - Finland