Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland
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“The
End of the Journey”. This is quite a symbolic name for this final
chapter of the journey. Here, we are going to take a look at the Travel Smart
journey in Finland, its best moments and most remarkable places.
Where: Finland
What: “Travel Smart”
series
To begin with, I would
like to thank all my readers for following my travel stories and exploring
destinations with me. The journey in Finland was quite long because I had a
chance to visit so many places while living here. Obviously, it is not possible
to explore everything and not necessarily. Therefore, we were focusing on the
most interesting places only.
 |
| Helsinki (suburbs) |
We started the journey
in Finland’s capital, i.e. in the city of Helsinki, and visited its eastern and western parts. It was quite easy to notice that
Helsinki has a mix of styles, i.e. Russian, Swedish, and Finnish. It is because
of the city’s and country’s history. Being both part of Sweden and then Russia,
Finland inherited a lot from them, which created such an amazing place.
Later on, we moved to
the town of Lahti and further north to the town of Mikkeli. Mikkeli appeared to be the most comfortable town of Finland, because
everything is in one place and so near, whereas Lahti was quite spread. Both
have something to offer and both are interesting.
 |
| Tampere |
On our way to Kuopio, which
is worth visiting, we explored a few small towns, but there is one place I
would recommend, which is Valtola. There
is a nature resort and unusual scenery of a rock standing on top of the other
one. Undoubtedly, it attracts many people. Later, we explored the town of
Joensuu, which was quite interesting. After that, we moved to the south to the
town of Savonlinna. Savonlinna is not big but it has its own symbol as its heart in its castle
(fortress). It is a very popular place, especially with Russian tourists.
Then, we also visited
two places, which were quite close to each other, Imatra and Lappeenranta. Lappeenranta is really interesting and calm. It has everything you might need;
at the same time, it is quite small and has its coziness. Lappeenranta is
spread, which creates a feeling of a big town. Besides, it has the largest lake
in Finland, Saimaa. It is fantastic;
you will enjoy the scenery and will want to stay longer. It is one of my
favorite places in this country.
 |
| Old train in Kouvola |
Once we explored that
wonderful region, we proceeded to the south and there was a town, which would
be nice to have a stop in, Kouvola. This town is important because of its
location, i.e. all the trains going to Russia or to the eastern part of Finland
stop in Kouvola and then go different ways. There is an old train near the
railroad station as a reminder of old good times. It would be nice if you have
some time for this place.
It is worth mentioning
that there is a new way to travel within Finland with a limited budget; it is OnniBus, a Polish company, which started
to operate in Finland. The bus company has various routes and low prices, thus
being highly attractive.
 |
| OnniBus |
We were also lucky to
discover a very nice town of Porvoo, a typically Swedish town. Porvoo is one of my favorite towns of Finland, as
well. It is always calm and peaceful in the town; it feels like you can find
yourself being there. The amazing mix of nature and Swedish architecture
created such a lovely place. Make sure you have time for this town. Besides, it
is quite close to Helsinki, which makes it the easiest place to visit.
Then we moved to the
two big towns of Finland, Tampere and Turku. Tampere is famous for its own achievements and Turku used to be the first
capital of the country. The town of Tampere was remarkable for its amusement
park and the observation deck. The view was worth the trip. Turku offered quite
a different experience; it has a mix of a big town with a small cozy little village.
In some places it reminded me the town of Porvoo.
 |
| Porvoo (old town) |
Logically, after that
we still had something left, i.e. the northernmost part of the country. Our way
went through the town of Jyväskylä to Oulu. Then we stopped in Kemi and Tornio.
Then, we decided to see how the border of Finland and Sweden looked like, so we
got to the town of Haparanda, Sweden.
The end of the northern
journey was the town of Christmas, Rovaniemi
in Lapland. The climate there is quite different; moreover, you have a good
chance to see the northern lights in the sky if you are there. I had that
experience and it was spectacular! It is extremely beautiful. Rovaniemi was a
logical ending of a big journey, because it represents something unique and
typical for Finnish north only. Besides, who would not want to meet Santa?
 |
| Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi |
To end up our journey,
we got back to where we began, i.e. to Helsinki. We also visited its zoo and its fortress, Suomenlinna,
which is located on the island. It represents the Nordic spirit of the country
and is one of the most interesting and attractive places in Helsinki.
 |
| Helsinki |
All in all, the journey
in Finland was different and not always what was expected, for example, some
places like Porvoo or Lappeenranta were especially lovely. Furthermore, the Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi was the
place to see and the trip there was definitely worth it! Undoubtedly, while
traveling, you get to know people better and discover something new. I can say
that I have an impression of Finnish people as shy, not always open (perhaps
due to their past), but quite polite and interesting when you talk to them. It
is a personal feature of each and every nation, which defines who they are. I
should say I enjoyed the journey and recommend it to my readers. Find your own
way to discover Finland, explore new places, and bring only good memories back
home! Discover the world with Travel Smart!!! And we are headed to our new
destinations!
Kirill “Traveler” Malyutin
About Travel Smart series:
“Travel Smart” is a section,
narrating about different countries and good travel tips, advised by the
author, Kirill Malyutin. The series contains recommendations, including selected
places to visit, character accommodation, and reasonable
shopping. Simply get inspiration!
All stories of the series → О серии «Travel Smart»:
«Travel Smart»
– раздел, в котором автор Кирилл Малютин рассказывает о разных странах и дает
необходимые в путешествии советы. Серия включает в себя рекомендации по
посещенным автором местам, характерным средствам размещения, а также разумному шопингу.
Вдохновитесь приключением!
Все выпуски серии →Read also / Читайте также:
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