Finland, quiet and laid-back, a country where a ram-shackled cottage by a lake and properly stoked sauna is all that's required for an enjoyable stay. The country is a vast expanse of forest and lakes punctuated by small traditional towns. During the summer months of the midnight sun, coastal regions are a sailing and fishing paradise. When the nights draw in and become cold and long (and they can become very, very long) the locals huddle inside with an open fire raging and the vodka starts flowing and flowing and flowing.

Best time to visit

May to September to avoid the cold and dark.

Essential experiences

Poking around the harbourside fish market in Helsinki where there's everything from fresh salmon and sausages to handicrafts and reindeer related souvenirs; scuttling around the historic ramparts of the fortress at Suomenlinna; boating around the islands of the Ekenas National Park; look on in amazement at the aurora borealis - nature's Arctic light show; Lapland - everyone's childhood adventure.

In a few words, Finland is

Fish, beating oneself with a fragrant branch of birch leaves whilst enjoying a sauna, Nokia phones, snow grouse and reindeers, Sami, Moomin trolls, Arctic lights and Santa Claus.

Did you know

The world's largest smoke sauna is in Kuopio and that the Santa Claus main post office in Lapland receives close to a million letters each year from children all over the world.