Even if summer makes you wait for it, a certain sign of summer is the explosion of colours at the Haaga rhododendron park in Helsinki. The splendour only lasts for a few weeks in June, and this destination is definitely worth visiting even if your knowledge of flowers is limited only to "Oh, look how pretty they are!".
One way to get to the park is by train to Huopalahti train station from where you can walk to...
Rumavaara is a hill that overlooks Korentojärvi lake in Pudasjärvi municipality in the province of Oulu. Pudasjärvi is famous for its nature, and it is home to Syöte, the southernmost fell area in Finland. In order to reach Rumavaara, you have to cross the devil's field first!
Rumavaara literally means ugly hill, and earlier it used to be called dick hill. Perhaps people thought, that the devil's field makes...
Rissla forest trail is located at Fiskars village in Raseborg municipality, approximately one-hour drive west of Helsinki. Fiskars is a thriving, 600-strong community of artists and craftspeople in a beautiful setting by a river Fiskarså. The Rissla forest trail departs from the village and leads you to an old Rissla dam and beautiful waterfall in Risslaån river.
Fiskars village is historically significant as it was developed around ironworks of Fiskars...
You might not expect to see a Japanese-style cherry tree park in Finland. However, this curiosity does exist in the middle of an otherwise non-descript suburb in East Helsinki called Roihuvuori, and every May the glorious pink foliage magically appears after months of snow. It vanishes almost as quickly as it has appeared so you have to be prepared.
As weather in Finland varies anywhere from snow and sleet to...
A lot of people will know the story about Jack and the Beanstalk. When the seeds grow into a stalk, Jack climbs up and ends up in the house of the giant. In some versions, Jack is hidden in the giant's kettle but the giant smells him in his house. This story really comes...
As children, we have all found treasure in the most bizarre places. Sometimes it probably was an amazing stick, a slimy toad, or even a shiny rock. However, most of us forget about our dreams of finding jewels and precious stones when we grow up. We advocate finding your inner child every now and then, so we decided to go and dig for treasure at Lampivaara in Lapland. (more…)
Iso-Valkee is a beautiful little lake with sandy beaches, lean-to shelters and a nature trail. This area is especially popular among swimmers and divers, ice-skaters, dog owners and geocachers. The trail around the lake is 3,7 km long. Water in the lake is crystal clear, which is not that common in the Finnish lakes.
I went to Iso-Valkee in November, a day before the snow, and I didn't see any swimmers. The lake was partly open as it is up to 24 meters deep and has some natural springs. But...
Pääjärvi recreation area is a perfect spot for day visits or short overnight stays, when you want to be out in the nature in Southern Finland. Pääjärvi provides clearly marked trails and nice resting spots around the lake. It's a good place for picking berries and mushrooms, hook and line fishing, skiing, cycling, swimming, and camping. Pääjärvi is also a multi-cache location, in case you are into geocaching.
I headed to Pääjärvi last weekend to enjoy the autumn day and have a...
Juveninkoski is a waterfall located in Jämsä. It gets its water from a small Nytkymenjoki river in the village of Partala and it is the largest waterfall in Central Finland. The water plunges down a rocky cliff for about 7 metres. Juveninkoski is a nice sight especially in spring (April-May) when the water level in the river is higher. I mean, let's be honest here, Finland is not exactly the go-to country for waterfalls, but it's nice to have some beautiful rapids to see. I visited this...
Kyynäränharju ridge is one of the top attractions in Liesjärvi national park, which is located in Tammela, approximately 95 km from Helsinki. Kyynäränharju is a low sandy shored ridge, which separates Lake Kyynärä and Lake Liesjärvi from one another. There are several hiking trails in Liesjärvi National Park and they depart from multiple locations. I recommend for example Pirttilahti parking area, from where you can reach Kyynäränharju easily.
A large part of the Liesjärvi...
