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Top Attractions in Finland

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Helsinki has a population of 626,305, an urban population of 1.2 million, and a metropolitan population of 1.4 million, making it the most populous municipality and urban area in Finland. Helsinki is located some 80 kilometres north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 kilometres north east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 388 kilometres west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki has close historical connections with these three cities. The Helsinki metropolitan area includes the urban core of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, and surrounding commuter towns. It is the worlds northernmost metro area of over one million people, and the city is the northernmost capital of an EU member state. The Helsinki metropolitan area is the fourth largest Nordic metropolitan area after the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, and the City of Helsinki is the third biggest Nordic city after Stockholm and Oslo. Helsinki is Finlands major political, educational, financial, cultural, and research center as well as one of northern Europes major cities. Approximately 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The nearby municipality of Vantaa is the location of Helsinki Airport, with frequent service to various destinations in Europe and Asia. In 2009, Helsinki was chosen to be the World Design Capital for 2012 by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, narrowly beating Eindhoven for the title. The city was the venue for the XV Olympic Games 1952 and the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest 2007. In the Economist Intelligence Units August 2012 Liveability survey, assessing the best and worst cities to live in, Helsinki placed eighth best overall. In 2011, the Monocle Magazine in turn ranked Helsinki the most liveable city in the world in its "Liveable Cities Index 2011".

Espoo

Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is 268,924 . It is part of the Finnish Capital Region, and most of its population lives in the inner urban core of the Helsinki metropolitan area, along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen. The city is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the region of Uusimaa. Other bordering municipalities of Espoo are Nurmijärvi and Vihti in the north, and Kirkkonummi in the west. The national park of Nuuksio is situated in northwestern Espoo. Espoo encompasses 528 square kilometres , of which 312 km2 is land. Espoo has several local regional centers. Espoo is thus divided into seven major areas : Vanha-Espoo (with administrative center), Suur-Espoonlahti, Pohjois-Espoo, Suur-Kauklahti, Suur-Leppävaara, Suur-Matinkylä, and Suur-Tapiola. Aalto University is based in Otaniemi, Espoo, along with a thriving science community that includes numerous startups and organizations such as VTT the Technical Research Center of Finland. Several major companies are based in Espoo, including Nokia Solutions and Networks, Microsoft Mobile, KONE, Neste Oil, Fortum, Orion Corporation, and Outokumpu, as well as video game developers Rovio and Remedy Entertainment. The city of Espoo is officially bilingual. The majority of the population, 83.6%, speaks Finnish as their mother tongue, while a minority of 8.3% speaks Swedish. 8% of Espoo's population has a first language other than Finnish or Swedish.

Kaartinkaupunki

Kaartinkaupunki consists of the area between the Esplanadi park and the Tähtitornin vuori park. Its area was first confirmed in 1812, but the neighbourhood was only named in 1959. It is neighbourhood number 3 in Helsinki, belonging to the Ullanlinna district and to the Southern main district. Kaartinkaupunki was named after the old Russian army barracks located near Kasarmitori. The oldest part of the barracks was built in 1822. It was originally built as a residence for the Helsinki training battalion, which later became the Guard of Finland. The neighbourhood has a land area of 0.33 square kilometres . In 2005, it had a population of 881, and in late 2003, it had 11,001 jobs. Kaartinkaupunki includes the Esplanadi park, the Helsinki Market Square, and the streets of Pohjois- and Etelä-Esplanadi. It does not include any of the buildings on Pohjoisesplanadi, because they belong to Kruununhaka or Kluuvi. One of the main streets in the area is Korkeavuorenkatu. The precise location of the neighbourhood can be seen on the Helsinki city plan map.

Turku

Turku is a city on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland. Turku, as a town, was settled during the 13th century and founded most likely at the end of the 13th century, making it the oldest city in Finland. It quickly became the most important city in Finland, a status it retained for hundreds of years. After Finland became part of the Russian Empire and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland was moved to Helsinki , Turku continued to be the most populous city in Finland until the end of the 1840s, and it remains a regional capital and an important business and cultural center. Because of its long history, it has been the site of many important events, and has extensively influenced Finnish history. Along with Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Turku was designated the European Capital of Culture for 2011. In 1996, it was declared the official Christmas City of Finland. Due to its location, Turku is a notable commercial and passenger seaport with over three million passengers traveling through the Port of Turku each year to Stockholm and Mariehamn. As of 30 September 2014, the population of Turku was 183,811, making it the sixth largest city in Finland. As of 31 August 2008, there were 303,492 inhabitants living in the Turku sub-region, ranking it as the third largest urban area in Finland after the Greater Helsinki area and Tampere sub-region. The city is officially bilingual as 5.2 percent of its population identify Swedish as a mother-tongue.

Tampere

Tampere is a city in Pirkanmaa, southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of 223,292 growing to 313,058 people in the urban area, and 364,000 in the metropolitan area on an area of 4,977 km2 as of 2011. Tampere is the second-largest urban area and third most-populous individual municipality in the country, after Helsinki and Espoo municipalities . It's also the most populous Finnish city outside the Greater Helsinki area and inner Finland's major urban, economic and cultural hub. Tampere is located between two lakes, Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. Since the two lakes differ in level by 18 metres , the rapids linking them, Tammerkoski, have been an important power source throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is dubbed the "Manchester of Finland" for its industrial past as the former center of Finnish industry, and this has given rise to its Finnish nickname "Manse" and terms such as "Manserock". Helsinki is located approximately 160 kilometres south of Tampere, and can be reached in 1.5 hours by train and 2 hours by car. The distance to Turku is roughly the same. Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is the third-busiest airport in Finland, with over 400,000 passengers annually.

Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori, or Sveaborg, is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site. Originally named Sveaborg, or Viapori as called by Finnish-speaking Finns, it was renamed Suomenlinna in 1918 for patriotic and nationalistic reasons, though it is sometimes known by its original name. The Swedish crown commenced the construction of the fortress in 1748 as protection against Russian expansionism. The general responsibility for the fortification work was given to Augustin Ehrensvärd. The original plan of the bastion fortress was strongly influenced by the ideas of Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the time, and the principles of Star Fort style of fortification, albeit adapted to a group of rocky islands. In addition to the island fortress itself, seafacing fortifications on the mainland would ensure that an enemy would not acquire a beach-head from which to stage attacks. The plan was also to stock munitions for the whole Finnish contingent of the Swedish Army and Royal Swedish Navy there. In the Finnish War the fortress surrendered to Russia on May 3, 1808, paving the way for the occupation of Finland by Russian forces in 1809.

Pargas

Pargas in 2009-2011) is a municipality of Finland, in the Archipelago Sea. The big limestone mine in Pargas is the base of the main industry, while there is still significant rural areas. Except the central parts of Pargas the municipality is mostly rural. Pargas is located in Åboland in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. It was created as Väståboland on January 1, 2009 in Southwest Finland, when the municipalities of Pargas, Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär and Iniö were united into a single municipality. The municipality has a population of 15,461 and covers an area of 5,548.25 square kilometres of which 4,666.46 km2 is water. The population density is 17.53 inhabitants per square kilometre . The town is bilingual with a majority speaking Swedish as their native language.

Sodankylä

Sodankylä is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland, Finland and lies at the Northern end of Finnish national road 5. The municipality has a population of 8,823 and covers an area of 12,415.46 square kilometres of which 718.65 km2 is water. The population density is 0.75 inhabitants per square kilometre . Neighbour municipalities are Inari, Kemijärvi, Kittilä, Pelkosenniemi, Rovaniemi and Savukoski. The municipality has two official languages: Finnish and Northern Sami. Since 1986 Sodankylä has been home to the Midnight Sun Film Festival (Sodankylän elokuvajuhlat). The Jaeger Brigade of the Finnish Army is located in Sodankylä. Although Sodankylä and also Soađegilli translate to 'Village of War', the etymology of the name is from a surname rather than the word 'war'. One of EISCAT's scientific radar receiver stations is located outside Sodankylä, at the site of the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. The urban area around the observatory is known as Tähtelä, which translates as "Place of Stars", although the observatory does not look at stars. Further, Sodankylä is home to Luosto, which is a ski and safari resort in the heart of the national forest that specialises in authentic and uncommercialised Husky, Reindeer, Skidoo and Santa excursions. Sodankylä has an airfield.

Kouvola

Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located 134 kilometres northeast of the capital, Helsinki. The city has a population of 86,302 and covers an area of 2,883.30 square kilometres of which 325.06 km2 is water. The population density is 33.73 inhabitants per square kilometre . The town originally grew up around the junction of the north-south and east-west rail tracks. It was also a major road transport junction. In January 2009, the six municipalities of Kouvola, Kuusankoski, Elimäki, Anjalankoski, Valkeala and Jaala were consolidated, forming the new municipality of Kouvola. Kouvola can now claim the natural beauty of Valkeala and Jaala as well as the cultural heritage of Elimäki and Anjalankoski as its own, the town itself being infamous for its Soviet-like Brutalist architecture and allegedly high crime rate. Kouvola has also assumed the slogan Kymijoen kaupunki previously used by Anjalankoski. Keskilaakso newspaper is published in Kouvola.

Market Square

The Market Square is a central square in Helsinki, Finland, and one of the most famous market places and tourist attractions in the city. The Market Square is located near the centre of Helsinki, at the eastern end of Esplanadi and bordering the Baltic Sea to the south and Katajanokka to the east. The Helsinki City Transport maintains an all-year-round ferry link from the Market Square to Suomenlinna, and in the summer there are also private companies providing ferry cruises, both to Suomenlinna and other nearby islands. From spring to autumn, the Market Square is bustling with activity with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. There are also many outdoor cafés at the square. Some cafés also provide meat pastries, and one advertises their pastries as being "the best in the Market Square… in Helsinki… in Finland!" The height of the squares popularity is in early October when the annual Helsinki herring market begins. A long tradition at the Market Square is a display of old American cars on the first Friday of every month. Any motorist with an interest in old American cars can take part in this display. How the tradition originally started is unclear. Seagulls have become an increasing menace in the Market Square, swooping down to snatch snacks and ice-cream from the hands of unsuspecting tourists.

Ullanlinna

Ullanlinna is the southern-most city district of Helsinki, in Finland. The name Ullanlinna refers to the fortification line that was built at the southern edge of the area during the 18th century , as part of the town fortifications, which also included the fortress of Suomenlinna. The name Ulla refers to the Swedish Queen Ulrika Eleonora . During the 19th century the area was dominated by summer pavilions owned by the wealthy Helsinki middle-classes. The appearance of the area changed gradually at the end of the 19th century as the wooden houses were replaced with much higher stone buildings, designed in the prevailing Jugendstil architectural style synonymous with National Romanticism. The central part of Ullanlinna is marked by the Tähtitorninpuisto park , at the centre of which is the former observatory, designed by Carl Ludvig Engel in 1825 in the Neoclassical style of architecture. Other notable buildings in the district are the Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Jyvaskyla

Jyväskylä is a city and municipality in Finland and in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is the largest city in the region of Central Finland and on the Finnish Lakeland. Elias Lönnrot, the compiler of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, gave the city the nickname "Athens of Finland". This nickname refers to the major role of Jyväskylä as an educational center, and as the first place in the world to provide education in Finnish. The works of the most famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto can be seen throughout the city. The city hosts the Neste Oil Rally Finland, which is part of the World Rally Championship. It is also home of the annual Jyväskylä Arts Festival. As of 30 June 2015, Jyväskylä had a population of 135,591. The city has been one of the fastest growing cities in Finland during the 20th century. In 1940, there were only 8000 inhabitants in Jyväskylä. The Jyväskylä sub-region includes Jyväskylä, Hankasalmi, Laukaa, Muurame, Petäjävesi, Toivakka, and Uurainen.

Kauhava

Kauhava is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, 400 kilometres northwest of Helsinki and by the main railway from Helsinki to Oulu. The town has a population of 16,943 and covers an area of 1,328.37 square kilometres of which 14.63 km2 is water. The population density is 12.9 inhabitants per square kilometre . Knife making is a traditional industry in Kauhava, and many Finns recognize the name of this small town because of knives made there. At one time, as many as five different knife-making enterprises were underway in the town, but today there is only one Iisakki Järvenpää Oy, which has been making knives in Kauhava since 1879. Puukko made in Kauhava are sometimes referred to as being in the Ostrobothnian style. Each June sees the Kauhava International Knife Festival, lasting a couple of days and including knife exhibitions, knife making and knife throwing. As with many Finnish localities, there are museums in Kauhava . One in the center of town features both the knifemaking tradition as well as the local textiles. An out-of-place fishing lure is one interesting feature of this museum. Another museum on the outskirts of Kauhava features the 19th century home and farm of Iisakin Jussi. It provides a view of late 19th century life in Western Finland. The Iisakin Jussi House is not open during the winter months. The surrounding country is flat and well suited to agriculture, alternating between fields and forests. The town probably takes its name from the small river which passes through it. Kauhava is the home of the Finnish Training Air Wing. The surrounding municipalities of Alahärmä, Kortesjärvi and Ylihärmä were consolidated with Kauhava on 1 January 2009. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
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