Finland

Finland has it all - snowy winters, pleasantly warm summers and colourful spring and autumn. Lapland is the most snow guaranteed place in the Europe. Not only the climate but also Finns are considered to be cool - a bit quiet and reserved. But they are actually warm, friendly, hospitable and especially honest people.

Geography and Nature
Finland is located in Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Finland is widely associated with its magnificent nature and is also known as the land of the thousand lakes. The natural wonders in Finland such as the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights in Northern Finland are attractions in themselves and make Finland worth a visit.

Though inhabiting roughly a million people, Finland is a country of great longitude and, therefore, also of great diversity.

History
Finland being a blend of East and West is not only a result of geographical position, as the Finns' cultural and genetic roots are a mixture of the two as well. Some of us them are tall and blond like Scandinavians, while others are dark and stockier like the Slavs. Most are something in between. The calculating mentality is an outcome of acting as a barrier between two worlds and ways of life that often have not agreed with each other.
In prehistoric times, the first settlers to Finland came from the East. From The Middle Ages onwards, the area of Finland was under Swedish rule for 600 years. In 1809, Finland was incorporated into Russia as result of a war lost by Sweden. Finland became a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire, and was granted autonomy with its own government and currency.
 
Helsinki became the capital in 1812 (replacing Turku in the south-west). The official national languages were - and still are - Finnish and Swedish. Amid the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, Finland declared its independence in 1917, establishing its present constitution and status as a republic in 1919.

Recent studies suggest that the ethnic roots of the Finnish people lie to the south-east of Europe, from where their ancestors migrated following the last Ice Age some 9,000 years ago.

Culture
It would almost be a crime to visit Finland without taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time in one of the famous Finnish saunas. Especially during the winter this can be a spectacular experience where you can go straight from the heat in the sauna to the freezing cold in the snow if you want to.
During the winter Finland offers excellent opportunities for all kinds of activities such as skiing, riding snowmobiles, dog team riding etc. In summer time there are also several possibilities for doing all sorts of activities such as biking, hiking, rappelling etc.

Few people know that Finland hosts one of the most famous and beloved characters in the whole world - Santa Claus. Our tours to Finland will take the visitors to the Santa Claus village near Rovaniemi where the special Christmas atmosphere is experienced every day - also in summer time!
Welcome to sharing our Vision of Finland.