If you’ve ever met a Finn, chances are they’ve mentioned the reserved nature of their countrymen.  Finns are talkative and hospitable, but the myth of the withdrawn Finn is still alive and well inside Finland. An example of a Finnish joke: “An introverted Finn looks at his shoes when talking to you; an extroverted Finn looks at your shoes”.

Here are a few fun and very interesting facts about the Finns and their country you might not have heard before, from Finnish squeaky cheese ( It is most delicious with cloudberry jam!) to ice fishing, the Finnish meditation.

1. The thrill of witnessing the Aurora Borealis is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and Finland is one of the best places to spot the Northern Lights.
2. Finland is also home to the home of northern most metro station, motorway and vineyard in the world.
3. In Finland there’s a competition where men carry women, so called Wife Carrying Championships.
4. In Finland, nature is not only wild, it’s free. Finnish law states that anyone living in or visiting Finland has the right to roam the countryside, forage mushrooms and berries, and enjoy the recreational use of natural areas, even on privately owned land.
5. The unique and popular souvenirs to take home from Finland are salty licorice candy, canned reindeer meat and authentic glassware. 
6. The one and only Santa Claus, Finland is the only place in the world where in Lapland you can meet the real Santa Claus.
7. Did you know that Helsinki has some of the cleanest tap water of all big cities in the world and that a small village in Lapland has the cleanest air in Europe?
8. Finns are the unquestioned champions of sauna – they have over 3 million of them, which is more than one sauna for every other citizen.
9. Who would have guessed? The Finns are among the biggest coffee drinkers in the world, and have been for decades.
10. As one of the hardest languages to learn, Finnish uses compound words, meaning words which are combined into one rather than written out individually. This has given birth to one of the longest words in the world at 61 letters, lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas, which means ‘airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student’. It is not used very often!

Come and join us in discovering Helsinki and Finland on your next layover at the Vantaa International Airport, a day on your Baltic Cruise or on a day trip hopping to the other side of the golf of Finland from the southern neighbor of Estonia, Tallinn.

Contact us for more local tips!

Your Helsinki & Finland travel information is available here:

www.visithelsinki.fi

Printable MAP OF HELSINKI