Finland

Places in Finland

• Akaa

  Akaa is a small Finnish municipality in Pirkanmaa with three town centres—Toijala, Viiala, and Kylmäkoski—consolidated between 2007 and 2011. It appeals to travellers interested in off-the-beaten-path industrial heritage, railway history, and Finland's self-proclaimed "honey capital" status.

  Atlas entry

• Äkäslompolo

  Äkäslompolo is a resort village of 600 inhabitants in Finnish Lapland, serving as a hub for Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park year-round. The main season peaks during February school holidays and Easter, with the ruska autumn foliage season in September also drawing visitors.

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• Bothnian Sea National Park

  Bothnian Sea National Park is Finland's maritime treasure in the northern Baltic Sea, established in 2011 to preserve underwater nature and pelagic bird nesting sites. About 98% of the 160-km-long park is sea, with bays, islands, islets, and skerries notable for abundant birdlife and grey seals.

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• Brändö

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• Enonkoski

  Enonkoski is the smallest municipality in South Savonia by both area and population, offering a tranquil Finnish lakeside experience away from tourist crowds. The town centers around a distinctive wooden church from 1886 designed by architect Magnus Schjerfbeck and sits near the border of South Savo and North Karelia regions.

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• Enontekiö

  Enontekiö is a vast, sparsely populated municipality in north-western Finnish Lapland, covering over 8,000 km² with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. The region includes part of Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, all peaks exceeding 1,000 m in Finland, and wide areas above the tree line.

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• Espoo

  Espoo is the second largest city in Finland and part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. It offers a mix of modern technology hubs, historic architecture, and vast natural areas like Nuuksio National Park.

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• Finström

  Finström is a rural municipality in Åland, offering forests, nature trails, and several small beaches along its lakes and coastal inlets. The main settlement Godby serves as a local center with basic services and makes a quiet base for exploring northern Åland.

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• Forssa

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• Gullkrona

  Gullkrona is an island and island group in Finland's Archipelago Sea, once a beloved guest harbour and boating destination before closing in 2008. New owners acquired most of the island and have reopened it with improved services including a restaurant and children's activities, aiming to restore its former popularity while maintaining its peaceful island character.

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• Hailuoto

  Hailuoto (Swedish: Karlö) is the largest island in the Gulf of Bothnia, offering a counterpoint to Finland's inland cities with its open dunes, pine forests, and Baltic Sea views. The island draws nature lovers, birdwatchers, and photographers seeking solitude without venturing far from Oulu, which lies just across the water.

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• Hämeenlinna

  Hämeenlinna is Finland's oldest inland city, founded in 1249, with a medieval red-brick castle that gives the city its name. The city served as an important Finnish administrative center until the 19th century and remains notable for its cultural heritage, including the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius.

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• Hamina

  Hamina is a compact historic town in southeast Finland with a unique circular town plan dating to 1653, when Gustav Vasa granted the merchant town its distinctive layout centered on the town hall. The town is notable for its wooden neighborhood architecture, 17th-century fortress, and Lippupuisto (Flag Park), home to Europe's tallest flagpole at 100 meters.

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• Hanko

  Hanko (Swedish: Hangö) is Finland's southernmost city, positioned at the tip of a peninsula that all coastal traffic must pass. The city serves as a major marina stop for boats traveling between Helsinki and the Archipelago Sea, making it a popular sailing destination.

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• Heinola

  Heinola is a small Finnish town of 18,000 people set on the shores of Lake Ruotsalainen, positioned halfway between Helsinki and Jyväskylä (140 km from each). Founded officially in 1776, the town grew around its rapids and became an important trading hub in the 1700s.

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• Helsinki

  Helsinki blends historic and modern architecture with open public spaces. Islands around Finland's capital add a maritime dimension to days spent exploring on foot or by bike.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$131

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Hiidenportti National Park

  Hiidenportti National Park offers a dramatic gorge with vertical cliffs, ancient old-growth forests, and vast mire landscapes in the Kainuu region of northern Finland. The 42 km² park is centered on the Hiidenportti gorge—a scenic ravine with a swamp and ponds at its base.

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• Houtskär

  Houtskär is a remote cluster of about 700 islands in Finland's Archipelago Sea, offering solitude, nature trails, and traditional Swedish-speaking island culture. With roughly 520 permanent residents but many more in summer, it provides an authentic glimpse into archipelago life far from Finland's urban centers.

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• Hyvinkää

  Hyvinkää is a green, verdant town 50 km north of Helsinki, offering nature-focused activities without the crowds of the capital. It's ideal for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy trails, forests, and lakes, as well as those interested in Finnish railway history and local art.

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• Ii

  Ii is notable for its extremely short name—just two letters—and its ambitious goal to become the world's first zero-waste town, earning a climate prize from the European Commission. The town sits at the mouth of the Iijoki River, Finland's fourth longest, which provides scenic beauty and cultural significance (the famous author Kalle Päätalo wrote a series named after it).

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• Ilmajoki

  Ilmajoki is a small municipality in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland, founded in 1865. The town is best known as the home of Altia's Koskenkorva manufacturing plant, which produces Koskenkorva Viina (locally called "Kossu"), one of Finland's most recognized spirits.

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• Imatra

  Imatra is a historic Finnish town dominated by Lake Saimaa, the River Vuoksi, and proximity to the Russian border. The main draw is Imatrankoski Rapids, Finland's first tourist attraction, where Catherine the Great visited in 1772.

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• Inari

  Inari is a centre of Sámi culture in Finnish Lapland. The village brings the Sámi Parliament and Siida museum into reach of surrounding wilderness.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$180

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Iniö

  Iniö is one of the most remote destinations in the Archipelago Sea, reachable only by ferry. With just 250 inhabitants on four main islands and over a thousand minor ones, it offers an authentic Swedish-speaking Finnish island experience far from tourist crowds.

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• Ivalo

  Ivalo is the administrative centre of Inari municipality, the largest in Finland at 17,333 km², yet home to fewer than 7,000 people. The town serves as the northernmost gateway to Finnish Lapland's wilderness, with the northern limit of spruce forests visible nearby.

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• Jakobstad

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• Jämsä

  Jämsä is a Finnish town of about 22,000 inhabitants in the region of Central Finland. It serves as a gateway to the Himos ski resort—one of Finland's largest ski areas outside Lapland—located just 5 km from the town centre.

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• Janakkala

  Janakkala is a small Finnish municipality in Tavastia Proper, best suited as a quiet side trip from Helsinki or Hämeenlinna. The municipality is known for its medieval Saint Lawrence Church and the historical Hakoisten linnavuori hill fort.

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• Järvenpää

  Järvenpää (Swedish: Träskända, literally 'Lake's end') is a city of about 45,000 residents on the northern shores of Lake Tuusula (Tusby träsk), 40 km north of Helsinki. The lake and its surroundings hold immense cultural significance as the place where many of Finland's defining artists, writers, and composers lived and worked during the nation's emergence as an independent country.

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• Joensuu

  Joensuu ("River's mouth" in Finnish) sits where the Pielisjoki flows into Lake Pyhäselkä, making it the second largest city in Eastern Finland and capital of North Karelia. The city combines a 1848 grid-plan town center with Finnish Art Nouveau architecture by Eliel Saarinen, a strong university presence from the University of Eastern Finland, and deep roots in the forestry industry.

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• Jokioinen

  Jokioinen is a small Finnish municipality of roughly 5,000 residents, best known for its beloved narrow-gauge museum railway (Jokioisten Museorautatie). The town sits along the Loimijoki river and preserves a collection of historic wooden churches, heritage farms, and small museums that showcase 19th-century rural Finnish life.

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• Jurmo

  Jurmo is the furthest off-coast island in the Archipelago Sea you can explore within a day trip from the mainland. The island offers over 300 observed bird species, unique stone circles called munkringar, and a historic chapel from 1846 with a votive ship made by a shipwrecked sailor.

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• Juupajoki

  Juupajoki is a small rural municipality in Pirkanmaa, best suited for nature lovers seeking Finnish forest experiences off the beaten path. The area offers cloudberry and lingonberry picking in summer, trout fishing in the river, and visits to the historic Koskenjalka Shoe Museum in Korkeakoski.

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• Jyväskylä

  Jyväskylä is a university city in central Finland. Its large student population gives a city break a lively academic backdrop.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$142

  Best months

  May–Aug

• Kaarina

  Kaarina is a small town in Finland Proper, about 10 km east of Turku, offering a quieter alternative for travelers exploring southwestern Finland. The town is named after the Katariina church, itself named after Catherine of Alexandria.

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• Kajaani

  Kajaani is a small, quiescent former industrial town in eastern Finland, serving as the administrative capital of the Kainuu region with 36,000 inhabitants. For most travelers, Kajaani functions as a transit point on the way to the Vuokatti ski and spa resort 40 km east, or as a base for exploring the surrounding lakes and forests.

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• Kalajoki

  Kalajoki offers something rare: a Mediterranean-style sand beach experience in the Finnish archipelago, with none of the high-rise hotels or commercial development you'd find in popular southern destinations. The Hiekkasärkät sand dunes stretch for kilometres along the Bothnian Bay, backed by a spa, cabin village, camping area, and an 18-hole golf course.

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• Kangasala

  Kangasala is a picturesque town in Finnish Lakeland known for its dramatic ridges (harju) and sparkling lakes immortalized in Zacharias Topelius' beloved 1853 poem "Sommardag i Kangasala." The town offers a slower pace than Tampere, with observation towers providing sweeping views across Lake Roine and the surrounding wilderness. It's ideal for day-trippers from Tampere seeking nature, car enthusiasts drawn to two excellent automobile museums, and hikers tackling the 60-km Kaarinan polku trail.

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• Kankaanpää

  Kankaanpää is a small Finnish town in Satakunta that developed as an industrial centre in the 19th century. It is notable as the hometown of pesäpallo, Finland's national sport and a variation of baseball.

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• Karesuvanto

  Karesuvanto is the northernmost vehicle border crossing between Finland and Sweden, sitting at the junction of European routes E8 and E45 in the heart of Finnish Lapland. With only about 150 inhabitants, this tiny village offers an authentic taste of Nordic wilderness life far from tourist crowds.

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• Karigasniemi

  Karigasniemi is a small Sámi-majority village straddling the Finnish-Norwegian border, offering exceptional salmon fishing on Tenojoki (the most productive salmon river in northern Europe), frequent northern lights sightings (roughly 70% probability on clear nights), and cross-border culture with three languages spoken side by side. The village provides easy access to wilderness hiking in Muotkatunturit and Paistunturit wilderness areas without the tourist crowds of larger Lapland destinations.

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• Käsivarsi Wilderness Area

  Käsivarsi Wilderness Area occupies the "arm" of Finland in remote Lapland, offering all of the country's peaks over 1000m except nearby Saana. This is Finland's most popular wilderness area, where hikers can trek across the tripoint border with Norway and Sweden along the Nordkalottleden.

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• Kauhava

  Kauhava is a small Finnish town of 17,000 people that punches above its weight in cultural significance. It is the birthplace of Iisakki Järvenpää, whose knife-making legacy turned Finnish puukko knives into a national symbol found in outdoor and gift shops across the country.

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• Kemijärvi

  Kemijärvi is the northernmost city in Finland and the only one with its city centre north of the Arctic Circle. Formerly off the beaten path, the opening of a new border crossing to Russia in nearby Salla brought more international visitors.

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• Kerava

  Kerava is a modern commuter town in Southern Finland, located about 30km north of Helsinki as part of the greater metropolitan area. Founded as an industrial settlement along the railway a little over a century ago, it has no historic old town but offers contemporary art, modern architecture, and hosts the popular Valkosipulifestivaalit (Garlic Festival) each August.

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• Keuruu

  Keuruu is a small rural municipality in Central Finland with about 9,000 residents spread across 1,350 square kilometers. The town sits on the shores of Lake Keurusselkä, offering lakeside scenery, forests, and a relaxed pace of life.

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• Kilpisjärvi

  Kilpisjärvi is Finland's only real alpine village, a remote outpost in the far north where about 100 year-round inhabitants share the landscape with hikers, nature lovers, and aurora watchers. The mighty fell Saana dominates the skyline at 1000m, and the village sits at the tripoint where Finland, Sweden, and Norway meet.

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• Kimitoön

  Kimitoön (Kemiönsaari) is a Swedish-speaking island municipality in Finland's Archipelago Sea, consisting of about 3,000 separate islands. The main island offers a slower pace than mainland Finland, with rural landscapes, historic ironworks villages, and easy access to the outer archipelago.

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• Kirkkonummi

  Kirkkonummi (Swedish: Kyrkslätt) serves as a tranquil escape from Helsinki while remaining within the capital region. The municipality preserves Swedish-speaking heritage despite Finnish becoming the majority language (75% as of 2024).

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• Kökar

  Kökar is Finland's southernmost municipality — a tiny Åland island with just 224 permanent residents, yet packed with 3,000 years of human history. The landscape is unusually lush for Finland, dominated by deciduous forests rather than pines, and the archipelago setting creates dramatic seascape views.

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• Kokemäki

  Kokemäki is a small riverside town of about 6,900 inhabitants in Satakunta, Finland. According to legend, the ancient Iron Age settlement of Teljä (Telje) stood where St.

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• Kokkola

  Kokkola is a mid-sized Finnish town (pop. 48,000) in Central Ostrobothnia, best known for its remarkably well-preserved wooden old town, Neristan.

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• Kolari

  Kolari is the northernmost railhead in Finland, making it the main arrival point for tourists heading to Ylläs ski resort (35 km away) and Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. During winter sports season the villages of Äkäslompolo and Ylläs fill with skiers, but the town itself offers a quieter base with direct overnight train access from southern Finland.

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• Koli National Park

  Koli National Park is Finland's most iconic national scenery, inspiring painters like Eero Järnefelt and composers like Jean Sibelius during the late 19th century national identity movement. The park covers 3,000 hectares along the western shore of Lake Pielinen in North Karelia, featuring dramatic hilltop viewpoints, traditional agricultural meadows with heritage breeds, and diverse landscapes from forests to lakeside shores.

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• Kotka

  Kotka is Finland's southeasternmost major city, an important port at the mouth of the Kymi river (Kymenjoki) where the Baltic Sea meets inland waterways. The municipality has a population of around 52,000 (2020) with much of its area made up of water.

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• Kouvola

  Kouvola is Southern Finland's main rail junction, making it a natural stop between Helsinki and the east. The city has a working-class character and is famously called 'the ugliest city in Finland'—but that reputation itself draws curious travelers.

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• Kristinestad

  Kristinestad (Finnish: Kristiinankaupunki) is a bilingual coastal town in Western Finland's Ostrobothnia region, where Swedish is the majority language. The town was accepted into the international Cittaslow movement in 2011, reflecting its commitment to quality of life and sustainable tourism.

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• Kuhmo

  Kuhmo is a paradox: a town of 8,000 people that hosts Finland's largest chamber music festival, drawing 35,000 visitors for 70 concerts over two weeks every July. Beyond the music, this vast municipality (twice the area of Luxembourg) encompasses pristine boreal forest, wildlife watching hides where you can photograph brown bears and wolverines, and the celebrated Finnish tradition of wilderness silence.

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• Kuhmoinen

  Kuhmoinen is a small municipality in the heart of the Finnish lake district, offering peaceful forest and lake landscapes away from major tourist routes. The town serves as a gateway to Isojärvi National Park, with canoe routes, forest trails, and a rustic logger's cabin café.

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• Kumlinge

  Kumlinge is a small island municipality in the Åland archipelago with only 315 permanent residents, making it one of the smallest municipalities in the region. The islands are off the beaten track despite their seemingly central location between Finland and Åland.

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• Kuopio

  Kuopio mixes preserved wooden houses with a lakeside setting. Beaches and water activities sit alongside a centre with a historic feel.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$195

  Best months

  May–Aug

• Kurikka

  Kurikka is a small Finnish town in Southern Ostrobothnia that makes for a convenient stopover between larger cities like Seinäjoki and Vaasa. The town preserves some 19th-century charm with historic churches, local museums, and monuments to notable residents like cross-country skiing legend Juha Mieto.

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• Kurjenrahka National Park

  Kurjenrahka National Park offers a rare chance to explore pristine raised bogs, old-growth forests, and pristine lakes in Finland Proper. The park is centred around the raised bog Kurjenrahka ("Crane bog"), featuring the old-growth Pukkipalo forest and rich birdlife visible from bird watching towers.

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• Kustavi

  Kustavi is a small archipelago municipality at the heart of the Archipelago Sea, named after King Gustav III of Sweden (1783). The parish village sits on former island Kivimaa along the main boating fairway between the Archipelago Sea and the Bothnian Sea.

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• Kuusamo

  Kuusamo is Northern Finland's outdoor capital, where the 80-km Karhunkierros trail draws 60,000 hikers yearly through Oulanka National Park. Winter brings visitors to Ruka ski resort 20 km north, while the location just south of the Arctic Circle delivers two weeks of midnight sun and aurora-lit winters with snow covering the ground up to 200 days per year.

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• Kvarken Archipelago

  The Kvarken Archipelago is one of only two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Finland, sharing this distinction with the Swedish High Coast. The archipelago is experiencing the fastest post-glacial rebound on Earth, with land rising approximately 8mm per year—creating 1 square kilometre of new land annually.

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• Lahti

  Lahti centres its sporting identity on ski jumping. The annual Salpausselän kisat brings winter-sport competition into the city's calendar.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$137

  Best months

  May–Aug

• Laitila

  Laitila is a compact Finnish town of about 8,500 residents that offers a genuine glimpse into rural Finland Proper without tourist crowds. The town is known for its food production industry—producing 75% of Finland's early carrots and hosting the Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas brewery and soft drink factory.

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• Lappeenranta

  Lappeenranta is the economic and cultural centre of Finnish South Karelia, a city of 73,000 with 360 years of colourful history shaped by its location near the Russian border. The old fortress area, sandcastle festival, and lakeside harbour make it a pleasant summer destination, while winter brings cross-country skiing tracks, downhill slopes, and ice hockey games.

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• Laukaa

  Laukaa is a municipality of 19,000 people in Central Finland, best known for Saraakallio, the largest Stone Age rock painting site in Fennoscandia. The oldest paintings are about 6,600 years old, depicting deer, humans, and boats in red paint made from hematite-containing soil mixed with blood, urea, and eggs.

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• Lemland

  Lemland is a quiet rural municipality in Åland, best suited for travelers already exploring the Åland archipelago who want to see medieval churches, walk nature trails, or visit remote lighthouse islands. The area offers no nightlife or urban amenities but provides genuine rural Finnish island life, scenic strait views, and historical sites like the 13th-century Lemböte chapel.

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• Lemmenjoki National Park

  Lemmenjoki is Finland's largest national park at 2,860 km², offering one of Europe's most extensive uninhabited roadless backcountry. The park features pristine river valleys, old pine forests, fell birch groves, and treeless fell tops.

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• Levi

  Levi is the go-to destination for skiing and winter sports in Finland, with extensive piste networks, cross-country trails, and snowmobile routes extending to national parks. Beyond skiing, it serves as a nightlife hub for rural Lapland, attracting young people with its bars, clubs, and events.

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• Lieksa

  Lieksa sits at the eastern shore of Lake Pielinen in North Karelia, offering access to some of Europe's last remaining primeval taiga forests. The wild landscape along the Russian border provides a remote, uncrowded destination for hiking, berry picking, mushroom hunting, and wildlife watching—far from Finland's tourist hotspots.

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• Liminka and surroundings

  Liminka is a small Finnish municipality known for Liminga Bay (Liminganlahti), one of Europe's most important wetlands and a world-renowned birdwatching destination. The town offers a peaceful alternative to nearby Oulu, with historic churches, a museum district, and nature trails.

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• Lohja

  Lohja is a historic market town in Southern Finland's Uusimaa region, about 50 km northwest of Helsinki. It stands out for its medieval churches, limestone heritage, and apple-growing traditions dating back centuries.

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• Loppi

  Loppi is a small rural municipality in Tavastia Proper, Finland, home to about 7,700 people as of 2023. It offers over 100 km of marked outdoor trails and access to the Komio nature reserve with its glacial formations, woods, and mires.

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• Loviisa

  Loviisa is a modest coastal town founded in 1745 with rights to international trade, sitting at what was once the border with Russia. The town is notable for its twin 18th-century fortresses—Loviisa fortress and Svartholma—plus a well-preserved old town of wooden houses.

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• Lumparland

  Lumparland is one of the smallest municipalities in the Nordic countries, with just 360 permanent residents across 37 square kilometers. Despite its tiny scale, the municipality serves as a significant transport hub for Åland, with Långnäs harbor ranking as the archipelago's second most important port after Mariehamn.

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• Luosto

  Luosto is a purpose-built ski resort in Finnish Lapland, standing beside Pyhä-Luosto National Park. It draws visitors seeking husky safaris, reindeer encounters, snowmobile rides, and Santa-themed excursions rather than just downhill skiing.

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• Mäntsälä

  Mäntsälä is a small Finnish municipality that offers a glimpse into rural Uusimaa life without the crowds of Helsinki. The town is known for its historic mansions and the notable "Mäntsälä rebellion" of 1932, when the far-right Lapua Movement attempted a failed coup against the Finnish government.

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• Mariehamn

  Mariehamn is the capital and only proper town of the Åland Islands, a Finnish autonomous region with a distinct Swedish-speaking identity. With just 12,000 residents, it's a compact walking town centered around the maritime Västerhamn and Österhamn harbors.

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• Mikkeli

  Mikkeli is a cozy town in South Savonia province, Eastern Finland, with a population of 54,400. Founded in 1838, it served as the Finnish Army HQ under Marshal Mannerheim during World War II, leaving a legacy of museums and historical sites.

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• Muonio

  Muonio is a small Finnish Lapland town serving as the gateway to Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, Finland's most visited national park. The area offers pristine Arctic nature, Sami cultural heritage, and winter testing grounds for international car manufacturers hidden in the forests.

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• Muotkatunturit Wilderness Area

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• Naantali

  Naantali is one of Finland's six medieval towns, founded in 1443 around a Bridgettine convent. The town transforms into a bustling summer destination when Finns and international visitors flock to Moomin World, one of Finland's most beloved theme parks.

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• Nagu

  Nagu is a Swedish-speaking archipelago community in southwest Finland, consisting of two main islands (Storlandet and Lillandet) and about 3,000 minor islands. The area is famous for its maritime heritage, medieval stone church, and access to the Archipelago National Park.

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• Nakkila

  Nakkila is a small rural municipality in Satakunta, Western Finland, located along the Kokemäki River (Kokemäenjoki). The town is known for its local food traditions, particularly European river lampreys.

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• Närpes

  Närpes is the tomato capital of Finland, producing the majority of the country's greenhouse tomatoes year-round. The largely Swedish-speaking town offers a rare glimpse into rural Ostrobothnian culture with its own ancient dialect that even native Swedish speakers struggle to understand.

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• Nötö

  Nötö is a small island in the Archipelago Sea National Park that offers a peaceful escape from mainland Finland. With only about half a dozen year-round inhabitants but a significant summer population surge, it provides an authentic glimpse of island life in the Turku archipelago.

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• Nuorgam

  Nuorgam sits at the top of Finland and the EU, 510 km north of the Arctic Circle in the municipality of Utsjoki. This village of about 200 inhabitants offers proximity to the Norwegian border and the Arctic Ocean, combined with world-class salmon fishing on the Teno River.

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• Nurmijärvi

  Nurmijärvi is a suburban municipality in Uusimaa, Finland, located around 30 km north of Helsinki. With a population of approximately 45,000 (2021), it has experienced rapid growth in recent decades as families relocate from the capital to single-family homes.

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• Nuuksio National Park

  Nuuksio National Park is Finland's answer to accessible wilderness: just 35 km from Helsinki, it delivers lakes, cliffs, mossy boulders, and quiet forest trails without requiring a long journey. The park is small enough (45 km²) to explore meaningfully in a single day, yet offers enough variety—campsites, wilderness cabins, and well-marked loops—to justify an overnight stay.

  Atlas entry

• Orivesi

  Orivesi is a small Finnish town of about 9,000 residents in the Pirkanmaa region, situated along the scenic E63 road between Tampere and Jyväskylä. The town serves as a gateway to several recreational forest areas and lakes, making it appealing for hikers, berry pickers, and nature enthusiasts seeking a quiet Finnish countryside experience.

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• Oulanka National Park

  Oulanka National Park is one of Finland's most popular wilderness parks despite its remote Arctic location near the Russian border. The legendary 80 km Karhunkierros trail draws hikers seeking dramatic river canyons, red rock rapids, and pristine boreal forest.

  Atlas entry

• Oulu

  Oulu is the regional capital of Northern Ostrobothnia. It provides an urban base for exploring northern Finland.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$131

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Padasjoki

  Padasjoki is a small lakeside municipality in Southern Finland's Päijänne Tavastia region, known for its hundreds of lakes and connection to Päijänne National Park. The area offers outdoor activities like yachting, boating, kayaking, and hiking with minimal crowds compared to larger Finnish destinations.

  Atlas entry

• Paimio

  Paimio is a small Finnish town best known for its Alvar Aalto-designed tuberculosis sanatorium (Paimion parantola), a Functionalist architecture masterpiece where the building itself was considered part of the healing process. The town sits on the Paimionjoki river valley, a Natura 2000 protected cultural landscape 24 km east of Turku.

  Atlas entry

• Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park

  Pallas-Yllästunturi is Finland's most visited national park, drawing around 400,000 visitors annually. The park offers a rare opportunity to experience Fell-Lapland above the tree line, where fell landscapes meet spruce forests and mires.

  Atlas entry

• Pargas

  Pargas is the only real town in the Archipelago Sea, regarded as the capital of the south-west archipelago. It offers a wooden old town, the giant limestone quarry (origin of Nordkalk Corporation), and access to island hopping.

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• Pelkosenniemi

  Pelkosenniemi is a small municipality in central Finnish Lapland where most visitors are passing through to reach Pyhä-Luosto National Park and the Pyhä holiday resort. The main draw is Lampivaara amethyst mine, the only open amethyst mine in Europe, where visitors can dig and keep their own stones.

  Atlas entry

• Piikkiö

  Piikkiö is a small Finnish town in Finland Proper, now part of the municipality of Kaarina, located 15 km east of Turku. It offers a quieter alternative to staying in Turku, with access to the Archipelago Sea, cycling routes including EuroVelo E10, and cultural sites like the 19th-century Piikkiö Church and Tuorla observatory.

  Atlas entry

• Pori

  Pori is a traditional Finnish industrial city of 83,000 people in Western Finland's Satakunta region. Founded in 1558, it was one of the oldest cities in the country and retains Neo-Renaissance architecture downtown alongside beautiful red-brick industrial facilities along the Kokemäenjoki river.

  Atlas entry

• Pornainen

  Pornainen is a small rural municipality in northeastern Uusimaa, about 60 km from Helsinki. It offers a quiet Finnish countryside experience with lakes and forests, though it has limited tourist infrastructure and is primarily a residential community for those working in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

  Atlas entry

• Porvoo

  Porvoo is one of Finland's six medieval towns and the country's second oldest city after Turku, dating to the 13th century. Its greatest appeal lies in Vanha Porvoo (Old Porvoo)—a remarkably intact wooden house district with cobbled narrow lanes that has survived modern urban sprawl.

  Atlas entry

• Posio

  Posio draws nature enthusiasts to Finnish Lapland's quieter southeastern corner, where hundreds of lakes punctuate forested highlands and thousands of private holiday cabins line the shores. The area is famous for Kitkan viisas, a small PDO-protected vendace considered a regional delicacy, and for the Pentik Mäki Culture Centre, which attracts around 100,000 Finnish design admirers annually to its gallery and ceramic factory.

  Atlas entry

• Pöyrisjärvi Wilderness Area

  Pöyrisjärvi is a pristine wilderness area in northwestern Finnish Lapland near the Norwegian border, offering hikers a rare opportunity to experience remote Arctic nature with minimal infrastructure. The area features unique geological attractions including ancient sand dunes and palsa bogs rare in Europe, alongside traditional Sami summer villages still inhabited part of the year.

  Atlas entry

• Pöytyä

  Pöytyä is a mostly rural Finnish municipality of 8,000 people spread across 774 km² in Finland Proper. The area offers cultural landscapes around Aurajoki with old churches, restored mills, and a wolf pit; valuable bogs including Kontolanrahka; and access to Kurjenrahka National Park.

  Atlas entry

• Pudasjärvi

  Pudasjärvi is a small northern Finnish town in the Oulu-Kuusamo corridor, best known as the gateway to Syöte National Park and the Iso-Syöte ski resort. The area offers wooded hills, small lakes, hiking trails, and downhill skiing without the crowds of larger Lapland destinations.

  Atlas entry

• Pukkila

  Pukkila is a tiny rural municipality in Uusimaa, about 80 km northeast of Helsinki, making it feasible as a day trip from the capital. It offers a handful of historic sites including a wooden church from 1814, a local museum, and an art gallery.

  Atlas entry

• Punkaharju

  Punkaharju is a small town in South Savonia best known for its iconic ridge that nearly divides Lake Saimaa—one of Finland's national landscapes. The area offers hiking along esker trails, lake views, and access to the Lusto Forest Museum.

  Atlas entry

• Pyhä

  Pyhä (Pyhätunturi) is a year-round resort in Finnish Lapland, best known for its exceptional downhill skiing—Huttu-Ukko is the steepest maintained piste in Finland. The resort sits adjacent to Pyhä-Luosto National Park, offering old-growth forests, mires, and treeless fells for summer hiking.

  Atlas entry

• Ranua

  Ranua is a small Finnish Lapland town whose primary draw is the Ranua Wildlife Park, the second northernmost zoo in the world with over 100,000 annual visitors. The town offers a counterpoint to Rovaniemi's tourist bustle—quieter, more local, with access to pristine nature including Lake Simojärvi and the Simojärvi-Soppana outdoor area.

  Atlas entry

• Rauma

  Rauma is one of Finland's six medieval towns and home to Old Rauma (Vanha Rauma), the largest uniform wooden town in the Nordic countries, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town's cobblestone streets lined with yellow-painted wooden houses, some dating to the 17th century, offer a counterpoint to Finland's modern cities.

  Atlas entry

• Riihimäki

  Riihimäki is an industrial city of about 29,000 inhabitants in Tavastia Proper, about 70 km north of Helsinki. While not a prime tourist destination, it serves as Finland's most important railway junction, with many travellers passing through daily.

  Atlas entry

• Riisitunturi National Park

  Riisitunturi National Park offers pristine fell and hill landscapes in southern Finnish Lapland with colorful hanging bogs and snow-covered forests that are worth seeing by themselves. The park is ideal for hikers and photographers seeking remote wilderness without crowds, particularly popular in July-August for summer trekking and in winter for photographing snow-laden trees and northern lights.

  Atlas entry

• Rovaniemi

  Rovaniemi is a transport base for exploring Finnish Lapland. Its Santa Claus identity adds a family-friendly focus to an Arctic city break.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$143

  Best months

  Jun–Aug

• Ruka

  Ruka is northern Finland's premier ski resort, ranking second only to Levi in skier visits with 549,000 registered nights annually. The resort offers over 200 skiing days per year—among the longest seasons in Finland—with the First Snow Track opening in early October and slopes staying open until early May.

  Atlas entry

• Ruovesi

  Ruovesi is a small Finnish lakeside town in Pirkanmaa with about 200 lakes covering 18% of its area. It serves as a gateway to Helvetinjärvi National Park and the historic s/s Tarjanne lake steamer route between Tampere and Virrat.

  Atlas entry

• Saarijärvi

  Saarijärvi is a rural Finnish town of about 9,500 residents offering access to Pyhä-Häkki National Park's old-growth forests and mires. The area appeals to nature lovers seeking hiking, fishing, and cross-country skiing away from Finland's busier tourist hubs.

  Atlas entry

• Saariselkä

  Saariselkä is Finland's premier winter sports destination north of the Arctic Circle, offering downhill skiing on Kaunispää and Iisakkipää fells, extensive cross-country ski tracks, and snowmobile safaris. The village's main draw is aurora borealis viewing with a 75% probability on clear nights from November through March.

  Atlas entry

• Salla

  Salla is a remote Lapland municipality offering pristine wilderness, two national parks (Salla and Oulanka), and the popular Karhunkierros hiking trail. The Sallatunturi ski resort provides winter sports, while summer brings midnight sun and hiking through mires, fells, and gorges with views to Russia.

  Atlas entry

• Salo

  Salo is a mid-sized Finnish city of about 52,000 residents (2021) in Finland Proper, historically significant as the home of Nokia's phone manufacturing operations. The city offers a glimpse into Finland's industrial heritage, with several historic ironworks villages nearby and access to Teijo National Park.

  Atlas entry

• Saltvik

  Saltvik is the largest municipality by land area in Åland, offering visitors a window into the archipelago's Viking-era trading past at Kvarnbo village and spectacular hilltop scenery at Orrdalsklint, the highest point in all of Åland at 129 meters above sea level. With 91% of its 1,800 residents speaking Swedish as their mother tongue, it represents one of the most Swedish-speaking places on Earth.

  Atlas entry

• Sauvo

  Sauvo is a small rural municipality of about 3,000 permanent residents in Finland Proper, situated by the innermost part of the Archipelago Sea. The area is characterized by summer cottages that significantly increase the population during summer months.

  Atlas entry

• Savonlinna

  Savonlinna is a small lakeside city in eastern Finland. Olavinlinna Castle gives its waterfront a strong medieval focus.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$134

  Best months

  May–Aug

• Savukoski

  Savukoski is Finland's least densely populated municipality—6,496 km² with only 1,000 inhabitants, more than twice the area of Luxembourg. This remote Lapland destination offers endless forests, vast mires, and lonely treeless fells for those seeking absolute wilderness.

  Atlas entry

• Seinäjoki

  Seinäjoki is the regional capital of Southern Ostrobothnia in western Finland, serving as a major railway junction where five lines converge. The city is famous for its architectural heritage designed by Alvar Aalto, whose modernist buildings form a cohesive city center completed mainly between 1960 and 1987.

  Atlas entry

• Siikainen

  Siikainen is a small inland municipality in northern Satakunta with 1,400 inhabitants spread across 500 km². The parish village sits beside Siikaisjärvi lake, offering traditional Finnish cultural landscapes, a Gothic Revival parish church, and access to protected marshlands.

  Atlas entry

• Siilinjärvi

  Siilinjärvi is a municipality of 21,000 people in North Savonia, Eastern Finland, positioned as a quieter alternative to nearby Kuopio. The town offers a regional hospital museum, Orthodox church, and access to lakeside beaches and ski resorts.

  Atlas entry

• Simo

  Simo is a small summer destination in southwest Finnish Lapland with about 3,000 residents. Most visitors come for fishing wild salmon in the Simo River, which maintains an original wild salmon population.

  Atlas entry

• Sipoo

  Sipoo offers quick access to Finnish nature without venturing far from Helsinki—25 km east, it's a patchwork of Helsinki suburbs, traditional Swedish-speaking countryside, and accessible archipelago. The municipality includes Nikkilä (the administrative centre, also called Nickby) and Söderkulla, making it useful as a half-day nature escape or transit stop between Helsinki and Porvoo.

  Atlas entry

• Sipoonkorpi National Park

  Sipoonkorpi is one of two national parks reaching into Finland's Capital Region, located about 25 km northeast of downtown Helsinki. The park offers old-growth forest, limestone mining heritage, lakes for swimming, and nature trails suitable for day-trippers seeking nature without traveling far from the city.

  Atlas entry

• Siuntio

  Siuntio is a small Finnish municipality of roughly 6,000 people straddling the King's Road, about 50 km west of Helsinki. It is historically Swedish-speaking with a 30% Swedish-speaking minority, and is notable as the home of Aleksis Kivi, Finland's national poet.

  Atlas entry

• Sodankylä

  Sodankylä is a remote Arctic municipality in the heart of Finnish Lapland, covering an area nearly half the size of Belgium. It is internationally renowned for the Midnight Sun Film Festival held every June since 1986, attracting notable international audiences.

  Atlas entry

• Tampere

  Tampere offers a museum-focused city break rooted in industrial heritage. At Werstas, the Finnish Labour Museum, exhibits explore workers' lives.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$126

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Tankavaara

  Tankavaara is a tiny village in Finnish Lapland famous for its gold prospecting heritage dating to the 1930s. The main draw is the Gold Prospector Museum with large geological collections and outdoor historic buildings, plus hands-on gold panning at the Gold Village.

  Atlas entry

• Teuva

  Teuva (Swedish: Östermark) is a small town and municipality in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. The main draw is the new church, completed in 1953, which features an altarpiece painted by Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomin characters.

  Atlas entry

• Tornio

  Tornio is a unique border city where you can literally walk from Finland into Sweden in under five minutes. The town is famous for cross-border shopping, particularly the world's northernmost IKEA just 600 meters into Sweden.

  Atlas entry

• Turku

  Turku pairs a historic castle with a cathedral that serves as Finland's national sanctuary. These landmarks anchor a city break focused on architecture and heritage.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$133

  Best months

  May–Sep

• Tuusula

  Tuusula is a suburban municipality about 30 km north of Helsinki, offering a quiet counterpoint to the capital with lakeside scenery and cultural heritage. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lake Tuusula (Tusby träsk) attracted Finnish painters and artists who built summer cottages along its shores, several now converted into museums.

  Atlas entry

• Ulvila

  Ulvila is one of Finland's six medieval towns, founded along the Kokemäki River in the 15th century. While small, it preserves historical character with its old stone churches and industrial heritage sites like the Leineperi Ironworks.

  Atlas entry

• Urho Kekkonen National Park

  Urho Kekkonen National Park is Finland's second largest national park at 2,550 km², offering remote Arctic wilderness backpacking without the crowds of more popular parks. The park straddles the Russian border in Finnish Lapland and includes Korvatunturi, the legendary home of Father Christmas.

  Atlas entry

• Utö

  Utö is Finland's southernmost inhabited island, 80 km from the mainland in the Archipelago Sea, offering a rare glimpse of isolated island life. The island has a lighthouse since 1753, military history from World War I coastal fortifications now converted to a hotel, and attracts birdwatchers during migration seasons.

  Atlas entry

• Utsjoki

  Utsjoki is the northernmost municipality in Finland and the only one with a Sámi-speaking majority, offering a rare glimpse into indigenous Arctic culture. The village sits on the Teno River (Europe's most important salmon river) at the Norwegian border, making it a pilgrimage site for serious anglers.

  Atlas entry

• Uusikaupunki

  Uusikaupunki is a compact historic port city founded in 1617, the main town of the Vakka-Suomi region in Finland Proper. Its 1856 Empire-style wooden old town is remarkably preserved, and the city is notable for housing Finland's only car factory (producing Mercedes-Benz A-Class vehicles) and a working shipyard.

  Atlas entry

• Vaasa

  Vaasa is a compact city on Finland's west coast. Finnish and Swedish both shape its everyday culture.

  Daily budget (USD)

  ~$127

  Best months

  May–Aug

• Vantaa

  Vantaa is Finland's fourth most populous city with about 240,000 inhabitants, best known as the home of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Unlike Helsinki or Espoo, Vantaa lacks a traditional city centre; its administrative hub is Tikkurila district, with other local centres in Myyrmäki, Kivistö, and Korso.

  Atlas entry

• Varkaus

  Varkaus is an industrial town in North Savonia with about 20,000 inhabitants (2021), best known for its paper factories. The name translates to "theft" in modern Finnish, but likely comes from an old Finnish word for strait.

  Atlas entry

• Vihti

  Vihti is the northernmost municipality of the Helsinki region, sitting about 50 km northwest of the capital. It offers surprisingly accessible Finnish wilderness through Nuuksio National Park, affordable outdoor recreation at the Vihti Ski Center, and the annual Wuosisatamarkkinat festival drawing 15,000+ visitors.

  Atlas entry

• Vimpeli

  Vimpeli is a tiny municipality of 2,700 people in Southern Ostrobothnia best known as the home of Finnish baseball (pesäpallo). The town gained historical significance during the Winter War when its ski factory produced over half of all skis used by Finnish forces.

  Atlas entry

• Ylitornio

  Ylitornio is a small municipality in western Finnish Lapland straddling the Arctic Circle, offering a counterpoint to the busier tourist hubs further north. The main draw is Aavasaksa hill, which attracted 'mass tourism' as early as the 19th century and offers sweeping views of the Tornio river valley—a Finnish national landscape.

  Atlas entry

• Ylläs

  Ylläs is one of Finland's largest winter sport resorts, built around a distinctive fell (gently rounded mountain above the treeline) in the municipality of Kolari. The resort offers downhill and cross-country skiing, husky safaris in Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, and the chance to see the Northern Lights on average 150 nights per year.

  Atlas entry