Best Time to Visit Finland

The polite and sweet Nordic summer brings life and colors of a nature emerging from an endless hibernation. It brings liveliness to villages and larger cities, whose streets fill with markets, fragrant with fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs. Of people cycling; of outdoor tables at bars; of pleasure boats dotting the sea between the mainland and the islands; of delightful wooden cottages, once again hosting hordes of vacationers. As in other Nordic countries, the season’s highlight is the Midsummer Festival, celebrated on the weekend closest to the summer solstice (June 21), after which temperatures steadily rise, ranging between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. This is the best time to experience the midnight sun phenomenon, especially in the country’s northernmost region, where, for several weeks, the sun never sets (in Utsjoki, extreme north, a summer day lasts more than two months).
Winter lasts from November to April (May in Lapland) and offers lovers of winter sports and Christmas atmospheres more than they could wish for. Snowmobile excursions across tundras and vast forests, protected by special thermal suits and refreshed with warm drinks and hearty food. Walks with snowshoes or cross-country skis, and thrilling descents on skis, sledges, and snowboards; ice skating; visits to the Santa Claus Village in Lapland. And a very special cruise aboard the Sampo, the glorious icebreaker ship which, after 30 years of honored service in Arctic waters, has been converted to transport tourists.