Finland (Suomi in Finnish) is a country of a thousand lakes, the stunningly beautiful and idyllic landscapes of the Lake District, the pristine national parks of fabulous Lapland, vibrant cities and the amazing Åland Islands.

Tour operator ICS offers tours to Finland: New Year's, ski, city tours, excursion tours. By purchasing sightseeing tours to Finland, you get the opportunity to visit several cities in one trip - Helsinki, Tampere, Lahti, Turku, Savonlinna, etc. SPA hotels, where the cost of living includes the use of the water center or choose an active holiday - cycling, kayaking or hiking with an overnight stay in a tent, go fishing. Everyone will find something of their own.

Winter holidays in Finland will undoubtedly be remembered for fabulous snowy landscapes, reindeer and dog sledding trips, and, of course, getting to know Santa Claus, who lives near Rovaniemi, in Lapland.

Ski resorts in Finland are famous for their well-prepared slopes and well-developed infrastructure.

Description

Finland or, as the Finns themselves call it, Suomi is a country of a thousand lakes in the east of the Scandinavian Peninsula, tours to Finland are beautiful in winter and summer. Beautiful forests and plains, numerous rivers and cozy beaches make this place ideal for outdoor recreation, as well as for fishing and activities. various types sports.

Geographical position

The total area of ​​Finland is 338,424 km². Its neighbors are Russia in the south, Norway in the north and Sweden in the west. The shores are washed by the waters of the Gulf of Finland and Bothnia Baltic Sea. The territory is divided into 12 liani (provinces). Finland also includes the Åland Islands - about 6.5 thousand small islands off the southwestern coast of the country.

Climate

The climate in Finland is predominantly continental. The southeastern part of the country has the highest average summer temperature in Scandinavia, and West Coast this is one of the most sunny places in Northern Europe. Summer in Finland is quite warm ( average temperature+19 +20°С). But winter can be very severe and the thermometer at this time of the year fluctuates from -3°С to -15°С. In June and July, the water in the lakes reaches +20°C, so these months are the most favorable for visiting the country.

Resorts

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital of Finland, where beautiful nature and a modern city coexist closely. The fourth part of it is various park areas, and a fresh sea breeze is felt in the air. The architecture of the city has its own interesting features and in it you can see both Eastern and Western European motifs. Historical Center of the city is the Senate Square with majestic buildings Cathedral, University and Palace of the State Council.

Tampere

Tampere is a city of stunning beauty, which the inhabitants of Finland consider the most attractive place to live. It has more than 20 interesting museums, as well as the Särkänniemi amusement park with attractions, a zoo, an aquarium and the Näsinneula observation tower.

Mikkeli

Mikkeli is one of the most important centers active rest and sports in Finland. Place to visit a large number of amazing water parks and swimming pools, as well as many attractions. Among them is the largest wax museum in the country.

Himos

Himos - real paradise for all lovers of winter sports. This perfect place for family holidays. Here is the most popular ski resort countries where, according to tradition, a variety of sports and entertainment events are held annually.

Espoo

Beautiful cozy city located in the south of the country. Every year it attracts a large number of tourists with its bewitching nature and a large number of interesting places. Here is the most large water park Finland - "Serena", Mormon Temple and much more.

Lapland

Lapland, which is considered the birthplace of Santa Claus, lies above the Arctic Circle and is considered one of the most amazing places Finland. Not far from its capital, Rovaniemi, in a cave cut into the Syvesenvaara fell, a themed Christmas Entertainment Center Santa Park, as well as the fabulous workshops and post office "Father Frost".

Kitchen

Finnish cuisine has a lot of features, the main of which is fish and meat dishes. Among the most famous and common fish dishes are salmon (or “lohi”, as the Finns call it) freshly salted or hot smoked, the famous fish soup with cream and herbs, red caviar, which the Finns mix with sour cream and finely chopped onions and serve with toast , as well as rainbow trout or salmon in its own juice.
The main component of meat dishes is game: venison with wild berries, roast with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, Karelian meat in a pot, poultry dishes. Assorted berries, buns and jelly are usually served for dessert. From drinks, preference is given to coffee. It is also worth trying the products of the famous FAZER confectionery factory, which are offered in specialized cafes. From alcoholic beverages, home-made beer, different varieties of vodka (“Koskenkorva-vinna” and “Finland”), berry liqueurs infused with wild berries and herbs (“Lakkalikeri”, “Puolukkalikeri”, “Karpalolikeri”) are popular.

Population

About 5.3 million people live in Finland: Finns - 93%, Swedes - 6%, Sami people and Karelian peoples.

Religion

About 87% of the inhabitants are adherents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. It is the state religion along with Orthodoxy (1% of the population).

Hours and work schedule

UTC+2
Time difference with Moscow: -1 hour. Switching to summer and winter time carried out simultaneously with Europe. Shops are open from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, on weekends - from 9:00 to 14:00. Major stores may be open until 20:00. Banks are open from 9:15 to 16:15 on weekdays. Exchange offices work longer and seven days a week.

Language

The official languages ​​of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. The tourism sector also speaks English and sometimes Russian.

Currency

The national currency of Finland is Euro (EUR). Currency can be exchanged at banks (the most favorable rate), specialized points, hotels, large supermarkets, airports and seaports, at railway stations and post offices. You can withdraw money from ATMs. Plastic cards are accepted everywhere.

Visa regime

Finland is on the list of Schengen countries, so you will need a visa to travel there.

Transport message

Main international Airport country - Helsinki-Vantaa. Besides, international flights accept Turku, Tampere-Pirkkala and Rovaniemi. The whole country is entangled in a dense network railways. An alternative to the train for traveling between cities in Finland can be a bus. Since the country has a fairly long sea coast, as well as a large number of lakes and rivers, it is well developed water transport. All ships run according to the schedule, which is strictly observed. Buses, trams and the metro operate in Helsinki. Tickets for any of these modes of transport can be purchased at newsstands, stations, or from the driver. Taxi rates may vary depending on the time of day. Both cash and credit cards are accepted for payment. To rent a car, you need a driver's license, driving experience of at least 1 year, passport and credit card as collateral.

Finland for 1 day or weekend, as well as holidays: pampering or practical calculation? Why do they go to Suomi from St. Petersburg and Karelia, Veliky Novgorod and even Moscow ?.

Finland is Russia's closest "western" neighbor. It's no joke: you traveled only 200 kilometers from St. Petersburg and you are abroad. However, 2019 is not 1998, and the opportunity to see “how it is behind the Iron Curtain” is not the prevailing motive for Russians seeking to leave. And what is?

We dare to say that the majority seeks to change the situation, along the way "rolling back the visa." And, which cannot be bought in Russian stores. Cheeses and butter produced by the eminent Finnish concern Valio are the most common products confiscated by Russian customs officers from domestic tourists.

Also in the trunks in large quantities is salted and smoked fish in vacuum packaging and red caviar. The latter is sometimes Russian-made. Here is such a re-export ...

Documentation

A trip to Finland by car implies the presence of not only a passport with a Schengen visa. But also a driver's license (national ones are enough), a vehicle registration certificate plus a Green Card - foreign driver liability insurance.

Regardless of the mode of transportation, it is necessary to stock up on travel insurance. As usual, we recommend Because it’s simple, understandable, without the infuriating desire to impose a bunch of useless options. You can pay online, and you do not need to print anything - an electronic version of the policy is enough.

For 1 day

The basis of the unheard-of popularity of such border checkpoints as Brusnichnoye and Svetogorsk is the desire of the residents of St. Petersburg to “roll back their visas”. In the view of the majority, a Finnish visa is issued to everyone and everyone, and therefore it is the ultimate dream of tourists, many of whom are not going to go to Finland as such.

But in view current rules of the Schengen Agreement, which state that a tourist must spend most of the days in the country where (well, or at least enter there more times), the visa has to be “rolled back”. To then get the opportunity to go to France or Germany, Spain or Italy.

The principle is simple: you enter Finland for a very short time, for 1 day. And the same evening you leave back, having acquired the coveted stamp in your passport. And, of course, kilograms of cheese, washing powder and what else?

Now you are formally clean before Finnish law. And you can go where you originally intended - for example, to the Canary Islands.

In recent years, the matter is complicated by the fact that the Finns have become greedy. And they strive to issue a multivisa for six months, a maximum of a year. Why not?

After all, the grounds for refusal can not be indicated, and when the stamp expires, Russian tourists will definitely run to issue a new one. What is 35 euros for them (and 25 for services visa application center)? They love to visit our beautiful country so much!

Popular checkpoints

Brusnichnoye is geographically the closest checkpoint for residents of St. Petersburg on the border with Finland. And therefore traffic jams for a couple of hours and queues of dozens of cars on Saturday mornings are a common thing. Then tourists go to and there they overstock with the necessary (or seeming such) goods.

About what you need to take with you on a trip. Recall about one more absolutely necessary thing V car trip- thermos.

• A glass of coffee even at Russian gas stations costs 120-150 rubles in 2018, and in Finland ... in fact, not much more. There is an opportunity to save - save! You can choose the right model of thermos

Attention! The road that leads to Brusnichnoye winds along Saimaa Canal. It is narrow, it is very dangerous in ice, and therefore it is nicknamed the "Road of Death". The quality of the surface is good, but there is no guarantee that some scumbag will not start overtaking in a closed turn, despite the continuous lane and the 60 km / h limit. In addition, at night the track is not lit and a trip along it in the autumn-winter period promises something else.

The much less busy Svetogorsk checkpoint is used by those traveling to the less popular Russian tourists Imatra. It has not only a landmark in the form of a waterfall “singing” to the music of Sibelius, but also a full line of such important supermarkets.

For weekends and holidays

The second most popular incentive for a weekend trip is a holiday on the Finnish lakes. There are about a million of them in Suomi, they are kept in perfect order, there are usually a couple of well-groomed cottages on the shore.

Tourism

As a result, a Russian tourist with money to spend in the bosom of nature even for 2-3 days, not to mention the celebration of the New Year, is expected to choose abroad.

• Where it’s a little expensive (even if you’re lucky, you can rent a cottage from 80 € per day, but basically prices start from the bar of 100-120 € - on holidays, of course, it’s more expensive), but you can count on cleanliness, tranquility, the absence of third-party drunken companies and in general very good pastime

Skiing, sledges, a bathhouse, a deafeningly quiet pine forest, outdoor walks, a supermarket with a sea of ​​\u200b\u200b(high-quality?) products 10 km from the place. Not bad, right?

• Border regions of Finland and, first of all, are the most demanded. Also in demand are the surroundings of the city of Rovaniemi, ski resorts Levy and Ylläs, Ruka

During the holidays, the popularity of large Finnish cities like Helsinki and Turku is slightly behind. The contingent and tasks are different: not gatherings in a "warm" circle, but family holiday. Children require entertainment in the form of attractions, adults intend to wander and see the sights. There are few of them. But to justify the trip is usually enough ...

Shopping trips

Shopping in the stores of Lappeenranta, Imatra and (to a lesser extent) Helsinki, we would put in third place. Transportation of cheese from abroad to Russia during the sanctions has become a kind of national sport. “When are you for Oltermani?” - this question often appears on specialized forums.

Also from Finland they bring butter and fish, red caviar - as if there is not enough of it in Russian stores - other dairy products in the form of sour cream and yogurt, clothes, expensive alcohol from duty free. And even washing powder - in the general opinion, it is much better than domestic counterparts.

Clothes are stocked mainly during the sales period (December and June), although in principle you can find things with a big discount in November or May.

In general, the clothing boom has declined in recent years. Since prices in Russia have fallen to such a level that it makes sense to bring only branded “clothings” from abroad.

• However, this is not entirely true in the case of children's clothing! It is enough to go to the "Children's World" and compare the prices with those in Suomi ...

Transit to Europe

Oddly enough, but only in fourth place in our ranking was a trip to Finland with the aim of flying to any other of the Schengen countries. Entrepreneurial people are still looking for and finding last minute airline deals. For symbolic money, they are ready to transport tourists from Vantaa airport somewhere to Barcelona or Mallorca.

But in general, people are lazy. After all, where is it easier to buy a package tour and go on a trip from Pulkovo or Sheremetyevo? Even though it's more expensive.

In order to get acquainted with the options for traveling Finland for 1 hour, select the most convenient one from those listed below. The differences between these programs are in the time of departure, the place of departure and the cost of the trip.

Our tours:

To Finland for 1 hour, Finnish visa rental.

Finland trips by the hour are the cheapest way to visit neighboring country. The company "SprinTour" offers you to go to Finland for an hour by minibus, if you need to rent a visa and spend as little time as possible on it. This trip includes visiting a minimum number of Finnish border shops. By choosing a Finland tour for an hour, you can take the opportunity to do several things at once, open or close a Finnish visa, roll back the required number of days on a Finnish visa and at the same time carry out easy shopping abroad. Finland for an hour is one of the main directions of our company, so we can offer you several travel options “Finnish visa rental”

A morning trip in a comfortable minibus will allow you to test your Finnish visa with minimal cost time. Along the way, during the trip, 2 shops are visited: Laplandia (Laplandia) and the fish store Disa's Fish (disa fish). Drivers choose the shortest route for collecting and disembarking passengers.

The program of the trip “Finland for an hour from home”

• Days of the week: Daily
• Cost of the trip: Weekdays - 1200 rubles
  Saturday, Sunday - 1300 rubles / 1200 rubles**
  ** The cost is valid for passengers traveling in a group from one address!

The program is compiled according to Moscow time.

The trip program “Finland for an hour from the metro”

• Days of the week: Saturday, Sunday
• Cost of the trip: 1100 rubles

Passenger collection route No. 1

Passenger collection route No. 2

The program is compiled according to Moscow time

(*) Times are approximate. Exact time depends on border crossing speed

Attention! SprintTour is not responsible for delays in transit due to customs or border formalities.

You can roll back a visa to Finland not only during the day, but also at night. Night tours allow you to run a visa by visiting and getting two days of stay in the country, according to the stamps in your passport.

The trip program “Finland for 1 hour” (2 days for stamps)

• Days of the week: Wednesday, Friday
• Cost: 2000 rubles

The tour program is compiled according to Moscow time.

With this tour, you go to Finland for an hour at night and spend two whole days on stamps, which has a positive effect on the issuance of a visa next time. You also get the opportunity to purchase high-quality Finnish goods.

(*) Times are approximate. The exact time depends on the speed of crossing the border

Having a Finnish visa allows you to travel almost all over Europe, however, according to the rules of the Schengen countries, the number of days spent in the country issuing the visa must be more than in other visited countries. That is, you can visit any city in Finland from the smallest to the capital - Helsinki. For those who like to travel around Europe, our company offers to carry out the “Finnish visa rental” service in the most convenient ways for you on comfortable Mercedes Sprinter buses. Running in a visa allows you to “get” the missing days, for this you only need to cross the border one or several times for cozy minibus from our company. For a quick trip to Finland for 1 hour, you can get the required stamp in your passport, spending only about 1 - in Finland.