Finland - the place to visit in 2007

Travel publisher Lonely Planet has listed Finland as one of the 10 countries to visit in 2007 in its new Blue List: The Best in Travel 2007.

Additionally, the Mammut Snow Hotel in Kemi, northern Finland, was named the most eccentric place to stay in the world, whilst the Northern Lights was listed as the world’s most amazing natural phenomenen.

Lonely Planet introduces Finland as a “cool zone of design and fashion in Helsinki, surrounded by remote wilderness areas… Finland is a breath of fresh air on a European adventure.”

The guide lists seven life-changing experiences to enjoy during a visit to Finland, ranging from picking yourself a feast of delicious Arctic cloudberries in early summer to taking a snowmobile safari through the pine and birch forests.

Other highlighted experiences are:

- spending a few days in a lakeside cottage, with a proper wood-fired sauna

- hiking one of the country’s awesome trekking routes, and coming face to face with an elk
- singing a sleighing song as a team of reindeer or huskies pull you across Lapland
- learning about the Sami reindeer herders of Finland’s far north grabbing a canoe and heading out to spot a rare freshwater seal.

The Mammut Snow Hotel in Kemi, northern Finland, is located within the Snow Castle. It was named the world’s most eccentric place to stay. The hotel, a giant igloo, maintains a temperature of -5ºC.

The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, is most visible in Finland during the winter months. In Finnish Lapland, the number of auroral displays can be as high as 200 a year. The Aurora is also visible in Helsinki, the far south, in areas of low light pollution as many as 20 times a year.

According to Lonely Planet, now more people are appreciating what Finland has to offer as more and more people search out some of Europe’s most remote wilderness.

Comments Finnish Tourist Board director Anne Lind: “Finland is a unique destination, with many hidden gems. More experienced travellers are now discovering the magic wonders of Finland, its unspoiled environment, stunning landscapes and fantastic diversity.

“Lonely Planet has also highlighted the Finnish summer, which is an extremely popular season to travel in Finland, entirely in contrast to the winter season.”