Northern Europe · Europe

Finland

Discover Finland - the happiest country in the world, where 3.2 million saunas serve 5.5 million people, 188,000 lakes dot the landscape, and Santa Claus has an official address.

Where Is Finland?

Finland is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Helsinki.

Where Finland isNorthern Europe · Capital Helsinki

Plan a trip · 2 guides

Capital Helsinki
Population 5.65M
Area 338,455 km²

Finland has been ranked the happiest country in the world for nine consecutive years, and yet Finns will tell you - with a perfectly straight face - that happiness is a strong word and they would prefer you not make a fuss about it. This is a country of 5.5 million people, 3.2 million saunas, 188,000 lakes, and vast forests where you can walk for days without meeting another human. Privacy, silence, and personal space are not just appreciated here - they are practically constitutional rights.

The Finns are also quietly brilliant. Finland's education system consistently ranks among the best in the world, with short school days, no standardized testing until age 16, and teachers who are as respected as doctors. Nokia put Finland on the tech map. Linux was created by a Finnish student in Helsinki. The country has the highest per-capita consumption of coffee on Earth, a borderline religious devotion to saunas (there is one for every 1.7 people), and a relationship with nature that goes far deeper than most Europeans can comprehend. In winter, Lapland offers Northern Lights and reindeer sleigh rides. In summer, the midnight sun turns the lake district into an endless golden evening. And Santa Claus has his official home in Rovaniemi, on the Arctic Circle, where he receives half a million letters a year.

At a glance

Language

Finnish, Swedish

Currency

Euro (EUR)

Calling Code

+358

Drives On

Right

Internet

.fi

Timezone

EET (UTC+2)

Script

Latin

Government

Parliamentary Republic

Independence

1917

Travel guides

Plan a trip to Finland

Green northern lights arching across a starry sky over a snowy, frozen landscape near Rovaniemi, with a person standing in the snow

Finland · 5 days

5 Days in Rovaniemi

A town burned in 1944 and rebuilt in the shape of a reindeer's antlers, on the Arctic Circle. Five days in Finnish Lapland.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

Helsinki's waterfront seen from the sea, with the white Helsinki Cathedral and its green dome rising above a row of pale buildings

Finland · 5 days

5 Days in Helsinki

A white Empire-style capital on the Baltic, a fortress on six islands and a sauna on every shore. Five days in Finland's capital.

Updated Oct 2026Read the plan →

By population

Largest cities in Finland

Helsinki

Capital on the Baltic coast, a design-forward city with Art Nouveau architecture, island fortresses, and a thriving sauna culture

1,300,000

Tampere

Industrial city turned cultural hub between two lakes, known as the sauna capital of the world with over 50 public saunas

250,000

Turku

Finland's oldest city and former capital on the southwest coast, with a medieval castle and vibrant riverfront

200,000

Oulu

Northern tech city on the Gulf of Bothnia, host of the Air Guitar World Championships

210,000

Rovaniemi

Capital of Lapland on the Arctic Circle, official hometown of Santa Claus and gateway to the Northern Lights

65,000

Porvoo

One of Finland's oldest towns, famous for its red wooden riverside warehouses and medieval old town

50,000

People

Famous people from Finland

Jean Sibelius
Music
Composer of Finlandia and the Violin Concerto, whose music became synonymous with Finnish national identity
Linus Torvalds
Science
Created the Linux kernel as a Helsinki university student, now powering most of the world's servers and Android phones
Tove Jansson
Literature
Creator of the Moomins, the beloved characters that became a global phenomenon in books, comics, and animation
Alvar Aalto
Art
Architect and designer who shaped Finnish modernism, creating buildings and furniture that define Nordic design
Kimi Räikkönen
Sport
Formula 1 World Champion in 2007 known as The Iceman for his laconic personality and minimal-word interviews
Mika Häkkinen
Sport
Two-time Formula 1 World Champion (1998-1999) and fierce rival of Michael Schumacher
Aki Kaurismäki
Film
Filmmaker whose deadpan, minimalist style won him the Grand Prix at Cannes and a devoted global following
Simo Häyhä
Other
Known as White Death, the deadliest sniper in history with over 500 confirmed kills during the Winter War against the Soviet Union

Food

Traditional cuisine of Finland

Karjalanpiirakka: Karelian pies - thin rye crust filled with rice porridge, topped with egg butter - Finland's most iconic snack
Kalakukko: Fish-filled bread from eastern Finland, a heavy rye loaf with vendace or perch baked inside
Lohikeitto: Creamy salmon soup with potatoes, dill, and cream, a staple of Finnish home cooking
Poronkaristys: Sauteed reindeer meat served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, the signature dish of Lapland
Mustikkapiirakka: Blueberry pie made with wild Arctic blueberries that are smaller, darker, and more flavorful than cultivated ones
Ruisleipä: Dense dark rye bread, the foundation of Finnish eating, sometimes dried into crisp rounds for storage
Salmiakki: Salty licorice that Finns are obsessed with - flavoring everything from candy to vodka, baffling most foreigners
Korvapuusti: Finnish cinnamon rolls with cardamom, larger and less sweet than Swedish kanelbullar, served with coffee

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Finland

Finnish LakelandLake: A maze of 188,000 lakes and connecting waterways covering much of central and eastern Finland
LaplandNational Park: Finland's Arctic north with fell landscapes, reindeer herds, Northern Lights, and the indigenous Sami people
Archipelago SeaIsland: The world's largest archipelago by number of islands, with over 40,000 islands between Finland and Sweden
Urho Kekkonen National ParkNational Park: One of Finland's largest wilderness areas in Lapland, home to vast fell landscapes and old-growth forests
Oulanka National ParkNational Park: Home to the Karhunkierros trail, Finland's most popular hiking route through rapids, gorges, and boreal forest
SuomenlinnaLandmark: UNESCO sea fortress built on six islands off Helsinki, one of the largest maritime fortifications in the world
Koli National ParkNational Park: Hilltop views over Lake Pielinen that have inspired Finnish artists for centuries, considered the national landscape
HaltiMountain: Finland's highest point at 1,324 meters on the Norwegian border in the far northwest corner of Lapland

Sport

Sports in Finland

Ice Hockey: Won the World Championship multiple times including back-to-back in 2022-2023, a hockey-mad nation
Formula 1: Produced four World Champions - Häkkinen, Räikkönen, Rosberg, and Bottas - extraordinary for a small nation
Cross-Country Skiing: Historically dominant in Nordic skiing with dozens of Olympic medals
Pesapallo: Finnish baseball - a uniquely Finnish sport that is the national game, played across the country in summer
Rally Driving: Finnish rally drivers are legendary, winning more World Rally Championship titles than any other nationality

Facts

Did you know?

Finland has 3.2 million saunas for 5.5 million people - that is roughly one sauna per 1.7 citizens
It was ranked the happiest country in the world nine years in a row (2018-2026) by the UN World Happiness Report
Finns drink more coffee per capita than any other nation - about 12 kg per person per year
Finland's education system has no standardized tests, no private schools, and short school days - and ranks among the world's best
Santa Claus's official post office in Rovaniemi receives about 500,000 letters per year from children around the world
There are no mosquitoes in Helsinki, but Finnish Lapland has so many that locals joke they are the unofficial national bird
Finland has the Right to Roam (Jokamiehen oikeudet) - anyone can walk, camp, and pick berries in any forest
Wife Carrying is a competitive sport in Finland, with an annual World Championship in Sonkajarvi