Visit Finland - What to Know Before You Visit Finland
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Thinking of Visiting Finland (Suomi), But Not Sure What to Expect? Here we talk about the language, money, travel destinations, safety, food and so much more of Finland. So, whether you are visiting on a European cruise into Helsinki or at a conference in Turku or just enjoying the beautiful lakes and nature around Tampere this video will help you know what you should know before you visit Finland.
Filmed in Helsinki, Finland
Copyright Mark Wolters 2018
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You can drink tap water anywhere in Finland, it is considered cleaner than bottled water :)
Tapani Löfving Be carefull in Nokia.
XtreeM FaiL wut
marko laakso fi.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokian_vesikriisi
Tapani Löfving no ei nyt ehkä ihan
En ees tienny tota :/
Finnish people: see's video Clicks* Happy mood*
My finnish fiancé is drifting to sleep and hears at the start of the video ‘things to know about Finland’ and she gave the approval grunt lol
I spent a month in Oulu. It was amazing for an introverted American. I loved going out in public because no one talked to me. 😂 The beaches are great, too!
59 Wilhite St. Monticello, KY 42633 where did u live in Oulu? I lived there for 20 years.
Omg I'm from Finland and I live in Oulu :D
Mkone667 I stayed in Valivainio.
59 Wilhite St. Monticello, KY 42633 oh that's cool, my sister lives there :D
59 Wilhite St. Monticello, KY 42633 Välivainio* also Nallikari is gr8
Good to know even tho i am finnish and have no idea why i am watching this
Well kiitos anyway :)
paavo jokelainen finns often need outside validation. That is why i am here. And i want to see our culture from a new perspective. You can never do that while finnish😂
Sama
@@Fismies jep
sama
I like your videos! I am Finnish and live in Helsinki metropolitan area. Recently I have been watching quite many travel videos about Finland because for some reason KZhead recommends them to me. It's very interesting to see our home country from a different point of view. A little hint to your watchers who plan travelling to Finland: A lunch in Helsinki can be a lot cheaper if you get just outside from the "tourist blocks". The same is in Tallinn, Estonia.
So true! Great comment on saving some money. Kiitos!
Thanks for that little tip.
oh2mmy hahaha. Best ironic comment
I am planning a trip to Helsinki this year, what places/ areas would you recommend for lunch and dinner for good salmon etc. when you say outside of tourist blocks? Thanks in advance.
Hesa o perseest
Fell in love with Finland since our first visit in 2011, have been here thrice since. Beautiful country, lovely people, the reindeers were awesome (both on the highways and on the plates). Hope to visit again soon
So amazing to see what Americans and others like about Finland, greetings from Pori Finland👀
Pori perkele
Wow Helsinki is gorgeous. Never been in Finland. Will put this on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing your video Walters.
You should definitely go to the finnish countryside
You should go watch some finnish baseball
J0lel hyi saatana
finnish baseball :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
toqe it's 200times better than baseball. It is not boring like that murican game
He's wearing the flag
good eye :)
Wolters World thanks😂
Wow didn't notice that!!
Finland sounds awesome!!😍
Because its awesome!
It is
It is but living in here is a little expensive
I love there buy I want to live in america
Don't get too excited about coming here
I am from Tampere, Finland and love to watch travel videos of Finland to see our country on different light really good videos!
Pro tip: Hi/Hey = Hei (pronounced pretty much exactly like "hey" in English). "Hei hei" = goodbye. "Moi" is a synonym to "hei".
I am loving these Finland videos!
Thank you
Wolters World No, thank you!
any time :)
Always enjoy your videos!
I need to get to Finland. I want to go once in winter and once in summer, at least :)
You should see the big cities and the countryside. They are so different but yet somehow the same.
fataali hiljaa, tulee meille verokyhnyjä
Ei mitään verokyhnyä vaan rehellistä amerikkalaista elintasoflätää.. :D
Dont go overpriced capital area at all ! ! ! Avoid also Lapland tourist areas and travel to some smaller places.. In Lapland i suggest Enontekiö or Kolari as places to visit..
Lerssinen Go to Helsinki and the countryside or Lapland
It is insanely cool to see what foreigners think of Finland! Awesome video!
Mark, your timing on these last two videos has been impeccable. We are counting down the days.
i'm jealous!!!
You're jealous!!??!! I do not get that, my friend? I wish we traveled as much as you!
Something similar here, my mum is up there for work
Is it an american thing to worry about safety of countries so much or a parental thing? As long as I don't visit a war zone or a region with big slums I would assume to be safe. It never crossed my mind that Japan or Finland could be concidered unsafe
people ask me all the time from all over the world about different places
TineP82 hahaha you are better of save on the couch in your gated community, listing in fear to the news. Hehe
We get asked all of the time by so many Americans about safety in Europe. I always say the same thing. I'm much more concerned about getting gunned down anywhere in the US.
Arnie, the 5 dangerous cities for firearms In the US are Chicago, Detroit, St Louis, New Orleans, and Washington DC. The least dangerous are where (not shocking at all) guns are easier to have. The Southern States are the safest.There is no self defense laws in a good portion of Western Europe, which means you need to rely on people that are not always available.
Hey, TineP82, native Belarusian here. There was one actually, 5-6 years ago, don't remember exactly when. Someone detonated a bomb in the subway. There are policemen at the station entrances since then - they will occasionally check your bags through an x-ray machine (or manually), especially if you have sizable luggage. There are some districts that are considered not very safe at night (e.g. Shabany), but otherwise, yeah, it's generally pretty safe out there.
The new trains are so quiet, I love them.
Thank you for the Finnish phrases!
we have a few basic videos on finnish for tourists too
My dream is to live in Finland 😍😍😍 I'm in love with this wonderful country ❤️
and finland loves you, llama
@@aahpuuh so sweet ❤️ i visited Helsinki for 1 week after Christmas 😁
@@jessie0311 ooh how was it? not that much snow?😞
@@aahpuuh yes :( the weather was really good
I live in Finland! It's a wonderful place, you should check it out!
Thank you, very informative & helpful.
You vlogs are always so pure, non-amercan style: Go ahead!
I love this video series on “What to Know Before Visiting...”! So interesting and helpful😊
thank you Tina. We were getting a lot of questions about different countries, so we started these "know before" videos to give more logistical travel help as opposed to the fun shocks and don't videos :)
Thank you for the effort you used to make this video!
Great video with a lot of practical tips and information. Keep up the good work!
thanks mark! i plan to travel to every country in the world and your videos are a great guide. keep up the good work my man. :)
Glad I can help you prep :)
Very helpful video. Thanks for the tips! 👍🏻
Great stuff Mark! Seeing the northern lights is on my bucket list for sure.
Okay, I'm from Finland, and I have to say, that these videos are just amazing!!!
Thank you for all these informative videos, Mark. I first came across the Prague love and hates you did just before my travels. They were spot on. I always look if you have videos for places I visit beforehand to help out.
That is cool to hear Kris. I am glad we can give you some good tips. Great travels to you!
Early spring is my favorite time to visit
Ohhman! Thank you for this!
The Hesburger Dance! 💛😂😂😂💛
Liam for the win
Love it!!
I like how you appreciate Turku so much :D I used to live there for a year or so, and loved every bit of it. Such a beautiful city, especially during summer and early autumn. In many ways I preferred to live in Turku more than in my current hometown Helsinki, for example when eating out you are more guaranteed to get your money's worth there than in Helsinki.
Your son has those moves down😉 We're on Baltic cruise 2019...this is great info!!!
cool! we will have more baltic country videos coming :)
Architect here, Turku is known for its Seven Churches Tour, really neat old little Churches throughout town. I have a page in the sketchbook with all seven. At one a parishioner sang for us, operatic style. And the Saarinens, Alvar Aalto, and many other Finnish architects totally rock.
timmmahhhh I love Aalto. I minored in architectural history and very much agree the Finns put out some great architecture.
Thank you for this. My family and I will always be grateful for the "getting to know you" aspects of your videos. Not sure about the reindeer (smile). My Wife and I are so thankful you are a family man. That in its self-makes you family. Thankyou
Everyone saying they want to go to Finland: You won't regret it! I am a Fin myself, and it is absolutely beautiful! 🌺
thank you for your sharing. we are planning to go to finland next month. we are so excited to visit such a great country. your information is so important for us. thamks again.
The cathedral reminds me of a certain music video!
which one?
Allahu Akbar I would think the cathedral reminds you of infidels.
Wolters World: Sandstrom from Darude, has become kind of alternative national anthem :)
Wolters World Darude - Sandstorm
Someone start a petition to change Finland's national anthem to Darude - Sandstorm
Some of the local berries / fruits are amazing as well... Cloudberry & Sea Buckthorn are delicious as sauce on icecream or as a jam on some good bread... Your kids are sooooo adorable at the end...!
ohh boy have u ever had dried cranberries?
Finland is on my bucket list. Been to other northern European countries and always had a wonderful time. Love the Finnish people.
Awesome video! I'll be moving to Helsinki this week, so excited! - and more relaxed after seeing your video, kiitos !! :)
How has it been?
Summertime is awesome. Winter seems challanging tho.
Another excellent video! You're such a great inspiration for my channel. Keep it up :)
thanks ATGW
Im from finland and i watched this vidro this is so true.
nice video, glad you mentioned koskinkorva and noticed your glass had Lapin Kulta (my favourite beer).
Best time to go to Finland is first 2 weeks of September - no mosquitos and weather is still pretty good!
Thank you for this video. When I have been traveliing US people have always beem so friendly. And I also live in Turku
I recommend having a picnic in Suomenlinna (finnish castle), just a short ferry ride from the centre, it's so beautiful in the summer especially during sundown. Also renting a cabin by a lake or visiting someone's cabin is a must during the summer, pretty much the best thing in the whole country!
Yes, i too suggest going to Viapori(Suomenlinna), its a beatyful place.
I loved Helsinki. Going back this summer g-d willing.
amen :)
Welcome
NORTHWOODSPREPPER1 - Yes, you're right, for everyone else, but not for those still stuck in stone age superstitions. They haven't been liberated yet. Oh, well...
You guys rock!!!!
thank you
Once I finish school, I'd like to visit (and possibly live in) Finland. I like the entire humble demeanor the culture has. Besides visiting Helsinki and Lapland, I'm hoping to visit some of the more hidden, hipster spots.
My Hometown Porvoo mentioned! WOOO!
Helsinki can be expensive for an American, but it's not too bad. One easy way to eat well and cut down on food expenses is to go to nice restaurants for lunch and eat your main meal of the day then. A lot of restaurants have a lunch special, with a limited menu of four or five choices, for nine or ten Euros, which usually includes a salad bar and coffee or tea. So I would postpone my usual morning coffee and have it at the restaurant after lunch. Then for dinner, there are plenty of all-night burger and sausage stands. Or I like going to grocery stores and sampling the weird dairy products for dinner. Great city!
Coming on a cruise next summer!
I have just recently discovered your channel. I like your content very much, very informative! When travelling to Finland what I would recommend; in the summertime don't go too north because of the mosquitoes and other insects. So don't go to lapland in summer, it won't be too warm either. In the winter you should definetly go to lapland and other more northenr parts, the winter is beautiful and has no flaws ;) For less expensive trip ask locals good and cheap places to eat and sleep. In biggest cities you should rely on public transportation, it's way cheaper than taxi. Also we have good railway connections fron town to town, don't be afraid to use them! When it comes to people, we don't smalltalk too much, but if you wan't to know something just ask us! Most of the people will understand English and are willing to help or even guide more deeply if we have some free time. So, what you wan't to see and experience to feel the Finland is the stereotypical landscape by the lake, going to sauna and connecting with nice people. If you dare try as many draditional dishes as you can, you might find your alltime favourite.
Actually Turku really isn't any more "Swedish" than Finland on average. Only about 5% of the Turku population speak Swedish as a native language. And even that percentage might be a bit artificial because almost all of them are bi-lingual. Finland in general is pretty homogenic language-wise, even though on paper there are two "official" languages in Finland. In reality, everyone speaks Finnish and most people also speak (some) English. Swedish really isn't very widely spoken, even though most people might know a couple of words. But let's not get into language politics more than that...
Jorma Jurrila and then there are those (older) people who speak Swedish to you and can clearly understand Finnish when you tell them you don't speak Swedish and continue to speak to you in Swedish anyway. At least in Helsinki I see those people a lot (retail and restaurants).
Fucking hurries
@@sebastiansalvation6565 yes, and in the east you'll hear a lot of russian too.
In Tammisaari most people speak swedish and alot of people there can not speak finnish very good
Turussa varmaa 50% puhuu arabiaa nykyään
Great memories. I lived not far from where you were filming
That's cool :)
Thanks Mark!
No problem :)
As a native finlandese :) Yeah, you got most of the stuff right. But on summertime you don't want to spend your time on capital(s). Everyone has a summer house (mökki). Go there, enjoy the nature and enjoy being away from people, That's the finnish experience. Just be away from other people and take the silence in. And suddenly you're half finnish already :)
Can you rent one if you dont know anyone?
EVERYONE???!?! i am finnish and i don’t
Quick tip for anyone looking for something to do while in finland other than the basic tourist stuff. Rent a car, and just drive about the central Finland, maybe around the Saimaa. You can find some quaint little local museums that way if thats your thing, or you can just wander around the little towns and what not.
This was excellent.
Ice Daemon viimene
I cant wait to visit this beautiful country for the first time in December. Ill be visiting Helsinki with my friend for the christmas season. I d love to come back and also visit during the summer. I love how you include places to visit, but are those places still accessible during the winter time? I could really use some tips on what is still possible to do during winter. Thanks for any help from anyone.
I appreciate that you mentioned the bilingual Finlad. Not many knows that we talk swedish too, especially in the west, where Swedish is more spoken than Finnish.
This video made me want to subscribe
When I was in Denmark, a local told me that Finland had a lot Russian influence (especially with architecture) but I haven't seen that on any of the travel videos for Finland so far.
i've heard that from other travel books too, but aside from a few buildings and churches i don't see a lot of influence
The 19th century architecture in Finland has Russian influence but hard to point any other significant Russian influence beside that. The Swedish influence is clear, Finland was a part of Sweden for 600+ years. Generally speaking Finnish genome has more eastern influence than in other Nordic countries, perhaps the Dane met some 'Russian' faces in Finland :)
mikrokupu It's not really Russian architectural influence per se, unless you mean the Orthodox churches. The 19th Century Russia imported a whole lot of continental European architectural ideas. The Helsinki monumental centre is by Engel, a German, for example, hired by the Empire to make Helsinki respectable looking. If some building styles look similar in Finland and Russia (apart from the Orhodox churches, again), it's largely due to the fact Russia imported those style, maybe with adaptations, and since Finland was a part of Russia back then in the 19th Century, they also got here, instead of some other styles. Europe has always been quite international indeed.
Satunnainen Katselija I wouldn't go that far. Without Russia there ought to be more buildings looking like those in Sweden. Russia adopted certain styles from the larger European selection of styles. Sweden had its own choices. Since Finland was a part of Russia for that century, it was the Russian choices that affected the big public buildings built back then. Although naturally the Finnish society always remained more Swedish (or Nordic as we'd say today) than Russian, so it had its own impact as well. Helsinki was already founded centuries ago to compete with Tallinn, so it wouldn't have remained a small village. Maybe Turku would be as big as Helsinki is now and Helsinki would be like Turku today. Who can say. Though without our independence Finland would likely be less developed all in all and Stockholm even bigger.
Yes there is communist influence all right. Hundreds of beautiful old buildings (which weren't destroyed during the wars) were replaced with hideous communist conrete blocks in the 60s and 70s.
I’m actually moving there soon I’m from Texas hopefully i like it
How is it?
If ever get to visit someone's summer cottage then you are quite lucky to see that side of summer :)
Good point about the tipping in restaurants. We don't do that. If we're tipsy enough (which we are most of the time, to be honest) we might give some change to the wait staff but generally that doesn't happen and it's not expected. (...wait, those words must have some common etymology, it can't just be a coincidence.)
Yeah, you definitely need to know Olut.
Lakes near Tampere were mentioned, but for me as a Finn, the Lake Saimaa region is in a league of its own. Especially Savonlinna, Punkaharju, and you must try the road 62 from Mikkeli to Puumala. Stunning views!
kantatie 62?
@@keravavantaa2886 Justiinsa joo.
@@affidavid5730 ok
Hi thank you for the video could you share more about what can be done in the winter?
You tell'd well about my home country I liked
ahh just so glad to see pepole actually come to finland :) ahh my home country i wish i was living in helsinki i am in orivesi a crappy town
Thank you, I watch some you videos and are great I just wish to have time and money to travel as much as you do., I have traveleled to a lot of places my only regratre is a did not recorded much of my travels, I hope you followers will videotape all the places they visit it will be a memory to last forever., Saludos desde Mexico.
nice video , thanks
Awesome!
thank you
You're American and not butchering my beautiful language too badly, I absolutely love your Finnish ❤
As a finn there's somethings I'd like to point out that are, idk, wrong. But ower all great video. If anyone who reads this is planing to visit finland, i recommend it. The winters can be cold though so I'd recommend coming in the summer time.
Greetings from Rovaniemi the city I live since 6 years!
moi!!!
I just got back from Helsinki. One thing I wish Id known before I went there was that most ticket machines only accept card. Not good if you only have cash. But still had a wonderful time. I love Helsinki 😊
That is true. Card is king in lots of northern Europe
he's not joking about the clean air. it was very very noticeable immediately upon getting off the plane. striking, actually
The cleanest air in the world according to WHO.
Interesting videos even for a finn :D Like you did say there are signs that have both finnish and swedish town/city names. If the swedish is on top, that means that the city has more swedish speaking people. For example in Parainen and other places with lot of finnish swedish people.
Kalma and in most of Finland there's no swedish at all on the signs
TheSuomi yep i know :)
What to do in Finland should definitely include sports events. We love our sports, mostly winter sports but all kinds. And some "sports" are very strange and made up showing our quirky sense of humor. You can compete in such sports as cell phone throwing, or wife carrying. We also have a lot of national parks, most of which are easily accessible and well marked for anything from 1h nature walk to 2 week hike. Ps. Wifi is usually available for free or for a cheap price at airport, cafe, mall, etc
I am going to Finland in October
Also keep in mind, that if you wanna save money during a visit to Finland, go to the VR page and buy the train tickets a month or two weeks early if you know what day you will be going to a specific area. Because that's when they are the cheapest. Its what I tend to do.
Nice video. But did I miss it or did you forgot to mention Suomenlinna? It's amazing! Also you talked about a lot about Helsinki. What about Tampere, Hämeenlinna, Kotka, Hamina, Kouvola, Oulu, Pori?
Eeli Lappalainen hyi Kouvola 🤣
the last time i was in finland was on a cruise from stockholm!
one more thing I would recommend to have is a small tube of Hydrocortisol (oh it is a lifesaver if your body reeally doesnt like those first mosquito bites, before it adapts to them, they can be super itchy and you end up scracthing it till it bleeds). costs like 5 euros or something, sold in every pharmacy.
These videos are funny to watch because i live in finland :)
I once saw someone canoeing down the Aurajoki (6:53).
Go to itäpasila! There is beautiful! Nice place in helsinki.
Kensei Takesi kontulaki on kaunista
Great info. I should visit considering I'm half Finn and never been. How did this video end up in my recommended list? I think Google knows too much
I live in Helsinki and can Finnish and Swedish and it’s fun to go to Linnanmäki it’s a amusment park but it’s a littel bit price
Travel tip: We might be quiet but secretly we would love if foreign people came to us and started talking. I'm always interested on people stories how they ended up coming to Finland and what they have been doing :)
I guess it says everything about how safe Finland is, when talking about safety here your biggest concerns are slipping on ice during the winter and mosquitos during the summer
I’m related to be Finnish, as my mom is and I might visit or move here one day as I’m in Britain right now and I speak very fluent Finnish but I can’t do the wierd r hahah but my favourite thing to do is go to K market or hesburger it’s much better then McDonald’s or anything 😻😋😋
If you like towns they are nice in Finland. I'd recommend to visit the nature and countryside because they are better.
Prices being lower outside Helsinki is a good rule of thumb, but Northern Finland during Christmas and New Year is a notable exception. 10 euros for a cup of hot chocolate is perfectly normal in some of the skiing resorts. I would recommend a vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis if you're interested in spending a lot of time in nature in South-West Finland during the summer months. It's a rare infection to get and it usually just gives you a high fever for a few days, but it definitely has the potential to ruin a vacation. The vaccine is inexpensive, offers complete protection and I've never heard of anybody having any notable side effects from taking it.