The Finnish Summer Activities
Finnish summer time begins in late May- July and the temperature could go as high as 32++ degrees like in the tropical countries. Contrary to the long darkness in winter time, summer is long in Finland where the sun shines almost whole day from 4AM to 10PM in the south and in the Artic Circle, the sun never sets at all from May to August. With this said, summer is the time when Finns enjoy the outdoor the most through a wide array of activities from fishing, swimming, going to sauna or nature trekking in the wilderness. A trip to the other places in the north less visited in most times of the year is a perfect getaway from some.
Fishing
Fishing in Finland is a common activity but few lesser Finns eat fish they don’t know. And when you see someone catching a fish and put it back again in the water, don’t be surprised. It’s the thing in Finland and it is not surprising contrary to other countries where people eat almost every fish they can catch. Fishing can be done in the lakes, oceans or rivers. There are many types of fishing gears, some need a license to use others don’t. You also need to have the license to fish! Dock Fishing is also a common thing to do
Hiking
Nature trekking is something that is really interesting for many locals. The love of nature is very evident even at a young age when they spend time once in a week in an outdoor activity in the woods, park or forest and learn something about nature with the guide of teachers. From then, hiking becomes a natural habit for many until they grow old.
Finnish forest is full of edible and healthy plants, mushrooms and wild herbs. Many foragers, foreign and local collect natural products for food consumption. Some hike as a form of relaxation others do for health reasons. Whatever the case is, hiking is purely a thing that is healthy, free and calming to the soul to do.
Water activities
Being known as the “land of a thousand lakes” Finland offers vast bodies of water for you to explore. There are an array of activities that are easily arranged for your wishes. Swimming for instance in many places is free for all. The places where you can swim also have grilling areas that you can use. In Turku city, there is an available boat that you can tour with and you can also use your Föli card to pay the ticket. The ferry is available at Turku city with different routes and timings.
In summer, Föli water buses run from Aura River to Ruissalo and Hirvensalo. Water buses start operating daily as of 22 May. Daily service ends on 27 August after which water buses will operate on Saturdays and Sundays until 17 September. Source
There are other activities like stand up paddleboarding, canoeing, boating, jet skiing, and kayaking-island hopping which you can do very easily if you have the equipment needed.
Local Tours
From museums to castles, local restaurants and pubs at night to farms and gardens, you can easily find something interesting when you visit Finland. In Turku, being the country’s old capital city, lies a magnificent Turku Castle which you can spend your whole day roaming around. There are trips to see Turku Castle from Helsinki and if you are in Turku region, the place is accessible by walk, bicycle or motorbike if you don’t have a car. There are other castles around the country that you can visit. Each town has its own church which are also interesting to see. If you want to experience Finnish summer house lifestyle you can also do by going with friends or host and in some cases you can also book your own Finnish summer house life experience.
Sauna and Swimming
A trip to Finland wouldn’t be complete if you miss to visit the Finnish Sauna and a naked swim afterwards in the lake. There are two types of saunas in Finland, the savu sauna and the traditional sauna. The former is smoky and smooth while the latter is misty and harsh. Both saunas are good to try with a cold beer on breaks and a dip or a jump in the lake afterwards.
Sauna is done by heating the machine to 60-70 degrees for at least 30 minutes and people stay for about 15 minutes and wash the body with soap and take a break. to enjoy a cold drink. The second sauna time is normally the last but there is no rules as to how many times you can go back to sauna. If it is your first time, perhaps 5 minutes is more than enough but you can try and see for your self. The best part of going to sauna is the feeling of freshness and relaxation afterwards that is why many Finns love to go to sauna just before bedtime.
