The brief for our summer holidays was clear: nature, the opportunity for a beautiful road trip, no crowds, simple life, water, endless outdoor activities and decent weather. We have enjoyed the nordics in the past (see the article about our summer in Sweden), so it was time to pay Finland a visit.
Fins have slightly different holiday dates, so when we landed in Helsinki at the end of July, schools were about to restart and people were going back to work. Finland not being a very popular tourist destination (still questionning why?!), we got to enjoy the true beauty of the country with no one around.
Imagine being alone on clean beaches and pefectly good temperatures to enjoy a swim. No wild fires, queues of tourists taking instagram photos or people sitting too close to you on the beach.
Read on for our Finish summer adventure …
helsinki
The first stop of our Finish adventure kicked off in Helsinki. Only a couple of hours flight, a manageable airoport located a small half hour from the city. We decided to stay in a hip residential area (I guess the kids are growing up!), and do not regret it. We spent 3 days enjoying food courts, the local theme park, endless cinamon buns, the outdoor jazz concerts by our local cafe, sitting by the water and simply being.
It could have been tempting to book a bunch of museums, guided tours and more, but we arrived on holidays exhasuted and we all needed to mark the start of the break by living the life with locals.
hanko
The beautiful village of Hanko is the beach getaway for people in Helsinki. It was a very popular place to escape during covid times. Yet, it still remains small, peaceful and really quaint. There are a couple of beautiful beaches, a few hiking trails, a tennis club, a handful of restaurants and many boats. The architecture of the village is still very traditional with old wooden houses.
We spent 4 days in the village, between the sunny beach and lilttle hikes. It was such a welcome breath of fresh air and relaxation.
turku
Turku isn’t tremendously attractive to visit, but it is the getaway to the paradise island of Aland. We ended up spending a full day in Turku. We visited the beautiful town of Naantali on the coast, a cute marina worth a visit. Turku also has a great food market, so not to be totally discounted.
Aland ISLANDS
A true beauty located between Finland and Sweden, Aland is a very unique archipelago. After a 6 hour ferry, we arrived in Marienhamn, the main town. 20 minutes later, we reached our very special retreat for the coming 4 days.
The island is a paradise for outdoor activties. There are many cycling routes across all the islands. You can go hiking around the different villages. But also of course swimming, boating, paddle boarding, and just chilling on the beach.
There are a few special sights such as castles, old traditional villages and viewpoints.
lakeland
After the same beautiful journey back, we headed to the lakelands, in the south east of the coutry. The Russian border is about 1 hour away from this beautiful piece of nature. This is the place to escape people and fully immerse in nature. We stayed in a beautiful luxurious cabin, with its own beach and piece of the lake. Time truly stopped and our days were filled with hikes to local nature reserves, swimming and simply being. You could easily spend weeks exploring this area of the country. There are hikes for all levels and many other activities available. Just don’t expect buzzing restaurants and much life.
the south coast
Closing the loop of this beautiful trip, we stopped for one last adventure in the region of Sipoo, very near Helsinki. Passing the popular town of Porvoo (first time we ecountered tourists in 4 weeks!), we continued through the rolling hills and sunflower fields to arrive in a horse riding retreat. We enjoyed a 3 night stay on a farm, caring for horses and going on long morning hikes. A perfect way to close a very unique adventure!
the map of our roadtrip
If you have felt inspired by a crowd-free holiday, adventure, nature and space, do not hesitate to reach out to discuss your next family adventure.
I am Marta, your travel designer. I plan unique holidays for ambitious families, seeking adventures all over the world.
Bon voyage!
Marta x
