The closest northern neighbor, Finland, is one of the popular tourist destinations for tourists from Russia. People go here to meet the real Santa on Christmas holidays or go fishing on weekends. Petersburgers go to neighbors for their favorite products that cannot be found in Russian stores, and fans of active leisure activities prefer the well-equipped ski slopes of Suomi. All regions of Finland are of their own interest to the traveler, depending on the preferences in recreation and entertainment.
Repeating the alphabet
Lapland occupies the largest area among the regions of the country. Its administrative center, Rovaniemi, annually on Christmas Eve hosts thousands of people who want to make sure that Santa Claus is there, and you can even talk to him in person. Most of this area of Finland is located beyond the Arctic Circle, about which there is a corresponding sign near Rovaniemi.
The smallest regions in Finland are located in the southern part of the country. In the same place, on the Aland archipelago, the Akhvenanmaa region is also spread - the only island region of the country.
World record holder
The islands of the Ahvenanmaa region have a somewhat unusual record to their credit. The local Internet ranks in the top five in the world in terms of download and upload speed. The authenticity of this information can be easily verified by going on a tour to Finland, especially since the archipelago is also notable for the island of Merketa, which has broken the world record in terms of the administrative-territorial structure. With an area of only 3.3 hectares, it is the smallest island on the planet divided between the two countries, because part of it belongs to Sweden.
Numismatists will be pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to get a rather rare coin in their collection by going to this region of Finland. On the Aland Islands in the 90s of the last century, their own dalers were minted, which are still accepted by banks for exchange and are found only in this part of the country.
Christmas scenarios
The regions of Finland are becoming the subject of special interest of the Russian traveler on the eve of the Christmas holidays:
- Turku is home to the country's largest Christmas tree and is often referred to as the main city in Suomi during the winter holidays. In addition to New Year's fairs and traditional winter entertainment, in Turku you can visit the ancient cathedral built in the 13th century and several museums of a national scale.
- To be in the tropics for a couple of hours during Christmas is quite possible in the region of Finland called North Karelia. A botanical garden is open in the town of Joensuu, where more than a thousand species of tropical flora are grown. Colorful butterflies fly through the bamboo thickets, and talking parrots are not averse to chatting with foreign tourists.
