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Gofinland Blog - All about how to travel to Finland, how to get around, and what to see and what to do.
Finnish Food

5 Dishes You Need to Taste When Visiting Finland

You may not know this, but Finland has a very interesting diversity of local dishes. Its forests and lakes are hiding real treasures: berries, mushrooms and fish, to name a few. Each region has its own specialties. We have picked up some of our favourites for you.

Here are 5 dishes you need to taste when visiting Finland.

karjalanpiirakat-smallKarelian pies (Karjalanpiirakat in Finnish): As its name says, this small pie is originally from Southern East of Finland: Karelia. You can eat them during many occasions: as a breakfast or snack, or quite often during festive dinners served with egg butter.

There are many ways to prepare these pastries: the garniture can be either rice porridge or mashed potatoes. Different sizes and shapes can tell where the pies have been made.

You can find Karelian pies all around Finland, even in the supermarkets. But of course nothing is better than homemade ones! 

Smoked whitefish (Savustettu siika in Finnish):  Fish is a major ingredient in the Finnish cuisine. The large amount of lakes and rivers provide interesting opportunities to catch your own dinner and prepare it on open fire.

There is one dish Finns particularly love to prepare when spending time in their summer cottages: the smoked whitefish.

Kuva, jonka Gofinland.fi (@gofinland.fi) julkaisi 15. 01ta 2016 klo 3.20 PST

Whitefishes can be caught in lakes, rivers and the Baltic Sea. Here are some hints to help you to prepare your smoked whitefish:

You can either use an electric smoker or a more traditional one using fire.

The main ingredients are sea salt to be spread inside the fish once cleaned (don’t put too much but equally), 3 or 4 small pieces of sugar to give a nice brownish colour to the fish and alder chips.

At the bottom of the smoker, spread equally the alder chips and add the sugar cubes on top.  Then add the fishes above the alder bed on a grill inside the smoker and close it.

The fire should be slowly and nicely burning under the smoker. The cooking time depends on the fish size but count for around 45 minutes for 1 kg.

During the cooking, you can check if the fish is ready by trying to remove a small piece of skin or the dorsal fin and see if it separates easily from the meat. Bon appétit!

Sautéed reindeer (Poronkäristys in Finnish):  Reindeers are more numerous than men in Lapland. Reindeer meat is thus a very common ingredient in the Northern Finland and you can find it in many variations: smoked, dried, minced, in the soup, and so on.

poronkaristys-small

The sautéed reindeer is a traditional dish you can eat at all seasons and you can find it in many restaurants. Tenderly cooked and thinly sliced reindeer meat is served with mashed potatoes, pickles, and lingonberries.

Rieska bread (Rieska in Finnish): Finns are really found of all sorts of breads to complement their meals. The one you should try when staying in Finland is called rieska.

rieska-small The most common ones you will easily find are potato rieska (perunarieska), barley rieska (ohrarieska) and rye rieska (ruisrieska). Finns eat this bread mostly with just butter on. However, rieska is an ideal bread to prepare sandwiches for a day hike and to be enjoyed outdoors around a campfire with hot drinks.

 

And last, but not least:

leipajuusto-smallerBread cheese (Juustoleipä in Finnish): Here is a typical dessert from Northern Finland. Made out of cow milk, the bread cheese has a very unique texture.  In the old days, bread cheese was so appreciated that is was given as a salary to people working in the fields during summer harvest.

The bread cheese is very easy to prepare yourself if you stay in a cottage. Available in every local supermarket, you just cut it into small slices and gently warm it up on a pan with cream. When ready, serve it with cloudberries. The cloudberries (called lakka or hilla in Finnish) are one of the tastiest, vitamins-packed berries you can find in Lappish swamps.  The result gives a great sweet and acid combination, and it goes really well with coffee.

A must try for all dessert fans!

Have you ever tried any of these Finnish dishes? If not, which one would you like to taste first? Post your choice in the comments field below.

See another local delicacy – Lörtsy Lörty - a delicious savory pastry from Savonlinna
January 18, 2016by Bruce Deschamps
Finnish Culture

Cottage Life in Finland: Great Ways to Enjoy Nature

Have you ever asked a Finn where he or she would celebrate the midsummer fest? Most of them would reply: “in a summer cottage”. Did you know that Finland counts over half a million privately owned cottages and leisure houses in the country of 5 million inhabitants?

For Finns, the cottages and leisure houses are getaways from the hectic lives. Very often located by a lake or a river, and off-the-beaten path, cottages offer a great dive into one of the most important part of Finnish culture: enjoying nature.

The cottage life is all about going back to the roots and enjoy simple pleasures like cooking fresh fish on open fire, taking a swim in the lake after wooden-heated sauna or picking up berries.
nature

Have You Ever Heard Silence?

The first and most overwhelming feeling you will get when staying at a cottage in the middle of nature is silence. Have you ever heard it?

Once you try, you really get hooked!  Spending time in nature has a very positive effect on your health: it is a great way to enjoy a digital detox and fill up your body and mind with energy and creativity. fishing

Need Help to Choose a Destination?

So ready to step off your daily routine and enjoy the pleasure of silence and nature in a traditional cottage? From the Finnish Archipelago to the Lakeland and deep Lappish forests, you can find here your dream cottage for an unforgettable experience.

See cottages of the Archipelago

 

See cottages in Lakeland

 

See cottages in Lapland
January 14, 2016by Bruce Deschamps
General

How to rent a cottage in Finland

Here are ten easy steps of renting a cottage for your holiday in Finland. All you have to do is go through the steps and we will guarantee you’ll have an amazing trip. However, if you have anything to ask you can contact us and we’ll help you out!

1. Scout the location

Decide what you want to see and do while in Finland. If you want a full on Lapland experience with snow, winter sports and aurora borealis, you might want to head over to one of our ski resorts in Lapland. If you are traveling in summer, you might want to stay somewhere south, near the big cities and their many activities.

2. Find the cottage

Find the best cabin from your location with Gofinland cottage search. Just type in the area and dates and you’ll be presented with the selection of available cabins. If you have special requirements, you can use the advanced search options on the list page.

3. Book it

When you have found the best cabin for your needs, you need to book it! Our clients support two kinds of booking options:

  1. Booking request by email: You’ll contact the landlord with the booking form on the cottage page. Landlord will then email you the confirmation and further information.
  2. Online-booking: Most of our clients have their own online booking systems, where we link from the cottage’s page on Gofinland. Just click the “Book now” button on the page and you’ll be redirected to the online booking system. Please read the instructions carefully and follow all the steps.
4. Make sure your booking has been confirmed

Read the booking confirmation emails closely and save them for later use. Confirmation emails contain all the necessary information about payments, how to get to the cabin and where to get the keys from. If you have some questions for the landlord, you can contact them to the email where the confirmation was sent.

5. Wait for it

Wait patiently for your holiday. We know it’s hard, but it’s worth the wait. Prepare in advance and pack at least one warm hat, for summer holidays too.

6. Come here

Get yourself to Finland! Here’s few tips on how to get here.

7. Keys – where are the keys?

Pick the keys up from the location mentioned by the landlord. If you are staying in a ski resort there is usually some kind of reception for this. But if you’ve booked a wilderness cabin in the middle of nowhere, you might need to go and see the landlord somewhere along the way. Just read the instructions well and ask for help if you have any questions!

8. Ahh, can you hear the silence?

Go to the cottage, heat the sauna up and crack open a beer – it’s time to relax!

9. Cleaning

After all the good time clean the cabin. If you’ve been smart and bought the cleaning service in advance, you don’t need to worry about this. So ask for the cleaning service – you won’t regret it!

10. Return the keys, please!

Return the key as the landlord has instructed and head back home.

Now, let’s start looking for that cabin!

 

January 14, 2016by Jens
Finland Destinations

A Destination Idea for a Winter Break: Visit Ylläs in Lapland

Photo by Johannes Becker, VisitFinland

Looking for a long weekend destination for the winter?  We have a suggestion for you!

Located in the Western Lapland, 220 km above the Arctic Circle, Ylläs offers an intimate encounter with the wilderness of Lapland. The small ski resort has kept its local Lappish atmosphere pretty much intact over the years.

The 7 fells and 2 villages, Äkäslompolo and Ylläsjärvi, offer great nature and wilderness surroundings to enjoy a relaxing or active outdoor break during the long and dark winter months.

To really get a grasp of this destination, you can choose among many cottages available for rent. The selection varies between the most isolated cottages in the middle of the forest to the ones right nearby the ski slopes and restaurants.

Kuva, jonka Ylläs (@visityllas) julkaisi 31. 01ta 2016 klo 3.06 PST

Discover the Fells of Ylläs with Snowshoes

One of the best ways to discover Ylläs landscape and forests is to strap on a pair of snowshoes and step out for a winter hike. The resort offers snowshoeing trails with lengths between 1 to 7,5 km with various levels of difficulties to suit both beginners and more advanced amateurs.

On these trails, you can easily find public wooden shelters and fireplaces to have a picnic break. So don’t forget to bring along freshly baked cinnamon buns, coffee or even dry reindeer meat to eat around a campfire.

Then just empty your mind for a moment and enjoy the environment in the company of good friends or family!

Kuva, jonka Ylläs (@visityllas) julkaisi 10. 01ta 2016 klo 0.23 PST

The Perfect Blend for Relaxation and Adventure

After a great winter day out, what is more relaxing than enjoying the cosiness of cottage, tasting the local delicacies with friends, warming up sauna, and spending time by the fireplace?

Whether you are looking for a place to relax or experience new adventures, Ylläs has a lot to offer. Ready to discover the authentic Lappish atmosphere of the 7 fells?

Book your cottage from Ylläs!
January 13, 2016by Bruce Deschamps
General

How to come to Finland

Finland is pretty easy place to come to. You can come to Finland by air, sea or land. There are a couple major international routes by train and they are easily accessed. However if you are planning a bus trip, you might want to contact your local tour operator or travel agency for the easiest option.

We have land borders with Russia, Sweden and Norway. Russian border is very long and it can be crossed in multiple places. Swedish border is connected only to the northern Finland. That’s why many travelers from Sweden use ferries or boats from Stockholm to southern Finland.

The most common and easiest way into Finland is through the Helsinki-Vantaa airport. It’s the main hub in Finland and there are many airlines that fly to Helsinki.

Getting around

From Helsinki-Vantaa you can either take a connecting flight to one of the smaller airports or change the mode of transportation right away. Domestic flights in Finland are usually very short. You can even reach the northernmost airport Ivalo in one and a half hours. Flying is the most convenient and fastest way to get around. If you manage to score a good deal with the airline, it’s probably also the cheapest alternative.

Continue reading

January 13, 2016by Jens
General

Meet the Gofinland Team

Hi! We are a small but passionate team behind the site Gofinland.fi. We come from different backgrounds but we share the same interest in excellent websites and traveling in Finland – our home country.

Actually we like Finland so much that we’d like to introduce it to the whole world! That’s why we’ve built Gofinland.fi. It’s a portal for ultimate Finnish adventure – a cabin holiday! You know, we Finns love our cabins like crazy. It’s a good place to relax, have good time with family and friends and enjoy the solitude in nature. We believe that you haven’t really experienced Finland until you’ve spent a couple of nights in a cabin.

There are six of us right now. We do our business under the watchful eye of our manager Paula. She is a bulletproof businesswoman who knows everyone in the Finnish travel scene. She enjoys outdoor activities and especially skiing. Her closest colleague is Riikka, our dynamic salesperson. If you have rental cabins in Finland, you probably know her already.

The rest of us are from the tech team. Mikko is our designer and user experience specialist. Jarkko is the architect of all things tech and he codes all our stuff with Jari, our software specialist.

Me on the other hand couldn’t code even if my life depended on it. That’s why I’m the product manager. I’m trying to keep the customers happy with good features and interesting content. I do also all our social media and write this blog of course.

Yes, it's me with the double bicep pose...

Yes, it’s me with the double bicep pose…

The other author of this blog is Mr. Bruce Deschamps – our correspondent from Lapland. He has his own blog http://destinationlaponie.fr/ where he tells the Lapland stories for French speaking people. As a French expat living with us Finns he has a cool perspective on Finnish culture and customs.

Bruce

Hope you enjoy this blog and the stories we will be sharing here! Keep in touch because we are going to post pretty often.

Best regards
Jens

January 12, 2016by Jens

Recent Posts

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  • Sebastian’s trip to Finnish nature and cottage culture.
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