This is the story of Sebastian’s journey to Finland and our wonderful culture where nature and spending time in summer cottages are essential .
Straight after arriving in Helsinki we got our rental car and drove north. Ahead of us was a 10 day journey through the southern part of Finland. My expectations of this beautiful country were fulfilled immediately after leaving the city and entering the remote nature of Finland. We drove for around 3 hours north, one hour was driving on a gravel road straight into the forest until we reached our cottage directly at lake.
A Finnish BBQ in the forest.
After a day of hiking and exploring the area we finished the day by making a campfire on a hill with views over the lake. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine a better place for a fire. The nature and the remoteness of that place even made it more beautiful. A cold beer and some sausages on the stick really made a perfect evening.
Amazing view on the National Park of Repovesi
After leaving the remote cottage behind, we made our way to explore Repovesi National Park. In the park there are a lot of hiking trails and some great views over lakes and forests. There are also some campgrounds, where families spent the night. Unfortunately we didn’t bring our own tent, so we had to leave the park at dawn to sleep in our B&B.
Roadtripping in Finland
After another night at a campfire at the B&B Pinus in Mäntyharju, we made our way more north to Koli National Park where we stayed on a farm for 2 nights. The view from the top of Koli National Park was even more breathtaking than the views we saw before. After a good day of hiking, we had one of the best burgers ever at Kolin Ryynanen, close to the park.
Scenic sunset in Finland.
On our way to the West Coast we stopped at another cottage directly at a lake. As many times before in Finland we were all by ourself. We took out the paddle boat for a sunset cruise before sitting at the warm campfire again.
Lovely view from pier. Time to jump in!
The west coast was a bit disappointing. There was no road directly at the sea and we missed our days at the lakes so much, that we headed back inwards on our way back down south to Helsinki.
Helsinki City overview.
Our last couple of nights we spent on an organic farm with an awesome breakfast. Holidays in Finland is pure nature and relaxation. If you want a lot of action, this is the wrong place. But if you are looking for untouched nature and wilderness, this is one of the best places I have visited so far.
Helsinki is a charming capital, with lots of good bars, restaurants and great cultural activities. I liked Finland so much, that I came back a couple of months later to see it in autumn. The weather was more moody but definitely as beautiful as in summer.
Sebastian made a short video while exploring Finland. In the video Sebastian experiences the Finnish nature and cottage culture at the fullest. It’s worth checking out. Sebastian creates fantastic short films about traveling in different locations and takes quite spectacular photos while traveling!
You can follow Sebastian in Instagram: sebpic_
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