Photo by Visit Finland/Soili Jussila

Finland is a country of four beautiful seasons, all of which have their unique characters. Yet, most tourists visit Finland either in summer or winter. This is what most tour operators, travel sites and guides advice you to do, too. As summer is slowly drifting away and Finns are getting ready for the brisk autumn air, we want to embrace this beautiful season by revealing the secrets of autumn in Finland.

There are plenty of exciting and exquisite things to do in Finland in autumn that you can’t experience at any other time of the year. Also, as most tourists consider autumn being between seasons, travelling to Finland in autumn is much more peaceful and cheaper compared to summer and winter.

To some extent, autumn might even be the best possible time to visit Finland. And now it’s time to tell you why.

Autumn colours should be on everyone’s bucket list

The most visible sign of the approaching autumn in Finland is the vibrant colours of the foliage. ‘Ruska’, as we call it in Finnish. During this relatively short period, you can spot all the colours of a rainbow at one glance. Imagine standing by a blue lake while the autumn sun reflects all the reds, yellows, oranges and whatever is left of the green on the surface of the water. The air feels fresh, and the last warm rays of sunshine are gently touching your face.

Photo by Visit Finland/Olli Oilinki

Photo by Visit Finland/Carmen Nguyen

Is there anything better than that?

There are plenty of excellent ways to enjoy autumn colours in Finland. Here are a few of them:

Go hiking

Take a walk in a nearby forest, head for one of the 40 national parks in Finland or choose one of the most famous and well-built trails, like Karhunkierros in Kuusamo or Herajärvi Trail in Koli.

Pro tip: It’s true that you can experience ruska as its strongest in Lapland, but it’s not necessary to travel all the way up north for autumn foliage. Try Porkkalanniemi in Helsinki, Turku Archipelago or Finnish Lakeland in Central Finland, for instance, to experience the true colours of autumn in Finland.

Interested in hiking in Finland? Read our guide with the best trekking locations and trails.

Photo by Visit Finland/Aleksi Koskinen

Spend a day at a lake

Autumn colours seem even more vibrant when admiring them from the lake. Few-hour foliage cruises are organised across Finland between the end of August and mid-October. Don’t hesitate to contact the tourist info of your travel destination in Finland to find out where the nearest ‘ruskaristeily’ takes place.

Pro tip: Another great idea is to gather your friends and rent a sauna boat. As the name unveils, sauna boat is a small vessel with an actual sauna on board. They usually feature a comfy lounge and a small kitchen. The fanciest sauna boats are equipped with an outdoor jacuzzi. Sauna boats are available in various locations throughout Finland.

Pump up the adrenaline on a marathon

Ruskamaraton a.k.a. ‘Foliage Marathon’ is a popular running event that has been organised in Levi, Lapland since 1984. If hiking in a national park or climbing to the top of the Finnish fells isn’t quite enough to get your adrenaline running, Ruskamaraton should do the trick. Besides the excellent exercise and like-minded adrenaline junkies, you get to admire the beautiful autumn colours in Finnish Lapland.

Finnish autumn is delicious – discover how to enjoy it

There are reasons why hundreds of thousands of Finns can’t wait for September to arrive. Flowers might not be blooming anymore, but Finnish forests offer a wide range of other treats that anyone is allowed to enjoy. And they are delicious!

In autumn, our forests will be full of wild mushrooms with approximately 500 edible species. Also, some of the most delicious vitamin-filled berries and wild herbs are at their best at autumn time.

You’re allowed to pick mushrooms and berries almost in any forest. If you haven’t heard of Finnish ‘freedom to roam’, you can find our extensive guide here.

Photo byt Visit Finland/Riku Pihlanto

Try at least these mushrooms

Besides the edible and delicious species, also poisonous mushrooms grow in Finnish forests. Therefore you should only pick the species you know. Some of the easiest and the most common ones are chantarelle, trumpet chantarelle, porcino, hedgehog mushroom and Russula decolorans. Learn to recognise these, and you won’t be leaving the forest empty-handed.

Learn more about Finnish wild mushrooms here.

Wild berries are the real superfood

Picking wild berries is a perfect hobby; you get to enjoy some fresh air and other benefits of being in nature while filling your storages with Finnish superfood. No wonder the studies reveal that half of the Finns run to forests to pick wild berries every autumn. Some berries are perfectly fine for picking until they’re covered in snow and impossible to find. Try at least blueberry, cranberry, rowanberry, juniper berry, lingonberry and sea-buckthorn, to get started.

Learn more about Finnish wild berries here.

Photo by Visit Finland

Enjoy fooling fish? Autumn is the best time to do it!

Some might think summer is the ideal time for fishing in Finland. In reality, the cooling autumn waters put fish on the move. The fish swim towards their wintering areas in large shoals and stop for fueling in shallow waters where they’re easy to catch. Pike and perch often gather in shallow bays with reeds, whereas zander flocks in deep streams which makes it easy to snatch under bridges, for instance.

Read more about fishing in Finland and find the best places to do it.

Photo Visit Finland/Marko Tervonen

Finland is a birdwatcher’s paradise

As Finland is one of the northernmost countries in the world and also one of the easternmost in Europe, it’s possible to spot birds that are extremely rare in anywhere else in Europe. In spring and autumn, Finland becomes birdwatchers paradise when migrating species are taking over the fields and skies. If you’re into birdwatching (or even if not but you’re eager to try), try Hanko, Porkkalanniemi in Kirkkonummi, Kustaanmiekka in Helsinki or Virolahti on the South Coast, Pulkkilanharju ridge in Asikkala or Kokemäenjoki River with its delta that is often considered as one of the best birdwatching spots in the Nordics.

Autumn events in Finland celebrate the harvest and Baltic herring

Summer might be over, but fun, tasty and communal events aren’t. Some autumnal traditions have lived strong for centuries, and they still are. One of them is the harvest festival, also known as ‘kekri’ or ‘köyri’, that celebrates the end of the crop year in a very delicious way. For example in Åland, the harvest festival gathers everyone together for free full days – including locals, tourists and of course, the local farmers and producers – to eat, dance and sing. If you’re looking for a harvest festival in the mainland Finland, try Archipelago Harvest Festival in Nauvo, Turku Archipelago.

Another popular autumn event is called Baltic Herring Market. Despite the name, the market isn’t just about the herring or fish in general, but any local products. The oldest herring market in Finland takes place in Helsinki where it first landed back in 1743. Besides Helsinki, the herring market tradition blooms especially on the West Coast of Finland; for example Turku, Kustavi, Rauma, Pori and Kaskinen enjoy this vibrant and tasty market event every autumn.

Photo by Visit Finland/Harri Tarvainen

The aurora season is ON!

Many people mistakenly think that the northern lights only appear in the middle of winter in -30-degree temperatures. False. In reality, it’s possible to spot the aurora in Finland as soon as the light summer nights are gone and the evenings begin to get darker. This year (2018), the first views of the northern lights were spotted – not only in Lapland but also in the south – in mid-August.

Here’s a fun fact for you; Autumn in Finland is one the best possible periods for aurora-spotting. The season is at its strongest in September around the autumnal equinox.

Another fun fact; Staying up for auroras is much more pleasant in the autumn when you don’t have to worry about hypothermia.

If you want to learn more about aurora-spotting in Finland, you can find our extensive article about northern lights here.

Autumn storms, fireplace and candles make a perfect setting for a romantic cottage getaway

When travelling to Finland in autumn, you get to experience the exciting change of the climate. You can spend your days outdoors, where the temperature might still rise up to +20 degrees. As soon as the sun sets, the temperature drops rapidly. At night, it might even get below zero. This is when sauna becomes the best place on Earth.

The dark and cold autumn nights can be magical. Imagine hearing the strong wind blowing outdoors as you’re comfortably next to a blazing fireplace, wearing woolly socks and sipping a hot drink while cuddling your loved one under a shared blanket.

This is how Finnish autumn can be at its best; doing all the things listed in this article and, after a fantastic day, relaxing at a cottage feeling like there’s nothing or no one else in the world. Who wouldn’t love autumn in Finland?

Here’s an extra tip for your cottage getaway: find a cottage with an outdoor jacuzzi and lift your autumn experience up a notch. Nothing feels better than bathing in a hot tub, feeling the brisk autumn air touching the face while admiring the northern lights dancing in the sky above the lake.

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_

Text and photos: Marjaana Tasala

This year 2017 is very special to us Finns, because our beloved home country is turning respectably 100 years old! There have already been all kinds of celebrations going on through Finland, but one major occasion worth mentioning is the newest addition to Finnish National Parks – Hossa. Oh Hossa, a true paradise for anyone keen on pristine northern wilderness. Its clear waters lure you to hop on your kayak and enjoy the peaceful stillness. Its meandering paths through wild green forests and rugged rocks invite you to a nature adventure you will never forget. Hossa National Park truly is a sight to see.

Fascinating nature attractions with diverse wildlife

Imagine a mystical landscape full of ridges formed by Ice Age glaciers, and a mosaic dotted by over a hundred crystal clear lakes and ponds. Some of them might be the most clear ones you have ever seen! Like Lake Öllöri, which is situated next to Hossa Visitor Centre. Or narrow Muikkupuro Stream, which campfire site is one of the most attractive places to have a well deserved break between your hiking or paddling trip through Hossa National Park.

Julma-Ölkky canyon lake in Hossa National Park

Finland’s biggest canyon lake, Julma-Ölkky, and its 50 meters high rocky walls can be found from Hossa, too. This massive natural formation is actually best viewed from the lake, so grab a canoe and paddle in your own pace or hop on a cruise boat, which will take you to a 30 minute long ride from shore to shore.

The wildlife in Hossa is like nowhere else, because the king of Finnish forests lives around there. While you are unlikely to meet a brown bear on the park’s hiking paths, you are almost sure to encounter one on an organized bear safari. Santa’s little helpers, reindeers, also belong to Hossa’s scenery along with the Siberian jay and many other bird and wild animal species.

Unique history telling its stories from the stone age

Finlands former president Urho Kekkonen loved Hossa’s scenery so much, that he was planning to be a permanent resident there after retiring. Unfortunately, he didn’t ever have the chance to move there, but as a passionate fisherman he visited Hossa several times.

But historically the most valuable thing in Hossa might be the famous Värikallio rock paintings. On the surface of the rock wall along an ancient water route are over 60 separate figures illustrating the traditional northern worldview. The paintings are estimated to be even 4500 years old and are a definite must see destination if you are visiting the area.

Activities whole year round (and for families too)

On summer time clear waters and whispering pine forests invite Hossa’s visitors to activities like diving, trekking, canoeing, fishing, supping, berry and mushroom picking – you name it. There are 100 kilometers of marked hiking trails, so all the best natural spots are easily accessible by foot or cross-country bike. If you would like to roam Hossa’s wonders with a canoe, 60 kilometers of water routes will provide you enough canoeing for days.

Or is stillness something you are looking for? You are definitely in a right place. Hossa’s peaceful atmosphere will calm you down and instructed yoga and mindfulness moments are of course available too. Relaxing quietness of the wilderness will charge your batteries like nothing else before.

Hossa is an excellent destination for families with children too! Most of the marked hiking routes are easy and perfect for little feet to lumber. The National Park also provides trails that are suitable for people with reduced mobility, so these routes are accessible by baby carriage or wheelchair.

During the snowy white winter months cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snow shoeing are one of the most popular activities. But you mustn’t forget a true Finnish winter experience – a refreshing dip in icy water! Because believe it or not, swimming in a hole in the ice leaves you feeling fantastic. And of course you can do it straight from the warmth of a wood heated sauna.

Where to stay and how to get there?

There are several resorts and other accommodation possibilities in the surrounding area. You can choose to lodge in one of the cozy cabins, lean-to shelters or wilderness hut or even hotel and of course camping is possible too. But remember, campfires are only permitted in spots designated for this purpose.

Was that convincing enough for you to pack your bags and travel to north-eastern Finland? Flights from Helsinki to Kuusamo and Kajaani will take you quite near, and from the airport it is easy to reach the park by a rental car.

Accommodation in Hossa: check out the large selection of rental cottages near Hossa National Park

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Marjaana Tasala co-writes two blogs: RIMMA + LAURA (www.rimmalaura.com) and Fall into Finland (www.fallintofinland.com). We recommend you to follow her amazing photos on Instagram, too.

Salla – in the middle of nowhere, as their official slogan goes – is a heaven for the peace and nature -loving traveler. Whether you’re traveling alone or with children, winter or summer, you will find lots of places to see, things to experience and history to discover.

Text and photos: Laura Rumbin

In the south of Finnish Lapland lies the small village of Salla. Salla is most known from its Ski Resort, which is no wonder: Salla is actually the place where skiing was born in Finland. The first downhill skiing and slalom competitions were held in Salla’s sister fells Sallatunturi, Välitunturi and Rohmoiva in 1937, but there is even older evidence of skiing in Salla. The world’s eldest ski, that has been tracked all the way to the Stone Age, has been found in Salla!

After the Second World War the three sister fells had to be given to the Soviet Union, but this didn’t kill the skiing culture in Salla – after all, it had roots deeply in the ground of the area, but also in the blood of the people. Even nowadays the Salla Ski Resort employs mostly local people and not seasonal workers. This really shows: customer service is genuine and full of Lappish warm-hearted style. In Salla you really feel like home on holiday.

Winterfun

You don’t have to be a ski enthusiast to be able to enjoy Salla, though. The wilderness area and views in Salla are just breathtaking, and there are multiple ways to enjoy the great outdoors. You can, for instance, rent a pair of snowshoes, pack your backpack full of goodies and warm drinks, and walk your way on top of the fell. The are many marked routes there, visible also in the wintertime. The cross-country skiing facilities in Salla are amazing: there are over 140 km of well maintained tracks, of which 40 km have lightning. Equipment can be rented from the ski shop if you haven’t got your own skis, boots and other essential stuff. Even a teacher can be organized in no time!

The silence on top of the fell is truly something to appreciate. Close your eyes, breath in some of the world’s cleanest air, and feel the change in your body and mind. Suddenly you’ll find yourself free from stress, feeling relaxed and invigorated.

When in Lapland, you might want to experience also a snowmobile safari. This can be easily done in Salla, and the friendly folk at Napapiirin Safarit will organize a safari that suits your interests and needs. Even families with small children are covered: a comfy shuttle, that is attached to a snowmobile, fits easily a couple of adults with children. When attached to a shuttle, the snowmobile is always driven by a professional guide, so there is no need to worry about drifting off the marked route in the nature.

Good times in the summer sun

Summer in the Finnish Lapland is something unique and a thing everyone must experience at least once in a lifetime. The polar nights – or nighless nights as we say – are unbelievable. Imagine a beautiful summer day that never comes to an end, and you’ll get the picture. You see, the sun doesn’t set at all in the summertime. This might be tricky considering a person’s need for sleep, but then again: who wants to sleep when there is so much to do and see!

Photo: Graham Schmidt / VisitFinland Image Bank

First, you might want to go mountain biking – there are 444km paths for biking of which 46km for mountain biking only. If biking isn’t your cup of tea, there are many intriguing hiking routes to explore close to Salla. Only a short drive away from the village there is also the beautiful  Oulanka National Park, where you can, for instance, experience some of the most amazing canyons in Finland. There are wilderness cottages in the nature for sleeping but you can also sleep in a tent.

If you wish to experience a place that is still unseen by many, you might want to navigate your way to Naruska, Northern Salla, where the Kullaoja waterfall lies hidden in the woods. Imagine an enchanted forest and the purling sound of water running in the streams. As you walk on, the sound gets stronger but still stays gentle as a summer day. There are signs that will guide you to the right direction from the car park, but there is no visible path to the waterfall – you’ll just have to listen and follow your ears to get to this beautiful waterfall.  But it is really worth it. The serenity of Finnish nature can truly be found in places like the wilderness of Naruska.

As you can imagine by now, Salla is a great destination any time of the year. If you wish to read more about Salla, click here!

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Laura Rumbin is a travel blogger and an adventuring mom, who loves nature and wants to see mountains when traveling abroad. She co-writes two blogs: RIMMA + LAURA (www.rimmalaura.com) and Fall into Finland (www.fallintofinland.com)