Finland 2026: Helsinki, Lakeland, Lapland, best time to visit, getting there and costs

Finland suits you if you are looking for forest, lakes and sauna, snow and northern lights in winter or the midnight sun in Lapland in summer. Three quarters of the country is forest, and from north to south it measures over 1,150 km (Visit Finland, as of September 2026).

Since 26 July 2026 the “Aalto Works” have been on UNESCO's World Heritage List: 13 buildings by Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto. Oulu is a European Capital of Culture, and since 10 August 28 trains a week have served the Oulu–Haparanda railway line to Sweden.

Finland is less suitable if you need daylight in winter or are calculating tightly. In Sodankylä in Lapland the sun shines for an average of 0.6 hours in December, counted for the whole month (FMI, 1991–2020 normals). In the price level for restaurants and hotels, Finland stood at 126.8 in 2024 according to Eurostat, Germany at 112.1 (EU = 100).

Getting there from Germany

According to our own analysis of Destatis table 46421-09, 827,520 passengers whose last known destination was Finland boarded at the 22 main German airports in 2025, ranking 28th among 211 destination countries. Anyone who changes planes abroad is missing from this total. Around 82% of these passengers from Germany landed at Helsinki-Vantaa (675,734), and around 12% at the four Lapland airports Rovaniemi, Kittilä, Ivalo and Kuusamo. Around 90% departed from Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin Brandenburg or Düsseldorf (all 2025 figures, our own analysis).

According to the Rovaniemi tourist office, in winter 2026/27 Lufthansa flies direct to Rovaniemi from Frankfurt and Munich, Eurowings from Düsseldorf, Berlin and Hamburg, easyJet from Berlin and Norwegian from Munich. Lufthansa flies direct from Frankfurt to Kittilä and, in winter, to Kuusamo, and to Kuusamo also Eurowings from Düsseldorf and Berlin (as of September 2026).

Helsinki-Vantaa: by train to the centre

It is about 20 km to the city centre. Beneath the terminal the commuter trains P and I stop, reaching the Central Station in about 30 minutes. According to the timetable for 29 September 2026 there are 167 journeys into the city; only between 1:22 and 4:52 does none run (our own analysis of Fintraffic data). According to HSL, an ABC ticket is enough as a fare (as of September 2026).

HSL bus line 600 takes about 40 minutes. Taxis wait at arrivals at any time of day; the prices are shown on a notice at the taxi rank. To travel further into the country, it is best to change to a long-distance train at Tikkurila or Pasila (as of September 2026).

Rovaniemi and Kittilä: buses to Lapland

From Rovaniemi airport it is just under 8 km to the urban area and 3 km to Santa Claus Village. The “Airport Express & Santa’s Express” runs a loop: from the railway station via hotels in the centre and the village to the airport, and from there via three stops back to the station. According to the operator, it stops at the airport about every 25 minutes from 9:00 to 21:30. Adults pay €8.00 on the summer fare, and on the bus by card only (as of September 2026).

From Kittilä airport it is 15 km to Levi and about 35 km to Ylläs. The Levi airport bus costs €15.00 for adults and is based on flight times (timetable 1 September to 31 October 2026). In summer and the off-season, a transfer only runs if you have ordered it beforehand (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

Finland has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the latest being the Aalto Works on 26 July 2026. Those that have been on the list longer include Suomenlinna and Old Rauma (both 1991) and Petäjävesi Old Church (1994).

Train times: timetable 29 September 2026, our own analysis. Hours of sunshine: Helsinki airport, 1991–2020 average. Otherwise the situation as of September 2026 applies, and “—” means: the sources name no drawback.

Helsinki and Suomenlinna

The HSL ferry to Suomenlinna departs all year round from Kauppatori market square, from about 6:00 to 2:00 at night and at least hourly in winter. After about a quarter of an hour you are across. The fortress grounds themselves are free; an HSL ticket is enough for the crossing. You pay extra for the museums (the customs museum is free) and from June to August for the church (as of September 2026).

Five of the 13 Aalto Works buildings are in Helsinki, among them Aalto House, Studio Aalto and Finlandia Hall. According to Visit Finland, Porvoo is about an hour from Helsinki (as of September 2026).

Coast, Lakeland and Oulu

According to Visit Finland, Turku is the oldest city in the country; the Archipelago Trail leads through the archipelago in front of it as a loop of about 250 km. According to Matkahuolto, few wooden towns in northern Europe are as well preserved as the old town of Rauma. For swimming on the coast, Visit Finland recommends July and August (as of September 2026).

According to Visit Finland, the Lakeland is the largest lake district in Europe; a rented cottage on the shore with a sauna is typical. Around Jyväskylä you will find the university's Aalto campus and the Säynätsalo Town Hall. In 2026 Oulu shares the title of European Capital of Culture with Trenčín in Slovakia and holds it together with 39 municipalities of the region (as of September 2026).

Lapland

At Santa Claus Village near Rovaniemi you cross the Arctic Circle; a marking on the main square shows where it runs. Visit Finland counts over 200 northern lights nights a year in Lapland, and the lights can be seen between the end of August and April (as of September 2026). In Inari, according to Finavia the centre of Sámi culture in Finland, the Siida museum costs €18 for adults (since 1 January 2026). After a maintenance break from 28 September to 4 October 2026, it is open until 31 May 2027 Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00. A second break follows from 10 to 16 May 2027.

Best time to visit

The figures are 1991–2020 normals from the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). Station A is Helsinki Kaisaniemi in the city centre (3 m), station B Sodankylä Tähtelä in Lapland (179 m). Per cell: average high and low, rainfall.

July is the warmest month, and the wettest is August in Helsinki and July in Sodankylä. In mid-March Sodankylä has an average of 79 cm of snow; Helsinki reaches its peak in February with 20 cm. For northern lights, Visit Finland names spring and autumn as the best time, and for skiing in Lapland spring until early May (as of September 2026).

Getting around the country

Train and bus

VR runs from Helsinki Central Station to all parts of the country. According to the timetable for 29 September 2026, 30 long-distance trains run to Tampere during the day, and there are 14 direct connections to Turku and 15 to Oulu (our own analysis). VR advertises Helsinki–Turku and Tampere–Helsinki with prices from €5.90, and Helsinki–Oulu from €17.90. Long-distance tickets can be booked until 14 February 2027 (as of September 2026).

With the night train you reach Rovaniemi, Kolari and Kemijärvi; on peak nights of the ski season up to five of them leave Helsinki. According to the timetable for 29 September 2026, one leaves Helsinki at 19:29 and arrives in Rovaniemi at 7:20.

By long-distance bus you can reach large parts of the country via Matkahuolto and Onnibus (as of September 2026).

Car and roads

In Finland you drive on the right, at 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them unless other signs say otherwise. The blood alcohol limit is 0.5 ‰. Switch on your dipped headlights, because with daytime running lights alone the rear stays dark. In winter you must fit winter tyres depending on the weather and road conditions, and sat navs then sometimes steer you onto unploughed minor roads (Liikenneturva, as of September 2026).

Domestic flights

From Helsinki there are daily flights to Rovaniemi and Ivalo, and several times a day to Kittilä and Kuusamo (Finavia, as of September 2026).

Money and costs

Finland has been part of the eurozone since 1999, and the major credit cards will get you through almost anywhere. Tipping is voluntary and usually not customary (Visit Finland, as of September 2026). For alcohol, the price level according to Eurostat is 210.4, about 2.4 times as high as in Germany at 86.7 (2024, EU = 100; our own calculation).

Finland does not currently levy a tourist tax. Since April 2026 the Ministry of Finance has been working on a law under which municipalities would be allowed to charge a percentage of the accommodation price, from 2028 at the earliest (as of 17 April 2026).

Practical information

In Finland it is one hour later than in Germany, and summer time applies across the EU over the same period. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish; according to Visit Finland, nine out of ten Finns speak English and three out of ten German. 112 applies to ambulance, fire brigade and police. With your German mobile contract you pay no roaming surcharges, as “Roam like at home” applies in the EU (as of September 2026).

At Midsummer, according to Visit Finland, almost everything shuts down. The festival falls on the Saturday between 20 and 26 June: in 2026 it was 20 June, in 2027 it will be 26 June. Public holidays in 2026 and 2027 also include 1 May (Vappu) and Independence Day on 6 December.

The current rules on entry, safety and health are given by the German Foreign Office.

Who Finland is not for

• If you need daylight in winter: In December the sun shines in Sodankylä for an average of 0.6 hours in the whole month, and at Helsinki airport for 23.9 (FMI, 1991–2020).
• If you avoid the cold: In January the average low in Sodankylä is −17.5 °C, and in mid-March there is 79 cm of snow there (FMI, 1991–2020).
• If you want short distances: From north to south the country measures over 1,150 km; the day train Helsinki–Rovaniemi takes at least 8 hrs 3 min (timetable 29 September 2026).
• If you want to eat and drink cheaply: In 2024 restaurants and hotels reached a price level of 126.8 and alcohol 210.4 (Germany 112.1 and 86.7; Eurostat, EU = 100).
• If you expect things to be open at Midsummer: Around the Saturday between 20 and 26 June almost everything shuts down, in 2027 on 26 June.
• If you like driving at dusk in autumn: From September to November especially many elk are on the move then.