Despite its long, cold winters, Finland has been ranked as the world’s happiest country for seven years running by the World Happiness Report, and after vacationing there this past winter, I understand why. Finns find happiness in fresh air — even when it’s 20 C below. They’ve made embracing the cold an art form, intertwining a love of winter with a culture that celebrates everything from snowshoes to saunas.
In Finnish cities, cyclists take to the snowy streets on fat-bikes, and bike paths double as cross-country-ski routes. Prams are swapped for plastic sleds, and the potkukelkka (kicksled) is used for both sport and grocery shopping. Head north, and as the snow deepens, so does the desire to be out in it.
SEAFOOD AND SAUNAS IN THE CITY
In Helsinki, the city’s architecture alone is enough to draw visitors outdoors. Art Nouveau and National Romantic buildings rose up around me as I strolled the streets near the central railway station, cappuccino in hand (Finns drink more coffee than any other nationality on Earth). Just a couple of kilometres away is the recently renovated Hakaniemi Market Hall — a light-filled, two-storey shopping and dining space perfect for long lunches at one of the hall’s fish shops, and ideal for a taste of Finnish cuisine. The Marja Nätti seafood counter, a 50-year-old local institution, has its own café, Katiska, which serves kalakukko, a traditional specialty of fish, pork and bacon baked in rye-bread dough.
The sauna is legendary in Finnish culture — literally. The Kalevala, a compilation of centuries-old Finnish oral folklore and medieval mythology, includes poems about pagan gods deciding the fate of their people while wrapped in a cloud of sauna steam. Statistically, the country has one sauna for every two citizens, so take your pick. Fate led me to Löyly, a seaside sauna and restaurant in the formerly industrial neighbourhood of Hernesaari, just two kilometres from Helsinki’s downtown core. Here, guests enjoy the healing properties of a good, hot sweat in a stunning contemporary structure that blends into Helsinki’s natural shoreline on the Gulf of Finland. After a relaxing sauna, I slept well in the brand-new luxurious Hotel Maria, housed in four historic late-19thcentury buildings a short stroll from the Presidential Palace.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES IN OULANKA
Trading urban charms for rustic realness (and more time in the sauna), I took an hour-and-a-half flight north from Helsinki to Kuusamo, the airport closest to Oulanka National Park. There, I met my tour group from Exodus Adventure Travels for a week of Finnish outdoor activities at Basecamp Oulanka — including snowshoeing a section of the country’s most popular hiking route, the 82-kilometrelong Karhunkierros Trail.
Basecamp Oulanka is a collection of three log houses nestled at the park’s edge, just south of the Arctic Circle. Its cozy accommodations are free of distractions like televisions and radios (though there is Wi-Fi). The main building has a wood-burning fireplace, all the rooms have heated floors, and, naturally, there’s a sauna. Visitors are provided with everything they’ll need to stay warm — from insulated mittens and hiking boots to fleece base layers and waterproof outer shells — and we needed them! Outside, the plowed snow was piled high above our heads, and you could quickly sink into it up to mid-thigh while walking across frozen Juuma Lake.
On our first day, we bundled up and strapped on bright orange snowshoes for a hike. Our guide, Tomas, led us through the forest, pointing out trees draped in Usnea (“old man’s beard” lichen) and patches of reindeer moss, a favourite snack for the herds that venture north in the summer. Oulanka is a quiet place — apart from the snow crunching underfoot and the Siberian jays chattering in the trees. It’s even more serene on cross-country skis (once you’ve mastered the yoga-like technique they teach you on how to recover from a fall).
Elina, our lead guide, explained that Basecamp Oulanka was created to encourage guests to see the wilderness as a kind of church where wildlife is venerated and its preservation is the ultimate virtue. The message found its mark when our group embarked on an hours-long snowshoe trek to see a frozen waterfall that towered above us like a spectacular nature-made cathedral.
RIISITUNTURI, RUKA AND REINDEER
For visitors looking to add a faster-paced element to their Finland vacation, nearby Riisitunturi National Park offers the Kota-Husky experience, which allows you to pilot a two-person sled pulled by a team of very eager dogs on a 10-kilometre thrill ride through the snow. There is a mechanism that allows you to make minor steering adjustments along the trail, but mostly I relied on my trust in the dogs and an effective foot brake. Afterwards, we were served a generous portion of hearty stew while sitting around the fire in a traditional lávvu (a teepee-like structure used by the region’s Indigenous population, the Sámi). We also met some of the farm’s retired sled dogs, who prefer lounging on sofas in the main barn and like being scratched behind the ears or under their chins.
A day trip to the ski town of Ruka is also included in the Exodus itinerary. While the town’s main attractions are the slopes and après-ski spots, you can also visit a family-run reindeer farm or book a snowmobiling safari. Take the Ruka gondola to the top of the slopes and enjoy marshmallow-topped hot chocolate (or a beer) at the Heineken Polar Bar, an outdoor ice café. Then, ride down on the far side and hike around the mountain on the well-maintained footpaths leading back to the centre of the village.
By March, the region surrounding Oulanka averages 60 to 90 centimetres of snow, and the many pine trees are bent under its weight. Snow in such abundance is perfect for building a lumikammi, a temporary shelter resembling the Canadian quinzhee, which is made by piling snow into a heap and hollowing the centre. Building a lumikammi is a popular activity for Basecamp Oulanka guests, with the option of spending the entire night there or, as I did, just snap a quick photo before heading back to the sauna and a warm bed. Yes, Finland helped me learn to love winter, but even love has its limits.
AN ARCTIC EXPEDITION TO ROVANIEMI
Just six kilometres south of the Arctic Circle is Rovaniemi, home base for Father Christmas, or Joulupukki, as locals call him. In winter, many tourists travel more than 700 km from Helsinki by train or plane to meet the Big Man himself at the local Santa Claus Village (although he does keep office hours year-round).
Rovaniemi is the capital of Finland’s northern region, and the surrounding area is where Sámi communities live — the Indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia. Many Sámi call this region Sápmi (although the Sámi people, who are spread across Norway, Finland, Russia and Sweden, speak 10 distinct languages).
Here, you can visit a local Sámi reindeer farm to learn about traditional herding practices, and for a chance to feed these gentle animals their favourite mossy snack.
With only about three hours of daylight per day in December, Sápmi is also the perfect place to view the elusive aurora borealis. Sightings of the northern lights here average 150 per year, which is much more often than in the southern regions of Finland.
Visit amatravel.ca to connect with an AMA Travel counsellor to plan a winter getaway.