Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and the Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. The capital and largest city is Helsinki.

With an area of 338,424 km2 (130,666 sq mi) and a population of 5,5 million inhabitants, Finland attracts over 6 million foreign tourists per year.

Finland is famous for its many lakes, nearly 200,000 of them (larger than 500 m²/0.12 acres). Tampere is the biggest city in the Finnish Lakeland with other major cities being Jyväskylä, Mikkeli, Lahti, Joensuu, Lappeenranta, Kuopio and Savonlinna. Finland is also known to have excellent water quality, and green deep woods and forests around the sea, rivers, and waterways.

In wintertime, Finland provides opportunities for cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. Many of the popular ski resorts are situated north of the Arctic Circle in Lapland, but there are exceptions like Kuusamo in the northeastern part of Oulu Province and Himos in Jämsä, only 200 km North of Helsinki.

Santa Claus is commonly known to live on Korvatunturi in Finland. In the town of Rovaniemi there is the Santa Claus Village for tourists to visit.

Moomin World in the outskirts of Naantali is a theme park based on Tove Jansson child books about the Moomin.

The biggest picnic the year called Vappu is held on April 30th – May 1st. The celebration happens in every city and village across the country.

Here are some hotels I recommend and where I have stayed:

• Hotel Oscar in Varkaus
• Hotelli Raahen Hovi in Raahe
• Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna in Seinäjoki – Superior Room
• Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna in Seinäjoki – Standard Room
• Original Sokos Hotel Royal in Vaasa
• Scandic Atlas hotel in Kuopio