Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Finland’s most popular attractions. The Blue Route is about 1.5 kilometres long in one direction; blue signs and a blue line on maps mark the way. The HSL ferry runs year-round from Helsinki Market Square to Suomenlinna, and the crossing takes about 15 minutes. Five museums add to the visit. If you want to discover Finland through places with a history, this destination combines a marked route with museums and a specific ferry connection. Check the timetable for your journey.
World Heritage with different stories
Finland’s World Heritage sites lead through very different chapters. The Kvarken Archipelago is Finland’s first natural heritage site. Together with Sweden’s Höga Kusten, it forms a geological complex in which land uplift plays a role. The focus here is therefore a cross-border landscape, not a single building.
Another leap through time takes you to Sammallahdenmäki in Lappi, in Lower Satakunta: an exceptionally valuable Bronze Age monument. The Verla Groundwood and Board Mill shows a different part of history. It is a unique, small-scale industrial complex from the early years of Finland’s wood processing industry. A prehistoric monument and a site of industrial history thus represent very different ways of engaging with the past.
Architecture also has its place on the World Heritage list: the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site Aalto Works, inscribed in July 2026, comprises 13 architectural sites spread throughout Finland. Unlike a single destination, this World Heritage Site consists of several places. Those interested in architecture can therefore look across the whole country.
Islands, trails and outdoor activities
The Archipelago National Park protects a large part of the world’s largest archipelago and includes more than 2,000 islands. Activities in the park include boating, canoeing, swimming, diving, hiking and cycling. Boating and canoeing offer a different focus from hiking and cycling; swimming and diving add to the options on the water. The range of activities gives you different ways to experience the park.
Nuuksio National Park has more than 30 kilometres of marked trails. The two-kilometre Maahisenkierros Circle Trail is suitable for wheelchair users and for families with strollers or buggies. This suitability applies to the named trail; it does not automatically describe all the trails in the national park. In summer, local providers in Nuuksio rent out canoes, SUP boards and fat bikes. The season is part of the planning: these rentals are listed for summer.
Koli National Park also offers opportunities for excursions and activities in every season. Its hills and lakes provide the setting. For outdoor activities, Finland’s Everyman’s Rights allow people to walk, cycle, ski and forage in nature, regardless of ownership. Local restrictions and national park rules still apply.
Sauna and Finnish food culture
The Finnish sauna is deeply rooted in tradition and open to everyone. In Finnish cities from Lakeland to Lapland, there are several public saunas that visitors can use; the specific offerings at individual saunas may change. Sauna is therefore not just associated with one place, but is part of the culture throughout the country.
Sharing a meal and learning can also be part of a trip: at a rye bread workshop, visitors hear stories, learn traditional techniques and take home a piece of Finnish culinary history. Whether such a workshop is offered depends on the provider. There are also Sustainable Travel Finland-labelled experiences for holidaymakers that involve berry picking, mushroom foraging and gathering wild foods. The listed experiences may change. Discoveries thus range from UNESCO sites and islands to traditions explored through shared activities.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Lapland, Lake Saimaa, Uusimaa, Southwest Finland, East Uusimaa, Kymenlaakso, South Karelia, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Savo, Satakunta, Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, North Ostrobothnia, North Karelia, North Savo, Central Finland.
