Finland accommodation from NZ$125

Do you like lakes? Have you ever wanted to give reindeer burgers a try? Then welcome to Finland! Modern cities are sprinkled across this Nordic nation, but a huge part of the country is still untouched wilderness. Finland is known as the “Land of a Thousand Lakes”, and even that’s underselling it (Finland is actually home to over 188,000 lakes and almost as many islands!). Come for the nature, stay for the poronkäristys—sautéed reindeer shavings.

Things to Do in Finland

If you love playing hide-n-seek, book your Finland holiday during the winter, when darkness reigns all day (this is the perfect time to catch sight of the northern lights). If you prefer a little more sunshine, summer is the time to come for great fishing and Finland’s trademark oddball sports games, including such favourites as the Air Guitar World Championships, the Mobile Phone Throwing Championship and the Wife-Carrying World Championship.

Haven’t been practicing your mobile phone throwing skills? That’s okay. You have 188,000 lakes that you can use for canoeing, fishing and swimming. Your new Finnish friends can also show you the revered art of relaxing in the sauna.

To add a little bit of culture to your trip, spend some time in the country’s capital of Helsinki and enjoy a ferry ride to the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress. While there, take the kiddos to Olavinlinna Castle and be their hero forever by introducing them to the mile-long sledding track in Saariselkä.

Getting to & Around Finland

Come into Finland through Helsinki Airport (HEL) or Oulu Airport (OUL), but spice things up by making your grand entrance in one of the multi-deck boats that have been compared to floating palaces. Once you check into your Finland accommodation, you’ll find that trains, taxis and ferries are all common modes of travel.

Use Wotif to find great deals on Finland hotels in every season. The more you save on hotels in Finland, the more mead—it’s definitely a thing in Finland—you can tip back with your new sauna buddies!