You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen … actually, you probably don’t, but the Sami people do, since their livelihood is reindeer herding. The Sami are the Arctic indigenes of Lapland in northern Finland. You can be immersed in the culture of these fascinating people with a tour … Read more
World Village Festival Hearing the words “world” and “festival” together, I immediately think of people joining hands around a massive bonfire and singing songs about world peace. Finland’s World Village Festival, however, is way more than that (minus the bonfire). If Memorial Day comes around and you have no plans … Read more
Granted, the terms love and anarchy don’t usually go together. In fact, we tend to think of them as polar opposites (unless you love anarchy, in which case, sorry for the assumption). But when there’s a festival that screens such a wide variety of films as the Helsinki International … Read more
Only one travel experience includes the phrases “Santa Claus” and “snowmobiling” in the same sentence. On the Arctic Circle Impressions tour offered by Scantours, tourists can first revel in Lapland’s wintry wonderland, then head to Helsinki where they can treat themselves to fine dining and city sightseeing. First stop … Read more
It was June and we were celebrating Midnight Sun, so spirits were high as we boarded the Helsinki flight. I’d already been won over by the boarding passes with all over background images of nature scenes and the Finns in their natural environment, a key element in a trip … Read more
With all of the natural beauty of Northern Europe and none of the ravaging or pillaging, Borton Overseas’ Viking Line offers the grandeur of a cruise ship and the excitement of a Scandinavian vacation. The Viking Line sails daily between Finland, Sweden and Estonia and functions either as a … Read more
Ancient 13th century Finnish royalty knew how to travel – scenic routes, luxurious accommodations, and a host of dutiful servants. Today, people are following in their footsteps by making excursions along the same ancient travel route which ran between Scandinavia and Russia, aptly deemed the King’s Road. As one … Read more
The Land of a Thousand Lakes Imagine a medieval landscape from a scene in Shrek. Imagine yourself in castles, fortresses and manors. Think of winding roads and quaint, quiet villages with a backdrop of ridges, forests and crystal blue lakes. Sounds like a fairytale, right? Wrong. This is ScanAm’s Self-Drive … Read more
Let’s face it; no one enjoys the logistical barriers that bog down vacations; who really wants to spend time waiting in line for a visa? With the increasingly popular visa-free cruises from Five Stars of Scandinavia Inc., that inconvenience can be easily avoided. Traveling between the exciting cities of Helsinki … Read more
You’re speeding by frozen lakes, snowcapped mountains and frosty evergreen forests on your journey to the White City of the North- if your thoughts immediately jumped to Game of Thrones, a) you would be mistaken, and b) consider yourself a total nerd. Fortunately, there’s a better way to traverse the … Read more
It’s the biggest annual winter sports event worldwide – nope, not indoor soccer. From May 4-20, the 2012 IIHF World Championship will be held in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, where the world’s top teams will compete for the highest title in hockey. This year, the IIHF will debut … Read more
Each year, summer in Finland is heralded in by the celebration of the capital city’s founding in 1550. Helsinki Day, which over the years has burgeoned into a weeklong outdoor festival, invites travelers from all over the world to engage in picnics, concerts, theatre and street shows. Since 1959, … Read more
Midsummer in the heart of Finland – pop, world music, dance, theatre, cinema & exhibitions
Are you ready for some samba, you know, colorful costumes and feathers in every color of the rainbow? No, I’m not talking about heading to Brazil, that’s way too predictable. Everyone knows that Brazilians are experts at the samba – skimpily clad dancers and lots of hip swaying – but … Read more
Finland is alive with the sound of music, and with quite a variety of music to boot: opera, classical, rock, folk, jazz … you name it, Finland’s jamming out to it this week during its biannual Sibafest. It is an incredible event in Finland, showcasing not only some of its … Read more