Hotels in Finland

Finland is a country in Northern Europe. It is situated between three countries; Russia at its east, Norway is to the north and Sweden to the northwest. Finland is a Nordic country and, together with Norway and Sweden, they are a part of the geographical region of Fennoscandia. It is one of the world's most northern and geographically remote countries thus it has some severe climate. Finland is in the boreal zone or subarctic zone with long, very cold winters and warm summers.  

The area of that is now Finland has a long history. First people to inhabit the area is assumed to be around 9000 BC during the last Ice Age ended and the start of the Stone Age. The first settlers of the area had left behind artefacts that shared some characteristics with those found in the surrounding countries such as Russia and Norway. These people were the hunter-gatherers and used stone tools. During the Bronze and the Iron Ages, it was assumed that the people had extensive contacts with other cultures in the Fennoscandia and the Baltic regions as the potteries and axes that were found to have belonged in those ages had shared same features. During the Iron Age, the population of the area increased especially in the Hame and Savo regions with cultural contacts to the Baltics and the Scandinavia became more frequent.

In the 12th century, Finland became a part of Sweden through the crusades and part-colonisation of its coast by the Swedish Christian population during the Middle Ages. This spread the Catholic Church on the people of Finland. The Finnish upper-class people lost its position and lands to the Swedish, German nobles and the Catholic Church due to this invasion. The Swedish portrayed the Finnish people to be primitive and the language was inferior to them. Swedish become the dominant language and it was used in the official administrations and educations of the people while the Finnish was deemed to be a peasant's language. Finnish was still used for clergy and in local courts in the predominantly Finnish-speaking areas.

In the 18th century, wars erupted between Sweden and Russia. These wars had brought the Russian forces into Finland and eventually, conquered it. Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire. The Emperor, Alexander I of Russia, has incorporated Russian Vyborg province into the Grand Duchy of Finland and it remains until today, as a part of Finland though it is now known as the Viipuri Province. During the Russian era on the country, the Finnish language finally began to gain its recognition and eventually achieved an equal legal status with the Swedish language in 1892.

From 1866 to 1868, there was a great famine that hit the country. This famine had killed 15% of the population in Finland, making it one of the worst famines in the European history. This had led the Russian empire to easy its financial regulation. In 1906, the Grand Duchy of Finland adopted the universal suffrage concept in which all adult citizens have the rights to vote. The universal suffrage in Finland was the first country to implement it fully, as women could stand as candidates and no ethnic exclusion. This however made the relationship between the Grand Duchy of Finland and the Russian Empire sour as the Russian government restricted the Finnish autonomy. This made the universal suffrage that was practically meaningless as the tsar (the emperor of Russia) did not approve of any laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. This was the gaining ground for independence.

Finland declared itself as independent from Russia in 1917, following the Russian Revolution. In the following year, the state was divided by the civil war, with Soviet Russia fighting White Guards of Finland with the support of the German empire. Finland became a presidential republic after brief experimentation with the monarchy. Finland joined the European Union in 1995.

The capital of Finland today in Helsinki, which the country's biggest and most populous area. It is located by the Gulf of Finland. Helsinki has been inhabited since the days of the Iron Age. Helsinki's city is the most populous area in the country with more than 1.4 million people. Helsinki is the third largest city in the Nordic country.

Most of the Finnish people are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church which are Protestant Christians. It is the national church of Finland, one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world. Almost 71% of Finnish people are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. There is about 20% of people in Finland that is atheist that is without any religious belief, while the rest is divided into other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and folk religions among others.

Apart from the Finnish language, the Swedish language is still one of the official languages in the country. There are a small number of languages spoken by a handful of people in Finland such as the Sami languages which are distantly related to Finnish.

How to Get There?

By Flights

A return flight ticket from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Helsinki, Finland starts from as low as RM 2,500. There are no direct flights. All flights will have a layover in the surrounding countries such as Turkey and the United Kingdom, among others before continuing the flight to Helsinki. The total flying time, without the layover, is around sixteen hours and thirty minutes.

A Malaysian passport holder does not require a tourist visa when travelling to Finland, or any other European countries in the Schengen areas for both tourism and businesses reasons. However, one must not exceed 90 days stay in any of the Schengen states within a 6-months period. Also, a Malaysian visitor might need to present proof of sufficient funds and a return ticket along with passport upon the arrival at any point of entry in the Schengen states, including Finland.

What to Do There?

Northern Lights in Lapland

Since Finland is one of the northern-most countries in the world, it is a perfect place to hunt for the mesmerizing, beautiful Northern Lights. Seeing this powerful and unique natural phenomenon dances away above the head is something not to be missed while travelling to Finland, specifically in the northern Lapland. The lights shine almost every other night, provided the weather is clear, in between September and March. If travelling to Finland in any other months, it might be harder to catch a glimpse of this light works as they are only visible for 10-20 nights a year. Lapland is almost a thousand kilometres away from Helsinki.

Siida

While already in Lapland area for the quest to see the northern lights, it would be a great addition to visit Siida, a museum located on Laki Inari. It is located in the village of Inari, Inari, Finland. The Siida is two hours away from the city centre of Lapland. Siida is home to the Sami Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre. Siida is a perfect place for those who want to know more about the Sami culture and the nature of Northern Lapland. Siida has an impressive seven hectares piece of land where the museum was built, with almost than 50 sites of interest that relate to Lapland's nature and the Sami and their culture. Siida is one of the earliest places where the first settlers had settled with an archaeological finding in 9,000 years!

Where to Stay?

CheapSleep, Helsinki

For those who wants to has a budget tight, CheapSleep is a perfect place to stay while in Finland. It is a hostel, just fifteen minutes away from the city centre and about twenty minutes from the Helsinki Airport. This hostel offers three types of dormitories, starting from RM 126 up to RM 741 a night. For the most basic and cheapest dormitory, the guests will be staying in a dormitory with bunk beds. The dormitories also divided into a mix or man/woman only. The other type of rooms is with Double or Twin-sized beds with shared bathrooms, and though this type is much more expensive, it is perfect for those who prefer their privacy. There are plenty of showers and toilets in the bathrooms. They do offer breakfast though there will be a surcharge. The hostel provides free Wi-Fi connection to their guests. Do note that all the area of the hostel, including the dormitories and rooms, are smoke-free.

Santa's Hotel Rudolf

This is a hotel that is located in the middle of the Lapland city centre. This is also a place to stay if one is on a budget. The Santa's Hotel Rudolf offers just two types of rooms; a Twin room and a Triple room. Just like what the name suggested, the rooms either have two Twin beds or three Twin beds. They started from RM 232 up to RM 375 for a night. The rooms at the Santa's Hotel Rudolf are basic, perfect for those who just want to stay for a night or two. The hotel has a free Wi-Fi connection.