Travel ♥ Christmas in Finland
Tuesday, October 09, 20182017 Dec 19-26
We weren’t planned to visit Finland this winter, instead of Portugal or Spain
As I know, Finland is a luxury-like and premium trip
The second reason for not choosing to visit Finland is my sister’s boyfriend is afraid of cold weather
An example of he doesn’t like cold weather is he will get cold under an ‘aircon’ environment
But lastly, we planned to visit only for one reason
Because this might be my last Christmas in the UK before I graduate
There are so many possibilities for me
Choose between I continue my ACCA course here, or go back to Malaysia
Finland
We spent a total of 8 days in Finland
And we will visit these cities from South to North
Helsinki, Tampere, Kemi, Rovaniemi
HELSINKI
Market Square
This is the most famous market in Helsinki and located in the south Harbour and Esplanade Park
They are open daily, and they sell traditional finnish food, some handcrafts and souvenirs
I also bought a postcard here
This is also the departure quay of the ferry to Soumenlinma (One day trip)
It is a 15 minutes ferry ride from the port and €9 for a round trip ticket
Helsinki Senate Square
It located nearby the market square with around 10-15 minutes walk
In winter, the Christmas market will be held in front of the Senate Square
It has also named Helsinki cathedral, beside the Helsinki national library
Both are free to enter
Old Market Hall
An indoor food market, close on Saturday
The food and product are sold outdoor before the indoor market open
But unfortunately, we did not manage to go due to the limited of time
Besides, there are also other attraction to see such as Chapel of silence (free), Temppeliaukion Kirkko (Rock Church) (with fees) and Uspenki Cathedral (free)
You should also try to get Vintage tram to enjoy the traditional view
TAMPERE
Since we like to walk rather then take public transport while travelling
Exploring the city by walk could discover many beautiful non-scene spot
However, I recommended that to take transport to get to
Pyynikki Observation Tower
it was a long journey to walk
the reason we visit to Pyynikki is to visit the café known for delicious baked doughnuts made with a secret recipe
it is a cinnamon and sugar doughnut
I personally do not like the taste of cinnamon, but this is taste quite good and acceptable
The entry of this tower is €2 per person
You can choose to take a lift to the top or climb stairs
Sarkanniemi
This is an amusement park, but sadly, most of the entertainment facilities do not open in the winter
There are only aquarium and the observation tower open
In my opinion, the observation is more worth than the aquarium
I got a little bit disappointed with the aquarium
In Tampere, there are also other attraction to see
Tampere Cathedral, Kaleva Church and Musuem Vapriikki
You can also visit Raunaniemi Beach and Sauna to enjoy the traditional activity: Sauna in Finland
KEMI
Next, we visit Kemi with around 5 hours train
Kemi is located in the Lapland, it covered by snow, this makes us so excited.
Snowcastle is one the famous attraction in Kemi, it has not yet open since they need time to build the ice art.
Therefore, the reason we visit Kemi is all for the Ice Breaker Sampo.
This activity is the most exciting part of the journey.
we wake up at 5 in the morning to enjoy the Sauna in the hostel and then rush to take the bus that the icebreaker provided.
What is icebreaker?
The icebreaker Sampo is a ship that riding in the sea and breaking the ice in the winter since the sea was frozen.
it costs quite high (around €290 per person), but it worth for it and you will only experience once in your life.
A very special memory.
It includes the bus from some certain locations, swimming in the sea and also one lunch after finishing experience the icebreaker Sampo.
more information you could go to their website.
Lastly, ROVANIEMI
The most popular city in Finland.
We are travelling from Tornio since the living fees is a lot cheaper than a hotel in Rovaniemi.
Santa Village
This is the only attraction we visit in Rovaniemi because we only have one day in Rovaniemi and we will immediately take the train to Tampere to get our flight.
what you can do in Santa village?
Visiting Santa in person. To see Santa is free and you can also talk to him with a very limited time after a very long time of queue. Using your personal camera is prohibited and it costs around €10+ to buy a photo of you and Santa.
You can also ride a reindeer and husky if you want but it cost very high.
There is also a snow castle and costs around €20+ per person.
How much we use in this Finland trip for 8 days (per person)
Airticket: £210
Airbnb and Hostel: £55
Transport: £112
Total: £377
To see the video that I travelled in Finland please click the link below
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ-qUrN028bWgazEnItZmDg?
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