• Bicycling: Thousands of miles of narrow paths and captivating gravel tracks lead to towns where broad highways are flanked by well-maintained bicycle routes. Local tourist offices can provide maps of the best trails.
  • Canoeing: Choose from a large variety of waterscapes: coastal waters dotted with thousands of islands, rivers flowing to the sea, or lakes in the Greater Saimaa region. The best coastal areas are the archipelago along the southwest coast, the coast of Uusimaa province, and the Åland Islands. A popular region for canoeing is the lake district; here the lakes are linked in long chains by short channels with strong currents. Together the lakes form a network of routes extending for thousands of kilometers.
  • Fishing: For those who are skilled, Finland offers the chance to fish year-round. Fishermen here divide their calendar not into months, but according to the fish in season. Sea trout become plentiful as the rivers rise in March and April. May and June are the golden months for pike. Midsummer, when the rapids are at their best, marks the season for Lapland grayling and pikeperch. Also in midsummer, salmon fishermen prepare for the high point of their year. Autumn brings sea trout inshore, along with the "Flying Dutchmen of the Deep" -- pike -- that stalk the shoals of herring. Even in winter, Finnish fishermen drill through the ice to catch perch, pike, and trout. Ice fishermen angle for burbot during the dark winter nights, since its roe is regarded as the choicest of caviars.
  • Hiking: Hiking is a popular form of recreation in heavily forested Finland. Lapland holds its own special appeal, but you can ramble for a day or more even in southern Finland. Outside Helsinki, for example, there are numerous trails in Nuuksio National Park. The provinces of middle Finland have a network of hiking trails that total some 300km (185 miles).
  • Skiing: The ski season in Finland is the longest in Lapland, from October until mid-May. In northern Finland, south of Lapland, there's good skiing for more than 5 hours a day in natural light, even when the days are short. Numerous ski trails are lit artificially when winter is at its darkest. The peak holiday ski season is just before spring, when there's lots of daylight and sunshine. In southern Finland, skiing conditions are ideal in January and February; in central Finland the best months are December through March; and in northern Finland the best months are December through April.

    • Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.