Te doen in Finland

Helsinki, the capital, sits on the Gulf of Finland, with the white cathedral on Senate Square, the market harbour and the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, listed by UNESCO, a short ferry ride away. Turku, the former capital on the south-west coast, has a medieval castle and cathedral beside the Aura River and leads into a maze of archipelago islands. Tampere, between two lakes, is a former mill city of red-brick factories beside the Tammerkoski rapids.

In Lapland, Rovaniemi sits on the Arctic Circle with Santa Claus Village, and Levi, Saariselkä and Luosto are fell resorts for skiing, husky rides and watching the northern lights. In the lake district, long summer evenings are spent in lakeside cottages, with islands and forest all round. In midsummer the sun stays up around the clock in the far north.

Salmon soup, Karelian pies with egg butter, rye bread and cinnamon buns are the staples, and cloudberries and reindeer appear on northern menus. Finns drink more coffee than almost anyone and take saunas as a weekly habit. Summer is light and mild, with lakes warm enough to swim, and winter is dark and snowy from December to March.