Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO FINLAND

Capital:
Helsinki

Religion:
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland 75.3%, Finnish Orthodox Church 1.1 %, No religious affiliation 22.1% Languages in Finland: Finnish (89.33%) & Swedish (5.34%)

LOCAL TIME
Central European Time (CET) is 3 hours ahead of GMT.

ELECTRICITY
Finland uses electrical outlets with 220 Volts with two round prong electrical plugs (Type C & F).

PASSPORT & VISAS:

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

Currency & Money
Euro (EUR). Notes are in denominations of EUR  500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent, €1 and €2

Credit cards:
Credit and debit cards are accepted at most places throughout Finland, including American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa.

ATM:
ATMs are widely available throughout Finland, especially in the major cities.

Banking hours:
Normal banking hours are Monday-Friday from 09:00 until 16:30

Currency exchange:
Most cash machines accept major credit cards. You can also exchange money at banks and bureaux de change.

Social conventions:
Finland is an easy country to visit. Finnish customs and manners are clearly European, with only a few national variations, and attitudes are liberal. There is very little chance of a visitor committing fundamental social gaffes or breaches of etiquette that would fatally damage relations between himself and his hosts.
When greeting, the parties shake hands and make eye contact. A deep bow denotes special respect - in normal circumstances, a nod of the head is enough. A Finnish handshake is brief and firm, and involves no supporting gestures such as touching the shoulder or upper arm. When greeting a married couple, the wife should be greeted first, except on a formal occasion where the hosts should first be greeted by the spouse to whom the invitation was addressed. Children are greeted by shaking hands too.
Embracing people when greeting them is rare in Finland.

Best time to visit:
The months from May through September offer the mildest weather and the highest travel volume, especially early summer - May and June - are pleasant in Finland.

Required clothing:
Light clothing and light jackets during summer, and thick jackets in winter as it can be as cold as -20 degrees Celcius.

Telephone:
Phone cards are available for use in payphones. SIM cards are available for mobile phones and the Finish network supports many data-roaming packages.

Mobile phone:
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet:
Internet access is available in Internet cafés and phone booths operated across Finland, found in most major town and cities. In the case of phone booths, charges are payable by phone card or credit card, whilst cafés are mostly independently run. Internet coverage is good across Finland. In Helsinki you can use the internet for free at any public library.

Post office hours:

Most post offices will be open Mon-Fri 9 am - 6 pm Finland

Food and Drink

Finnish cuisine is based on fresh and natural ingredients that vary according to the season. In addition to vegetables, mushrooms, berries and fish, Finnish food is typified by simplicity and purity of taste. Helsinki’s own cuisine also features influences from both the East and the West.

Typical Finnish dishes:

• Leipäjuusto is a cheese, here served with cloudberry jam
• Kaalikääryleet – cabbage rolls
• Game food. – Moose, deer, grouse, duck, hare, etc... dishes. Rarely attainable in restaurants. Common amongst those whose hobby is hunting.
• Hernekeitto – pea soup, usually served on Thursday along with a dessert pancake
• Leipäjuusto, alternate names hiilikko and juustoleipä – a fresh cow's milk cheese
• Viili – a yogurt-like fermented milk product
• Perunamuusi – Mashed potato, a common side dish
• Lihapullat – Finnish meatballs, often with gravy sauce
• Palvikinkku and palviliha – Smoked ham or beef

Drinks
Liquor, like the Finnish wines, is often based on the abundant berries of Finland. However, herbs are also used to a large extent and more surprisingly some things that most people would never imagine could be used to prepare a drink like ammonium chloride! Two liquors in particular deserve further information.

• Tar (Terva) is a liqour made from disolving tar drops into a strong spirit. The final product is however diluted to between 20 and 30% in alcohol. The finnish is a golden coloured syrupy drink with a refreshing candy-like palette that clears the sinuses.
• Salty-liquorice (Salmiakkikossu or salmari) is made from disolving salty-liquorice drops into strong spritis.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

Summer is warm and bright with almost 20 hours of daylight at the latitude of Helsinki. The temperature often rises to +20 °C or more and occasionally even gets above +30°C. North of the Arctic Circle the midnight sun stays continuously above the horizon from early June to early July, but even in the southern parts of the country summer nights are very short and light, since the sun sets only just below the horizon.

In winter, northern Finland is covered by snow from November to April. In the south, the snow usually arrives in December - but the amount of snowfall may vary from one year to another. North of the Arctic Circle, the winter includes a period known as the polar night, when the sun does not rise above the horizon at all. In the northernmost extremity of Finland, the polar night lasts for 51 days. In southern Finland, the shortest day is about 6 hours long. In winter, temperatures of -20°C are not uncommon in many areas. The average temperature in Helsinki in July is +17°C and in February -5,7°C. Obviously, the winter temperatures in Finnish Lapland can be much lower!

Autumn and spring are transitional seasons. They can be rainy, but also bright and sunny - it is difficult to say in advance as this also varies a lot from one year to another, and also from day to day. There is something very special in the gradually increasing sunshine and warmth of early spring that brings with it melting snow and budding leaves, not to mention the arrival of migratory birds. Similarly, although autumn brings with it darkening days and cooling weather, it is also a season of beautiful colour when the leaves in the trees turn bright yellow, orange, and red.
In Finland temperatures are given in degrees Celsius “°C”. (To convert to Fahrenheit multiply Celsius by 1,8 and add 32.) Finland’s climate is temperate. The average temperature in Finland is several degrees warmer (as much as 10°C in winter) than that of other areas at the same latitudes e.g. Siberia and southern Greenland.

Helsinki: (approx)

SUGGESTED TIPPING SCALE:
Tipping is a way of showing your appreciation and will be welcomed by the recipient, although if you decide not to tip in a particular circumstance, this doesn’t mean you’ll receive a lower level of service. Ultimately, tipping is discretionary and should be done at a level that feels comfortable.

Here are some guidelines that you may find helpful:

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES
As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Your home country health plan may only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance, however they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable.