Visiting Finland is like stepping into a refreshing shower on a hot day. The Republic of Finland is a Nordic country in northeastern Europe, bordered by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. Finland has land frontiers with Sweden , Norway and Russia and a maritime border with Estonia . Even in the cultured capital, Helsinki , the air is clean, and the countryside has a cool but seductive beauty. The western coast is fringed with countless islands, while the southern Saimaa district is drenched by myriad sapphire lakes. Here you can sail, fish, or take a relaxing sauna - followed, of course, by a dip in the lake.

During the winter months you can have a skiing holiday or visit the Santa Claus and take a reindeer tour. Summer offers you a wide variety of activity from trekking to urban holidays, or you can simply relax at a hidden summer cottage with a sauna near a lake. Besides the mainland with vast forests and thousands of lakes separated by few agricultural and urban areas, the Baltic Sea with widespread archipelagos offers plenty of possibilities for sailing and fishing. Helsinki and few other places are worth of visiting throughout the year. Finland has a high standard of living, comparable to other Scandinavian countries, facilities are good and especially the telecommunications are next to none in the world.

Finland 's rich, sometimes turbulent, history is revealed in its buildings: onion-domed Orthodox churches speak of the days when it was part of Russia ( Finland has the world's only Lenin Museum ), while fortresses like Suomenlinna Castle recall centuries of Swedish rule. During winter, luscious snows create a sporting wonderland crisscrossed by ski trails, while in warmer weather you can watch an opera at Savonlinna, go canoeing, river rafting or gold panning, or simply join the Finns as they dance the tango under the midnight sun.