Travel advice & practical information for travelogue:

'Active Winter Vacation Ivalo, Finnish Lapland'

Useful addresses

New York

Consulate General of Finland
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 250
New York, NY 10017
Tel.: 212-750 4400
Fax: 212-750 4418
E-mail: consulate.nyc@formin.fi

Web site: Consulate General of Finland in New York

London

Embassy of Finland
38 Chesham Place
London SW1X 8HW
Tel.: 020-7838 6200
Fax: 020-7838 9703
E-mail: sanomat.lon@formin.fi
Web site: Embassy of Finland in London

Paris

Ambassade de Finlande
1, Place de Finlande
75007 Paris
Tel.: 01-4418 1920
Fax: 01-4555 5157
E-mail: sanomat.par@formin.fi
Web site: Ambassade de Finlande en Paris

General information

Finland covers a 338,000 square kilometers surface. The distance from the far south to the most northern spot is 1,160 kilometers; from east to west the distance is 560 kilometers. The country has a population of only 5.3 million, which makes Finland one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe.

Finnish Lapland is the most northern province of Finland: its larger part lies within the Polar Circle. The climate is subarctic, which means that during the summer it is dry and can be reasonably warm. In the winter temperatures decrease to between -10 en -30 degrees centigrade. The winter (ski) season is from mid-November to mid-May.

The northern light, Aurora Borealis, is a natural phenomenon which can be seen in arctic skies on clear nights. The phenomenon is caused by electric discharges in the magnetic field of Earth. Best chances to see this miraculous spectacle are from September to March.

Language

The official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish. The Sami (people of Lapland) have their own dialect. Most younger people speak English.

Money

Finland has the euro as currency, but doesn't use the one and two euro cent coins.

Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, department stores, restaurants, shops and car rental agencies.

If you know in advance which places you're going to visit, you can find out online if and where there are ATM's where you can use your MasterCard and Cirrus or Visa to withdraw money.

Plan your trip to Finland online

Through online reservation systems like À la Carte Vacations you can book airline tickets, hotels, rental cars and holiday houses. You can build a fly-drive itinerary with maximum flexibility, book a flight plus a hotel hotel for a night or weekend. Without the limitations of package deals from travel organisations and most times for a much better price.