8 days / 7 nights - from £1,750 pp

The Scenic Finland Tour provides a great holiday experience. Our guided tour takes you to places of great natural beauty and exposes you to the rich Finnish and Lap heritage. Visit the Saimaa Lake district and continue through Karelia, a borderland between East and West where eastern Orthodox traditions are part of everyday life. From the untouched wilds of Kuusamo, you go on to Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland on the Arctic Circle.

Price is £ 1750 per person based on availability and accommodation in twin-bedded rooms.  Single supplement £ 300

Tour Includes:

• Direct return flights London - Helsinki 
• Domestic flight Rovaniemi – Helsinki 
• Airport transfers in Helsinki and Rovaniemi 
• 1 night accommodation at the 4 * Scandic Hotel Simonlenttä or similar in Helsinki 
• 6 nights accommodation in country guesthouse / hotels 
• Luggage handling in hotels 
• Breakfasts in the hotels 
• 6 Lunches and 6 dinners throughout the tour 
• Transportation by private coach 
• Sightseeing, visits, excursions, and entrance fees according to the programme 
• Multilingual tour leader 
• Service charges and taxes

SUMMER 2008 DEPARTURE DATES

Departs	Returns	Departs	Returns
Jun 06	Jun 13	Jul 25	Aug 01
Jun 20	Jun 27	Aug 01	Aug 08
Jun 27	Jul 04	Aug 08	Aug 15
Jul 04	Jul 11	Aug 15	Aug 22
Jul 11	Jul 18	Aug 22	Aug 29
Jul 18	Jul 25

Day 1 – Arrival in Helsinki  Free time to explore Finland’s capital. Accommodation at the 4* Scandic Hotel Simonlenttä or similar.

Day 2 – Traces of the Past   In the morning our coach will pick you up from the hotel and the tour starts. Depart by coach for Porvoo, the second oldest town in Finland. The old part of the town is famous for its charming old warehouses, cobblestone lanes, handicraft shops and the medieval cathedral. Lunch will be enjoyed in the old Ruotsinpyhtää ironworks village, dotted with red 18th-century workers´ dwellings. Next stop will be at Langinkoski rapids where you see the imperial fishing lodge that Czar Alexander III had built on the shore of the roaring rapids.   Dinner and overnight at 4 * Rantasipi Hotel Valtionhotelli in Imatra.

Day 3 – Stunning Finnish Countryside  Drive through the beautiful Punkaharju esker ridge, an isthmus between two large lakes, and continue to Retretti Art Exhibition featuring classical and contemporary collections, housed partly in an underground cave. After lunch in Punkaharju you head to Savonlinna to pay a visit to Olavinlinna Castle, the venue of the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival. In the afternoon you visit the eastern orthodox monastery of Valamo in Heinävesi and have a cup of tea brewed in the traditional style in a silver samovar, sweetened with raspberry jam and accompanied by old-Russian delicacies. Continue to Koli Hills, Finland’s best-known spot of natural beauty. From the highest hilltop there is a spectacular view over forests and lakes.  Dinner and overnight at 3 * Sokos Hotel Koli in Lieksa.

Day 4 – Karelian Heritage  Today’s excursion will acquaint you with Karelian culture and traditions. On a visit to a local farmhouse you will experience the friendly hospitality that the Karelians are famous for. See fine examples of wooden architecture and visit exhibitions of local arts and crafts, listen to music played on Kantele, the Finnish folk music instrument, and savour Karelian specialities.  Dinner and overnight at 3 * Sokos Hotel Koli in Lieksa.

Day 5 – Art and Adventure  On the way to Kuhmo you will stop in Vuonislahti to see the studio and the little log chapel of sculptress Eva Ryynänen, who had a unique talent for making sculptures out of wood. In the Ruunaa wilderness close to the Finnish-Russian border, you have a chance to shoot the rapids on a long wooden boat, steered by local fishermen. After lunch by a crackling fire, tour proceeds to Kalevala village, which offers a fascinating look at the old traditions of the Karelian people as they were in the 19th century, a period when the ancient poems of Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala, were collected.   Dinner and overnight at Hotel Kalevala in Kuhmo.

Day 6 – Impressive Landscapes  After guided tour of the village, continue northwards. You see the North-Karelian landscape of hills, lakes, and lush green meadows change to steep cliffs, streams, and wild forests. Lunch en route. In Kuusamo, stop to admire a natural sight of astounding beauty, Julma Ölkky, the deepest canyon lake in the area.  Dinner and overnight at 4* Spa Hotel Kuusamon Tropiikki in Kuusamo.

Day 7 – Where Santa Claus is at Home  After breakfast you set off for an excursion to Lake Kitka. Sitting in a rowing boat or standing on the shore, you can watch local fishermen seine-fishing. If the catch is good, it will be prepared for lunch. On the way to Rovaniemi, you pay a visit to the coffee cup museum. See the key sights of Rovaniemi and visit Santa’s Workshop at the Arctic Circle, meeting the jolly old man in person, and taking part in a Lapp ceremony.   Dinner and overnight at 4* Hotel Rantasipi Pohjanhovi in Rovaniemi.

Day 8 – Goodbye to Finland   Transfer to Rovaniemi airport for morning flight to Helsinki. Take connection flight from Helsinki to London.

Scenic Finland Tour is ideal combined with the North Cape Tour, which you can join directly from Rovaniemi.