Page 662 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

660  SC ANDINA VIA

Practical & Travel Information Banking and Currency
The Finnish currency unit is the
The Finnish are a practical people, and tourists can expect the euro (see p23). All euro notes
local information services to be both accurate and helpful. and coins are exchangeable
Finland’s main cities are all served by an efficient railroad in each of the participating
system and regular, inexpensive internal flights. Finns take Eurozone countries.
Banks usually open from
pride in their public transportation systems and promote 10am to 4:30pm Monday
environmentally friendly modes of travel. Cycling and walking to Friday. Most international
in summer and cross-country skiing in winter are an in-built credit cards are accepted in
part of the national psyche. The capital, Helsinki, is easy to many places all over Finland.
navigate on foot, by bicycle, or using public transportation.
Communications
Tourist Information At Finnish customs, there is a Post offices in Finland usually
For general and location- blue channel for citizens of EU open from 9am to 6pm Monday
specific information, get in countries. to Friday, although the main
touch with the Finnish Tourist post office in Helsinki operates
Board, which has offices in longer hours. You can buy
major cities all over the world. Safety and Emergencies stamps from kiosks and book-
The Finnish Tourist Board office Finland has very low crime stores, as well as at post offices.
in Helsinki has information statistics, although drunks Public telephones are no
about different parts of Finland (largely harmless) have been a longer available. Prepaid SIM
in several languages. Helsinki, common sight in Finnish towns cards for cell phones can be
Turku, and Savonlinna all have and cities for years. Mosquitoes bought from kiosks and
a local tourist office. are very active during the vending machines.
The best time to visit Finland summer months near water
is between May and September, (which is just about everywhere), Saunas
but winter in northern Finland but their bites do not carry
has its own special, snow-laden disease. Tap water is safe to drink. Many hotels have a sauna, but
charm. Many tourist attractions In case of emergencies, the they are usually electric ones. For
in Finland close on Mondays, appropriate number to call is a memorable sauna experience,
and some have seasonal listed in the Directory opposite. seek out a wood-fired sauna –
opening hours. preferably close to a lake or the
sea – or a traditional “smoke
Language
Visa Requirements Finland has two official sauna” (savusauna). The sauna is
a popular and family-friendly
Visitors who are not citizens of languages – Finnish, which is place in which to relax and
Norway, Denmark, Sweden, or spoken by around 94 per cent unwind – there are over a million
Iceland must have a passport to of the population, and Swedish, in Finland. Helsinki boasts the
enter Finland. Members of most which is spoken by 5 per cent. superb Kotiharjun wood-fired
EU countries may use an official Road signs and maps are often sauna (call 09-753 1535). The
EU identity card in lieu of their in both languages and there are Finnish Sauna Society has two
passport. Visas are not required different national newspapers wood-fired saunas and three
for visitors from the UK, Ireland, for each language, too. Younger smoke saunas set beside the
the United States, Canada, Finns often speak some English, sea (call 050 371 8178 for
Australia, or New Zealand. and are very eager to practise it. more information).
The Climate of Finland Flying to Finland
HELSINKI
In northern Finland (beyond Most international flights arrive
the Arctic Circle), the sun at Helsinki’s Vantaa Airport,
remains above the horizon °C/ºF which is 19 km (12 miles) north
for a month in summer. This 21/70 of Helsinki. Finnair and British
gives Finland its sobriquet Airways both operate daily
“Land of the Midnight Sun.” 7/45 11/52 7/45 scheduled services from
Even in Helsinki, there are 0/32 -2/36 -3/27 London Heathrow to Helsinki.
-8/18
almost 20 hours of daylight 9 10 8 7 Some special “visit Father
in summer. In winter, the hrs hrs hrs hrs Christmas” winter flights fly
average temperature falls 38 74 74 41 direct from the UK to
well below 0° C (32° F), but mm mm mm mm Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle.
low humidity makes the month Apr Jul Oct Jan
extreme cold less raw. KLM and SAS operate regular
flights from Amsterdam and
Copenhagen respectively to

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