Finland 101 Guide
Since many of you are traveling to Finland for the first time, we have prepared a little Finland 101 Guide.
Some will be straight-forward, some will make you smile and some will leave you quite astonished. :)
We will add some more funny and inspiring content about Finland in this section. Please stay tuned for more.
Midsummer
= Juhannus
Our wedding will take place a week after Midsummer, which is the celebration of light and fruitfulness, when the day is at its longest.
In Finland midsummer is often celebrated with friends and family enjoying a nice sauna and the light that lasts until the night. In Turku, sunset will be at 11pm around the time of our wedding.
Many ancient midsummer traditions include collecting varying numbers of wild flowers for "spells", for instance placing the flowers under your pillow to see the future spouse in your dreams.
Eating out, food & recommendations
Tipping: First of all, tipping is not expected in Finland. However, if you had a great meal with good service, you can tip 5-10 %.
Food delivery: Wolt (as a Finnish company) is available pretty much everywhere, other options include Foodora.
Food rescue: Through ResQ club you can purchase food from restaurants and cafes that would otherwise go to waste.
Tori = the marketplace
In most cities and towns you can find a marketplace, where you can find all kinds of fresh baked goods, berries, vegetables and fish products.
Munkki + kahvi
Try out a classic afternoon combination of a munkki (kind of a donut) & coffee. A cinnamon or cardamom roll can also highly be recommended.
Fun fact: Finns drink more coffee per capita than any other nation (12kg per person / year).
Muikut = fried vendace
We recommend trying fish products such a salmon soup or fried vendace.
Skagen & Shrimp
We recommend trying a shrimp sandwich (typically served with plain shrimp with egg) or skagen.
Breakfast
Many Finns have porridge for breakfast, and you can find great options such as Elovena & Fazer Alku. Additionally, we recommend you to try rye bread and saaristolaisleipä (Finnish for archipelago bread). Definitely try out Reissumies! Karelian pasties made with rice are also worth a try (left on the plate).
Allergies & dietary restrictions
Lactose free: most milk and yoghurt products manufactured in Finland are lactose free, the product should say laktoositon, in restaurant menues you might find L or VL = low in lactose
Gluten free: there's a fair selection of gluten free products (gluteeniton) as well and most restaurants have marked this in their menues with a G
Vegetarian / Vegan: there's a lot of great vegetarian (kasvis-) and vegan (vegaaninen) options, in most restaurants you won't have any difficulties finding something. V in the menu might stand for vegetarian or vegan, so best to check in with the staff.
Finnish Chain Restaurant
Hesburger: a burger chain that originated from Turku. In Turku you can even stay at their burger-themed hotel.
Kotipizza: a pizza chain, where you can also order a reindeer pizza.
UUNI: While staying in Turku area, we can definitely recommend UUNI pizzerias.
Drinks
You can buy some milder alcoholic drinks from the supermarkets (but only between 9 am and 9 pm!). For the stronger liquor or wines you need to go to Alko. Generally we'd recommend trying Lonkero = long drink, which is typically a mix of gin and grape fruit and/or other flavors.
Sauna
Embracing the sauna experience is essential for understanding Finnish culture, as it fosters a deep connection to nature and promotes overall well-being.
Typically made of wood, these steam-filled rooms encourage relaxation and socialization, with many saunas featuring a traditional wood-burning stove and birch branches for gentle whipping.
It is customary that anyone can throw water on the hot stones (however it is polite to ask other sauna goers first). This is called löyly.
While in Turku, you can check out for example:
- Saaronniemi
- Kakola Spa
- Ruissalo Spa
- Holiday Club Caribia
It is also very likely that your hotel or rental apartment has a sauna.
Finnish Language
Generally, most Finnish people understand and speak English, so you should be fine.
Nevertheless, here's some basics you might want to note down:
- Hei = Hello
- Kiitos = Thank you
- Anteeksi / Sori = Sorry
- Ruoka = Food & Ravintola = Restaurant
- Kahvi = Coffee & Kahvila = Cafe
In case you feel inspired to learn some Finnish basics, you can learn Finnish for free on Duolingo.
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