This video takes you on a journey to 66 unique beaches and swimming spots across Finnish lakes, ponds, the Baltic Sea, and rivers – guiding you to warm swimming waters you’d never expect this far north. Plus, it introduces you to 5 incredible sauna and spa complexes. These are among the very best things one can experience in a Finnish summer, and also capture something essential about the Finnish way of life.
Beyond Helsinki, I’ll also take you to its surrounding areas and several vibrant, practically undiscovered cities in the Finnish Lakelands. Unlike the center of Helsinki (and perhaps Rovaniemi), these hidden gems have remained largely unknown to most.
This video also highlights some key reasons behind Finland’s happiness – its incredible opportunities to explore open, easily accessible spaces almost everywhere. In Finland, urban areas and natural landscapes blend in a unique way, structured quite differently from most other countries, requiring a special approach to fully explore them. Finland’s best-kept secrets and most stunning landscapes are found outside the city centers and crowds – places I encourage you to explore!
This is the original version of this video. A shortened 16 minutes version is here: https://youtu.be/xToVbxaBLno
This video improves towards the end!
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00:00 – Intro
01:29 – (May 25) Tampere – Early season
02:25 – (May 29) Kuopio – Early season
03:42 – (May 31) Maaninka – Evening swim and boat canals
04:28 – (June 1) Hamina and Kotka.
05:53 – (June 28) Lahti and Nastola. Lunch buffets
11:45 – (July 7 and Aug 7) Vantaa – Lake Kuusijärvi
14:15 – (July 13) Lappeenranta – Lake Saimaa
15:23 – (July 17) Porvoo – River Mustijoki
16:03 – (July 20) Joutsa
16:49 – (July 21) Kuopio
18:00 – (July 22) Kuopio – Lake Kallavesi boating
23:22 – City bikes and e-scooters
25:30 – (July 23) Kuopio north
32:34 – (July 24) Kuopio – truly warm waters
33:15 – (July 25) Kuopio – It gets Mediterranean!
34:13 – (July 26) Kuopio south
37:26 – Summer 2024 in TV news
38:31 – (Aug 8) Helsinki west – Lauttasaari with 7 beaches!
39:46 – (Aug 14) Helsinki east – Vuosaari
42:13 – (Aug 15) Helsinki center – The main beach
42:50 – (Aug 25) Espoo
44:59 – (Sep 5) Mikkeli – Late season! Sauna complex KAIHU
46:46 – (Sep 5) Sauna/spa complex Saana Kuopio
49:04 – (Sep 6) Kuopio – Late season! Puijo tower
49:53 – (Sep 7) Maaninka – Last swim without sauna!
50:08 – (Sep 7) Kuopio – Sauna complex Luoto
51:08 – (Oct 4) Vantaa – Smoke Saunas in Kuusijärvi
52:40 – (2023: Aug 7) Helsinki – Sauna/spa complex Allas Sea Pool
53:51 – (2021: July 16) Rautavaara – Tiilikkajärvi – Distant sandy lake!
56:02 – Epilogue
Dates above are for 2024, unless stated otherwise.
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Mosquito tips:
On sunny days, you typically only encounter them in shady spots or sheltered nature areas. We didn’t meet a single mosquito during our swims in 2024, which mostly took place in sunny and semi-urban settings.
So where are they? Go into sheltered nature, and they will find you. In the evenings or rainy weather, they might appear almost anywhere, except in very urban areas. The far north, particularly Lapland, is a chapter of its own.
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Gadfly tips:
You primarily meet them in natural environments in July, and only rarely in urban areas. During our swims in 2024, we only encountered them on the islands during our boat tour.
On the first, we soon encountered about 8 of them, prompting us moving on. On the second, we encountered only around 15 of them in over 3 hours. They all failed to get their blood meals and met their end on our skin, some disturbance being the only harm they caused.
If one starts buzzing around, calm down, let it land on your skin, and swat it. Otherwise, it may continue to bother you for a long time. Swatting it mid-flight is another great option, but hit it hard, or it will come back.
If one lands on your skin without you noticing, don’t panic: if you feel a small sting, it’s likely one, and you have about two seconds to swat it.
Only a successful blood meal would leave a mark or some pain on your skin. Even then, it would hardly hurt compared to a wasp sting, and you’d likely forget it within a few minutes.
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Cities and towns: Espoo, Hamina, Helsinki, Hollola (now part of Lahti), Joutsa, Kotka, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Maaninka (now part of Kuopio), Mikkeli, Nilsiä/Tahko (now part of Kuopio), Nurmijärvi, Porvoo, Rautavaara, Sipoo, Tampere, Vantaa.
Lakes and ponds: Jääsjärvi, Hervantajärvi, Hunttijärvi, Iso-Kukkanen, Iso-Valkeinen, Joutjärvi, Kallavesi, Saimaa, Kuusijärvi, Kymijärvi, Maaninkajärvi, Pieni-Valkeinen (pond), Pilvijärvi, Pitkäjärvi, Saimaa, Sammakkolampi (pond), Suolijärvi, Sylvöjärvi, Syväri, Särkijärvi, Sääksjärvi, Tiilikka, Valkeinen, Villähteen Kukkanen, Vähäjärvi.
Rivers: Mustijoki
Sauna/spa complexes: Allas Sea Pool Helsinki, Saana Kuopio, Luoto Kuopio, Kuusijärvi Vantaa, Kaihu Mikkeli.
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