Good to know before your trip — Finland

Many travellers assume that winter tyre regulations apply only to Finnish-registered vehicles or only in Lapland. Neither is the case. From 1 November to 31 March, passenger cars and vans must be fitted with winter tyres whenever weather or road conditions require it, and this rule applies to vehicles with foreign number plates as well. Since December 2024, studless winter tyres on passenger cars and vans must bear the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol (3PMSF). The main grooves of a winter tyre must have a minimum tread depth of 3 mm. Studded tyres may be used during the same period, and outside it only when conditions demand. If you are hiring a car, check that it has the appropriate tyres when you pick it up.

In northern Finland, reindeer roam freely and often stand on or beside the road. A collision can happen faster than travellers expect. Reindeer are herd animals: if you see one, there are almost certainly more nearby, so slow down immediately. Most reindeer accidents occur between October and December, with dusk and dawn being the highest-risk times. If you hit a reindeer, place a warning triangle, assist any injured persons if present, and call 112 — even if the impact was minor and the animal has moved on, as it is likely injured. Every accident involving an animal must be reported to the police via 112, even when no one is hurt. Do not approach an injured animal or attempt to care for it yourself; wait for instructions from the 112 operator. If it is safe to do so, you may move a dead reindeer to the side of the road and mark the spot clearly, but this is not a legal obligation. Compensation to the owner for a reindeer that has been killed is not paid by the driver but by the Finnish Motor Insurers' Centre.

Many travellers withdraw cash as soon as they arrive, even though they are unlikely to need it in Finland. Card and mobile payments are accepted almost everywhere: in taxis, cafés, at market stalls, and even at remote roadside stands. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted. Public transport tickets in larger cities are usually purchased through a mobile app or by contactless card.

Travellers often buy bottled water because they are unsure whether tap water in Finland is safe to drink. Tap water in Finland is clean, cold, safe to drink, and free, so bring a reusable bottle you can refill. Do not drink water from lakes, rivers, or streams without treating it first: although it is often clean, no one can guarantee its safety. Boil such water for at least 5 minutes or purify it with purification tablets. Before heading to hiking destinations, check in advance where drinking water is available.

Lapland is far from the south of the country, so most travellers choose to fly. There is, however, a way to travel while you sleep and save yourself a night's accommodation in the process. Finnish railway VR's night trains, known as the Santa Claus Express, run from Helsinki and Turku to Rovaniemi, Kolari, and Kemijärvi, with sleeping cabins. From those stations, you can continue to ski resorts and villages further north by bus, taxi, or hire car. The night train can also carry your own car. Timetables, prices, and cabin availability vary by season, so check them at vr.fi — and if you are travelling around Christmas, book well in advance.

In the wilderness and travelling through the north, you often cannot give the exact address of your location. When you call emergency services through the free 112 Suomi app, the emergency call centre automatically receives your location. The app also displays public alerts from the relevant authorities for the area you are in. It is published by the Finnish Emergency Response Centre and is free to download from the Android and iPhone app stores. Install it before you travel.

In an emergency, there is no time to search for the right number to call. Finland has a single general emergency number: 112. The same number works in every European Union country. Calls are free from any phone, no dialling code required, and it works from foreign mobile numbers too.

In winter, temperatures in Lapland drop well below freezing, and travellers often pack a single warm jacket thinking that will be enough. Winter clothing should consist of multiple layers that you can add or remove, as the air trapped between layers retains heat. If you are overdressed and moving around, sweat dampens your clothing and it stops keeping you warm, while the cold is felt most quickly when you are standing still. For activities such as skiing, opt for thinner layers.

Travellers often plan their day as they would at home, but in the depths of winter in the far north, daylight is extremely scarce. In the far north of Finland, winter brings the polar night (kaamos): the sun does not rise above the horizon for days at a time, and the sky around midday has only a blue twilight. In summer it is the reverse — the sun barely sets for nearly two months. For activities that require daylight, such as longer drives and hikes, plan around midday in winter.

Many travellers visit Lapland solely to see the northern lights, expecting to witness them every night. According to statistics from the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the northern lights are visible on around 75 per cent of dark, clear nights in Kilpisjärvi, and on roughly half of such nights in other parts of Lapland, such as Levi, Ylläs and Saariselkä. During geomagnetic storms, they can also be seen in central and southern Finland. Darkness and clear skies are essential, which means no tour or accommodation can guarantee a sighting. The Finnish Meteorological Institute's northern lights service tracks real-time probability.

Finland grants an exceptionally broad right of access to nature, but that right does not cover everything travellers tend to assume. The right of access (jokaisenoikeudet) applies to everyone staying in Finland, regardless of nationality: you may move through nature on foot, on skis or by bicycle, camp temporarily, and pick berries, mushrooms and plants that are not protected. It does not apply to private yards or cultivated fields. Lighting a fire is not part of this right: in most national parks, fires are permitted only at designated spots and only when no forest fire warning is in effect. National parks and protected areas have their own rules, and in the Åland Islands this right is narrower than in the rest of Finland.

In the north, many tours and souvenirs are advertised as Sami culture, but not every such offering aligns with what the Sami people themselves ask of visitors. The Sami are the only recognised indigenous people of the European Union. The Sami Parliament of Finland adopted ethical guidelines for responsible tourism in 2018, aimed at stopping tourism that exploits their culture and spreads inaccurate information about it. Traditional Sami dress is not a costume. Give preference to services led by the Sami or that respect these guidelines, and treat people and their everyday lives with the respect due from a guest. The visitor guidelines are published on the website of the Sami Parliament.

Travellers from countries outside the European Union often do not realise that days spent in Finland count towards the same allowance as days spent in other Schengen countries. Finland is part of the Schengen Area. For nationals of countries outside the EU and the Schengen Area, short stays are limited to a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period, and days spent in all Schengen countries are counted together. Such travellers are registered by the Entry/Exit System (EES) each time they cross an external Schengen border. In Finland, the EES has been operated by the Finnish Border Guard since 12 October 2025: instead of a passport stamp, fingerprints and a facial photograph are recorded. The EES does not apply to EU and Schengen Area nationals, to holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a country participating in the EES, to family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card, or to certain other specific categories of traveller. Whether you need a visa and whether the EES applies to you depends on your nationality and status, so check the official websites before you travel.

In winter, frozen lakes and the sea look solid, yet travellers who have never walked on ice find it difficult to judge where it is weak. Ice thickness and strength vary between lakes, and even across different parts of the same lake. Particularly dangerous are straits and narrow channels, deep spots, and areas with currents — such as river mouths and the vicinity of springs and drainage points — where the ice may remain thin throughout the entire winter. Snow covering the ice makes weak spots harder to spot. In spring, once the snow melts, sunlight can make even thick ice brittle within a matter of hours, meaning thickness alone no longer indicates how much weight the ice can bear. When moving across ice, stick to officially open and maintained routes — and even then, follow local warnings and current conditions. Venturing beyond them is at your own risk, so for such activities seek out a local guide and appropriate equipment.

A trail that is an easy stroll in summer may demand far more strength, equipment, and time in winter. On most hiking trails maintained by Metsähallitus, snow is not cleared in winter, and moving through snow burns significantly more energy than in summer. Before you set off, check the snow and ice conditions at your destination as well as the weather forecast, and stick to marked winter trails. Cross-country ski trails are for skis only — not for walking or snowshoeing. Bring a head torch, a fully charged phone kept warm close to your body, a paper map, and a first-aid kit, and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Do not rely solely on your phone: it may stop working in the cold, and in valleys and canyons there is often no signal. If you have no experience of moving through the winter wilderness, choose a guided tour.