The eco travel guide to Finland

Scandinavia’s youngest country and its second largest, Finland offers a curious blend of cosmopolitan cities and cutting-edge design juxtaposed with huge stretches of wilderness. Home to Europe's largest lake (Saimaa) the country boasts the cleanest water in the world, according to the UN and is home to two million saunas. Despite the bone-chilling winters, its people are among the world's happiest, beaten into second place only by the ever-chirpy Danes. But despite its natural beauties, eclectic cities and friendly people, Finland remains relatively undiscovered, best known for being the home of Father Christmas, Nokia and the Moomins. It's certainly quite unlike anywhere else in the Scandinavian bloc, with Finnish bearing more resemblance to Hungarian than Swedish, Danish or Norwegian, and a culture that owes as much to Russia as it does to Sweden. Finns tend to do their own thing and are much the better for it. Whether it’s wife-carrying competitions or air guitar world championships, the Finns aren’t afraid to try something different in the pursuit of fun. Capital city, Helsinki, is the quirky national character rendered in stone, boasting an eclectic mix of cutting edge and quaintly traditional. What's more, it has some of the best, if boisterous, bars in Scandinavia, ranging from the ultra-chic to the totally bizarre. In one respect, though, the Finns are like their fellow Scandinavians: design. Along with phone giant, Nokia, the country is home to ultra-cool homeware label, Marimekko and a raft of innovative fashion designers, among them eco-favourite, Minna Hepburn. Fashion and culture aside, Finland's real beauties are to be found outdoors. Splendid isolation, silence and total tranquillity reign outside of the cities, with reindeer, grey wolves and elk all to be found. In the summer, head to one of the country's 500,000 cottages or mokki to enjoy the woods and lakes uninterrupted. It's a foragers' paradise and the concept of 'Everyman's Rights' is enshrined in law. This gives you permission to roam freely, pick berries and mushrooms, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the forests, lakes and rivers. In the winter, head north to Lapland to meet the native Sami people, see the awe-inspiring Northern Lights and get to grips with St. Nick. Whatever you're after, Finland has much to recommend it. Finland and the environment Finland's main environmental issues are air and water pollution, and the preservation of its wildlife. The principal environmental agency is the Ministry of the Environment, which was established in 1983. Beginning in 1987, environmental protection boards were established for every community with more than 3,000 inhabitants. To preserve the shoreline, around 40 per cent of the coastal areas have been declared no-build zones.