Cycling in Finland

Finland In A Nutshell

I would imagine there are more amazing parts of Finland to visit than the bits I saw. I hope so. And I was only there for two days so take what I write below with a pinch of salt.

Where and When I Went

10th - 12th July 2013
Ferry from Tallinn (Estonia) - Helsinki - Turku - Ferry to Aland Islands

Finland's Scenery

I've heard the lakes further north are nice. The south is nothing to get excited about.

Finland's Road Quality

For such an expensive country obviously collecting a lot of tax the roads were often surprisingly shoddy.

Some of the main roads had cycle paths although their design, with unavoidable Tour de France-style slopes down to the tunnel beneath the road and back up again, was clearly not the work of a cyclist.

Helsinki had plenty of cycle paths but these were usually painted pavements with annoying drainage channels all too often.

Finland's Accommodation & Costs

My two campsites averaged €18.

Food is expensive in supermarkets. The cheapest can of rubbish lager was close to €4, way over my budget. I didn't find out how much beer costs in bars and restaurants. I didn't want to openly weep.

The cost of getting a spoke fixed was 27 times more expensive than in Latvia, where it cost me €1. I'm sure you can do the maths.

Language

Unlike elsewhere in Scandinavia, English wasn't so widely spoken. One elderly cycle shop owner seemed oddly proud that he couldn't speak anything other than Finnish, an obscure language spoken by no one else on the planet. Well done, Mr International.

Neighbouring Countries

Finland borders Russia, Norway and Sweden but it's only a short ferry ride to Estonia and the Aland Islands.

Reasons To Go To Finland

There must be reasons. Unfortunately I don't know what they are. Hopefully someone can tell me.

Where Have You Written About Cycling In Finland?

What Others Say

Comments may be edited for concision. If the comment was taken from elsewhere, click the author's name for the full comment.

"Josie Dew reported having a reindeer or moose stumble into her tent, which is potentially a dangerous incident. European bears are very shy and the risk of an unpleasant encounter is very low. In Scandinavia as a whole, there have only been only 3 or 4 incidents in the last century." iviehoff

What Do You Think? Your Comments

No HTML please. Useful comments will be incorporated into the content of this page. If you want to be included as a site contributor (with optional links back to your own site/blog/book), please email me using the address below.

Or email your comments about this location to steven@primrose-smith.com.