# Finland in ten days by car

Finland in ten days by car is a suggested route showing some of the most important sights in Finland. See the article on Finland for more information.

## Understand

Compared to other European countries in general, Finland is quite sparsely populated, especially in the north. There are bus and rail links between major cities, but if you want to see the countryside the best way is definitely driving. The best time to do this journey is in the summer. During the winter many attractions are closed and driving is more uncomfortable due to snow and ice.

## Prepare

    See also: Driving in Finland
As always when taking a longer car trip, make sure your car is in a decent condition; an engine breakdown is never a pleasant surprise and definitely not when you're far away from home. Be mentally prepared to sit in the car for some 2500 km in 10 days and do bring a good map.

## Get in

The starting point for this itinerary is Helsinki, where most international travelers arrive. There are car ferries from Stockholm and Tallinn and roro-ships from Travemünde. Getting from Central Europe to Finland by car takes some 3–4 days one way driving calmly but without any major stops. From Southern Europe, one week is a quite good rule of thumb. If arriving from Russia, drive along E18 to Helsinki. If arriving by plane or otherwise without your own car, you can rent a car at the airport or elsewhere; many of the major car rental companies are present in Finland.

## Drive

One useful word to know is keskusta which means downtown or city centre and can be found on most road junctions near the city centre. In some major cities the Swedish centrum or even the British English centre are occasionally to be seen – these are obviously easier to understand for international visitors.

### Day 1 - Up the ridge

Helsinki–Porvoo–Lappeenranta–Imatra–Punkaharju–Kerimäki–Savonlinna 392 km
Start from 60.1667124.943771 Helsinki. in the morning. Drive along road 7 (E18) towards 60.3948625.6622 Porvoo. , see Porvoo's Old Town and continue east along road 6 towards Kouvola and Lappeenranta. From 60.8721626.602363 Kouvola. the road will follow the Salpausselkä ridge dividing Finland's coastal and inland regions. In 61.1700728.771824 Imatra. there are the Imatra rapids, the very first "tourist attraction" in Finland, visited by the Russian Czar, among others (there is a hydroelectric plant, but at some occasions the rapids get the full flow). Continue towards Joensuu until Parikkala, 61.6031329.483185 turn left. and drive along road 14 towards Savonlinna. You will cross the 61.7682529.36446 Punkaharju. ridges that are also known as a "national landscape" of Finland. Before you arrive in Savonlinna you can take a short side trip to 61.9061529.266557 Kerimäki. and see the world's largest wooden church. The main sight of 61.8694328.882378 Savonlinna. is the medieval castle Olavinlinna hosting an opera festival each summer.

### Day 2 - Land of a thousand lakes

Savonlinna–Heinävesi–Joensuu–Koli National Park–(Lieksa)–Nurmes 293 km
In the morning you will drive on smaller roads, don't get lost! From the 61.8755828.953279 eastern edge of Savonlinna, take road 471 north up to Enonkoski and continue towards Heinävesi. A 62.1487528.9731810 sound is crossed by cable ferry. Continue along 471 until the road ends, and 62.365728.8794511 turn right towards Joensuu along 476. After 12 km 62.3901129.070912 turn left towards Sarvikumpu along 477. When you come to road 23, 62.52229.0418913 turn left towards Varkaus. After 15 km 62.5281628.7594614 turn right towards Uusi Valamo. 62.5604528.7924215 New Valamo is a beautiful orthodox monastery, built in the 1940s after the original Valamo monastery on the Valaam islands in Lake Ladoga had been lost to the Soviet Union together with parts of Karelia. After the visit to New Valamo, drive back to road 23 and drive to 62.6028229.7674616 Joensuu for lunch. If you are interested in Karelian culture, visit the Carelicum museum. Another point of interest is the bunker museum. Continue towards Kajaani along road 6 and turn right to 63.094629.8079717 Koli. Drive to Koli and walk up to the top of Mt. Koli for great views. There used to be a ferry over Lake Pielinen – a nice voyage, check whether it is back – to 63.3171530.0187718 Lieksa. Drive to 63.5424329.1439819 Nurmes either from Lieksa or directly from Koli via Juuka.

### Day 3 - Crossing the true wolf border

Nurmes–Kajaani–Ranua–Rovaniemi 448 km
The trip continues further north along road 6 to 64.2171327.7294920 Kajaani. , where you can walk around the ruins of Kajaani fortress. Take road 5 E63 northbound towards Kuusamo, and 64.3244428.0590821 turn left. along national road 22 towards Oulu and Rovaniemi. At Paltamo, 64.4052427.8407322 turn right. along 78 towards Rovaniemi. You will now drive 300 km through virtually nothing but forest. Do look out for reindeer – while they are not as heavy as elks, you still don't want to crash into them. 65.9285526.5100123 Ranua. , the last village before Rovaniemi, has the northernmost zoo in the world, where you can see Finnish and arctic wildlife like lynx, wolverines and ice bears. Arrive in 66.5028625.7258624 Rovaniemi. in the evening.

### Day 4 - Here comes Santa Claus

Rovaniemi
Spend the day in Rovaniemi and don't forget the Santa Claus village at the Arctic Circle. Rovaniemi is a good starting point for Finnish Lapland if you want to extend your trip.

### Day 5 - Return to the coast

Rovaniemi–Tornio–Hailuoto–Oulu 360 km
Take road 4 (E75) southbound towards Kemi. 33 km before Kemi, 66.0023124.6988125 take road 927. towards Vojakkala and Arpela. This road will end at 65.918424.134926 Tornio river. . Drive 5 km north towards Kilpisjärvi and see the 65.9635924.0443527 Kukkolankoski rapids. . Not comparable to Niagara Falls, and not steep at all, but still quite wide and long. A great place for picnic if it isn't raining. You can eat some salmon soup in a little cafeteria. Drive down to 65.8446124.1620328 Tornio. and make a quick visit to Haparanda, Sweden if you want. Arrive in 65.0115825.4779829 Oulu. in the early afternoon. You can walk around the city and look at the buildings from the late 19th century. Alternatively you can take a trip to Hailuoto, the largest island of the Gulf of Bothnia. Drive past the city centre along 4 (E75) to 64.9588825.5174630 exit no. 6. and follow the signs to Hailuoto. The 65.0085325.196831 cable ferry. departs each half hour and is free (in late winter there is an ice road instead).

### Day 6 - Ostrobothnia

Oulu–Jakobstad–Kvarken Archipelago–Vaasa 376 km
Continue down along the coast towards Kokkola along road 8 (E8). If it is summer and you feel like swimming, stop at 64.2595123.9488232 Kalajoki. and drive to the sand beach (Hiekkasärkät). Sand beaches a little more than 200 km south of the Arctic Circle! Drive past Kokkola and stop at the bilingual (Swedish/Finnish) city 63.6688122.7025633 Jakobstad/Pietarsaari. and see the Old Town and the sail ship Jacobstads Wapen (in summer she may be out sailing). Continue south to Vasa, but before arriving in the city, 63.1020221.6411834 turn off. towards Pori and Tampere, turn towards Replot/Raippaluoto in the roundabout and drive across Finland's largest bridge to the 63.2320821.4123535 island. . The island is part of the Kvarken Archipelago, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Spend the evening in 63.0966221.6183536 Vaasa. .

### Day 7 - Plains and mustamakkara

Vaasa–Tampere 242 km
Drive straight down along road 3 (E12) to Finland's second most populous town, 61.4991123.7579337 Tampere. . In Ostrobothnia the landscape is flat with large fields, and when arriving in the Pirkanmaa region the landscape turns back to the usual forest. Tampere boasts interesting museums, Tammerkoski rapids in the centre of the town, Northern Europe's highest observation tower and one of the most popular amusement parks in Finland, Särkänniemi. Don't forget the infamous local delicacy mustamakkara (blood sausage).

### Day 8 - Pieces of history

Tampere–Rauma–Naantali–Turku 261 km
Continue west along road 12 to Rauma, whose Wooden Old Town is a UNESCO world heritage site. On the way to Rauma you will drive by 61.1616222.3060238 Lake Köyliö. where, according to the legend, Bishop Henry who brought Christendom to Finland, was murdered in the year 1156. Then there is another UNESCO site, the bronze age burial site in 61.11944421.77539 Sammallahdenmäki. . From 61.1268321.5060840 Rauma. , continue south along 8 E8. In Raisio, just before Turku, 60.4881822.1741941 turn off. to 60.4685622.029342 Naantali. (follow the signs) to see the president's summer residence and if there are kids traveling with you, go to the Muumimaailma theme park. Spend the night in 60.4507822.2586443 Turku. .

### Day 9 - Capital to capital

Turku–Helsinki 166 km
Turku, Finland's oldest city, capital until 1812, and today Finland's third largest metropolitan area hosts two of Finland's main sights; Turku Castle and Cathedral. Three fourths of the city burned down in the Great Fire of 1827, so many of the buildings in today's Turku date from the 19th or 20th century. Close the circle by heading back to 60.1679924.9379344 Helsinki in the evening. Turku is also a good base if you wish to extend your trip and explore the remarkable Archipelago Sea off Turku, e.g. by the Archipelago Trail.

### Day 10 - The daughter of the Baltic

Helsinki
Of course the capital shouldn't be forgotten. Take a seaside stroll, choose among the other Helsinki itineraries or just pick some interesting places from the Helsinki article.

## Stay safe

Finland is a quite safe country even by European standards and even more so in rural areas, the basic precautions are still good to remember. When driving outside built-up areas look up for wild animals crossing the road. Crashing into a 500 kg heavy moose with highway speed can have fatal consequences!

## Go next

From Helsinki one can get out the same ways as one arrived. If returning through Sweden you could take the ferry from Turku instead, saving some money and driving.