Finland: Top Five Winter Adventures

Wondering where to go for your winter holiday? How about Finland?

The Finnish Tourism Authority has put together a list of the top 5 winter adventures.

No visit to Finland is complete without visiting a sauna! Saunas are seen as a place for physical and spiritual cleansing, and are scattered everywhere in Finland. You’ll find them in public swimming pools, houses, gyms and hotels. Even the Parliament building in Helsinki and Finnish embassies abroad have sauna- there are enough to accommodate the entire population simultaneously with somewhere between two and three million! Visiting a sauna is a great place to unwind.

Visit Finland during the winter months and dip in an icy lake or roll in the snow before moving on to a steaming sauna. The contrast between hot and cold is said to be good for the circulation.

A cruise aboard the ice-breaker Sampo is an experience not to be missed. The journey offers visitors the chance to experience life on board an ice-breaker ship as it travels through the Gulf of Bothnia. You’ll get a guided tour of the ship, but the main attraction is the option of swimming in the freeing cold sea! Neoprene survival suits are provided, ensuring that you float on the water. A hike on the ice is also available, showing you its true thickness. As you make your way back to the ship, you’ll truly appreciate the power of Sampo, and have memories that will last a lifetime.

If you’re visiting Finland with your family, a trip to Lapland is a must. Located in the Arctic Circle, Santa Claus Village offers festive fun for everyone. There are plenty of Reindeer, along with other animals such as horses and dogs. Why not have a break from playing in the snow and do a spot of shopping? There are a range of products from handmade Finnish goods to souvenirs and products from high end Finnish designers on offer. There are also bars, restaurants and Christmas exhibitions to keep the whole family entertained.

Finland is also a fantastic place to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). For the best views, head North into Lapland, where they shine every other clear night (on average) from September through to March. A great alternative to husky tours is to stay in a purpose built igloo. These igloos have glass roofs where you can gaze at the mesmerising lights from the comfort of your own bed. Sleep under the stars and experience the best of what Finland has to offer.

To read the full article, visit http://www.visitfinland.com/5-steps-to-winter-adventure/

Top reasons to make Iceland your holiday destination in 2015

Would you like to experience nature at its best? How about witnessing one of nature’s greatest events?

Visit Iceland between now and April and experience one of nature’s most amazing spectacles: the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). The extreme dark of the Icelandic winter provides the perfect vantage point from which to view this natural phenomenon, due to a lack of light pollution. On a clear night, the solar flares are simply mesmerising.

Nature lovers will also appreciate Iceland’s location. Over 80% of the island is uninhabited and large colonies of seabirds are easily visible around the coasts. You are most likely to see razorbills, fulmars, gannets, guillemots and, of course, the Atlantic Puffin. Iceland is also home to Látrabjarg, the largest bird cliff in the world. This one cliff alone is home to millions of birds. The best time of year for bird watching is from the end of April to the beginning of June, although tours are offered year-round.

 Located just three hours flying time from London, Iceland is the world’s most Northerly capital city. The Icelandic weather is changeable: due to the Gulf Stream, Iceland has a cool, temperate climate. The winters are fairly mild, but much colder than those in the UK; the average temperature of January in Iceland is 0.4°C! Iceland also offers fantastic shops, museums and restaurants. Icelandic fish and lamb are local specialities.

If you fancy something a little different, you can visit one of Iceland’s beaches (yes really!). Reykjavík has its own geothermal beach, boasting white sand and warm ocean water. Alternatively, you could brave the cold Atlantic and enjoy the health benefits of swimming in the cold water, like many Icelanders do.

If you have an adventurous streak, you may enjoy exploring Iceland on horseback. It is a great way to sample the stunning, panoramic views that Iceland offers. Riding tours are offered across the country by numerous farms on Icelandic horses. The Icelandic horses themselves are hardy and have a large personality.

Hiking through Iceland’s rugged and varied landscape during the summer moneths is a popular pastime for locals and tourists alike. The Laugavegur trail is one of the most varied and exciting trails in the world! It offers splendid views and takes in a great variety of landscapes; mountains in various colours, glaciers and hot springs, rivers and lakes.

A visit to Iceland would not be complete without experiencing its famous glaciers.  It is important to not that glacier walking or climbing should not be done without the accompaniment of a trained guide, without exceptions. Such trips allow you to explore the untamed Iceland, with its breathtaking landscapes.

For further information, visit http://www.visiticeland.com/  

 

Enjoy a great holiday in Canada - Top reasons to visit

If there’s not enough snow falling for you in the UK at the moment, why not visit Canada? Winter is the perfect time of year to go!

The Jasper National Park, located in Alberta, sees an average of nearly 4 metres of fluffy dry snow fall during the winter months! For thrill seekers, Jasper’s Marmot Basin Ski Resort is an ideal location for winter sports, with 86 named runs and a range of difficulties to suit all levels. The nearby Maligne Ice Canyon provides a mesmerizing journey, walking around sheets of glowing ice, hidden caverns and waterfalls.

Yellowknife, a city 250 miles south of the Arctic Circle, is also a little chilly at this time of years with average temperatures of -20°C! The cold weather offers many opportunities to tourists: you can try your hands at ice fishing, perhaps even managing to catch a fish from a frozen lake! Snowmobiles and snow shoes are also available to hire, which you can take on groomed trails or into the back country. Yellowknife is also North America's diamond capital, so you can choose a Canadian diamond and watch it being embossed and polished before your eyes. If you choose to visit Yellowknife during winter, the area surrounding the city is perfect for seeing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). On a clear night, the solar flares are simply mesmerising! For the perfect Canadian experience, you can even travel on a dogsled and see the Northern Lights trotting through a snowy forest.

Perhaps the most well-known natural attraction in Canada is Niagara Falls, the world’s second largest waterfall. Staggeringly, six million cubic feet of water cascade over its brink every minute, which is more than enough to get you wet, even from a distance! Tourists can walk behind the falls, or even fly above them in a helicopter. If you feel thirsty after seeing all that water, you can dine among the vines at a winery restaurant. The Niagara region is known worldwide for its distinctive wines.

Ottawa, Canada’s capital, is a city steeped in culture. Take a course from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa and sample Canadian specialities, including Alberta beef, British Colombia salmon and Quebec foie gras. You can even meet a Mountie, who will guide you through Canada's Parliament buildings, whilst the National Gallery of Canada is a must see for art lovers. The historically minded will love visiting the Canadian War Museum. The Canadian Museum of History is just a short walk or ferry ride away in the neighbouring city of Gatineau. If you visit during winter, you can skate on the world's largest skating rink- the frozen Rideau Canal.

If you want to head further North, St John's, located in Newfoundland, has something to offer for all ages. Prowl George Street is the centre of nightlife and has the most pubs per square foot in Northern America! St John's is an important site historically; it is the oldest city in Northern America, founded in 1497. There is a huge variety of architecture, along with jaw-dropping scenery which makes this city a must see. Tourists can also visit the site of the the final battle of the Seven Years' War and Signal Hill (the point where Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal). St John's is also the most Easterly point in North America and has beautiful panoramic views of the Atlantic ocean.

For more from the Canadian Tourist Board click here.

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