|
 |

Helsinki
With islands, parks, and lakes, this compact city with
water on three sides reflects the Finnish love of nature.
In the heart of the city, the tree-lined green strip of
Esplanadi is a favourite summertime promenade. Senate
Square nearby is known for its splendid 19th-century buildings
designed by the Prussian architect Carl Engel. Helsinki's
20th-century monuments and museums—including Saarinen's
monumental railway station and Alvar Aalto's stunning
Finlandia Hall—reflect Finland's new-found nationhood.
The city is also known as Helsingfors in Swedish.
Turku
The modern shops and offices of its centre belie Turku's
long history. As entry point for Finland's Swedish rulers,
the city was medieval Finland's administrative and religious
centre and its capital until 1812. Its former glory is
evident along the banks of the Aura River. Turku Cathedral,
still the centre of Finnish Christianity, dates from the
13th century and holds many medieval tombs. At the atmospheric
Turku Castle, Swedish-speaking aristocrats determined
the fate of the Finns for several centuries. Turku also
has two excellent museums to honour revered modern Finns:
composer Jean Sibelius and sculptor Wäinö Aaltonen.
The city is also known as Åbo in Swedish.
Electrical Devices
The electrical current in Finland is 220 volts AC. Round,
two-pin plugs are used. An adapter is essential for UK
and Irish appliances.
Money
Notes and coins
The official monetary unit is the markka (mk). There are
100 penniä (p) in a markka. Notes come in denominations
of 1,000mk, 500, 100, and 20. Coins are in denominations
of 10mk, 5, and 1, and 50p and 10. Finland is one of 11
European Union countries which will adopt the Euro (€)
as its currency on 1 January 2002. Prices and bills are
increasingly quoted in both markka and Euros. The fixed
exchange rate is €1=mk5.94573. Markka notes and coins
will cease to be legal tender on 1 July 2002.
Public Holidays
1 January: New Year's Day
6 January: Epiphany
Good Friday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
1 May: May Day
Ascension Day
Whitsun
21 June: Midsummer's Day
1 November: All Saints' Day
6 December: Independence Day
25 December: Christmas
26 December: Boxing Day
Transport
Metro, buses and trams
Bus services in Finnish towns are efficient. In Helsinki
they are well integrated with the metro and tramway systems
and also with the ferry services to the Suomenlinna Islands.
The same fares apply on each mode of transport, and you
can transfer between them using the same ticket. You pay
according to the number of zones through which you will
be travelling. Multi-trip tickets and passes are sold
in advance. The Helsinki Card, valid for one, two, or
three days, allows free travel on all public transport,
plus free entrance to museums and tourist sights. The
Helsinki metro (which has only one line) operates from
05.38 to 23.18 Monday to Saturday, and from 06.48 to 23.18
on Sundays. Tickets for the metro are also accepted on
trams, buses, and the ferries to the Suomenlinna Islands.
|
|
|
|
 |

RASUA CAMPING***
JÄMSÄNKOSKI

RKoskenpääntie
383, 42300 Jämsänkoski, Finland
Tel: +358 (0)14 781 124, tel: +358 (0)400
933 284,
Internet: www.rasuacamping.fi
e-mail: info@rasuacamping.fi

Vinica Oy
Viinikanniemenkatu
37120 NOKIA
info@viinikanniemi.com
Telephone: (03) 3413 384
Fax: (03) 3422 385
LEMPIVAARA – the place for a successful
meeting!
Lempivaara offers meeting services for businesses and groups
in a beautiful, natural environment.
For smaller group meetings and sauna parties
the cottages for 8- and 15- persons are ideal. We will arrange
AV-equipment and catering in the cottage if needed. For
the bigger groups, restaurant Lempivaara has the best frame
to make Your gathering successful. The restaurant can also
be in Your private use during an event or a meeting.
Lempivaara will also arrange a meeting package
full of experiences according to Your wishes. Seikkailu
Ltd will help us make your day unforgettable with plenty
of new experiences and memories!
Please give us a call and ask for more information!
Etelä-Suomen Matkailukiinteistöt
Oy
Karhintie 196
11130 Riihimäki
tel. +358(0)19 - 719 200
info@lempivaara.com
Finland is one of Europe's most sparsely
populated nations, with a population of just 5.2 million
strewn across a pristine wilderness of legendary beauty.
Forests of pine, fir, and birch blanket two-thirds of the
country. The presence of around 180,000 lakes makes the
landscape of southern and central Finland look, from the
air, as if a giant mirror has been smashed across it. Only
in the far northern Lapland, deep into the Arctic Circle,
does this patchwork of green and blue give way to tundra;
here winter darkness is alleviated only by the brilliant
green-and-orange displays of the aurora borealis. But this
is also the land of the midnight sun where some 5,000 ethnic
Lapps or Sami people herd reindeer, catch fish, and make
handicrafts for the burgeoning tourist industry.
Finland is generally considered a Scandinavian country.
Geographically, it is, bordered to the west by Sweden and
to the north by Norway. However, the country also shares
its history with Russia, with whom she has a third land
border to the east. Sweden ruled Finland from Viking times
until 1809, when the country was ceded to Tsarist Russia
as a spoil of war. Independence came only in 1917, since
when Finland has been struggling to assert her sense of
nationhood while at the same time performing an international
balancing act between east and west. The Finnish language,
related to Estonian and Hungarian and having little in common
with either Swedish or Russian, remains a powerful symbol
of independence.
The majority of Finns live in the three major cities of
southern Finland: the capital, Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere.
Nevertheless, a great love of open spaces and outdoor activities
is a key element in the national character. Many families
have log cabins in the forest, usually by a lake and equipped
with a sauna. This is where they spend weekends and holidays
cross-country skiing in winter, or hiking, canoeing, or
fishing in summer. Back in the cities, the enduring Finnish
affection for nature is reflected in the imaginative modern
architecture, which has won international acclaim throughout
the 20th century.
Driving
Vehicle documents
An International Driving Permit is not mandatory in Finland.
Green Card insurance is honoured, but check with your motor-vehicle
insurance company regarding necessary documents and whether
additional insurance is required. You will need to display
a sticker indicating where the car is insured. Rules
Of The Road
Always carry your full valid driving licence or International
Driving Permit, vehicle registration documents, and insurance
documents with you in the car. Traffic drives on the right,
and vehicles coming from the right have priority at crossroads.
Use of seat belts is compulsory in front and rear seats,
and children under 15 must sit in the back. Sounding your
horn is permitted only when necessary. It is advisable to
drive with dipped headlights at all times, though in towns
this is not obligatory. The highest level of alcohol permitted
in your bloodstream when driving is 50 mg per 100 ml (5g/l)Driving
Tips
Snow can present problems for drivers in Finland. Snow tyres
must be fitted for the period December to Febuary. Studded
tyres are permitted from 1 November to the first Sunday
after Easter, or when conditions justify them. Both snow
tyres and studded tyres can be hired at ISKO shops (automobile
equipment stores) in Finland. Another hazard you may encounter
is wandering elk, deer, or reindeer, especially at dusk.
If you hit one, you must notify the police immediately.
|
|
|
|
 |
Before
you go get covered for all events
Entry Requirements
Citizens of the European Union (EU), except for those of Greece,
can enter Finland with a valid national identity card and stay
for a period of 90 days; so too can Swiss citizens. Citizens
of the United Kingdom and Ireland, where there is no identity
card system, must carry a valid passport. Other nationals should
consult the Finnish embassy or consulate in their country of
residence before departure for any visa requirements.
Emergency Phone Numbers
Ambulance: 112
Police: 112 or 10022
Fire brigade: 112
Alternative pan-European emergency number for all services:
112
Time Zones
Central European Time plus one hour (Greenwich Mean Time plus
two hours). Clocks are put forward another hour for summertime
from the last Sunday in March to the Saturday before the end
of October.
.
Roads, Tolls And Speed Limits
There are no toll roads in Finland. On motorways the speed limit
is 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour in summer and 100 kilometres
(62 miles) per hour in winter; on other roads it is 80 kilometres
(49 miles) per hour, except where signposted.
Assistance
The main motoring association in Finland is Autoliitto, tel:
+358 9 774 761. If you are involved in an accident, contact
Liikennevakuutusyhdistys (the Finnish Motor Insurers' Bureau)
at Bulevardi 28, 00120 Helsinki, tel: +358 9 680 401.
Currency Exchange
Travellers cheques are the safest way to carry money, and you
should buy these in your own country before you leave. The major
credit cards are widely accepted, although not in every shop,
hotel, and restaurant. The most useful ones are MasterCard,
American Express, Diners Club, and Visa. You will find current
exchange rates listed in most newspapers and in banks and bureaux
de change. Banks are the most convenient places to cash travellers
cheques, and they give better rates than hotels. Most charge
a flat fee, but it is worth shopping around, as some charge
no commission at all. Eurocheques can be cashed at many banks.
Opening hours are generally 09.30 to 16.15 Monday to Friday.
Tipping
A service charge of 15 percent is included in hotel bills. Taxi
drivers expect a tip.
Travellers With Disabilities
The large ferries that ply between Helsinki and Sweden or Germany
have accessible cabins; trains on the long-distance route from
Helsinki to Rovaniemi have coaches that take wheelchairs; and
long-distance buses are adapted for wheelchair users. You can
expect to find taxis with wheelchair lifts (called invataxis)
in the largest towns. Special parking permits are obtainable
from the local police. The Finnish Tourist Board provides useful
information and also publishes a leaflet entitled Tourist Services
for the Disabled.
Ferries
Ferries leave from the South Harbour in Helsinki for the Suomenlinna
Islands. There are also boats between Helsinki and Porvoo, Helsinki
and Stockholm (Sweden), and Helsinki and Talinn (Estonia).
|
|