We are travelling with our motorhome along the Finnish coast, from Helsinki towards Haparanda. So far this has been a really nice trip, with nice weather, beautiful views and cosy towns, while it has been easy to find a place for the night.
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Travelling with a motorhome in Finland is peaceful and comfortable
Despite the high season, travelling with a motorhome in Finland is really peaceful and pleasant. When travelling in (southern and central) Sweden during July, it has been difficult to find a place on a campsite or pitch, at least if you roll in late in the afternoon, as we like to do ...
Here in Finland there have been no problems at all. So far there has been space everywhere. So nice! Some people have asked about car parks in Finland, and the answer is that so far we have mostly seen campsites, free simple car parks/car parks without service and the occasional BestPark site. Prices for camping vary of course, but are around 30-40 euros/night including electricity. It is also relatively easy to free camp.
Nice places along the Finnish coast
We are travelling relatively slowly, so that we also have time to work and do everyday things. Even so, we've managed to see a lot of great places! So far we have told you about:
Of course, we have seen a little more than we have had time to tell you about. Among other things, we have been to the city Raumawhich really surprised us. The old town is not only a beautiful wooden city, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We hadn't even heard of this city before. Have you? Of course, we'll tell you more soon!
We have crossed the "language border"
We have had some difficulty in grasping exactly where in Finland you can speak Swedish, and where Finnish (i.e. English for us) is spoken. Now it's starting to become clearer little for us, and from what we understand, you can often speak Swedish in:
- Åland förstås (monolingual Swedish)
- Åbolandi.e. the archipelago south-west of Turku (about 64 % have Swedish as their mother tongue).
- Ostrobothnia (more than 50 % have Swedish as their mother tongue)
- Possibly also in some parts of Uusimaa, in southern Finland.
Rauma is an almost entirely Finnish-speaking municipality, but as we drove north, into Kristinestad, we crossed the "language border". I Kristinestad it is possible to speak Swedish everywhere, and signs are in both Swedish and Finnish.
Best this week
Best thing this week? Continuing to discover Finland of course! We have also been very lucky with the weather. We read about the heat wave in southern Europe and we have also seen on social media that it has been raining on the west coast. Here this week we have had sunny, nice and comfortable temperatures. We are grateful for that!
Your turn... What can you highlight as positive from your week?
The week ahead
We continue to follow the Finnish coast northwards. On FREEDOMtravel there will be a bunch of reports on Finnish destinations, perhaps interspersed with places we visited earlier this year and reports by our guest writers. Please also follow us on Instagram where we try to update from the trip even more in real time: @freedomtravelnews
Have a nice weekend!
Did you miss the last Happy Friday? Read the Adventures in Finland ... and some new things in the motorhome
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Mr Janérik Sundell says:
When it comes to the language of the different localities in Finland, you can see it on road signs. Bilingual signs mean that it is a bilingual town, the majority language should be at the top of the sign. The sign from Strandgatan above means that the majority of people in the town speak Swedish.
14 July 2023 - 9:47
bmlarstravellingblog says:
Finland is a country we never discussed discovering by motorhome but maybe, just maybe it's time to reconsider this decision....
Otherwise, it has been a nice week with the guided tour at Femörefortet as a real and slightly unexpected highlight.
The fact that a daughter and her partner got an apartment contract right where they want to live in Gothenburg is of course the very best thing.
We wish you a nice weekend!
14 July 2023 - 13:15
BP says:
What incredible luck you have with the weather even in Finland. The prices for the stables are not exactly low, but heard from a friend that many campsites in Sweden charge 500 SEK / night after the pandemic. I think it's a bit harsh.
Eastern Uusimaa, 50 miles east of Helsinki, is Swedish-speaking and has Swedish as its first language (https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96stra_NylandBlogger Carita https://debutsky.com/) lives in Loviisa. She has shown pictures from Loviisa and the neighbouring city of Porvoo many times. Well worth a visit I would say.
14 July 2023 - 19:32