Let’s play some word association. What crops up in your mind when I say the word ‘Finland’?
Never-ending nights and days? Santa Claus? Your Nokia phone? The Aurora Borealis, reindeers,
husky dogs and saunas? Well, Finland is all that and much more. As June 22, the day of the Midnight
Sun draws near, and as Finland heats up with its vodka, carnivals and the intoxication that comes with the contrasts in the land, we tell you some must-see, must-do facts about this gorgeous northern European country.

HELSINKI
Pearl of the Baltic
Step into Finland’s stylish capital and you feel it pulsate with a vibrant energy that makes you feel welcome at once. The Finnish, you realise, are non-judgemental and quiet, and most of the younger lot speaks excellent English. The contrasts of this 450-year-old city is conspicuous in the buildings and churches, be it the magnificent Senate Square with its neo-classical Lutheran Cathedral and the Uspensky Orthodox Cathedral, the art nouveau railway station and the National Museum, or the
striking traditional buildings on the island of Seurasaari. Make time, too, to see the main railway station designed by Eliel Saarinen, whose gothic grandeur inspired set designers who created
Gotham City for the first Batman film.