| Finland ((fi)Suomi / (sv)Finland) | |
 | |
| Flag | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Capital city | Helsinki |
|---|---|
| Area | 338 000 km² |
| Population | 5 400 000 hab. (2010) |
| Density | 15,98 inhab./km² |
| Form of State | parliamentary republic |
| Change | euro (EUR) |
| Electricity | 230 V/50 Hz, European plug |
| Telephone prefix | 358 |
| Internet suffix | .fi |
| Flow direction | Right-hand drive |
| Spindle | UTC 2 |
| Location | |
 65 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ N 27 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
The Finland is a country ofNorth Europe. It shares borders with the Norway, the Sweden and the Russia.
Understand
Regions
 Tourist regions of Finland. |
|
Cities
- 1 Helsinki – the capital
- Turku (Åbo, in Swedish) – important port, second city of the country, of Swedish-speaking tradition.
- 2 Tampere
- 3 Oulu
- Kuopio - in the east of the country, a large tourist town on Lake Kallavesi.
- Lahti - city near Helsinki, surrounded by Lake Vesijävi. Lahti is an important sports center.
- Rovaniemi - capital of Lapland, a city close to the Polar Circle. There is the village of Santa Claus.
- Rauma - whose heart is one of the most magnificent examples of Nordic wooden architecture. In fact, it was included in 1991 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
To go
Formalities
- See as well: Traveling in the Schengen area
Finland is part of theSchengen area. The citizens of the Swiss and the European Economic Area which includes theEuropean Union, theIceland, the Norway and the Liechtenstein only need a national identity card or a passport valid. They don't need any Visa to enter or circulate in the Schengen area and are generally allowed to stay as long as they wish.
Remarks (1) Nationals of these countries need a biometric passport to enjoy visa-free travel. (2) Serbian nationals with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (residents of Kosovo with Serbian passport) need a visa. (3) Taiwanese nationals need their ID card number (a letter followed by nine digits) written in their passport to enjoy visa-free travel. |
Nationals of the following countries do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area: Albania(1), Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and herzegovina(1), Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, United Arab Emirates, United States, Grenade, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, North Macedonia(1), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova(1), Monaco, Montenegro(1), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. LUCIA, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia(1,2), Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan(3) (Republic of China), East Timor, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela as well as holders of a passport of Hong Kong SAR, of Macau SAR and all nationals British (including those who are not citizens of the European Union).
- The visa-free travelers mentioned above and not members of theEEE or from Swiss cannot stay more than 90 days in a period of 180 days in the Schengen area in general and, in general, cannot work during their stay (although some countries in the Schengen area allow certain nationalities to work). The counting of days begins once you enter one of the Schengen countries and does not return to zero when you leave one Schengen country for another.
- New Zealand citizens can stay longer than 90 days, but without working if they do not have a work permit, in some countries of the Schengen area, namely Germany, Austria, the Benelux, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland
If you are not a national ofEEE or from Swiss, even if you are exempt from a visa, unless you are Andorran, Monegasque, San Marino or Vatican, make sure your passport is stamped both when entering and leaving the Schengen area. Without an entry stamp, you may be treated as having exceeded your stay when trying to leave the Schengen area. Without an exit stamp, you may be refused entry the next time you seek to enter the Schengen area as you may be assumed to have exceeded the time allowed on your previous visit. If you cannot get a stamp in the passport, keep documents like boarding passes, transportation tickets, etc. which can help convince border control personnel that you have stayed in the Schengen area legally.
By plane
The main airport is Helsinki Vantaa. It is served by most of the regular airlines. Shuttle buses run to Helsinki by 20 min.
Tampere Airport is served by the airports of Liverpool, London (Stansted), Frankfurt (Hakn) and Riga.
On a boat
Regular lines connect Finland to its neighborhood:
To Estonia
Short journey - a road structure is even being planned! -
- Helsinki - Tallinn (Estonia)
To Sweden
Count one night. Some boats stop at Aaland, a Swedish-speaking associated state close to the Swedish coast.
- Helsinki - Stockholm (Sweden) ;
- Turku (Åbo in Swedish) - Stockholm (Sweden);
- Oulu - Umeå (Sweden) ...
By train
North of the Gulf of Bothnia
The train line is not continuous between Kemi and Sweden, you must take coaches (synchronization ensured and connection included in the price): Boden (Sweden, station) or Luleå (Sweden, station) ↔ Haparanda (Sweden, border ) ↔ Kemi (Finland), via Tornio.
Get off at the train station (last stop) and not by road (non-systematic stop).
In the south, towards Russia
It is possible to reach Saint Petersburg (Russia) from Helsinki, with a visa, in 6 h approximately (7 including the time difference between the two cities).
By car
Circulate
By plane
By train
By car
There is an extensive network of major roads (not strictly speaking motorways) in the southern half of the country, the use of which is free for all users. Certain secondary roads are not paved (mixture of earth, sand, stones quite practicable) and the police are quite severe as regards the respect of the speed limits as well as the alcohol level.
Speed limits:
- Highway: 120 km / h reduced to 100 km / h in winter
- Route: 80 km / h or 100 km / h, in winter, 80 km / h all over
- City : 50 km / h
The speed is always limited to 80 km / h outside built-up areas (on roads and motorways, etc.) for vehicles towing a trailer as well as for motor homes.
Any presence of alcohol in the blood can be penalized by a fine beyond 0.5 g/ l, heavy penalties are added in the event of exceeding 1.2 g/ l.
In the north, roads are scarce. You have to be very vigilant because in all of northern Finland (and Norway), reindeer are free and they cause many accidents due to their unreasonable behavior (the state even reimburses damage in the event of an accident. : to be checked). In the event of an accident with this type of animal, it is mandatory to notify the authorities.
Each vehicle must be equipped with snow tires or studded tires from mid-November to mid-March (following the official instructions given each year). On the other hand, it is forbidden to drive with snow chains in Finland.
Obligation to turn on the dipped beam headlights before setting off.
The network of service stations is well distributed across the territory, becoming less dense in the North where the distance between each station can be spaced more than 100 kilometers.
Driving licenses from other European states and third parties are generally recognized in Finland, as is the green card for international insurance.
Speak
to see Finnish language guide
Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Finnish is used by about 93% of the population, the rest, mainly inhabitants of the Åland Islands and the Turku region (Åbo), are Swedish-speaking (the Finnsvensk).
Finnish is a language of the Finno-Ugric group (Finnish, Hungarian ...), in other words it does not in any way resemble Indo-European languages (such as French, English ...). Finnish, however, has some similarities to Estonian. Pronunciation: you must pronounce all the letters, and prolong the vowels and double consonants. The "f", "c", "b" are almost non-existent in Finnish.
- ä: [æ]
- ö: eu
- y: u
- u: or
- j: y
- h: always sucked
- r: rolled
Here are a few words that will help you during your stay:
- Hi: Hei, Me, Terve (Heï, Moï), Hei is a widely used word of hello
- Hello (in the morning): huomenta, hyvää huomenta
- Hello (afternoon): päivää, hyvää päivää (païvaa)
- Good evening: hyvää iltaa
- Good night: hyvää yötä (Ueutä)
- Thanks: Kiitos
- I am French: olen ranskalainen
- I'm 18: olen 18-vuotias (18: kahdeksantoista)
- Goodbye: Hei, Moikka
- See you soon: nähdään
- I love you: minä rakastan sinua
- What time is it ?: mitä kello on?
- Where can I find a hotel ?: Mistä löydän hotellin?
- Help !: Auta! Auttakaa
- How's it going? : Mitä kuuluu?
- Reindeer: poro
- I do not speak Finnish: in puhu suomea
Buy
Change
Finland uses theeuro. It is one of the many European countries that use this common currency. Euro banknotes and coins are legal tender throughout the country.
Countries which have the euro as official currency:
These countries are collectively referred to as the "euro area". |
One euro is divided into 100 eurocents or euro cents abbreviated cents or cents.
The official euro symbol is €, and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for Eurocents.
.jpg/220px-Euro_Series_Banknotes_(2019).jpg)
- Tickets
- Euro banknotes are the same in all countries.
- Ordinary parts
- All euro area countries have issued coins with a distinctive national side on one side, and a common standard side on the other side. Coins can be used in all countries, regardless of the country of origin of the coin used, for example a one euro coin from Finland can be used in Portugal.
- Two euro commemorative coins
- They differ from normal two euro coins only on their "national" side and circulate freely as legal tender. Each country can produce a certain quantity of it as part of their normal parts production. There are also commemorative two euro coins "at European level". They are produced to commemorate special events, such as the anniversary of important treaties.
- Withdrawal of money
- Cash withdrawals from ATMs are billed at the same price as cash withdrawals in the country of origin for holders of a bank card from an account in a country in the euro zone. Money transfers between two accounts are also considered by banks as a transfer between two accounts in the same country.
Eat
Helsinki is full of small restaurants. There are as many choices as in France for a similar price. For those in a hurry, there are a lot of fast food restaurants or kebab vendors.
- Reindeer – It is a strong meat which is often accompanied by mash with some red fruits, delicious!
- vodka
Housing
Learn
To work
Communicate
European roaming
Since June 15, 2017, "European roaming" has been introduced. It allows all SIM card holders belonging to one of the European member countries to maintain the same pricing conditions as in the country of origin.
Telephone calls and Internet browsing are valid at no additional cost in all European countries, unless authorized by national authorities (generally minor operators) or when a data Gbit threshold is exceeded, which increases year by year. To use this service, simply activate the roaming option on your mobile phone.
The participating countries are those ofEuropean Union (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary , Ireland , Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, UK, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden), those ofEuropean Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and some Oversea territories (Azores, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, The meeting, Saint-Martin).
Manage the day-to-day
Health
European citizens
Citizens ofEuropean Union (EU), who fall unexpectedly ill during a temporary stay, studies or a professional stay, are entitled to the same medical care as in their country of residence. It is always useful to take the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which constitutes physical proof of your insurance in an EU country. However, if you do not have the card with you or if you cannot use it (as in the case of private assistance), you are still entitled to treatment, but you are obliged to pay the costs on the spot. , then you will ask for a refund on your return.
The countries in which health coverage is provided are all those that are members of theEuropean Union (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary , Ireland , Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden), those ofEuropean Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), the Swiss, the UK and the Oversea territories member of the European Union (Azores, Canary Islands, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, The meeting, Saint-Martin).
security
 | Emergency telephone number: All emergency services:112 |
No problem of insecurity but beware of pickpockets who can cleverly visit your pockets in the center of large cities.
Government travel advice
.svg/20px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png)
Belgium (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) 
Canada (Government of Canada) 
France (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
Swiss (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs)
.svg/20px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small}
