• Strap on a pack and head off through the forests on one of Finland's classic trekking routes. This is particularly appealing in Lapland in early autumn, when trees and vegetation take on the beautiful hues of the ruska season (website: www.outdoors.fi).

• Learn about life in the harsh north at one of Lapland's two inspiring museums, Rovaniemi's Arktikum (website: www.arktikum.fi), a comprehensive exploration of ecology and anthropology of the Arctic, and Siida (website: www.siida.fi), the wonderful museum of Sámi culture in Inari.

• Experience the contagious joy of a traditional Finnish midsummer, when the sun doesn't set and Finns head to their mökki (summer cottage) for saunas, bonfires, dips in the lake and general revelry.

• Unleash your inner nutter at one of Finland's bizarre festivals. Play classic rock on the air guitar in Oulu (website: www.airguitarworldchampionships.com), forget political correctness at the Wife-Carrying World Championships of Sonkajärvi (website: www.sonkajarvi.fi) or watch Naantali's laziest resident get thrown into the sea on Sleepyhead Day (27 July).

• Go cross-country skiing on marked and often illuminated tracks all over the country. There are also many downhill skiing resorts. Many resorts have halfpipes and ‘snowboard streets' for snowboarding enthusiasts. Off-piste skiing is available through private companies. The major ski resorts include: Pallastunturi, Saariselkä, Pallas, Levi, Rovaniemi, Ylläs and Luosto/Pyhä (in the north); Ruka, Iso-Syöte, Vuokatti, Koli and Tahko (in central Finland); and Himos and Lahti (in the south).

• Keep an eye on the skies: northernmost Finland is above the Arctic Circle and enjoys a spell of polar night (kaamos) between November and May, when the sun is a stranger to the land. It is at this time that the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, can be seen.

• Harness up your team of dogs and whizz off across the snow on a winter husky safari, an utterly memorable experience available all across Lapland, including at the excellent Harriniva (website: www.harriniva.fi) just outside Muonio.

• Sweat your troubles and toxins away in a classic Finnish sauna. While many hotels have them, the best sauna experiences are the more traditional ones, in a wooden cottage by a lake, in the timeworn Kotiharjun public sauna in Helsinki's Kallio district, or in the Jätkänkämppä smoke sauna just outside Kuopio. The whisk of birch twigs stimulates circulation and cleanses the pores.

• Canoe, particularly in areas such as Saimaa, Lake Oulujärvi and Lake Inari. Owing to strong currents, guides are recommended for trips to remote areas. The Kukkolankoski rapids provide the biggest unharnessed rapids in the world; white-water rafting is organised here. In Oulanka National Park, rivers with rapids run through gorge-like valleys.

• For cutting-edge design, embark on an architecture tour, which puts particular emphasis on buildings and designs by the internationally acclaimed Alvar Aalto, one of Finland's most famous architects. There are also design tours available which focus on glassware, jewellery and household items, as well as fireplaces and log houses, and which often include a visit to Helsinki's Iittala Glass Museum or Glassworks.

• Spend a night at the Snow Hotel (website: www.snowcastle.net), located in Kemi, where visitors can stay in rooms at temperatures of -5°C (23°F); warm sleeping bags are provided.

• Drill a hole in the ice, drop in your line and shiver the day away in the masochistic activity of ice fishing, immensely popular in winter. Semi-mandatory consumption of kossu (Koskenkorva vodka spirit) keeps the chills at bay (website: www.fishing.fi).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.