• Helsinki, the capital, is surrounded by parks, forests and water. It is also endowed with historical sights as well as buildings by the best-known Finnish architects, both traditional and modern. UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress is the world's largest maritime fortress. Helsinki has numerous museums, a rich musical life and a wide variety of exhibitions and events as well as excellent design outlets (website: www.helsinki.fi).

• Get to know Finland's oldest city, Turku. The country's former capital boasts a magnificent medieval castle, a fine cathedral and several stylish restaurants and intriguing museums. Enjoy the wonderful craftwork in the open-air Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum or kick back with a beer on the deck of a boat bar (website: www.turku.fi).

• Probe the distinct culture of Karelia, in eastern Finland. There is a significant Orthodox population here, with their own cuisine, language and religious festivals, and the remote, picturesque villages such as Ilomantsi are ripe for exploration. It is also the spiritual home of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.

• Ponder the principles of design in the university town of Jyväskylä (website: www.jkl.fi), a pilgrimage spot for lovers of buildings as it contains many of the finest works of Alvar Aalto, giant of 20th-century architecture. It is also the base for the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship in August (website: www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi).

• Take to the water and get a boat to the Åland Islands, the warmest part of the country. This flat, picturesque archipelago is Swedish-speaking and has a proud maritime heritage and some of the country's oldest churches and manors. It is perfect for exploring by bicycle (website: www.aland.ax).

• Gaze at any of Finland's 180,000-plus lakes, preferably from the deck of an isolated wooden cabin. While the whole country is dotted with them, they are particularly concentrated in the area inevitably known as the Lakeland, a veritable maze with its profusion of bays, headlands and islands. As the lakes are usually shallow and the surrounding land is not high, the water soon becomes warm in summer.

• Venture into Savonlinna, an enchanting town boasting the best-preserved medieval castle in the Nordic countries, Olavinlinna. It is picturesquely set on the water and venue to a major opera festival in July (website: www.operafestival.fi).

• Brush up your Swedish in the west coast area of Pohjanmaa or Ostrobothnia, with its long sandy beaches (and the dunes of Kalajoki), an agricultural region with a sunny drier climate than elsewhere. Jakobstad and Kristinestad are particularly heartwarming, with their delightful old wooden buildings.

• Discover the interesting fauna of Hailuoto Island, which can be reached by ferry from Oulu, the area's chief commercial and university centre. Picturesque old wooden houses are still a feature of the coastal towns (website: www.oulu.fi).

• Point your nose north and keep going until you reach mystical Lapland (website: www.lapland.fi), an awe-inspiringly isolated wilderness with the country's three largest national parks.

• Watch 230,000 reindeer roam freely on the fells around the Finnish Lapland. They are the property of different owners. There are reindeer round-ups from September to January, and special reindeer-driving competitions take place in March with participants from all over Lapland.

• Meet Santa on the Arctic Circle. His office is open daily, but don't promise the kids a souvenir photo until you've had a word with the bank manager (website: www.santaclaus.fi).

• Head up to Kilpisjärvi in Finland's northwest corner and climb picturesque Saana Fell, 1,029m (3,376ft), or Haltia Fell, the highest peak in Finland at 1,328m (4,265ft). Both overlook the triple border between Finland, Norway and Sweden (website: www.kilpisjarvi.fi).

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.