Things to see and do in Finland

Closer to Sweden than the rest of Finland, in culture as well as geography, this picturesque, Swedish-speaking archipelago (www.aland.ax) has a proud maritime heritage and some of the country's oldest churches. During the warm summers, the islands are a playground for cyclists and watersports enthusiasts.

Finland's designers are world famous and you can explore their creations on specialist tours of Helsinki. Architecture tours focus on the buildings and public spaces created by the internationally acclaimed Alvar Aalto. Other tours are themed around jewellery, ceramics, glassware and traditional wooden architecture.

Some of Finland's colourful festivals are just plain bizarre. Air-guitarists engage in bizarre rock mimes for Oulu (www.airguitarworldchampionships.com), husbands haul their wives like sacks of potatoes for the Wife-Carrying World Championships in Sonkajärvi (www.sonkajarvi.fi) and Naantali's laziest resident is tossed into the sea on Sleepyhead Day (27 July).

Every winter, thousands of Finns drill holes in the ice and try their luck at the masochistic sport of ice fishing, with a bottle of kossu (Finnish vodka) on hand to keep the chills at bay. Of course, you could always go fishing in summer in lovely Lakeland (www.fishing.fi).

The capital of Sámi culture in Lapland, the tiny village of Inari is home to the wonderful Siida museum and the 'wilderness church', a meeting place for reindeer herders since at least 1646. Nearby Lemmonjoki National Park is the largest in Finland, and a popular destination for trekkers and gold-panners.

Split in two by the Russian border, the district of Karelia is famous for its quirky Orthodox Christian culture, its unique cuisine, its distinct language, its traditional villages and its centuries-old religious festivals. This is also the spiritual home of the epic Finnish poem, the Kalevala.

Turn up the heat in the world's largest smoke sauna in this peaceful Lakeland town. Loads of outdoor activities are possible in the surrounding lakes and forests, and Puijo Hill provides all-season training for ski jumpers and leisurely winter trails for cross-country skiers.

Point your nose northwards and keep going until you reach Finland's Arctic North. Mystical Lapland (www.lapland.fi) is an awe-inspiring wilderness, home to traditional Sámi culture, three spectacular national parks and around 300,000 reindeer.

In summer, the sun never truly sets and Finns take full advantage of the 24-hour daylight to party through the night. Midsummer is also the time when thousands of locals retreat to their mökkit (summer cottages) in the countryside to enjoy the great Finnish outdoors.

See a different side of Finland in the Swedish-speaking villages that sprawl along the west coast near Vaasa. Also known as Ostrobothnia, this region offers long sandy beaches, warm summer weather, forested islands full of swimming elks and quaint wooden villages such as Jakobstad and Kristinestad.

Sweating your troubles away in a steamy sauna is one of the quintessential Finnish experiences. Most hotels and holiday cottages have saunas, but there is a special magic to the timeworn Kotiharjun public sauna in Helsinki's Kallio district, and the Jätkänkämppä smoke sauna just outside Kuopio.

No, we are not talking about UFOs. There is a purely natural explanation for the spectacular Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) which transform the skies over Finland into a psychedelic light show during the polar night (kaamos) from November to May.

The oldest town in Finland, Turku gazes across the Åland Sea towards Stockholm in Sweden. The city boasts a magnificent medieval castle, a stately cathedral, plenty of intriguing museums and a lively nightlife centred on the floating 'boat bars' moored along the Aurajoki River (www.turku.fi).