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Southern Finland

Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Talk / Travel to Southern Finland, visa requirements / Get around / Southern Finland attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Southern Finland nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Stay safe / Get out

Destinations in Southern Finland

Southern Finland (Etelä-Suomen lääni) is a province of Finland. Relatively small in area, the province is dominated by the sprawl around Helsinki and is the most populous in Finland.

Regions

Southern Finland is divided into six regions.

South Karelia ( [fi] Etelä-Karjala, [sv] Södra Karelen)
Päijänne Tavastia ( [fi] Päijät-Häme, [sv] Päijänne Tavastland)
Tavastia Proper ( [fi] Kanta-Häme, [sv] Egentliga Tavastland)
Uusimaa ( [sv] Nyland)
Eastern Uusimaa ( [fi] Itä-Uusimaa, [sv] Östra Nyland)
Kymenlaakso ( [fi] Kymmenedalen)

Cities

Helsinki (Helsingfors) and its neighbors Espoo (Esbo) and Vantaa (Vanda)
Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus), has a medieval castle
Kotka, a port town on the road to Russia
Lahti, a fairly grim industrial town
Lappeenranta (Villmanstrand), a port town by the lake Saimaa
Porvoo (Borgå), a city with a very nice old town
Hyvinkää, a relatively small city, the Finnish Railway museum [1] is located here

Other destinations

Ekenäs (Tammisaari)
Hanko (Hangö)
Kouvola
Nuuksio National Park
Siuntio (Sjundeå)

Culture and History

Talk

Travel to Southern Finland - Visa Requirements

Tours and Getting around Southern Finland

Between cities and major towns you can use the trains [2] or buses [3]. Hitchhiking is uncommon but possible, but be aware that some roads have very little traffic. If you chose smaller countryroads, cycling is a possibility and you can camp wild as long as you regard the "jokamiehenoikeus" (right to access) which states basically "behave".