Travelling in Finland
Currency: Euro
Finland is part of European Union and uses the Euro.
Credit Cards in Finland
All major credit cards are accepted throughout the country. Some smaller shops in rural areas may only accept cash. If this is the case, your guide will usually inform you about these special considerations beforehand. In general, payments are most often made by credit card and carrying large amounts of euro is not necessary.
ATM access in Finland
Reliable ATMs are easily accessible throughout the country. Your guide will let you know if we are going outside of the urban areas where there will be limited access to withdraw cash.
Examples prices in Finland
Coffee cup at a cafe: 3 euros
Lunch at cafeteria: 10-20 euros
Dinner at restaurant: 25-45 euros
Tax Free Shopping in Finland
The travellers who are permanent residents outside the European Union and Norway can shop tax free in certain stores in Finland. These stores can be identified from the signs of “tax free shopping”. If your purchase exceeds a certain amount, the shop can provide you with paperwork regarding a VAT refund. This can be cashed upon leaving the last EU country visited on your travels. See information about refund points in the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport >>
Time zone of Finland
Finland is in the Eastern European time zone.
Standard Time: GMT/UTC + 2h
Daylight Saving Time: GMT/UTC + 3h
Dialing code
When you are dialing to Finland from abroad, dial +358 as a country code.
International dialing code finder >>
Internet access in Finland
Free wifi is offered in most of the hotels, restaurants & cafes. Your guide will help you with the internet access wherever it’s available.
Mobile phone coverage in Finland
Despite sparsely populated areas, Finland’s mobile phone coverage is reliable and covers much of the country. Very remote areas may not have cell phone reception, but your guide will inform you in advance about these situations.
Laundry services in Finland
Laundry services, or laundromats, are not as common in Finland as in many other European countries. On tours arranged by Adventure Apes, your guide can help you find a service or location to do laundry as needed. At Adventure Apes Lodge or Petäjälinna Pine Castle our staff can take care of your laundry at a small fee.
Electricity in Finland
Nearly all public buildings have electricity where you can easily charge your phone or laptop on our travels. When we are in more remote areas, and on hiking, paddling or skiing expeditions, it will be trickier and you’ll want to save the batteries of your electrical devices or bring portable chargers.
Depending on where you live, you may also want to bring power adapters for electronic charging plugs. Our sockets are Type C. Example >>
Good, clean drinking water
Drinking tap water is safe in Finland (in fact, it ranks among some of the best drinking water in the world!) We encourage you to drink from the tap instead of buying bottled water for sustainability reasons. We recommend you to bring your own water bottle which you can fill free of charge in many places.
Toilets in Finland
Public buildings in Finland have Western-style flushable toilets. However, at some public cottages and wilderness cabins we don’t necessarily have running water. In this case, we will be using outside toilets which we call “huussi”.
You need to know two things:
Don’t panic. You will know in advance if your adventure might involve a “huussi.” If you aren’t comfortable with this experience, let us know before booking the tour so we can adjust the schedule.
Going to outside toilet is a nice experience (some people say it’s freeing) and totally safe. Your guide will give you instructions when needed and never be embarrassed to ask even what seems to be a silly question.
Insurances needed when travelling to Finland
Adventure Apes require you to purchase adequate travel insurance from your home country before arriving to Finland. Having proper travel insurance not only make things easier in the unlikely event something happens, but can also save you a lot of money. Details about your travel insurance will be collected by Adventure Apes before your arrival to Finland. If you have questions about what insurance to purchase, feel free to talk with your guide.
For European travelers, we recommend to apply for a European Travel Insurance Card. It costs nothing and saves you a lot of time and money in the event of sudden health issues. Please see further information here >>
Vaccinations needed in Finland
You don’t need any vaccinations or inoculations before arriving in Finland. It’s also good to know that the only place where you can buy medications in Finland are at the pharmacy or “apteekki.”
Smoking in Finland
Smoking is forbidden in all public buildings such as schools, shops, museums, hotels and restaurants. Your guide will show you where it’s appropriate to smoke on our tours. Please note that we leave no trace in nature and you should take your cigarettes with you and dispose them when back in civilisation.
Drinking in Finland
It is prohibited by the law to sell alcohol to people under 18 years of age. Light alcohol can be purchased from supermarkets and gas stations for example. Strong alcohol can be purchased only from an “Alko” or state-run liquor store from Monday to Saturday. You may be asked to show your identity card to prove your age. Please note that alcohol can be sold only between 9 am and 9 pm (except in restaurants having lisences).