Finland: Prime Travel Data.

NEED TO KNOW

So here you are in Finland and you need to know some elementary stuff — like how to make a phone call, get local money, or contact the American Embassy to report your stolen passport. Here is a convenient source for that information, plus a bit more.

This web page originally appeared in the first editon of my book How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook in a section titled "Country Data Sheets" over thirty years ago. I've updated and improved it for 2016.

Important information about this data sheet.
Native name	Suomi
Capital	Helsinki
Postal code	FIN
Telephone code	+358 See chapter 19, Telephoning to, from, and within Europe.
Language	Finnish and Swedish
Currency	Euro.. See The Euro and Other Currencies.
European Union	Member. See chapter 25, Customs Duty, USA and Europe.
Schengen Agreement	Member. See chapter 3, Passport and Visas.
Time zone	GMT+2. See chapter 28, European Dates and Time Zones.
Electricity	220 volts, 50 Hz. See chapter 11, European Electricity: Travel Voltage Fundamentals..

General open hours. 24 hour clock notation sans colon. Hours are longer in major cities, resort areas, and train stations.
Restaurants	1100-2400
Banks	0915-1615 M-F
Post offices	0900-1700 M-F
Stores	0900-1700 M-F, 0900-1300 S
City tourist offices	0830-1700 M-F, 0830-1300 S

Date	Holiday	Juhlapyhä
Jan 1	New Year's Day	uudenvuodenpäivä
Saturday between Jan 6 and Jan 12	Epiphany	loppiainen
	Good Friday	pitkäperjantai
	Easter Monday	toinen pääsiäispäivä
May 1	May Day	vappu
Fifth Saturday after Easter	Ascension Day	helatorstai
Saturday before Whit Sunday		toinen helluntaipäivä
Saturday between June 20 and June 26	Midsummer	juhannus
Saturday between October 31 and November 6	All Saints' Day	pyhäinmiestenpäivä
Dec 6	Independence Day	itsenäisyyspäivä
Dec 25	Christmas	joulupäivä
Dec 26	Boxing Day	tapaninpäivä

Finnish Offices in the USA
Embassy	Embassy of Finland 3301 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC 20008 T 202-298-5800 F 202-298-6030
Consulates	New York: 212-750-4400 Los Angeles: 310-203-9903
Tourist Office	Finnish Tourist Board PO Box 4649, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163-4649 T 212-885-9700 F 212-885-9739

American Offices in Finland
Embassy	American Embassy Finland Itäinen Puistotie 14 B 00140 Helsinki T 9-616-250

USA is known as:	Yhdysvallat

Recommended books for further information:

There are very few books and maps available for Finland, but there are enough good ones to get you through this remote northern country. Notice that I do not recommend any Frommers, Dummies, Steves, or other inferior guides. For some of the reasons please go to the hoi polloi.

For the good stuff, the links below take you directly to a page at Amazon.com. That page details the guide book, map, or dictionary. In many cases the Amazon.com listing includes readers'comments and sample pages from the book. You then have the opportunity to add the book to your shopping cart and buy it. I buy virtually all of my books at Amazon.com and have had excellent service for years.

Note: emphasis in the titles is mine — to help you in finding the information you need. Don't worry too much about publication dates. Many books are updated every three to six years. The monuments and cathedrals haven't moved in 500 years!

Have a good trip!

NOTE TO READERS

I welcome questions, comments, and complaints. If you have any concerns about your trip to Europe that have not been covered well enough on my web site please do not hesitate to write. Ask, cuss, discuss, or whatever. I read every email and update my pages when I see a question repeating, Then I will not get that question again, hopefully. In some cases readers have been so generous with their time and talent that I have included their emails verbatim, e.g. chapters 22 and 25.

I do not open attachments. I do not click links to web pages of any kind. If you have an item you want me to comment on please send the name of the manufacturer and the model number, or the Amazon.com ASIN number. I will reply in a day or two, usually.

My email address is [email protected].

Do not forget to smell the hyacinths. At your leisure scroll through the Table of Contents of How To Europe: The Complete Travelers Handbook and read all 30 chapters, FREE on line. Good deal! You'll probably find the answers you seek, and some you didn't know you needed.

FREE

This web site is totally free for everyone, and a labor of love for me. To keep it afloat I receive a commission from Amazon.com for all goods purchased through the adverts I have selected, and any other products you might buy when you are on the Amazon site. Amazon has almost everything for sale, except the Brooklyn Bridge and Mount Rushmore.

Please visit my on-line store at . Your support is most gratefuly appreciated. TIA.