Sustainable Travel in Finland

Traveling consciously and in harmony with nature has become an integral part of the culture for many vacationers. Here, you can learn how to implement these good intentions in Finland and what opportunities the country offers you.

Finland is considered one of the leading pioneers in sustainability and environmental protection. The country is a natural paradise, and Finns are doing everything they can to keep it that way. If you're planning a trip to the land of a thousand lakes, you have numerous opportunities to take advantage of existing sustainable offerings and contribute to leaving a minimal ecological footprint with your behavior. Here you will find tips for accommodations and activities, as well as information on what you should definitely keep in mind during your trip.

Sustainable Accommodations | Sustainable Destinations Sustainable Tour Providers | Sustainable Consumption Sustainable Winter Sports Vacation How to Act Environmentally Conscious Interested in Finland?

The range of sustainable accommodations, shops, and excursions in Finland is so vast that it's easy to lose track. Here you can find an overview of what might be relevant for your vacation.

More and more hotels and vacation rental providers are very aware of their responsibilities towards nature and social coexistence. Around the world, one can find information in hotel rooms indicating that linen and towel changes no longer occur daily to conserve the environment. In Finland, many hotels and vacation home owners take additional steps, using sustainable materials, eco-friendly detergents, and ensuring good energy efficiency in their homes. If you want to support these accommodations during your vacation in Finland, there is no better website for a great overview than this one:

Sustainable Regions and Companies in Finland

Here you can filter by regions and then select an appropriate provider for your stay based on your budget. You will also receive suggestions for environmentally conscious tours and excursions.

Do you want to know where you can best experience sustainability? In Finland, there are many places where humans and nature coexist harmoniously. Here are some examples of sustainable travel destinations:

Torassieppi Village: a remote place with arctic animals, exclusively organic food, Lappish culture, and a living history of catching sight of native peoples. Sustainable reindeer hiking is also possible here. North Savo: Eastern Finland, known as one of 'the last wilderness areas in Europe,' offers sustainable winter activities such as snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, as well as curling and cooking classes for local cuisine. Kainuu Region: untouched landscapes with wildlife such as wolves, bears, and reindeer, as well as endangered birds of prey; winter sports; 80 kilometers of prepared cross-country ski trails. Saimaa Lakes Area: with 1,300 km², one of the largest natural ice rinks in Europe, consists of many small islands that can be circled in a few minutes, one of the least populated areas in Europe. Here, you can ride a pedal sled from island to island, ice skate, or play ice golf.

Husky tours, a thrilling snowmobile ride, or a scenic boat trip along the archipelago - these are perhaps already on your bucket list for your trip to Finland. Again, with a bit of research, you can find providers who offer services that are particularly fair, environmentally friendly, and conducted in harmony with people and nature.

Examples of sustainable tour providers:

Rausstieg huskyFair ReNatour fjordkind Reisen Wikinger Reisen

When it comes to handling animals, special care is always required to ensure that all protective guidelines are followed and necessary rest periods are respected. There is also a useful filtering function on the mentioned website for this. For example, pay attention to the Green Key eco-label, which is awarded to companies and accommodations that produce, operate, and build particularly sustainably and fairly. You can find more labels you should know about at the end of the article.

Short-term and thoughtless consumption can harm the environment in the long run. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on the origin and materials of products during shopping trips in foreign countries, in addition to the price. Too often, we accidentally grab New Zealand apples in the supermarket, even though right next to them are European or even locally grown ones. When browsing for souvenirs, it's also easy to end up with a memento that wasn't even made in the country itself. These behavioral patterns can be broken by shopping more consciously and paying attention to origin and production processes.

Finland offers a range of cool and sustainable brands and products that consciously focus on local know-how and especially on local production. It can happen that a hand-knitted wool hat here is more expensive than mass-produced items from the shopping center - but that's what makes the purchase uniquely special in the long run. You should definitely know some of these Finnish products and brands during your shopping trip. Each of these brands and stores contributes to sustainability in its own way, which can be read on their websites.

Marimekko - Lifestyle design brand with distinctive patterns and high ecological standards Iittala - Timeless and durable furniture items, some recycled Pure Waste - Shirts and hoodies made from 100% recycled fabric Globe Hope - Shop for sustainable bags, clothing, and cosmetics Myssifarmi - Wool hats made from organic wool of Finnish sheep - hand-knitted by seniors Kauniste - Store for high-quality household textiles with sustainable standards Ruohonjuuri - Online shop and stores for food, dietary supplements, and more and many more.

A clear list of further tips can be found here.

If you want to spend your winter vacation in Finland sustainably and try out various winter sports, the popular ski resorts of Levi, Ruka, and Pyhä are perfect for you. These three have received the Sustainable Travel Finland label, which signifies national sustainability. The focus is on cleanliness, recycling, sustainable accommodations, and improving the quality of the slopes.

Levi

The Levi ski area is located in Fjäll-Lapland, amidst the wild nature of Northern Finland. It consists of 38.5 kilometers of slopes, 24 lifts, and is situated at elevations ranging from 206 to 531 meters. Additionally, it is one of the largest winter sports areas and is especially popular with families with children. The daily program includes not only skiing but also snowshoeing, fat bike tours, and cross-country skiing.

Ruka

Ruka attracts both beginners and advanced skiers with 160 kilometers of prepared trails. There are 35 different slopes, 22 lifts to take you from point A to B, and due to the snow guarantee, more than 200 ski days can be enjoyed every year. If you don't want to ski, you can also go tobogganing on certain days. Families with children particularly enjoy the slope favorites Rosa & Rudolf Family Park, Rudolf's Adventure Trail, and Rosa Park Trickride, which are specifically tailored to little ones' needs.

Pyhä

Pyhä is one of the smaller ski areas and offers 11.4 kilometers of slopes, as well as 7 ski lifts. Popular winter activities include ice swimming, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, winter biking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice karting. The goal of Pyhä is to be the cleanest ski area in the world and to offer climate-neutral accommodations with ski-in-ski-out access. The village managed to reduce emissions from energy consumption by around 80% in 2011. Moreover, in the ski area, efforts are made to reduce the need for artificial snow and to recycle as much as possible.

Even though the existing tourist offerings for sustainable vacationing are great, we can still do a lot during our travels to live as sustainably as possible. These seven tips will help:

Travel longer Appreciate nature Take the bus & train Walk more Utilize affordable bike rentals Buy local food Choose companies that support inclusion

Instead of taking several shorter trips, you should consider making fewer, larger vacations. This will automatically eliminate many flights and other travel methods. Slow travel is more popular than ever, as it allows you to experience the country of your choice more intensely and with more peace. After all, it takes a few days to acclimate and get used to the new environment after arrival. A country like Finland offers great sights and natural highlights in all directions. If you have more time, you can experience multiple regions and return home completely relaxed because you weren't rushed.

When you are out in nature in Finland, you will quickly notice that there aren't loud people here. Respect the resting times of wildlife, do not touch them, and always take your trash back with you after a picnic. This is one of the unspoken laws of the land that you should definitely respect to ensure that it remains as undisturbed as it currently is for many decades to come.

There are numerous bus and train connections in Finland. Regular bus and train services operate both within the major cities and between different regions. All are usually equipped with good Wi-Fi and are the perfect place to quickly find attractions and the best restaurants in the next town. The prices are reasonable and not too high.

Especially in Helsinki, it makes sense to walk a lot. This way, you'll see more of the city center, move around at a moderate pace all day, and experience the city's atmosphere with all your senses. When you're in the nature of Finland outside the cities, hiking is perfect to connect with nature and listen to the sounds of the surroundings.

In Helsinki, sustainability and environmental protection can be found at nearly every corner. A particularly cool option for your sightseeing tour are the rental bikes that you can borrow daily, weekly, or seasonally from various stations. Simply register online and ride off.

Outside of the cities, you often have the option to join guided bike tours or rent a mountain bike to explore the area on excursions.

Many supermarkets in Finland prominently feature local products. If you have a choice between foreign products and domestic goods, you should always rely on the offers from Finland for the sake of the environment. This way, you support local vendors in the long term, ensure short transport distances, and reduce CO² emissions. The more of us do this, the less interesting it will ultimately be for trade to import goods from distant countries. The impact may seem small at the moment of purchase, but it can lead to long-term positive changes when many of us behave this way.

Sustainability is an important demand for our travels. It is not only about the environment but also about social interaction. If you discover a company that actively supports equality and inclusion, it is worth looking into how you can support their products and offerings. Those who actively care for their fellow human beings usually have a heart for nature as well. Often, the products of these companies are a bit more expensive, but when you consider the impact your purchase has on small businesses with social objectives, it balances out, doesn't it? Frequently, such goods are lovingly detailed and handcrafted, making them more valuable than any mass-produced item. A good example of this is Myssifarmi. Here, retirees craft your wool hats from organic wool of South Finnish sheep. A cool and charming project, and far from the only one you will find here.

It often helps to orient yourself around an environmental seal designed to mark regional and national sustainability. For your sustainable vacation in Finland, you can best focus on the 'Sustainable Travel Finland' label. All offers and companies marked with this can be confidently used.

Image credit: Juho Kuva/Visit Finland

If you want to read more about Finland, its wonderful nature, and great tips for your trip, you can take a closer look at the other articles on the topic. You can also find offers for hotels and tours. Additionally, further information can be found at Visit Finland.