This is the second part of our travels through Finland. After a few amazing days at the Arctic, we made our way down to the more historic Finland. Castles provide a good anchor point for learning the past history of a country and they have always been a huge point of interest for both of us. Over the next few days, we would be visiting cities with castles and travel between them by road to see the country a bit closer.
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We reached Olavinlinna (St. Olaf’s Castle) next morning right on time for a castle tour in English. We had a fabulous guide. A guided tour is the only way to see the upper parts of this restored castle. Afterwards, we had a few questions on two occasions, and both guides there answered all of them fully and patiently.
Two of the five original towers of this castle are missing; you can see the base of one of them in the photo. The last photo is of the topmost level.
We went back to the castle in the late afternoon and watched the setting sun color the castle walls with its last set of rays.
I took this picture as the lights started coming on around the towers.
After dinner, we went for a walk around the harbour talking about our journey so far. ( My husband took this photo as I had very deliberately left the camera behind. )
Next morning, we walked around the lake to the old town, snacked on an apple Lörtsy (a pastry of local specialty) sitting by the shore before starting our drive toward Hämeenlinna.
The scenic road we took was beautifully dotted with lakes. We stopped by a few to break up the journey.
We reached Hämeenlinna right around sunset time. Here, my husband went to experience his first Finish sauna, which he enjoyed very much.
Although Hämeenlinna (Häme Castle) is very old, it looked very modern to both of us.
Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.
Missing walls and flooring have exposed previously obscured structures. We found windows that had been blocked off later on by interior walls. We had fun spotting them. We have not seen another castle like that in our multitude of castle visits.
Outside, we walked around the castle and the park that surrounds the area. It was a very windy day which kept us cool despite the warm temperature. It was wonderful to listen to the rustling of the trees, one of my favourite sounds.
For lunch, we visited small bakeries which also had sandwiches. I had a slice of cake everyday for lunch, that’s it! They were soooo good. By the time I got home, I found out that I had actually lost weight from all the walking.
Post lunch, we went to Aulanko Tower, which is set in a beautiful park.
We climbed up the 322 stone steps to the top.
Pictures do not do the 360-degree view justice. A conglomeration of lakes and forests as far as the eye can see; a perfect representation of the Finish landscape.
Originally we were going to stop by Tampere on our way to Turku. However, we were having such a lovely time at Hämeenlinna, we ended up extending our time there and drove directly to Turku.
Next day Turun Linna was awaiting us. It is so HUGE that there was a point where we thought we would never find the exit!!
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As that was the only thing we were doing that day, we took our time with all the rooms. One of the rooms was filled with unbelievably detailed models of this castle from different eras.
Post dinner, we went for a walk around the Aurajoki (Aura river). It was raining hard that night. We stood on one of the bridges that crosses Aurajoki to take in the view.
We had a little errand to run in Turku, which took up most of the morning. We headed toward Helsinki after lunch with a short stop at Raseborg castle.
The castle was nowhere near where the GPS said it was. Instead, there was a permanent sign with these words: “Google maps is wrong” along with the correct address to use to find the castle. We found it readily enough after that. Honestly! This is why I don’t rely on GPS 100%! Ever!!
Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.
There are ships that travel daily across the Baltic Sea between Helsinki and Tallinn in Estonia. From Helsinki, we took a tram to the ferry building and boarded our ship toward Tallinn. Our destination was the old town which is only a few minutes’ walk from the harbor. The old town is small, so we pretty much walked the whole place within a few hours. There also happened to be a street festival that day. We spent the rest of the time people watching and sipping on local mead before our return journey.
We felt the area was more like a tourist trap, and there was not enough time to really experience the proper city itself. We have never done this kind of country hopping before, and we decided we won’t be doing this kind of trip in the future.
We had a really lovely view of the central station from our Helsinki hotel room. It was raining so hard that I had to take an umbrella with me to the balcony to take this photo. I loved every moment of being outside in the rain.
Remember that special errand I talked about in Turku?! While reading about Finland, I fell in love with the sound of the Kantele. I found a music shop in Turku that happened to carry a eleven-string Kantele.
Unfortunately, it happened to be just a couple of inches too large for our suitcase. That morning in Helsinki, we found a luggage wrapping service at the airport. The two agents at the shop packaged it securely in a box for us. Its safe journey the next day from Finland to Northern California was now assured!
I am happy to say that it is safe at home, wrapped in a blanket until I sew a case for it. Now I of course need to learn how to tune and play it.
With that out of the way, we took a boat across the sea to Soumenlinna in the afternoon. The ships on each side are from the Viking and Tallink Silja shipping lines that sail between different countries across the Baltic Sea.
Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.
We had a beautiful time walking around this sea fortress. Nature is slowly taking over the old artillery. As we reached the edge of the island, the rain came. The fierce wind made the rain drops feel like ice shards. I tried using my umbrella, but gave up. My husband decided to sacrifice his.
The storm cleared and gave us this gorgeous sunset during our dinner in Helsinki. That wrapped up our 14-day roadtrip through Finland.
I hope you enjoyed this photo journaling of our travels.
Here is the first part of the trip
I did my best to create an itinerary of venues that fit our interests and helped us get to know the country within that time. We started with exploring around the Arctic Circle which included experiencing a Northern Lights display of a lifetime. Then we made our way back south for historic Finland. It is not only a beautiful country, my husband and I fell in love with the wonderful attitude of its people. It is not hard to see that it truly is the happiest country in the world.
Until next time,
-Soma
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54 thoughts on “Finland – Land Of A Thousand Lakes – Part II”
Heidrun November 19, 2025 at 05:50
Indeed a beautiful country, I enjoyed reading very much. It’s a pleasure to hear about the different details.
Greetings by Heidrun ❤️
rainbow evening October 29, 2025 at 06:03
aww…stunning views and great architectures…
wish to visit this country.
Linda Primmer October 26, 2025 at 08:35
Stunning photos. How special to visit and see all of these amazing lakes, castles and more. I am happy to feature your post at Love Your Creativity.
RachelSwirl October 25, 2025 at 14:42
These are such stunning images; it looks like such a beautiful place. Thanks so much for participating and sharing your shots with #MySundaySnapshot.
Jayne October 25, 2025 at 10:51
What a gorgeous trip, and you captured so many beautiful pics! Especially the artillery and the sunset over the castle.
I love exploring castles, they hold so many stories. Glad you both had a fab time. :) xx
Amy Johnson October 25, 2025 at 04:15
Wow! So amazing. So beautiful. I would love to see a castle in person.
Sarah MumofThree World October 24, 2025 at 22:52
I loved looking at your photos and reading about your trip. It all looked absolutely stunning! You really packed a lot into your two weeks in Finland.
Pat October 24, 2025 at 10:57
Beautiful photos! You saw so much in your 14-day visit to Finland. It was wonderful that you were able to have the kantele mailed to your home. The castles stood the test of time and weather, and look so strong and majestic. The Northern Lights are always a thrill to view
Crow October 24, 2025 at 09:12
Looks like a wonderful trip. Thank you for sharing.
Steph@Crazylittlelovebirds October 23, 2025 at 19:42
What a beautiful trip! I enjoyed your photos, Soma. Thank you for sharing them with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. It’s always wonderful to read about your adventures.
Jim, Sydney, Australia October 23, 2025 at 14:02
Marvellous.
Linda October 23, 2025 at 12:28
Lovely photos. I’ve never been to Finland but it looks a nice place to visit. Thanks for dropping by my blog and the condolences you offered.
Peter B. October 23, 2025 at 12:14
Your photos are gorgeous! Love those Northern Lights!
Yogi October 23, 2025 at 12:07
Oh wow!! You saw a lot on your trip to Finland and took a bunch of great photos of everything from the northern lights and sunset shots to some very interesting castle shots. Thanks for taking us along.
Bill October 23, 2025 at 10:46
You were so lucky going there the photos are amazing, you must have come home with lots of ideas to inspire you. The Thousand Lakes is a car Rally that is held there and was or still is in the world rally Championship. The place is truly beuatiful
Maria October 23, 2025 at 06:11
Happy Little Things Thursday! Loving all your photos. I know I commented before but I do love them. I also love your artwork on the right side of your blog! So precious! :) have a wonderful Thursday!
Lucimar da Silva Moreira October 23, 2025 at 05:38
A Finlândia é um país incrível muito bonito, encantada com as fotos, uma magnífica viagem, feliz quinta-feira bjs.
Rain October 23, 2025 at 01:50
Soma, those castles are spectacular, wonderful photography! And 322 steps huh? Great workout for the legs!!! ☺ Rustling of trees is also one of my favorite sounds! ♥
Melissa October 22, 2025 at 09:08
As always, thank you so much for bringing us along with you on this amazing trip! I’m intrigued by the photo of Raseborg castle… Is it truly built on top of/into that massive rock outcropping?! Very cool, regardless :-)
Comedy Plus October 22, 2025 at 06:57
A beautiful country to explore. Great shots. I would love to visit this beautiful country.
Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday and rest of the week. ♥
tomthebackroadstraveller October 21, 2025 at 13:21
…Soma, Finland certainly is a beautiful country and I appreciate you showing my the sights. Thanks for stopping by.
Maria October 21, 2025 at 05:48
oh my goodness! Breathtaking photos. Your photos are stunning and they make me want to travel!
Angela Webster October 20, 2025 at 23:44
Finland looks absolutely beautiful, and you visited so many interesting places. I think having an itinerary is so helpful and keeps you on track to see everything you want to.
klara October 20, 2025 at 22:54
what a wonderful trip!
Julie October 20, 2025 at 21:41
The Kantele is a beautiful instrument.
Dixie October 20, 2025 at 19:15
Wonderful castles.
Absolutely beautiful country there. Such a wonderful journey.
The Kantele looks so unique. I bet it sounds wonderful.
an artist reflects October 20, 2025 at 14:54
Wow! ~ wonderful series of photos of your travels ~ My favorites are the night ones ~ delightful.Plus the staircase you climbed ~ made a great photo ~ have fun with the new musical instrument ~
Thanks for sharing these awesome photos ~ hugs,
an artist reflects
jeanie October 20, 2025 at 05:29
Hi Soma,
I don’t know why I stopped getting notifications to your blog but I signed up again. I can see I’ve missed many posts. This one is fascinating — gorgeous photos and I love the castle especially with the twilight photos.
Carol October 20, 2025 at 05:27
An amazing trip and wonderful photos of it all – thank you for taking us on your exploration. I love the architecture and history. #MMBC
Lisa | Handmade in Israel October 20, 2025 at 05:21
You saw some beautiful castles and the scenery looks amazing! Cake for lunch sounds great! I love the sign about google maps being wrong
Anne October 20, 2025 at 02:58
I’ve read both your posts, Finland is a place I’d love to visit and you’ve given me so much to see. I love the lakes and the castles and of course the Northern lights. I’m so glad you managed to get a kantale, I hope you have lots of fun with it. I think I’d like to eat cake every day for lunch but unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to walk it off. My dream is a Cruise, including Finland. Maybe one day, I’ll be as lucky as you.
Nikki - Notes of Life October 19, 2025 at 14:29
I’d love to take the trip from Helsinki to Tallin one day. I love Helsinki!
Debra She Who Seeks October 18, 2025 at 09:12
Now I want to visit Finland too! Before, I only thought of it as a place that produces some great hockey players!
Connie Griffin October 18, 2025 at 09:11
Oh wow that looks like a trip of a lifetime, one hubby and I would enjoy, such beauty and we love exploring castles too, we enjoyed that when living in England.
:Love the night pictures with the lights reflecting on the water too!
Thanks for taking us along, great post!
Andrea @ From The Sol October 18, 2025 at 07:51
This was a truly beautiful tour of Finland. When I was in high school a thousand years ago, we had an exchange studuent in our class from Halsinki. We learned a great deal about Finland that year, so your post was a bit of a trip down memory lane. Your pictures are wonderful and your trip must have been glorious. I won’t admit to being jealous … I am just happy for you that you had the opportunity to experience Finland first hand. Thank you for sharing …
Andrea
Eileen October 18, 2025 at 01:53
Gorgeous photos from Finland, what a great place to visit.
The night scenes are lovely. I do enjoy seeing the castles and ruins.
Take care, have a great day and a happy weekend.
Jennifer Jones October 18, 2025 at 00:11
I loved reading about your holiday. I have never been to Finland, but it’s on my to-do List. I love your photos.
Marsha October 17, 2025 at 21:11
Soma, what a beautiful post. Your pictures are outstanding. I love your watermark, too. It’s very distinctive. Your trip sounds amazing, and the location looks as pristine as you say it is a happy place. It’s nice to know that the two can exist simultaneously.
Debbie October 17, 2025 at 20:41
beautiful architecture…and dare i say ruins. castles always set my imagination on fire. your images are very artful.LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the northern lights!!!
Natalie October 17, 2025 at 17:43
What a wonderful trip and beautiful photos! They brought back memories of my visits to Finland and Estonia. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
Heidrun October 17, 2025 at 08:31
Very interesting journey, I enjoyed reading about very much.
Greetings by Heidrun
mireille October 17, 2025 at 06:41
It’s beautiful and reminds me why I love when we travel to Europe! We need to plan our next summer vacation and we are hesitating between visiting parts of California or Montana or heading towards Spain.
Kim Carberry October 17, 2025 at 05:54
What stunning photos! The lakes really are beautiful! It looks like such a fantastic place to visit!
Gillena Cox. October 17, 2025 at 04:25
wonder lake photos
Happy Friday
Thank you for linking to Art For Fun Friday
much♡love
Erika N October 17, 2025 at 03:10
Wow, I never think of castles when it comes to Finland, but I guess I should be. These are beautiful structures. And wow, the views are gorgeous. My grandfather came from Turku, so I wonder what you thought of that area. Thanks for sharing. And by the way, I’m bookmarking these posts as I’m interested in traveling to Finland. Happy weekend. hugs-Erika
Lydia C. Lee October 16, 2025 at 23:19
What a lovely place! The photos are beautful! #TrafficJamReboot
Janine @ rainbow Hare October 16, 2025 at 15:37
What a wonderful trip! It really does look amazing there :)
Susan October 16, 2025 at 13:35
I agree with everything Linda at Texas Quilt Gal said.
Mary October 16, 2025 at 12:55
You make me want to jump on the next flight! The photos are just gorgeous, especially with the dusk lighting and the city lights. I’ll have to read up on the sounds of the Kantele. It’s a new one to me. You’ll have to do a video for us.
Joanne October 16, 2025 at 09:28
Your photos are so gorgeous! I love all these old castles. It sounds like you had great fun exploring.
Karen October 16, 2025 at 09:19
Towards the end of your post you show the houses low to the ground with the mounds of grass growing over them – reminds me of Hobbit house :) all the photos are so lovely I like seeing all the different kinds of castles – some look like they have barely any windows at all must have been dim light in a lot of those many years ago. You saw a lot of places but yes it is hard to really get in depth viewing of any one area when you are on the move. I like that they put up a sign for the GPS address – we ran into a few places in one of the western states sometime back – we turn on to a road that turned out to be a road to someones house and then it would continue up into some god awful road that was nearly impassable – luckily they saw us turn onto the road and were able to get to us on a 4 wheeler before we went far and got us turned around – I keep telling my husband to look at a map but he think GPS is right all the time – it has turned into wrong at least 3 times of which I will see on the map and he doesn’t believe me! he will believe gps but not me.
Christine October 16, 2025 at 08:29
Gorgeous photos!
Cat October 16, 2025 at 08:18
Stunning photos!
I have an online friend in Finland who said I’d be welcome any time, but my health sadly makes it impossible. I wish I had known her earlier because I would have loved to see Finland and even more now after seeing your pictures.
Good luck with learning to play the Kantele!
Linda at Texas Quilt Gal October 16, 2025 at 04:41
Gorgeous photos, especially the nighttime ones and the sunset! Those old castles are very inviting! I love to hear rustling trees too, it reminds me of my childhood and makes me feel cozy somehow. Rain on a trip like that just makes it even better. Eating pastries every day and losing weight sounds like a dream. :) I’ve loved reading about your amazing trip.