THANKS FOR WATCHING!! Finnish Lakeland has been amazing but I’d love to hear your suggestions and ideas on where I could visit next time I’m in Finland?! What did I miss in Finnish Lakeland? Is the West Coast worth a visit? Would a Lapland road trip be a good idea? Let me know your thoughts! In the meantime, thanks for tuning in & hopefully I’ll see you in the next country 😀 🇫🇮 My FINLAND Travel Vlogs → bit.ly/mwt_finland | 📷 Connect on INSTAGRAM → bit.ly/mwt_instagram | 📍 My videos on a TRAVEL MAP → bit.ly/mwt_map
The Baltic Sea archipelago in SW is unique and so are the Swedish speaking Åland islands. The west coast further north has some nice little towns, both Finnish/Swedsish speaking. The scenery is rather monotonic though.
It was fun to watch your journey! Even though I live in Finland I've not explored Eastern Finland too much myself (I live in southern part of North Ostrobothnia). As for your next journey I would definitely suggest both West Coast and Lapland, but it might not be possible in one trip (depends how long you'll have time of course :D ). But since you've been on the Eastern and Southern parts in Finland the West Coast would be quite a different sight. Especially Ostrobothnia to North Ostrobothnia. Ostrobothnia is pretty known from it's large fields and flat grounds which are really nice views according to some people from Eastern Finland. And Lapland is a really vast area with lots of amazing sights. But wherever you go I bet you'll find something to see :) OH and the seasons, West Coast definitely in summer, Lapland is worth seeing both in summer and in winter. Summer you'll have good opportunities to explore a lot of area with a similar roadtrip but in winter it might be best to visit one or only a few cities like Rovaniemi and Levi, since the driving conditions are a bit tricky :D
as a finn i like how you show something else than helsinki or lapland there is much more in finland that people dont know. good videos and hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thanks, glad you have enjoyed the videos. Really loved my time in Finland, the lake district was awesome and I would love to return at some point and continue on where I left off. We'll see, the problem is there's so many incredible places in Finland it hard to choose between them. A nice problem to have I guess. Thanks for sticking with me, I enjoyed being able to share the road trip wit others here on YT.
Matt, your kind and respectful style is a delight to watch, as always. Kuopio is, in its own quiet way, a gem. It was a pity that you didn´t have more time. For example the views from the Puijo tower are extraordinary. The tower itself is about 75 meters high but it is situated on the top of a hill, which is roughly 150 m high. So all in all your view of the area will be roughly 225 m above the level of the lakes.
Thank you, that's a very nice comment - much appreciated and glad I come across that way. I did have the Puijo Tower on my list but unfortunately time was not on my side. A real shame especially as you have mentioned how incredible the views are from up there.
Hello Matt! Usually I don't write comments as much but now I must thank you for this series from Finland. Many of my memories from this heart destination came back to me after watching this and I love your style of travel vlogs so keep it on and good luck with the next travel! :))
Thanks Daniel, really appreciate your comment and I'm glad I was able to remind you of some special places - it's always good to think back and relive some of those important moments.
Finland really is a nice Place from what I can see in your videos. So nice to see that the People of Finland maintain their cities and countryside so well!
Very true, they really look after the place! Glad you've enjoyed the videos and hopefully it's shown you a few places you otherwise wouldn't have been aware of. 👍
I loved it and will definitely be back again at some point. Really enjoyed the lakes and forests of the Lakeland but will possibly explore a different region next time. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Thank you 😁 Anyone thinking of going to Finland should do it soon. Unfortunately the towns and cities are changing fast, pretty much like the rest of Europe. The countryside and villages are still fabulous and I love it here. Greetings from my cabin in Lapland ! 😁
Thank you, much appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the trip, shame things are changing so quickly around Finland - it is nice to get out into the countryside and villages where you can. I've really enjoyed my time in Finland and hope to be back at some point. Ps that cabin in Lapland sounds wonderful. Have a great week.
Greetings Matt How are you? 1) Kuopio - saved to my long list of favourites on Maps. For future escapes from the ghastly “Club Med” summer heat. 2) love the log cabin. 3) appears you travel light. 4) stunning scenery everywhere. 5) I always love hearing church bells. Better still hearing the organ and the singing. Life is all about timings. 6) I love markets in “foreign” lands. What awaits your fan base next week? Thank you as always (I’m awaiting the men’s tennis finals from Wimbledon in a couple of hours. The woman’s final was exciting). Cheers Zoltán
And don´t forget the men´s double final from yesterday (Sat. 13th of July), where Patten (GBR) and Heliövaara (FIN) took the Championship. Looking forward to more anglo-finnish cooperation in the future. ;)
Hello Zoltán, I'm a bit disappointed about the football last night - I was hoping we were going to bring the trophy home but it was not to be! Hope you enjoyed the tennis, Spain had a pretty awesome day didn't they!? Fair play. Glad you enjoyed my final video (for the time being) from Finland, it was a remarkable trip and it by far exceeded my expectation - love it when that happens. I have another incredible road trip to share next week but from somewhere quite different. 👍
@@MattWhitingsEurope hi Matt. Admittedly I’m not a huge football follower but understand your disappointment. What’s new here? Hot as hell. Everyday, another hot weather alert. I’m seriously considering escaping to Finland before the end of Aug. You’ll be the first to know Stay cool Zoltán
I really enjoyed this road trip series. As others have already mentioned, it was so nice to see you travel to an area of Finland that is often not seen in travel vlogs in TH-cam. Usually it is either Helsinki, where vloggers often go to the same places/sights, or Lapland, where they visit Santa Claus Village in winter. Of course these are not bad destinations and I'm absolutely not trying to shame other content creators for going to these places. But it's nice to see sort of the "real Finland" from a traveller's perspective where every experience doesn't feel like curated to tourism. Now your thoughts on your possible future destinations. Lapland in summer feels quite magical due to the abundance of light, although the mosquitoes can get extra annoying. If you like camping it can be a great place to enjoy solitude for a while. Also seeing reindeers walking on the road while driving is a fun experience. West coast offers some interesting towns and cities (like Rauma) but the road E8 is quite boring to drive. If you're interested in checking out the archipelago in the south-west, you could do smaller road trip by driving through the circular Archipelago Trail or by island hopping using bridges and ferries all the way to the Åland Islands.
Thanks for your comment and apologies for my late reply. Thanks for watching the series, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I felt the same about Helsinki and Lapland when I was planning this trip - cool places to go but that's all people ever talk about. When I was in Hämeenlinna a few years ago I learned about the lake district and knew I had to go there. The more I looked into it the more I knew I was going to love it - and I did! Thanks also for the suggestions, I've got to say that a few people have mentioned Lapland in the summer - the possibility of going that time of year had never occurred to me but I do like the idea. Also the Archipelago in the south-west sounds like an epic adventure - I like the sound of those islands, bridges and ferries - sounds very remote and isolated. Getting to Åland would be the cream on the cake! Thanks for the ideas, have a great day!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate you watching and I hope I did the area justice. Thoroughly enjoyed every second of the road trip and I'm certain I'll be back at some point - but where in Finland I don't yet know?! So many incredible places to choose from. All the best. 👍
Thank you for your hard work and dedication which you needed to produce this amazing series of travel videos from Finland! We really hope you will visit Finland again. Areas to recommend: Lapland, the coast of Finland (mostly Swedish speaking, with towns such as Hanko, Turku, Rauma, Pori, Kokkola and Oulu), etc... I like how you chose quite humble accommodations as well, because they're definitely more authentic Finnish experiences than a hotel chain.
You're very welcome, I really appreciate you watching and following along. Thanks for the suggestion on places to visit in Finland, always good to hear opinions and thoughts - so many wonderful places it sounds like I can't really go wrong no matter where I end up.
This was a great video series. As you most likely remember, I told you that I am originally from that lake district and it was nice to see it through your eyes. You visited many places tnat not so many tourists don't and that made your trip special! The statue about at 8:00 is called "Veljmies" which is "Brotherman" in local dialect. It is one of the most well known things in Kuopio. At 8:57 the compass on the ground was visible. It says "The Center of the Universe" in local dialect and in English. It's some kind of a mixture of self irony and "public inside joke" of Kuopio. You probably remember that I have mentioned that I am a caravanner. In Kuopio I have experienced the warmest welcome into a campsite in Finland ever. The people in that area are really lovely.
Apologies for my slow reply! Thanks for following along and I'm glad you enjoyed the series - it certainly was a lot of fun making it! I had a terrific time IN Finland and will be back someday I'm sure. Thanks for the additional info on Kuopio, very interesting to read as always. Do you stay in Finland with your caravan or explore further afield? Sounds like a nice way of seeing new places!
@@MattWhitingsEurope so far I have stayed in Finland this summer, but I have driven over 5000 km around the country and been in every region except Åland islands. Next month I will have one week vacation and then I planned to drive to North Norway. I haven't been in Norway for 3 years, so it's time to go :)
@@MattWhitingsEurope maybe next time you can stay longer. you should really visit Puijo tower, you can see whole city from up there. Also Väinölänniemi which is beautiful park very close to where you were at the beginning of your video. :)
Hi Matt, your videos are so enjoyable to watch, , wonderful video and information, thank you..Hope you back soon to Finland..hard to tell which place great to visit, all Finland is amazing...I saw Ilomantsi Orthodox Church in the beginning of this video..🙏❤
Hello Mariam, yes I wondered if you would notice the church at the beginning. What a wonderful place that was in Ilomantsi, right by the lake - such a peaceful setting. Thanks as always for watching! 😀
@@MattWhitingsEuropeHello Matt😊hope you are fine..Thank you so much for your lovely reply❤ yes so beautiful and peaceful place near that beautiful church ,,you know how much i am wishing to visit there ..planning slowly , and I don't give up..I am so lucky to know you here on TH-cam as you do these amazing videos..would Love to meet you personal as well,,You are the most Welcome, thanks , I watch your videos daily those I haven't seen yet, Ilomantsi and Koli videos I am watching often, have good day 😃☕🍰❤
Thanks for watching, much appreciated and I'm pleased you liked my videos. I'd highly recommend it! Finland is incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed my drive around Finnish Lakeland. 😁
Next time you come to Finland, you might want to check out the Archipelago Ring Road, or "Saariston rengastie" in the Achipelago Sea, West from Turku. You can do it by car, where there are no bridges, there are ferries. And you can visit Åland after that. Lots of beautiful landscapes and interesting medieval churches in both destinations.
Some great suggestions right there, thank you very much! I just searched for the Turku archipelago on Google Maps and it looks incredible. That would make a wonderful road trip some day, thanks again.
@@MattWhitingsEurope it seems that you won't find the offical site of the Archipelago Ring Road by the English name, so try to Google the Finnish name "Saariston rengastie", and you should find the website.
Thanks so much for tuning in and following along! Really appreciate it! Loved every second of my road trip around Finnish Lakeland! I’ll be back for sure!
I live in Kuopio and did not know there is a "Mualiman napa" in the middle of the market. I tend to stay away from the city center since I don't like being among so many people, you could see dozens of people in this video there! "Mualiman napa" means center of the world in Savo. I think this comes from the fact that if you visit the tower of Puijo, you can see the world revolve around you. The restaurant there spins slowly around the tower.
That's really interesting, I did intend to visit that tower but sadly ran out of time. Shame as it looked incredible! Thanks for the information, very interesting to read.
“Mualiman Napa” just means that Savo (and especially market square of Kuopio!) is a Centre of the world and everybody who disagrees are just mislead 😂 Also it has been said that during the winter time market square is ”like Russian airport” as it is quite large and back in the days during the winter fhere were nothing to see. I myself disagree of course
It's such a pleasure to travel with you! Kuopio is very pretty especially during the summer, as most Eastern towns are. Your lodging was very authentic as a Finnish experience, could almost smell the old wood and slight dampness. 😛 I think the church was having a regular service, thus the bells ringing right before. Anyone is free to join to these. I'm looking forward to the next stop, thanks again Matt!
Thank you for watching and I'm really pleased to read you enjoyed the Finnish Lakeland series - it is definitely an underrated and often forgotten part of Europe so glad I was able to shine a light on it. Got lucky with the church service, it was so nice to see! That place I stayed was the cheapest I could find in the city centre but it turned out great, as you say it really had an authentic feel about it! Thanks for watching 😃
Wow, what a trip. Been here following from the start! Sad to see you go, but hopefully you'll be back sooner, rather than later! 😄 Thank you, for showing the positive things about my country.
Thanks for tuning in and following along, as you've no doubt seen I had a blast! Thoroughly enjoyed my time in Finland as I always do. I'll definitely be back at some point but not sure where exactly I'll head to. So much to see....
Really good video! I was an exchange student in Kuopio about 5 years ago and God only knows how I miss it. Pretty sure the population has grown a lot in the recent years and it's about 125.000 people living there, not 90.000!
Kuopio was first given status as a city by the crown in the mid-1600s on the condition they build a city hall for administrative purposes. Some 50 years later the status was revoked because they couldn't get it done.
Apologies for the late reply. Thanks for tuning in and watching the series. I had a blast in Finland and will be back at some point I'm sure! Kiitos, toivon sinullekin hyvää kesää! 🇫🇮
I'm afraid I didn't visit either of those places but will make a note of them in case I'm in the area again. Thanks for the suggestions. Have a good one!
👩🏼🌾🏞️🌅👋🏼😊 Hello, Matt! The West Coast is definitely worth a visit! It's dotted with small towns with Old Town quarters and lots of history. In addition to the southern shores of Finland, this is largely the domain of the Swedish-speaking population. The culture is different than that of eastern and inland Finland. This is where the inhabitants are more positive, social, active and live longer, according to official statistics. Another part of Finland that is worth visiting is the huge archipelago, which stretches all along the coast and includes the Åland islands. The archipelagos of Borgå (Porvoo) and Åbo (Turku) are the largest ones, if you don't count that of Åland. The Swedish Finlanders tend to have their summer homes in the archipelago, whereas the Finns have theirs inland by a lake. This is explained by the fact that the Finns have had family ties to the Finnish-speaking inland Finland for generations, while the Swedish-speakers' ancestors lived along the coast and on the islands, where some still are fishermen. Today, sailing and boating in general are favorite activities.
Thanks very much for the information and suggestions, the archipelagos and west coast both sound nice. I will check them out for sure. Good to know about the Swedish Finlanders and their summer homes - it seems like everyone out there has some kind of summer house to head to for their holidays. It's a great way of living if you ask me, especially with all those lakes and forests to relax in. Thanks again!
These were a great watch. I hope you come back soon and make more videos here. The Turku Archipelago would be a cool place to visit, you can basically drive around the archipelago in a day (using ferries and bridges), or you can stay at some of the islands and do it slower.
Thank You sir for making this great travel series here in Finland and welcome back again! 🇫🇮 As for recommendation for Your next trip here, I personally would like to suggest coming here around June-July to visit western parts of the country: Turku, Naantali, Rauma and Pori would make a perfect one week summer road trip 👍 Cheers!
Firstly, you filled up in a Teboil petrol station. Putins Lukoil. Not good. I will, however, forgive you this time. Kuopio was my university town. There is a big university there and a few colleges so the student population is big. One of the best towns in Finland and the people are lovely, too. There is a shop beside the market place that makes famous fish pie. The best finnish fish pie (kalakukko). My British husband has also enjoyed your videos and learned an awful lot about his adopted country. Thank you!
OK, now I have to give YOU some criticism, dear friend. The thing that we in Finland STILL have Russian petrol stations in use is just totally hypocritical and wrong. I'm not living in Finland right now so I didn't know that Teboil was Russian either. Are we Finns that hypocritical for real😢 If that's the case I have to say "I'm really sorry" to all our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Have in mind,we as Finns know and should ABSOLUTELY care about what we can do to help Ukraine. We have been in basically the exact same situation before, with the samekind of stupid little man in Kreml. We had to deal with "Stalin the bubble face" and our beloved Ukrainian friends with "Putler the Dwarf ". Well, I will choose something else than Teboil this summer when I'm going to visit my relatives...
@@BorderGuardJaegerFinlandia Finnish ice cream manufacturers are still operating in Russia. Fazer in particular . Valio was till recently selling butter and yoghurt there. It seems to be all very hush hush. Teboil has tried to change their image by saying that the people who run the petrol stations are Finns. I am sure lots of trade still goes on and we know nothing about it.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. I did check the airspace before taking off and there were some altitude restrictions from what I remember. I did my best to follow them.
@@MattWhitingsEurope I have to say that you missed out. Next time you're around when they're in season in Finland, don't hesitate. All that light combined with cool nights makes them very tasty.
Hello there, yes as mentioned I did make it to the car park but unfortunately it was one of those days where time was getting away from me and I had to drop a couple of things from my plans - Kummakivi was sadly one of them. A real shame I know and I was disappointed to miss it.
THANKS FOR WATCHING!! Finnish Lakeland has been amazing but I’d love to hear your suggestions and ideas on where I could visit next time I’m in Finland?! What did I miss in Finnish Lakeland? Is the West Coast worth a visit? Would a Lapland road trip be a good idea? Let me know your thoughts! In the meantime, thanks for tuning in & hopefully I’ll see you in the next country 😀
🇫🇮 My FINLAND Travel Vlogs → bit.ly/mwt_finland | 📷 Connect on INSTAGRAM → bit.ly/mwt_instagram | 📍 My videos on a TRAVEL MAP → bit.ly/mwt_map
Eastern Finland Lakeland is the best IMO. But pls come back and visit West coast and/or Lapland.
The Baltic Sea archipelago in SW is unique and so are the Swedish speaking Åland islands. The west coast further north has some nice little towns, both Finnish/Swedsish speaking. The scenery is rather monotonic though.
You should visit the archipelago and Åland, its very beautiful and imo a hidden gem in europe
It was fun to watch your journey! Even though I live in Finland I've not explored Eastern Finland too much myself (I live in southern part of North Ostrobothnia). As for your next journey I would definitely suggest both West Coast and Lapland, but it might not be possible in one trip (depends how long you'll have time of course :D ). But since you've been on the Eastern and Southern parts in Finland the West Coast would be quite a different sight. Especially Ostrobothnia to North Ostrobothnia. Ostrobothnia is pretty known from it's large fields and flat grounds which are really nice views according to some people from Eastern Finland. And Lapland is a really vast area with lots of amazing sights. But wherever you go I bet you'll find something to see :) OH and the seasons, West Coast definitely in summer, Lapland is worth seeing both in summer and in winter. Summer you'll have good opportunities to explore a lot of area with a similar roadtrip but in winter it might be best to visit one or only a few cities like Rovaniemi and Levi, since the driving conditions are a bit tricky :D
I highly recommend the west coast and its cities and smaller villages in Pohjanmaa.
as a finn i like how you show something else than helsinki or lapland there is much more in finland that people dont know. good videos and hope you enjoyed your trip.
Thanks, glad you have enjoyed the videos. Really loved my time in Finland, the lake district was awesome and I would love to return at some point and continue on where I left off. We'll see, the problem is there's so many incredible places in Finland it hard to choose between them. A nice problem to have I guess. Thanks for sticking with me, I enjoyed being able to share the road trip wit others here on YT.
Matt, your kind and respectful style is a delight to watch, as always. Kuopio is, in its own quiet way, a gem. It was a pity that you didn´t have more time. For example the views from the Puijo tower are extraordinary. The tower itself is about 75 meters high but it is situated on the top of a hill, which is roughly 150 m high. So all in all your view of the area will be roughly 225 m above the level of the lakes.
😊😊
Thank you, that's a very nice comment - much appreciated and glad I come across that way. I did have the Puijo Tower on my list but unfortunately time was not on my side. A real shame especially as you have mentioned how incredible the views are from up there.
Hello Matt! Usually I don't write comments as much but now I must thank you for this series from Finland. Many of my memories from this heart destination came back to me after watching this and I love your style of travel vlogs so keep it on and good luck with the next travel! :))
Thanks Daniel, really appreciate your comment and I'm glad I was able to remind you of some special places - it's always good to think back and relive some of those important moments.
Finland really is a nice Place from what I can see in your videos.
So nice to see that the People of Finland maintain their cities and countryside so well!
Very true, they really look after the place! Glad you've enjoyed the videos and hopefully it's shown you a few places you otherwise wouldn't have been aware of. 👍
Enjoyed watching this series, saw a lot of places I haven't visited. Hope you enjoyed it and will come back again!
I loved it and will definitely be back again at some point. Really enjoyed the lakes and forests of the Lakeland but will possibly explore a different region next time. Thanks for watching!
Great video. Thank you 😁
Anyone thinking of going to Finland should do it soon. Unfortunately the towns and cities are changing fast, pretty much like the rest of Europe.
The countryside and villages are still fabulous and I love it here.
Greetings from my cabin in Lapland ! 😁
Thank you, much appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the trip, shame things are changing so quickly around Finland - it is nice to get out into the countryside and villages where you can. I've really enjoyed my time in Finland and hope to be back at some point. Ps that cabin in Lapland sounds wonderful. Have a great week.
Greetings Matt
How are you?
1) Kuopio - saved to my long list of favourites on Maps. For future escapes from the ghastly “Club Med” summer heat.
2) love the log cabin.
3) appears you travel light.
4) stunning scenery everywhere.
5) I always love hearing church bells. Better still hearing the organ and the singing. Life is all about timings.
6) I love markets in “foreign” lands.
What awaits your fan base next week?
Thank you as always
(I’m awaiting the men’s tennis finals from Wimbledon in a couple of hours. The woman’s final was exciting).
Cheers
Zoltán
And don´t forget the men´s double final from yesterday (Sat. 13th of July), where Patten (GBR) and Heliövaara (FIN) took the Championship. Looking forward to more anglo-finnish cooperation in the future. ;)
Hello Zoltán, I'm a bit disappointed about the football last night - I was hoping we were going to bring the trophy home but it was not to be! Hope you enjoyed the tennis, Spain had a pretty awesome day didn't they!? Fair play. Glad you enjoyed my final video (for the time being) from Finland, it was a remarkable trip and it by far exceeded my expectation - love it when that happens. I have another incredible road trip to share next week but from somewhere quite different. 👍
@@MattWhitingsEurope hi Matt. Admittedly I’m not a huge football follower but understand your disappointment.
What’s new here? Hot as hell. Everyday, another hot weather alert. I’m seriously considering escaping to Finland before the end of Aug. You’ll be the first to know
Stay cool
Zoltán
I really enjoyed this road trip series. As others have already mentioned, it was so nice to see you travel to an area of Finland that is often not seen in travel vlogs in TH-cam. Usually it is either Helsinki, where vloggers often go to the same places/sights, or Lapland, where they visit Santa Claus Village in winter. Of course these are not bad destinations and I'm absolutely not trying to shame other content creators for going to these places. But it's nice to see sort of the "real Finland" from a traveller's perspective where every experience doesn't feel like curated to tourism. Now your thoughts on your possible future destinations. Lapland in summer feels quite magical due to the abundance of light, although the mosquitoes can get extra annoying. If you like camping it can be a great place to enjoy solitude for a while. Also seeing reindeers walking on the road while driving is a fun experience. West coast offers some interesting towns and cities (like Rauma) but the road E8 is quite boring to drive. If you're interested in checking out the archipelago in the south-west, you could do smaller road trip by driving through the circular Archipelago Trail or by island hopping using bridges and ferries all the way to the Åland Islands.
Thanks for your comment and apologies for my late reply. Thanks for watching the series, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I felt the same about Helsinki and Lapland when I was planning this trip - cool places to go but that's all people ever talk about. When I was in Hämeenlinna a few years ago I learned about the lake district and knew I had to go there. The more I looked into it the more I knew I was going to love it - and I did! Thanks also for the suggestions, I've got to say that a few people have mentioned Lapland in the summer - the possibility of going that time of year had never occurred to me but I do like the idea. Also the Archipelago in the south-west sounds like an epic adventure - I like the sound of those islands, bridges and ferries - sounds very remote and isolated. Getting to Åland would be the cream on the cake! Thanks for the ideas, have a great day!
Thanks Matt for the great videos really enjoyed watching them . Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks for tuning in, much appreciated. Hope all is well down under!
❤❤❤What a great video again! Amazing journey. One of the best Finland travel videos ever❤. We are going to miss you❤. Pls come back soon🎉🎉🎉
Thanks so much, I really appreciate you watching and I hope I did the area justice. Thoroughly enjoyed every second of the road trip and I'm certain I'll be back at some point - but where in Finland I don't yet know?! So many incredible places to choose from. All the best. 👍
Thank you for your hard work and dedication which you needed to produce this amazing series of travel videos from Finland! We really hope you will visit Finland again. Areas to recommend: Lapland, the coast of Finland (mostly Swedish speaking, with towns such as Hanko, Turku, Rauma, Pori, Kokkola and Oulu), etc... I like how you chose quite humble accommodations as well, because they're definitely more authentic Finnish experiences than a hotel chain.
You're very welcome, I really appreciate you watching and following along. Thanks for the suggestion on places to visit in Finland, always good to hear opinions and thoughts - so many wonderful places it sounds like I can't really go wrong no matter where I end up.
This was a great video series. As you most likely remember, I told you that I am originally from that lake district and it was nice to see it through your eyes. You visited many places tnat not so many tourists don't and that made your trip special! The statue about at 8:00 is called "Veljmies" which is "Brotherman" in local dialect. It is one of the most well known things in Kuopio. At 8:57 the compass on the ground was visible. It says "The Center of the Universe" in local dialect and in English. It's some kind of a mixture of self irony and "public inside joke" of Kuopio. You probably remember that I have mentioned that I am a caravanner. In Kuopio I have experienced the warmest welcome into a campsite in Finland ever. The people in that area are really lovely.
Apologies for my slow reply! Thanks for following along and I'm glad you enjoyed the series - it certainly was a lot of fun making it! I had a terrific time IN Finland and will be back someday I'm sure. Thanks for the additional info on Kuopio, very interesting to read as always. Do you stay in Finland with your caravan or explore further afield? Sounds like a nice way of seeing new places!
@@MattWhitingsEurope so far I have stayed in Finland this summer, but I have driven over 5000 km around the country and been in every region except Åland islands.
Next month I will have one week vacation and then I planned to drive to North Norway. I haven't been in Norway for 3 years, so it's time to go :)
I´m from Kuopio, i hope you liked our city :)
Really enjoyed my short but sweet stay. Shame I didn't have a bit longer!
@@MattWhitingsEurope maybe next time you can stay longer. you should really visit Puijo tower, you can see whole city from up there. Also Väinölänniemi which is beautiful park very close to where you were at the beginning of your video. :)
Hi Matt, your videos are so enjoyable to watch, , wonderful video and information, thank you..Hope you back soon to Finland..hard to tell which place great to visit, all Finland is amazing...I saw Ilomantsi Orthodox Church in the beginning of this video..🙏❤
Hello Mariam, yes I wondered if you would notice the church at the beginning. What a wonderful place that was in Ilomantsi, right by the lake - such a peaceful setting. Thanks as always for watching! 😀
@@MattWhitingsEuropeHello Matt😊hope you are fine..Thank you so much for your lovely reply❤ yes so beautiful and peaceful place near that beautiful church ,,you know how much i am wishing to visit there ..planning slowly , and I don't give up..I am so lucky to know you here on TH-cam as you do these amazing videos..would Love to meet you personal as well,,You are the most Welcome, thanks , I watch your videos daily those I haven't seen yet, Ilomantsi and Koli videos I am watching often, have good day 😃☕🍰❤
good place to end the trip. kuopio is very pretty place.
Yes I enjoyed my stroll around the city centre. Thanks!
Id love the visit in Kuopio..its most beautiful city in Finland..great video!
Thank you for the videos! I hope you enjoyed visiting our country! All the best for your next trips.
Thanks for watching, loved my time in Finland 😀
really good series. I can't wait to visit Finland one day. it seems so peaceful
Thanks for watching, much appreciated and I'm pleased you liked my videos. I'd highly recommend it! Finland is incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed my drive around Finnish Lakeland. 😁
Next time you come to Finland, you might want to check out the Archipelago Ring Road, or "Saariston rengastie" in the Achipelago Sea, West from Turku. You can do it by car, where there are no bridges, there are ferries. And you can visit Åland after that. Lots of beautiful landscapes and interesting medieval churches in both destinations.
Some great suggestions right there, thank you very much! I just searched for the Turku archipelago on Google Maps and it looks incredible. That would make a wonderful road trip some day, thanks again.
@@MattWhitingsEurope it seems that you won't find the offical site of the Archipelago Ring Road by the English name, so try to Google the Finnish name "Saariston rengastie", and you should find the website.
Thank you!
I hope you enjoyed your trip. I watched every video you made about Finland, and I enjoyed them even though I had visited many of those places myself.
Thanks so much for tuning in and following along! Really appreciate it! Loved every second of my road trip around Finnish Lakeland! I’ll be back for sure!
Thank you again Matt; always a pleasure to watch your so well done videos !!!
Glad you like them! Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching 😃
I live in Kuopio and did not know there is a "Mualiman napa" in the middle of the market. I tend to stay away from the city center since I don't like being among so many people, you could see dozens of people in this video there!
"Mualiman napa" means center of the world in Savo. I think this comes from the fact that if you visit the tower of Puijo, you can see the world revolve around you. The restaurant there spins slowly around the tower.
That's really interesting, I did intend to visit that tower but sadly ran out of time. Shame as it looked incredible! Thanks for the information, very interesting to read.
“Mualiman Napa” just means that Savo (and especially market square of Kuopio!) is a Centre of the world and everybody who disagrees are just mislead 😂
Also it has been said that during the winter time market square is ”like Russian airport” as it is quite large and back in the days during the winter fhere were nothing to see. I myself disagree of course
@@MietoK They do make it really pretty for the Christmas these days.
@Qwarzz I bet. I’d love to see it!
It's such a pleasure to travel with you! Kuopio is very pretty especially during the summer, as most Eastern towns are. Your lodging was very authentic as a Finnish experience, could almost smell the old wood and slight dampness. 😛 I think the church was having a regular service, thus the bells ringing right before. Anyone is free to join to these. I'm looking forward to the next stop, thanks again Matt!
Thank you for watching and I'm really pleased to read you enjoyed the Finnish Lakeland series - it is definitely an underrated and often forgotten part of Europe so glad I was able to shine a light on it. Got lucky with the church service, it was so nice to see! That place I stayed was the cheapest I could find in the city centre but it turned out great, as you say it really had an authentic feel about it! Thanks for watching 😃
Wow, what a trip. Been here following from the start! Sad to see you go, but hopefully you'll be back sooner, rather than later! 😄 Thank you, for showing the positive things about my country.
Thanks for tuning in and following along, as you've no doubt seen I had a blast! Thoroughly enjoyed my time in Finland as I always do. I'll definitely be back at some point but not sure where exactly I'll head to. So much to see....
Thank you for the great content Matt
My pleasure! Thanks for watching 😀
Really good video! I was an exchange student in Kuopio about 5 years ago and God only knows how I miss it. Pretty sure the population has grown a lot in the recent years and it's about 125.000 people living there, not 90.000!
I can understand why you might miss it! Thanks for watching!
It was very nice to follow your journey.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing it with me!
Beautiful city my friend
Thank you, enjoyed my trip!
Kuopio was first given status as a city by the crown in the mid-1600s on the condition they build a city hall for administrative purposes. Some 50 years later the status was revoked because they couldn't get it done.
Very interesting, thanks for posting. I wonder why they couldn't get it done? I mean, 50 years is quite a while!
Wonderful video ❤ The church visit wa😊s beautiful ❤️
Thank you! Yes it was nice to hear the congregation, I got lucky with my timing there! Thanks for tuning in!
Here we go! I was just chatting last week to a couple from the UK here in Kuopio. They were heading to Norway with their RV.
Nice! What a coincidence. Sounds like they've got some great experiences lined up!
Nice video
Thanks! 😀
Yes, i live here in Kuopio, thank you for filming
Cool city, enjoyed my stroll. Thanks for tuning in!
Thanks for visititing the second best city/town in Finland :)
You’re welcome, enjoyed my visit! Out of interest, which one is number one? 😧
@@MattWhitingsEurope
That is an easy answer, Mikkeli of course, the capital of South-Savo province.
A weekend visit to Mikkeli at summer is a must.
Matt I suggest you could visit next time during the fall colours of "ruska". Thanks for an amazing series once again!
Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated. Thanks for watching!
This finland series was really fun to watch! I was always looking forward to the next video :) glad you enjoyed your road trip here!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for following along 😁
It has been nice to follow your trip in Finland . Hyvää kesän jatkoa! In Finnish !
Apologies for the late reply. Thanks for tuning in and watching the series. I had a blast in Finland and will be back at some point I'm sure! Kiitos, toivon sinullekin hyvää kesää! 🇫🇮
Hi. On your trip to Kuopio, did you visited to Leppävirta and Varkaus. Both of them offer awesome experience. Have a good day. Matti
I'm afraid I didn't visit either of those places but will make a note of them in case I'm in the area again. Thanks for the suggestions. Have a good one!
👩🏼🌾🏞️🌅👋🏼😊 Hello, Matt!
The West Coast is definitely worth a visit! It's dotted with small towns with Old Town quarters and lots of history. In addition to the southern shores of Finland, this is largely the domain of the Swedish-speaking population. The culture is different than that of eastern and inland Finland. This is where the inhabitants are more positive, social, active and live longer, according to official statistics.
Another part of Finland that is worth visiting is the huge archipelago, which stretches all along the coast and includes the Åland islands. The archipelagos of Borgå (Porvoo) and Åbo (Turku) are the largest ones, if you don't count that of Åland.
The Swedish Finlanders tend to have their summer homes in the archipelago, whereas the Finns have theirs inland by a lake. This is explained by the fact that the Finns have had family ties to the Finnish-speaking inland Finland for generations, while the Swedish-speakers' ancestors lived along the coast and on the islands, where some still are fishermen. Today, sailing and boating in general are favorite activities.
Thanks very much for the information and suggestions, the archipelagos and west coast both sound nice. I will check them out for sure. Good to know about the Swedish Finlanders and their summer homes - it seems like everyone out there has some kind of summer house to head to for their holidays. It's a great way of living if you ask me, especially with all those lakes and forests to relax in. Thanks again!
@@MattWhitingsEurope👩🏼🌾🏞️🌅 You're welcome!
These were a great watch. I hope you come back soon and make more videos here. The Turku Archipelago would be a cool place to visit, you can basically drive around the archipelago in a day (using ferries and bridges), or you can stay at some of the islands and do it slower.
Thanks for the suggestion, the Turku archipelago sounds nice, I'll add it to my list. Thanks for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thank You sir for making this great travel series here in Finland and welcome back again! 🇫🇮 As for recommendation for Your next trip here, I personally would like to suggest coming here around June-July to visit western parts of the country: Turku, Naantali, Rauma and Pori would make a perfect one week summer road trip 👍 Cheers!
Thanks for the suggestions and thanks as always for watching - much appreciated. Really enjoyed my time in Finland!
Firstly, you filled up in a Teboil petrol station. Putins Lukoil. Not good. I will, however, forgive you this time. Kuopio was my university town. There is a big university there and a few colleges so the student population is big. One of the best towns in Finland and the people are lovely, too. There is a shop beside the market place that makes famous fish pie. The best finnish fish pie (kalakukko). My British husband has also enjoyed your videos and learned an awful lot about his adopted country. Thank you!
OK, now I have to give YOU some criticism, dear friend.
The thing that we in Finland STILL have Russian petrol stations in use is just totally hypocritical and wrong.
I'm not living in Finland right now so I didn't know that Teboil was Russian either.
Are we Finns that hypocritical for real😢
If that's the case I have to say "I'm really sorry" to all our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.
Have in mind,we as Finns know and should ABSOLUTELY care about what we can do to help Ukraine. We have been in basically the exact same situation before, with the samekind of stupid little man in Kreml.
We had to deal with "Stalin the bubble face" and our beloved Ukrainian friends with "Putler the Dwarf ".
Well, I will choose something else than Teboil this summer when I'm going to visit my relatives...
@@BorderGuardJaegerFinlandia Finnish ice cream manufacturers are still operating in Russia. Fazer in particular . Valio was till recently selling butter and yoghurt there. It seems to be all very hush hush. Teboil has tried to change their image by saying that the people who run the petrol stations are Finns. I am sure lots of trade still goes on and we know nothing about it.
@@Tatia146 omg who tf cares if Fazer sells chocolate in Russia while countries buy gas and oil directly from Russia.
I know a lot of finns who don't use Teboil anymore.
@@cinderellaandstepsisters I knows even more fins that don't care
Really wonderful.i also done vlog in Kuopio
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, but I hope you took into consideration that main town Kuopio is off-limits for drones/drone video shooting.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. I did check the airspace before taking off and there were some altitude restrictions from what I remember. I did my best to follow them.
Why does the trip have to end? 😔
So the next one can begin 😁
Please tell me you at least bought some fresh strawberries, peas, cherries and carrots. Because they're pretty nice .
I’m afraid not but agree that they did look very nice. 👍
@@MattWhitingsEurope I have to say that you missed out. Next time you're around when they're in season in Finland, don't hesitate. All that light combined with cool nights makes them very tasty.
Not sure how to interpret the music at the end :D
Perhaps a shout out to that 4 going on 6 hour drive back to Helsinki! 😂
You missed Kummakivi: th-cam.com/video/6tuO3UKVYiA/w-d-xo.html
Didn't he drive to the parking area and then decide he doesn't have time to walk the path to destination?
Hello there, yes as mentioned I did make it to the car park but unfortunately it was one of those days where time was getting away from me and I had to drop a couple of things from my plans - Kummakivi was sadly one of them. A real shame I know and I was disappointed to miss it.