Learn Finnish in Finland

Sitting at the very top of Europe, Finland has borders with Norway, Sweden and Russia. The last two have caused problems over the centuries as the country was ruled first by the Swedish – who took the Finnish tradition of Saunas with them when they left – for three hundred years and then the Russians for another hundred. You can find elements of both nations in Finland today, particularly in the older architecture. But these old monuments to the past sit alongside incredible modern structures in cool capital city Helsinki.

Urban Finns like to get out of town and enjoy the fresh air of the countryside. Around two thirds of the country is covered by forests and a tenth by water. Finns are sporty people and do very well at the sports that require a cool head in the face of danger. This small country has produced a disproportionately large number of motorsport and ski jumping champions over the years! If you don’t feel the urge to drive through forests at hundreds of kilometres per hour or fly through the air on your skis, you could try cycling through the forests or Nordic skiing in the winter.

In the far north, the sun does not rise above the horizon for almost eight weeks in the winter, which must be tricky for Santa Claus, who allegedly lives in the mythical mountain of Korvatunturi. On the plus side, this means that you get ten weeks of summer when the sun never sets! Learn Finnish in Finland with ESL. Return to introduction...