I stayed for the first time in 1975 in this beautiful village near the lake Pielinen. In 1976 I spent three months in Vuonislahti. The people were very friendly, the nature too. In later times between 1979 and 1990 I visited Vuonislahti with groups, mostly young people, and showed them village, people, and nature. We were fishing, taking boats, sometimes over the Pielinen till Koli. The young people never forget the time in Vuonislahti and remember until today, I know. I hope to come back, this year or the next.
Tervola … Lapland is worth it to visit. Wild Lapland is ok. I got very bad service in Wild Lapland. There was unhelpful man working in the restaurant. He tried to ask me 50 euros for kicksledding. I do not recommend to visit this crazy place. Do not waste your nerves and cash in Wild Lapland. I recommend go to northwest of Rovaniemi.
Helsinki … Dont't miss Temppeliaukio (Rock Church). It's built up in a rock and looks amazing inside, while from outside it's just a pile of stones and you would never say there's a church or anything else inside. Beautiful!
Turku … Fascinating castle (allow a few hours) and village of original wood cottages now used for old time crafts.
HI - Sodankyla/Raudanjoki - Hostel Visatupa in Raudanjoki … Very nice place, peaceful environment, and the owners are very good and friendly.
Pensionat och Vandrarhotell Hostel in Dragsfjärd … This hostel is located in a classic-style, old wooden building. Everything is clean and tidy. It offers a nice dining room in the ground floor and a scenic view. The Baltic Sea is located nearby, with a nice beach for swimming. You should make a short trip by bike to the small islands south of Dragsfjärd.
HI - Porvoon Retkeilymaja - Porvoo Hostel in Porvoo … Nice, clean hostel. Prices are fare (36Euro/doubleroom). A few metres to go from the bus stations, but nevertheless o.k., because the whole town isn't that big. Nothing to complain!
Kestikievari Herranniemi in Vuonislahti … Stayed here whilst on a winter sports holiday. Hostel is lovely, very down to earth with good food and wonderful environment. Rooms are small but clean and well equipped. Management is delightful and the lakeside location is perfect. In winter the ice sauna is a must.
HI - Helsinki - Hostel Satakuntatalo in Helsinki … It is really close to everything. It is clean but not that much fun. It is still a great and relaxing place to stay.
HI - Turku - Hostel Turku in Turku … I stayed here in 2004. It was clean, convenient, and pleasant. I had the four-person dorm room to myself, too -- the best bargain in town! The common areas made conversing easy, and I ended up meeting several fellow travelers in their spacious kitchen. I'd definitely stay here again the next time I'm in Turku!
Hostel Tampereen NNKY in Tampere … The hostel was quite comfortable and the breakfast, though pricey, was a filling start to my day. I stayed in a dorm room with a great view overlooking the cathedral. If you are looking to meet people, the hostel doesn't appear well set up for that. Also there is only one bathroom (per gender) on each floor with a shower located in a separate room, so on busy days that could create line-ups, but it never created an issue for me. The location is great -- very close to the train station and within walking distance of everything else, as Tampere is not so large. All around I would recommend staying here!
HI - Rovaniemi - Hostel Rudolf in Rovaniemi … This hostel is not far from the main part of town but as we discovered, having to walk from the railway to the Clarion hotel Santa Claus about two kilometers on ice then to walk to the hostel about six hundred meters partly back over the same route was a bit annoying, especially with luggage. We visited in January 2007. The kitchen was a large cupboard, and it had a couple of saucepans, a hotplate, and the base of an electric kettle, but the kettle was missing. Only three cups could be found. It is a non-smoking hostel but there were people smoking even in the dining room. There are no staff on site. The room was clean but the sheets appeared to be stained. Breakfast was available but that involved 8 euros and another six hundred meters' walk over ice. We had booked for four nights. We stayed one night and moved to a nearby hotel charging about the same as Hostel Rudolf but had breakfast included and friendly staff on site.
Hostel Eden in Lahti … The owner of this place is a convicted criminal.
HI - Enontekiö / Peera - Peeran Retkeilykeskus Hostel in Kilpisjärvi … I discovered this hostel purely by chance. It was April 1964 and I was attempting to thumb a lift on a lonely stretch of road in that northern finger of Finland that runs across the top of Sweden and juts into Norway. I was on my way to Hammerfest with hopes of finding myself a job on a fishing boat for the summer, when, quite suddenly, I found myself caught up in a snowstorm.
Since I did not have a tent at the time, or even a decent sleeping bag, I had no choice but to duck my head into the swirling blizzard and keep myself moving. After some time, to my utter amazement and relief, I suddenly discovered not only a human habitat, but a habitat that was a youth hostel as well.
Frantically, I knocked on its door, which opened after a moment, or two, to reveal a somewhat tall but rather ordinary looking woman. She stared at me, like I had just stepped out of a flying saucer, then she told me that the youth hostel was closed and that I could not stay there.
As I walked back…
Wild Lapland in Tervola … My family spent a week here and had a very good time. The accommodation is comfortable and warm. The food is good (sometimes excellent). The various events were fun, especially the husky safari. I even managed to see the Northern Lights. Collected us from Rovaniemi, about 60km away, which was really helpful. The staff and guides are friendly and helpful.
The only thing of note - although meals are provided, there is no shop for 30km which may be a problem if you fancy something different or want to cook a meal yourself.
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