Finland: the land of lakes and forests
Saimaa, Savonlinna and the smoke sauna — why Finland’s Lakeland is the quietest summer holiday in Europe.
Finland has around 188,000 lakes, and in summer it feels as if every family owns a cabin beside one of them. The Lakeland, in the east of the country, is where that way of life is at its purest.
Lake Saimaa
Finland’s largest lake is really a maze of islands, channels and pine-covered ridges. Old steamboats still run between the towns, and the rare Saimaa ringed seal lives nowhere else on earth.
Olavinlinna
The 15th-century castle in Savonlinna stands on its own island. In July it hosts an opera festival inside the walls.
The sauna
A smoke sauna is heated for hours, then aired before use; the heat is softer and the smell of the wood stays on your skin. The Finnish way is to go from the sauna straight into the lake. Do it once — you will understand.
Bring a swimsuit, even in September. You will want it.
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