Motorcycle trip

Finland

Finland's geography

A motorcycle tour in Finland guarantees a change of scenery at the gates of Europe. Opening out to the sea and bordering with Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the east, almost a quarter of Finnish territory lies north of the polar circle. Plains and granite hills can be found in the centre and the Scandinavian Mountains to the north-west. Nevertheless, Finland is generally flat, although its highest peak, Mount Halti, stands at 1,324 m in the north-west. Finland is above all a country of lakes. The country has three main regions, Lapland, the coastal regions and the inland. Its jagged coastline is home to small villages looking out onto thousands of islands and islets. Water is omnipresent on the Finnish archipelago: as you move away from the coast, you quickly become surrounded by inland lakes. The roads make exploring these fascinating landscapes easy. In the north, Lapland and its tundra spanning as far as the eye can see are home to herds of deer. Lapland is perfect for hiking through its beautiful forests in summer and taking a dog-pulled sleigh ride or driving a snowmobile in winter.

Finland's history and culture

During a motorcycle tour in Finland, you will discover the history of a country built under Swedish and Russian influence. The Sámis, Germanic peoples and later Uralic tribes all contributed to the country’s unique culture. Then came the Vikings, pillaging the region and forcing native people to seek refuge in the forest. At the end of the tenth century, neighbouring countries –Sweden to the west and the Novgorod Republic to the east– were at war. In the twelfth century, King Eric IX of Sweden occupied Finland and introduced Christianity. Turku was founded at the start of the thirteenth century with its famous castle and cathedral. The Russians and Swedes entered into conflict over Finland. In the fourteenth century, Finland became a duchy of Sweden, which would last until the nineteenth century. In 1550, King Gustav I founded a small fishing town, Helsinki. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Finland became a grand duchy of the Russian Empire with Helsinki as the capital. Throughout this century, Finnish identity flourished and Nicholas II granted Finland a certain degree of independence before he was ousted by the Russian revolution. Finland declared independence in 1917 and became a republic two years later. Sandwiched between German and Soviet aspirations, Finland resisted during the Second World War and preserved its independence. Finland’s current social and economic model started to take shape during the second half of the twentieth century. In 1995, Finland became a member of the European Union.