Finland

These "Land of thousand lakes" is a true natural wonder. Unspoiled nature in so many forms: limitless forests everywhere and even some Alpine tundra in the vast Lapland in the North, which sees practically no sun in freezing winter but enjoys never-ending daylight in the Summer. Rovaniemi on Polar Circle is known to be a home of Santa Claus, and there are herds of reindeer as a convincing argument for that. Population density is pretty low even in more crowded Southern part of the country, so there are no really big towns except the capital. If you're not in the mood of hike in the empty forest or ice-skating on a frozen lake, then visiting sauna is simply a must !

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Mariehamn

Mariehamn was founded in 1861 around the village of Övernäs, and was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. The city is located on a peninsula, and has two important harbours, one located on the western shore and one on the eastern shore. The Western Harbour is an important international harbour with daily traffic to Sweden and mainland Finland. Åland (the archipelago and the province of Finland of which town is the capital) and Mariehamn have a reputable heritage in shipping. Åland is part of Finland, but is not part of the EU customs zone and so duty-free goods can be sold aboard. In addition, this is a Swedish-speaking part of country.

Savonlinna

Savonlinna stands between two of so many Finnish lakes, a place of exceptional natural beauty, which provides a stunning setting for Olavinlinna medieval castle, best-preserved one in whole Scandinavia. Once used by Swedish and Russian overlords, it enjoys much more peaceful function nowadays as a venue for annual Opera Festival. Footbridges connect mainland to forested island of Sulosaari, frequented by locals and tourists for evening events or lazy picnics. Proximity to Russian border and an aiport base for budget airlines make Savonlinna a real mecca for Russian tourists craving for nice weekend trips from Saint Petersburg or a connection flight to Europe. Obviously enough, the opposite direction works exactly as fine.