Finland in August with two under 5s

[LongbourneCat]

As the post says really! I would love any advice, tips or anecdotes from others who have experience of Finland in August.

I’ve never been to that part of the world, but my family & I are thinking of renting an Airbnb in Lakeland for the first two weeks of August. We’d be flying from the Uk to Helsinki and hiring a car… keen not to do any connecting flights, which is why we thought Lakeland and not further north.

my big question is about mosquitoes… are they horrendous in August or have they eased off by then?

also, will there be enough to do? We love nature - walking, swimming, boating, saunas. The children like nature (we live in a city so it’s exciting for them at the moment to wake up somewhere so different). We like quiet destinations and DIY travel. My partner and I used to do a lot of hiking & camping in the US before we had children.

last main question: is it very expensive? Accommodation, car and flights are just about in our budget atm but I wasn’t sure about groceries etc…

any thoughts welcome xx

Oh, also any thoughts on Finland vs Norway for the trip 🙂

Anyone? 🙂

Mosquitos can be really awful in August. Not too bad in cities but any forest activity, you will need plenty of repellent.
Finland is expensive but not outrageously so. Think London prices and you won't be shocked.
Norway will be more scenic and more expensive.
Hope this helps.

Where abouts in Lakeland are you looking? We've been mid summer and went "armed" as had been warned about midges but I got bitten less than at home in Bedfordshire or the previous year in Italy.
Supermarkets are a bit more expensive than the UK, alcohol is very expensive. English is very widely spoken which is useful as Finnish is difficult to say the least.

Buy plenty of 'off' mosquito repellent when you get there and you should be fine. Ticks are also a big problem so don't forget your ankles.

We've been to both Finland and Norway in the summer. Though Lapland in Finland. Norway was far more scenic with fjords etc but far more expensive. Finland was similar to London prices. Didn't have too much issue with mosquitoes in Finland but we weren't by lakes. Went to Arola bears and saw brown bears in wild in Finland and canoeing, white water rafting, reindeer, summer toboggan at Ruka. Preferred Finland.

We are visiting people this summer, I've been warned to take industrial quantities of insect repellent. It's not cheap, but not as high as Norway

I travel to Finland every August with my DC, it’s wonderful in Summer. I tend to stay on the west coast but I’m also familiar with some of the lakeland area like Jyväskylä as I grew up there.

mosquitos have never been a problem but this can vary from year to year.

Finnish playgrounds can be wonderful , they tend to have things like spades, buckets, mini-rakes and sand trucks for everyone to play with.

Driving is a doddle, roads are wide and there’s hardly anyone around ever. (Unless in Helsinki city centre).

When in August are you thinking of? I’d suggest going early August as the finnish kids go back to school by mid-August if not earlier (varies a bit year to year) which means most summer events for smaller children will stop then too.

If I could make a recommendation, I would suggest you’d consider Naantali on West coast, easy 2hr drive from Helsinki. It’s a charming, old fishing harbour with a vibrant summer life. It also has the Moominworld which your DC would love. It’s a beautiful location. Neighbouring city of Turku is wonderful too with lots to do.

I always book an air b n b when I stay in Finland.