Cycling vacations in Finland

It’s the end of July, and Finland’s berry situation is getting out of hand. Even the fastest of cyclists can’t fail to spot the way all the bushes are bright with them. The cloudberries are easiest to see when you’re on the move: large, bright orange and – contrary to their name – growing low to the ground.

Finland’s concept of jokamiehenoikeus – everyone’s right to enjoy the land – isn’t unique to the country, but Finns really know how to embrace it. Berry picking is something of a national past time – some half a billion kilograms of them grow here every year.

When you arrive in Finland, the landscape is yours to explore and forage. Finland can only do this, arguably, because it has a small population – around 5.5 million – who are generally nature-respecting and responsible. As a visitor, you should reap the rewards of freedom. By going by bike, you can cover the large, sparsely populated distances with ease. There are few high places or steep mountains from which you might have got a sense of scope. Instead, the best way to get a sense of Finland’s scale is to travel across it.

In areas like North Karelia in East Finland, there are large birch forests and few houses. “Cycling in North Karelia is pure silence and wellness because there are not so many people living in this area,” says Minna Murtonen, from our Finland travel specialist Äksyt Ämmät Oy. “You can cycle up any roads and the car drivers respect you.”

Minna’s company offers cycle tours in summer, reverting to cross country skiing in winter. Jokamiehenoikeus here means year-round exploring, whether that’s skiing or cycling, and foraging too, picking edible flowers in the meadows and hedgerows. Tours also try to keep Karelian culture alive through food and bike tours.

“All the guesthouses are open on request and they serve Karelian handmade and organic food,” says Minna. “In May and June there are a lot of herbs. In August and September dishes come with a lot of berries and mushrooms.” Hearty local ingredients fuel cyclists. Try Karelian pastries, which are stuffed with rice and doused in butter.

Whilst a few cyclists turn to cross country skiing and other winter sports as winter draws in, others strap snow tires with Tungsten steel spikes onto their bikes and continue going out. So equipped, Finnish city commuters aren’t afraid to go out on the snowy roads.

The alternative is something with even bigger tyres. Fat biking in Finland, using mountain bikes with very thick tyres, is a unique way to get around, allowing you to cycle even on powdery snow. You’ll need a day to adjust to snow cycling – the bikes must be pushed up steeper hills, for instance – but once you’ve graduated from the nursery slopes, the snowy wilderness is yours.

The best time to go cycling in Finnish Lapland is in August and September, when there’s no snow, and you can start to see the Northern Lights during the nights. The season for cycling extends the further south you go. In Northern Karelia, go from May, but don’t be fooled: those berries you see won’t be ripe until the middle of summer. Midsummer is a magical time when, depending on weather, you might see the midnight sun. “It doesn't get dark at all during June and July,” says Minna. If you want to try out fat biking, you need snow – but also daylight – so skip December and come from January to March.