Destination of the Month: Lapland at its best – visiting Elves Village and enjoying nature in Levi!
We travelled to Lapland from Southern Finland, and visited the holiday centre Levi in August 2018.
When you think about Lapland as a potential holiday destination, you might probably think of winter, snow, and all the winter activities.
But there is so much more to Lapland than the things the winter season is able to offer! The summer time is equally as fun.
We spent part of our time in a village called Köngäs, 8 kilometres from Levi. There we found a unique destination Elves Village (Tonttula in Finnish). Besides Elves Village, we also went river rafting and hiking in the beautiful nature of Lapland!
****
Tonttula – Elves Village (www, Facebook, Instagram)
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photo: LikeFinland.com
We visited an area called Elves Village! In the area visitors can find a secret place in the forest called Elves Hideaway with unique buildings such the Gingerbread House and Hidden Huts. You can find also the Northern Lights Tee-pee and a sauna in the area. There is an accommodation option, Elf’s cabin, near the area, also.
Elves Hotel Taivaanvalkeat and Elves Hotel Blueberry Villa are also there to accommodate visitors, the last one only for group bookings.
In the main building there are a restaurant and café, and you can buy also souvenirs and explore the Christmas feeling!
Photo: Tonttula – Elves Village
Elves Village is a must visit in December! In the Santa’s Workshop visitors can bake gingerbread cookies and make decorations.
It is also possible to drive a snowmobile or go on a ride with huskies or reindeer in the winter time! Read more about the winter activities at Elves Village here.
At Elves Village there are a lot of things to do also in the summer time! Elves Village is only a 20-minute drive away from Kittilä Airport.
****
Lapland’s Nature Experience (www, Facebook, Instagram)
Guide, Robert Hawkins (on right), and two British tourists, Aeron and Lauren, and I. Photo: LikeFinland.com
I took up the challenge to go river rafting with a car tire! There were the guide, Robert, and two British tourists, Lauren and Aeron, with me in the waves.
There are also hiking and canoeing trips available for booking on Lapland’s Nature Experience’s website (www). When the snow starts to fall, there are activities such as snowshoe walking, skiing, and ice fishing trips available.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
The entrepreneur of Lapland’s Nature Experience, Raija “Raiski” Palosaari, has a long experience of introducing nature activities for tourists, such as cross-country skiing, hiking, canoeing and snowshoeing.
****
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Lapland’s nature is beautiful! In the summer time it is a must to go hiking and follow the many hiking trails in the forests. We went for a 16 km hike around Kätkätunturi on the first day of our trip.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
It is easy to take a train to Levi or travel to Lapland by plane! There are also museums and art exhibitions in Levi.
****
Palosaarentie 30
99140 KITTILÄ, FINLAND
+358 16 6510 500
sales(a)hulluporo.fi
”The spacious yard offers plenty to do for all ages around the year. At Tonttula – Elves Village you can spend a nice day-off with the family or relax after a day in a meeting.
****
Lapland’s Nature Experience
Ounasjoentie 810
99140 KITTILÄ
+358 40 716 3033
raiski(a)levi.fi
”We have many activities to offer for you from light few hours to week tours, we have different kind of activities on winter and summer time. Common thing is that you have an experienced guide always with you and you get memorable experiences in the wild and beautiful nature in Northern Finland.”
Photo: Tonttula – Elves Village
****
Text: Johanna Hurtig, Henri Elo
We have chosen Tonttula Elves Village and Lapland’s Nature Experience as the Destination of the Month of October 2018. Tonttula Elves Village and Lapland’s Nature Experience are our Star Destinations and media customers.
LikeFinland.com is a nationwide leisure time media and search service of Finnish destinations. You can like us on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Our main website in Finnish is KivaaTekemista.fi.
.JPG)
We as a LikeFinland team visited a hotel called Villa Sibbe in the countryside of Sipoo, near Helsinki, and ate dinner at a restaurant called Veljekset in August 2018!
The history of Villa Sibbe in Sipoo is quite interesting. The municipality of Sipoo is located only approx. 35 km from Helsinki City Center. The farm “Joensuun Tila” was once owned by Nobel prize awarded Finnish chemical scientist A. I. Virtanen (1895-1973).
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photo: LikeFinland.com
One of the large rooms is called Nobel, which is used to hold business meetings and parties such as weddings. Upstairs there is a kitchen area called Labra. The name Labra refers to the laboratory.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Some of the people, who have stayed in Villa Sibbe, have travelled to Finland from other countries such as the U.S., Russia, Italy, and Germany.
****
Restaurant Veljekset. Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photo: LikeFinland.com
We enjoyed a delicious meal at Restaurant Veljekset. The owners of the restaurant moved to Finland from Turkey so there are Turkish delicacies on the menu!
My favorite one was a dessert that included traditional baklava with ice cream and a cup of Turkish coffee!
****
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photo: LikeFinland.com
There are many sporty activities to choose from near Villa Sibbe! You can go swimming, play disc golf, rent a kayak, and go hiking, for example, to Sipoonkorpi National Park, which was opened in 2011!
You can buy snacks at Café Sibbe near the marine. There is also a possibility to get to know discs and disc golf at NBDG Store (nbdg.fi) which is owned by the same owners as the hotel Villa Sibbe accommodation, Terhi Kytö and Juha Kytö.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
These are our Star Destinations in Sipoo, also:
Gumbostrand Konst & Form - Design products, a café-restaurant, and art exhibitions!
Handelsmans Café - In the fall this idyllic café in the village of Box is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays!
_____________
Contact information
Joensuun raitti 58
01150 Söderkulla, Sipoo
FINLAND
info(a)sibbe.fi
+358 50 439 1925
_____________
Restaurant Veljekset (www, Facebook)
Eriksnäsintie 11
Söderkulla, Sipoo
FINLAND
sipoo(a)ravintolaveljekset.fi
+358 44 281 5279
Lunch on weekdays from 10.30 am to 3 pm. À la carte dinner in the evenings.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
****
Text: Johanna Hurtig, Henri Elo
We have chosen Villa Sibbe and restaurant Veljekset as the Destination of the Month of September 2018. Villa Sibbe is one of our Star Destinations and media customers.
LikeFinland.com is a nationwide leisure time media and search service of Finnish destinations. You can like us on Facebook or follow on Twitter and Instagram.
Our main website in Finnish is KivaaTekemista.fi.
We as a LikeFinland team visited a village called Karuna in Southwest Finland this summer, in July 2018.
In Karuna, we spent the night in a tent in a tree at Tentsile Experience Grelsböle and ate local, tasty meals at Tentsile as well as delicious burgers in Rantola Café.
The village Karuna is located in Sauvo municipality about 150 km from Helsinki City Center.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
We started the trip off by eating dinner outside in nature and spending the night in one of the tents of Tentsile Experience Grelsböle.
The delicacies served by the owner of Tentsile Experince Grelsböle Miia Juvankoski were full of Finnish flavors and included local ingredients and foods such as lingonberry jam and rhubarbs.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Near to the tents there are beautiful sea views and a sauna. There are also nature paths for the hikers in the forests of Sauvo.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
On the second day of our trip we visited Rantola Café and B&B. Rantola Café is known for its burgers! Rantola Café's owner Anne Vuorio recommended us a burger called Raparger with rhubarb chutney!
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Anne told us about a Swiss family that enjoyed the quietness of the area while they were staying at Rantola B&B.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Contact Information
Tentsile Experience Grelsböle (www) (Facebook)
Päisterpääntie 156 a
21590 Karuna
Finland
info(at)grelsbole.fi
+358 44 533 0701
Some of the accommodation options:
- 120€/day (3 persons)
- 80€/day (2 persons)
Read more about all the accommodation options on Tentsile Experience Grelsböle's website. (www)
Rantola Café and B&B (www) (Facebook) (Instagram)
Karunantie 1205
21590 Karuna
+358 40 738 8853
info(at)rantolanpuoti.fi
In summer Rantola Café offers fresh food and sweet delicacies. Rantola Bed & Breakfast is available all year round, and it can be found in a 1950s house that is located next to the sea and is surrounded by the Finnish countryside.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Photos: LikeFinland.com
****
Text: Johanna Hurtig, Henri Elo
We have chosen Tentsile Experience Grelsböle and Rantola Café and B&B as the Destination of the Month of August 2018. Tentsile Experience Grelsböle and Rantola Café and B&B are our Star Destinations and media customers.
LikeFinland.com is a nationwide leisure time media and search service of Finnish destinations. You can like us in Facebook or follow in Twitter and Instagram.
Our main website in Finnish is KivaaTekemista.fi.
We as a LikeFinland team visited Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, which is located in the archipelago of Helsinki! We had planned to take part in a guided walking tour in English, and to visit some of the museums in Suomenlinna.
Suomenlinna is a historical sea fortress from the 1700s, and the islands of Suomenlinna are a beautiful part of Helsinki!
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
It was a sunny summer day as we traveled across the sea by ferry. When we saw the church of Suomenlinna - which also works as a lighthouse - a few hundred meters away, we knew that we were close to our destination.
The HSL ferry trip took only 15 minutes from the Market Square over to the fortress islands! There is also a JT-line waterbus service available that takes visitors to Tykistölahti dock, which is slightly closer to the museums of Suomenlinna and the Suomenlinna Centre.
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
When we stepped out of the ferry at the Main dock of Suomenlinna, we noticed that there was a cart filled with maps of Suomenlinna in multiple languages such as Japanese, French, German, and Chinese in front of the Tourist Information Point.
We walked for about 10 minutes until we arrived to the Suomenlinna Centre where the guided walking tour would start off.
Suomenlinna Centre. Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
Suomenlinna Centre and Suomenlinna Museum (EN: www, RU: www)
In the Suomenlinna Centre visitors are able to purchase tickets for the guided tours, buy souvenirs, have a coffee, and visit the Suomenlinna Museum that has an exhibition of the history of Suomenlinna.
In the museum there are several historical Suomenlinna artifacts. The descriptions are written also in English.
In the auditorium there is being screened a short film called Suomenlinna Experience about Suomenlinna’s history every half an hour. The audio commentary is available in multiple languages.
We visited the museum and were amazed by all the artifacts that have been found in the fortress area such as old cannon balls and a boat wreck from the 1700s!
In summer 2018 there is also an auditory photo exhibition about the Finnish Civil War by Finnish artist Hanna Koikkalainen in the temporary exhibition room of the museum.
The visit to the Suomenlinna Museum costs 8 € per adult and 4 € per child.
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
Guided tours in multiple languages (EN: www, RU: www)
The guided walking tour started at the Suomenlinna Centre, and all the participants gathered outside of the building in front of a big map for a brief introduction.
Photos: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
Whenever we had a stop during the walking tour, our guide Alfons Rönnqvist told us about the history of the surroundings. We were able to ask questions, and many did so! Sometimes the answers of the guide were quite funny but always factual.
The route of the guided tour depends partly on the guide, so the walking routes may be slightly different each time yet covering all main sights.
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
The construction works of Suomenlinna started in the mid-1700s. We were told that the name of the fortress has changed over the years from Sveaborg to Viaborg - and finally to Suomenlinna in 1918. Nowadays there are around 800 inhabitants living in the fortress area as it is also a city district of the City of Helsinki - and over 1 million visitors per year!
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
We walked along the rocky and gravel roads. We stopped to see places such as the founder Augustin Ehrensvärd’s (1710-1772) grave and Suomenlinna’s dry dock. The views of the sea were very beautiful in the south of the island!
The guide told us facts from the time Suomenlinna’s construction began all the way to the modern times.
According to one of the participants, the English spoken as well as the English words chosen were very easy to understand. There were participants from different countries.
The HSL ferry traveling from Market Square of Helsinki to Suomenlinna and back frequently in the summer and during winter approx. once an hour. Here are some of the places we went by during the guided tour. Photos: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
The guided walking tours seem to be very popular! There are guided tours available also in Swedish, in Russian, in Chinese, and in Finnish. A guided tour costs 11 € per adult and 4 € per child.
The guided tours in English take place at 11 AM, 1 PM, and 2:30 PM every day from the 1st of June to the 31st of August 2018.
It is also possible to book guided tours and other program for a bigger group by reservation. (EN: www) (RU: www)
Ehrensvärd Museum. Photo: Johanna Hurtig/LikeFinland.com
Ehrensvärd Museum (EN: www, RU: www)
After the guided tour we visited the Ehrensvärd Museum. a visit to this museum is included in the tour ticket.
In the 1700s the building was first inhabited by the founder of Suomenlinna (Viaborg), Augustin Ehrensvärd, whose grave can be found next to the museum building. There are pieces of old Rococo furniture, portraits, miniature ships, and more historical objects on display!
One of the most interesting historical objects we saw, was a massive portrait of the King Gustav III of Sweden!
Photo: LikeFinland.com
The 80-year-old Café Piper is located close to the amazing views of the sea. Enjoy a cup of coffee and some snacks or on weekdays a soup lunch before continuing the exploration in Suomenlinna!
Café Piper is open from 10:30 AM to 7 PM until the 12nd of August 2018. During rest of the year the café closes a little bit earlier.
Photos: The Cannon Sloop Diana Sailing Ship (Facebook)
The Cannon Sloop Diana Sailing Ship (EN: www, RU: www)
You can also participate in an exciting sea voyage that takes you back to the 1700s! The sailing trip is made very authentic by the crew that is wearing 1700s costumes and an old-style vessel Diana, which can be navigated by sailing, rowing, or using a motor. The vessel departs from Suomenlinna.
We as a LikeFinland team experienced the sea trip in summer 2016! (www)
The trip mixed together theater and fun tasks such as rowing! You can book a private sea voyage or join a public sailing trip. Remember to take warm clothes with you because the wind at the sea may be a bit chilly!
The Cannon Sloop Diana was built in the Suomenlinna shipyard in the 2010s but it has been constructed by following the original 1700s plans and using traditional materials and methods.
Public sailing trips are available from the 27th of June to the 4th of August 2018 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 3:30 PM. (Also, on the 11th, 18th, an 25th of August).
*****
The guided walking tours in Suomenlinna, the Cannon Sloop Diana, the Suomenlinna Centre, the Suomenlinna Museum, the Ehrensvärd Museum, the Museum Shop and Café Piper are all services of the Ehrensvärd Society that was founded in 1921 to make the history of Suomenlinna known. Suomenlinna is located in the archipelago of Helsinki and can be accessed only by sea transport.
For contacting and for more information visit the Ehrensvärd Society’s website! (EN: www, RU: www)
*****
Text: Johanna Hurtig
The Ehrensvärd Society (incl. the guided walking tours, the Ehrensvärd Museum, the Suomenlinna Museum, Café Piper, the Museum Shop, The Cannon Sloop Diana, and the Suomenlinna Centre) is one of our Star Destinations and media customers.
LikeFinland.com is a nationwide leisure time media and search service of Finnish destinations. You can like us in Facebook or follow in Twitter and Instagram.
Our main website in Finnish is KivaaTekemista.fi.
We as a LikeFinland team, which this time included one adult and two children, had a fun summer day at Treetop Adventure Huippu in Leppävaara, Espoo - 15 km from Helsinki city center!
In Finland there are dozens of treetop adventure parks but they are all different from each other! At Treetop Adventure Huippu it is possible to arrange business events, children’s birthdays, and bachelor or bachelorette parties.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
Instructors, Sami and Abbe, told us that Treetop Adventure Huippu has renewed the green, blue, and black courses this year to come up to the adventurers' expectations. The different colors represent the different degrees of difficulty: the green course is the easiest and the black course is the most challenging. There are also blue and red courses available in the middle.
One of the new features this year is that the starting instruction will soon be on video. It is important to listen to the instruction carefully before starting the climbing!
To climb at Huippu doesn't require any previous experience.
Photo: LikeFinland.com
The harnesses are checked carefully by the instructors for safety. Treetop Adventure Huippu has been constructed and operates according to the European standards.
At Huippu there are nets, tunnels, bridges, and tightropes. Some of the courses take the adventurers between 20 and 60 feet above the ground!
We started the adventure at the green course, which is the easiest one. Four of the courses start from the main tower, another green one from the other tower nearby, and then there are green and blue courses at the upper part of the park. To get there, you can walk up the wooden stairs in the terrain.
The green course and the blue course are suitable for adventurers over 120 cm (3 feet, 11 inches) tall, whereas the red course and the black course are designed for 140 cm (4 feet, 7 inches) and taller.
There is also a course for small children, with the height of 100-120 cm, near the customer service building of Huippu.
One of Eetu's favorites was a course called Lovetar and the wire rope. Photo: LikeFinland.com
Aada's, 10, favorite course was a blue one called Tapiotar and the Half Pipe net. Photo: LikeFinland.com
As an adult, I enjoyed the Tarzan jump the most. It is a free fall jump. Remember to take hold of the net so that you won't be left hanging in the middle! If you don’t catch the net in time, there is no need to worry, because according to instructor Nana, there are ways to get out of that tricky situation!
I also went for the black course which is the most challenging one. Climbing at Huippu is very good exercise!
When the adventure was over, we bought some ice cream from Huippu’s kiosk and headed to Sello Shopping Mall in Espoo to have something to eat.
Photos: LikeFinland.com
Finally, do you know what the Finnish word “Huippu” means?
It means of course the top of the hill! :)
****
Contact information and location
Treetop Adventure Huippu
Veräjäpellonkuja 17, Espoo (check the map)
****
One of our Star Destinations, Treetop Adventure Huippu, is located in Espoo, 12-15 km from Helsinki city center and 20-23 km from Helsinki Airport.
****
Text: Henri Elo, Johanna Hurtig
Treetop Adventure Huippu is one of our Star Destinations and media customers.
LikeFinland.com is a nationwide leisure time media and search servie of Finnish destinations. You an like us on Facebook (@LikeFinland) or follow us on Twitter (@LikeFinland) and on Instagram (@likefinland_kivaatekemista).
Our website in Finnish is KivaaTekemista.fi.