Touring - cycling in finland

hi

last summer my friends and myself decided to cycle through holland and I must confess it was the greatest holidays I have ever had. so, since we all fell in love with cycling abroad, we are planning cycling through finland, sweden or norway this summer.I would really appreciate if anyone has cycled there and can give us any useful information.
thanks in advance!

I haven't, but I have a lot of friends in Italy that plan mountain biking trips into Finnland, and they LOVE going there for mtb trips.

Koffee

Here is web site that has a route for you- www.ecf.com. I think the Baltic portion is fairly flat from what I remember from a travalogue I read. Another note is that Swedish regional trains supposedly do not take bikes though in my experience they did. All the Scandanavian countries are expensive with Oslo now being the most the most expensive place to live in the world. Don't want to frighten you just want tto make you aware.

But you can camp free in Norway and Sweden, so that is one expense saved!

I rented a bicycle in south-eastern Finland, and spent a very pleasant day riding along quiet roads through a countryside of lakes and rivers. When I got thirsty -- I was young and foolish in those days, and did not think to carry water or food -- I asked some locals for drinking water. They looked at me like I was crazy, and then directed me to the lake. It turned out that lake water was clean enough to drink!

Here is web site that has a route for you- www.ecf.com. I think the Baltic portion is fairly flat from what I remember from a travalogue I read. Another note is that Swedish regional trains supposedly do not take bikes though in my experience they did. All the Scandanavian countries are expensive with Oslo now being the most the most expensive place to live in the world. Don't want to frighten you just want tto make you aware.


thank you very much for the info. the www.ecf.com has a lot of useful information. me, now I would like to cycle everywhere!!!

I'll bet the Italians liked Finland. The last time I was in Italy I met and danced with a lot of Tango dancers. In Finland the people seem to have an obsession with Argentine Tango. How is Finland for mosquitos?

But you can camp free in Norway and Sweden, so that is one expense saved!

And in Finland (and apparently also in one or more of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - can't remember the specifics).
Here's an informative and accurate (if somewhat poorly written) page with information regarding this:
http://www.pinetreedevelopment.net/scandinavia/allemansratt.php

Jakuma, the trains here in Sweden DON'T allow bikes onboard. I suppose you were lucky to run into people willing to bend the rules... Don't count on that happening every time. There's always a "soup nazi" somewhere... :D

Finland is a good place for cycling and cyclists. There is a good network of smaller roads with good surfaces and relatively little traffic, so there's no need to ride on the main highways. Most larger cities/towns also have a good network of bike paths. Finland is not as flat as Holland, but there's not too much climbing (compared to, say, Norway), either, especially in the southern part of the country.

In the summer, the great thing is that there is virtually full daylight almost 24 hours a day, even in the south (May/June/July). The only problem with that is that you may find it difficult to sleep. Another advantage (for a foreigner) is that it is perfectly possible to get by in English (almost as well as in Holland). Finland is far more sparsely populated than most countries in Central Europe, which is wonderful if you want to enjoy some peace and quiet.

A good set of cycling maps is available from

http://www.karttakeskus.fi/ .

Scroll down and click on the Union Jack on the left side of the page. The select "Maps of Finland -> Cyclist's Maps" from the main menu. A set of six maps covers the whole country. But Finland is relatively large (area-wise) by European standards. You're not going to cover the whole country in a couple of weeks.

The "obsession with Argentine tango" is largely a myth. And mosquitoes aren't much a problem. Contrary to another popular myth, there are no polar bears, either!

Where is that Finnish member who was a yawning cat as his avatar?

And in Finland (and apparently also in one or more of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - can't remember the specifics).
Here's an informative and accurate (if somewhat poorly written) page with information regarding this:
http://www.pinetreedevelopment.net/scandinavia/allemansratt.php

Jakuma, the trains here in Sweden DON'T allow bikes onboard. I suppose you were lucky to run into people willing to bend the rules... Don't count on that happening every time. There's always a "soup nazi" somewhere... :D
There is no problem camping for free in Latvia. Just find a nice spot a little off the road and break camp. There are no problems with crazy land owners like in America.

thank you very much for all the info, guys. If I have more quuestions, I will let you know.

Where is that Finnish member who was a yawning cat as his avatar?

Juha is a Finn. Is that who you're referring to?

Koffee

Juha is a Finn. Is that who you're referring to?

Yep, that's who I meant. The OP should shoot Juha a short message. :)

Yes, by all means shoot me a PM, or discuss here. Anyways, I need some more info on what kind of touring you would prefer to do before I can give any recommendations. Both tango and mosqitoes are pretty much local and seasonal problems, avoidable with some planning :).

Karttakeskus was mentioned already, they have some good maps. You can also use the Road Administration web site road maps, just go to http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/www2/kartta_en/kartta.htm. Yet another good on-line source to fine-tune your plans is http://kansalaisen.karttapaikka.fi. It goes to greater detail than the Road Administration map and shows better topographic info as well (but no services, such as gas stations etc). I use the last two sites excessively to plan my tours.

--J

Hello Juho ! It's Denis. Have you received my letter!

Whoo hoooo! The Finn arrives! :D :)

Koffee

Anybody is here ? HELP me please !!! :D
I with my friends decide to go to Finland this year. I heard that biking in Finland is Perfect !!!
I am a student ! And I limited in money. How you think what sum of money minimum I need for two week travelling!!!
Thank you!!! :D :)

€400.

Just a guess. :)

(snip) I heard that biking in Finland is Perfect !!!
(snip) How you think what sum of money minimum I need for two week travelling!!! (snip)

Biking may well be perfect in Finland, but perfection comes at a price: according to the McDonalds website, a Big Mac costs a whopping €3.60 in Finland, which is probably over twice the price in Russia (based on a direct currency exchange rate conversion). I'm not suggesting that you should live (exclusively) on Big Macs while touring, but it should at least give you a reasonably meaningful indication of the general price level.

Biking may well be perfect in Finland, but perfection comes at a price: according to the McDonalds website, a Big Mac costs a whopping €3.60 in Finland, which is probably over twice the price in Russia (based on a direct currency exchange rate conversion).

Still cheaper than a (£2.99) Big Mac in the UK!

What do you mean ? 400 for all !:rolleyes: or you mean camping and food ?

What do you mean ? 400 for all !:rolleyes: or you mean camping and food ?

Denis, check your PMs.

As for 400 euro, that would be about 30e per day... stealth camping is legal in Finland, and if you cooked your meals yourself, you could get by with that or even less. If you want to budget for some nights in better accommodation and maybe a dinner or two out, you would probably need more. For starters, any other kind of accommodation (B&B, commercial camp sites etc) is in the 20-30€ range per night at minimum.

--J

Testing to insert pictures!!!
www.tulabike.narod.ru/foto/DC-Cock.jpghttp://www.tulabike.narod.ru/foto/DC-Cock.jpg

Yes ! I did it ! Yahoooooo !!!
This photo did my friend (Extreem rider)!
it is a TANK !!!

They're riding on since '72
All their life on the freeway
They have no fear for nothing at all
They're always doing it their way

Flying with the wind
Chromed steel and dressed in leather
Live to ride, ride to live
Too wild to be tamed forever
Yeah!

Hot wheels, riding on the highway
Hot wheels, 'coloured' riders of the storm
Hot wheels, always doing in their way
Hot wheels, no break from dusk till dawn
Hot wheels

All for one and one for all
The engine roars like thunder
The bike's filled up with gasoline
Exploding with it's power

Flying with the wind
Chromed steel and dressed in leather
(They) live to ride, ride to live
Too wild to ... forever

Hot wheels, riding on the highway
Hot wheels, 'coloured' riders of the storm
Hot wheels, always doing in their way
Hot wheels, no break from dusk till dawn
Hot wheels

Yeeeah!
Hot wheels, riding on the highway
Hot wheels, 'coloured' riders of the storm
Hot wheels, always doing in their way
Hot wheels, no break from dusk till dawn

Hot wheels, riding on the highway
Hot wheels, 'coloured' riders of the storm
Hot wheels, always doing in their way
Hot wheels, no break from dusk till dawn
(Hot wheels)

Hot wheels, all for one, one for all
Hot wheels, can you feel the thunder
(Hot wheels)
Yeah, ride to live
Hot wheels
cool song !
Axel Rudi Pell