cycling in finland
03-16-06, 06:19 PM
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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!
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!
03-17-06, 03:03 AM
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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.
03-17-06, 07:52 AM
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But you can camp free in Norway and Sweden, so that is one expense saved!
03-17-06, 09:48 AM
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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!
03-17-06, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by jakuma
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!!!
03-17-06, 02:58 PM
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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?
03-17-06, 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by becnal
But you can camp free in Norway and Sweden, so that is one expense saved!
Here's an informative and accurate (if somewhat poorly written) page with information regarding this:
https://www.pinetreedevelopment.net/s...lemansratt.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...
03-17-06, 06:09 PM
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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
https://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!
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
https://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!
Last edited by Lotum; 03-19-06 at 01:58 PM.
03-19-06, 03:37 AM
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Where is that Finnish member who was a yawning cat as his avatar?
03-19-06, 06:07 AM
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Originally Posted by CdCf
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:
https://www.pinetreedevelopment.net/s...lemansratt.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...
Here's an informative and accurate (if somewhat poorly written) page with information regarding this:
https://www.pinetreedevelopment.net/s...lemansratt.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...
03-20-06, 06:08 AM
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Originally Posted by koffee brown
Juha is a Finn. Is that who you're referring to?
03-23-06, 03:14 AM
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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 https://alk.tiehallinto.fi/www2/kartta_en/kartta.htm. Yet another good on-line source to fine-tune your plans is https://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
.Karttakeskus was mentioned already, they have some good maps. You can also use the Road Administration web site road maps, just go to https://alk.tiehallinto.fi/www2/kartta_en/kartta.htm. Yet another good on-line source to fine-tune your plans is https://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
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03-25-06, 04:58 PM
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Anybody is here ? HELP me please !!!
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!!!
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!!!
03-25-06, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Denis V.
(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)
(snip) How you think what sum of money minimum I need for two week travelling!!! (snip)
03-26-06, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Lotum
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).
03-27-06, 03:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Denis V.
What do you mean ? 400 for all !
or you mean camping and food ?
or you mean camping and food ?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
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03-30-06, 01:39 PM
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