P293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:48:48 —————————————————————————— FINLAND ———— FINLAND is a vast country with a relatively small population of five million. With about a quarter of its land mass within the Arctic Circle, hundreds of thousands of acres of forest and almost 200,00 lakes, it claims to bj Europe's last great wilderness. But while this starkly beautiful land appeals to the rugged sportsman, it is a centre of culture, staging blues to opera festivbls in the summer. ——————————————————————————————————1/8—— Our guide to holidays on Teletext 291 DRIVING ABROAD? INFORMATION p294-297 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:15:08 ——————————————————————————— FINLAND ——— HELSINKI, the capital on the southern coast, is a modern city with no sky- scrapers but hundreds of shops, especially around Esplanade. For the sightseer, there are many museums, the island fortress of Suomjmlinna and the great monument to Sibelius in Sibelius Park. The surrounding Uusimaa region with its pretty wooden coastal towns is popular with local holidaymakers. ——————————————————————————————————2/8—— Visas 294 Inoculations 295 GO GRJKN, SAVE THE WORLD p460 C4 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:10:23 ——————————————————————————— FINLAND ——— WESTERN FINLAND is the nearest you'll get to a beach break in Finland. It can bj hot but don't bank on it. There are many pretty towns like Naantali while to the north Pore is home to Finland's main jazz festival. The Archipelago National Park near Turks is a great way to sample this region while for ramblers, there are the great forest-covered parks at Kauhanjva and Lauhanjarvj. ——————————————————————————————————3/8—— Tourist rates 298 World clock 299 GATWJCK FLIGHT ARRIVALS p208-209 Visas Jabs Ski R po ts UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:19:43 ————————————————————————— ( HE ALAND ISLANDS, a group of about 6,500 islands near the Swedish coast are another great tourist area for the locals. It is an ideal place for sailing and, like most of Finland, for fishing, as well as canoeing and cycling. $here is a good ferry service between the larger islands, chalet villages, camp sites and hotels plus some good restaurants. Castles and a stone age village are among the attractions. ——————————————————————————————————4/8—— Crash Course 297 Drivjwisj 296 COMPUTER GAMES FAN? TRY p470 C4 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:16:06 ——————————————————————————— FINLAND ——— BU( AN INCREASINGLY popular area of Finland for Brits is the Arctic Circle. It may bj the Land of the Midnight Sun in the summer but in winter it is the time to visit Santa Claus in Lapland. There is a range of one to five night breaks to places like Rovaniemi, on the edge of the Circle which include a meeting with the old boy. Lapland is, by the way, beautiful in summer. ——————————————————————————————————5/8—— Our guide to holidays on Teletext 291 DRIVING ABROAD? INFORMATION p294-297 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:12:26 ——————————————————————————— FINLAND ——— FACTFILJ The summer climate in Finland is not greatly different from the UK. The midnight sun runs for three months, May to July, in the far north and June-July further south. With the lakes and seas filled with fish, this is among the best things to eat. Try the gravlax rainbow trout, herring and crayfish. If you're adventurous, try reindeer with local beer. ——————————————————————————————————6/8—— The air that you breathe 106 HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR POLL p326 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:17:17 ——————————————————————————— FINLAND ——— FACTFILJ UK PASSPORT HOLDERS do not need a visa or any inoculations to enter Finland. THE CURRENCY is the Finnmark (FIN). See Teletext p298 for exchange rates. Credit cards are widely accepted. Most people speak English, especially the young and in hotels. Get health insurance although there is a health agreement between Finland and the UK. ——————————————————————————————————7/8—— Our guide to holidays on Teletext 291 WHAT'S AT THE PICTURES? p610 C4 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK RoadsP293 Teletext 293 Jul 1 07:02:34 ——————————————————————— —— F LAND ——— FACTFILE FOR MORE DETBILS of holidays in Finland, contact the Finnish Tourist Board, 30-35 Pall Mall, London SW2Y 5LP. 0171 839 4048. It will also supply a full list of tour operators to Finland. Some of the main operators are: Finnair Tours 0171 408 1222 Sovereign Scanscapj 0161 742 2288 Instonj Leisure 0181 983 0204 Scantours 0171 839 2927 Scandinavian Seaways 01737 212500. ——————————————————————————————————8/8—— $hj air that you breathe 106 HAVE YOU" SAY IN OUR POLL p326 Visas Jabs Ski Reports UK Roads