Boutique hotels in Finland

Finland does small hotels with a design eye and a deep respect for nature. In Helsinki, a 1909 power plant, a 1920s printing house and a design-district townhouse hold sleek rooms; in the lake country, old manors and wooden mills have turned into quiet retreats; and in Lapland, glass igloos, tree houses and smoke saunas make the most of the northern lights. Almost every hotel has a sauna, and many have a smoke sauna by the lake.

Helsinki and the south coast

Helsinki, Porvoo, Hanko, Fiskars and Nuuksio offer Nordic design, wooden old towns, seaside villas and a lakeside eco-lodge a short drive from the capital. Turku and Naantali add medieval streets and archipelago light.

Lakeland and the west

Savonlinna, Kuopio, Tampere, Jyväskylä and Rauma sit among lakes, castles and Unesco-listed wooden streets, with small hotels in historic buildings.

Lapland and the Arctic

Rovaniemi, Saariselkä, Levi, Ylläs, Inari and Kakslauttanen are the places for aurora watching, husky rides and reindeer, with accommodation from design hotels to snow igloos. Oulu looks to the sea and the Åland Islands to the Baltic.

When to go

June to August brings long light nights and lake swimming. Lapland is best from December to March for snow and the northern lights, though September and October also bring aurora and autumn colors.