Via Finlandia Route
The VIA FINLANDIA route stretches from Helsinki to Vaasa. Its total length is 596 km. It winds through a multitude of different landscapes and offers the opportunity to see the majority of Finland’s most significant tourist sites. The route can be described as a cross-section of Finland.
The southern and central part of the country is characterised by beautiful inland waterways and rolling farm landscapes, as well as Finland’s largest cities. In the northern parts of the route the pace of life is slower and the landscape is marked by plains, rivers and proud Ostrobothnian houses. The sky is high above, and this is said to be a place where you can breathe freely and realise your dreams. There are many culturally and historically significant sites that are well worth a visit.
Via Finlandia - Detailed description of the Route
UUSIMAA REGION 84 km
The journey begins in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The route winds through Vantaa, the former parish of Helsinki, and on past the old cultural landscapes of Central Uusimaa to the birthplace of the Lake Tuusula art community. This is the location of Rantatie, the museum road tracing the shoreline of Lake Tuusula. The route continues along small, forested cycle paths towards Järvenpää, the hometown of the composer Sibelius, and through the Kellokoski ironworks to Hyvinkää. The route taking you through the city of Hyvinkää follows the old Hyvinkää-Riihimäki road to the centre of Riihimäki and from there, past the nationally renowned Finnish Glass Museum area, to Tervakoski, taking a small and enjoyable detour through traditional Finnish country landscapes.
The terrain along the route is varied, although differences in altitude are small. The park landscapes of the capital are followed by small town centres, all the time using well-maintained light traffic thoroughfares. From time to time, the route diverts from the main road onto small country roads in the shadow of the woods or through the fields. At regular intervals you will find lakes inviting you to take a leisurely swim. Some of the beaches are marked on the map but swimming is also possible elsewhere in accordance with the public right of access, as long as private gardens and backyards are avoided.
HÄME REGION 103 km
The people of Häme are known for being relaxed. Visit Häme and you will understand why! There is simply so much to see and experience here that you would be wise to leave all stress behind and just enjoy yourself. Häme attractions include castles, churches and manors. The area is the oldest cultural landscape in inner Finland. The best-known sites include Häme Castle, the Parola Armour Museum and the church of the Holy Cross in Hattula, and Lasimäki and the church of St Lauri in Iittala. Häme also has many other well-known museums. Rolling wheat fields and rugged forests define a landscape coloured by gorgeous inland waterways. Part of the journey can be covered by inland water ferry between Hämeenlinna and Tampere.
Families with young children will enjoy a visit to the AarniWalkea fairytale forest, with its stories of fairies and domestic animals. It is also possible to take your own teddy bear along and leave it at the teddy bear museum. A climb up Hakoinen castle hill is rewarded by a great view of Janakkala church, Kernaalanjärvi and Tervakoski.
There are many sights in Hämeenlinna. The most important sights include the medieval tile castle of Häme, the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius and the Aulanko nature reserve, as well as the high-quality design companies Wetterhoff (textiles) and Kultakeskus (silverware and jewellery). Beaches in Hämeenlinna offer great opportunities for swimming.
TAMPERE REGION 228 km
Although the breathtaking lake views make it hard to believe, you have now arrived at the birthplace of Finnish industry. When Finland took its first small steps towards industrialisation, the waterways and, particularly, the rapids played a great part in deciding where to locate the factories. A cycling trip to Pirkanmaa today ideally includes a cruise on the inland waterways. The area surrounding the Sääksmäki suspension bridge, called one of Finland’s most beautiful spots, is located along the route in Valkeakoski. The city of Tampere is itself proof of the impact of the waterways on the city’s history: the Ice Age gave birth to the rapids, the rapids gave birth to Finland’s first industrial city and the industry brought the prosperity that built the beautiful bourgeois houses, an impressively broad bridge, the parks and the statues. Tammerkoski, Koskipuisto, the rapids outside the red brick factory walls, and the Hämeensilta Bridge, with its sculptures by Wäinö Aaltonen, are all part of the Finnish national landscape. The region has been inhabited since the year 1,000. On leaving Tampere, you enter another national landscape - Hämeenkyrö. It was from this countryside landscape that the Nobel Prize-winning writer Frans Emil Sillanpää drew inspiration for his nature descriptions. The route winds along the museum road, through the forest and by the fields, with lakes shimmering in the distance here and there. From here, the journey continues through the vast forest areas of northern Pirkanmaa.
SOUTHERN OSTROBOTHNIA AND OSTROBOTHNIA 181 km
You have now reached the famous plains of Ostrobothnia. The landscape is characterised by rivers and plains stretching as far as the eye can see. The people themselves, as well as events taking place here, have always had a great impact on Finnish history. The typical Ostrobothnian is honest and entrepreneurial, and the residents are famous for their carpentry and handicraft skills. This trait can be seen in the beautiful wooden carvings on furniture, in churches and the handsome Ostrobothnian houses lining the rivers. Handicraft artists, including tinsmiths, weavers and carpenters, can still be found in numerous small workshops.
Don’t miss the Yli-Laurosela House Museum at Ilmajoki, where you can admire the building skills so prominent in the area. Seinäjoki is famous for several buildings designed by the architect Alvar Aalto, and for its annual music festivals Tangomarkkinat and Provinssirock. Continuing towards Vaasa, the area becomes bilingual; a quarter of the population speak Swedish as their mother tongue. The city of Vaasa is characterised by broad lanes and firebreaks, parks surrounding sturdy administrative buildings and a lush beach area close to the heart of the city. Vaasa is embraced by the sea from three directions, and its shoreline is among the longest in the country. The sea and the many islands create a welcoming atmosphere, and the sun often smiles on this, the sunniest city in Finland.
Route Difficulty
The route is also suitable for those who have not previously travelled by bicycle as well as for families with small children, if the children have cycled before. There are plenty of interesting places for a young family to visit, and the distance covered in one day can easily be kept within certain limits as accommodation can generally be found at intervals of 30 km. The beginning of the route is hilly, from Pirkanmaa to the northern parts, and flat between Kihniö and Vaasa. There are some smaller climbs during the latter part, but the wind on the plains might still come as a surprise. In planning the route, the aim has been to select roads with little traffic and avoid parts where there is a lot. The roads can be narrow and in some places without hard shoulders, which calls for some caution. For the most part, the route travels along paved roads. The gravel roads have been marked on the map in the cycling guide "Via Finlandia" of Genimap Oy..
Accessibility
You can cycle the length of the route either from north to south or south to north. Helsinki is the starting point in the south. If you wish to cycle through the entire capital region, you will need a cycling map of the Helsinki area. This is available at a small extra charge and you will get it from Helsinki Tourist Office. If you do not want to cross the capital region, you can take a train from Helsinki to Kerava or Järvenpää and start from there. Other places that make excellent starting or finishing points are the larger cities of Vaasa, Seinäjoki and Tampere, each of which has a railway station, good bus connections and an airport. If you wish, it is also possible to divide the route into smaller parts and cycle from Tampere to Helsinki or Vaasa to Seinäjoki, bridging other distances by either bus or train.
The Via Finlandia guide which can be purchased from Genimap Oy contains road maps for the entire Helsinki-Vaasa route on a scale of 1:100000, and city maps on a scale of 1:20000. There are separate cycling maps available for Vaasa, Tampere and the capital region.
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