thisisFINLAND

Draped in design: Exploring Finland’s textile art at EMMA

Just outside Helsinki, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA) invites visitors into the world of Finnish textile artistry, where bold patterns and innovative techniques have shaped both fashion and design.

Life & society Nature

“Wow” moments in Finnish nature

Walking in the forest daily is a passion for Aino Eeronheimo and Taija Koivuluoma. They’re friends and neighbours in Jakomäki, eastern Helsinki.

Life & society Children

Finnish city of Vaasa enjoys Unicef recognition for child-friendly urban life

Unicef has recognised Vaasa, a city on Finland’s west coast, as a Child-Friendly Municipality, for taking into account the views of children and young people in planning and decision-making.

Life & society Finnishness

9 years and counting: Finland is first in the World Happiness Report

The World Happiness Report singles out Finland as the happiest country in the world in 2026, for the ninth year running. To celebrate, we seek out people named Onni (Happiness) to ask what makes them happy (see video).

Life & society Happiness

Unpacking Finnish happiness

Happiness doesn’t just happen. In Finland, it’s the result of strong social systems and a culture of wellbeing that has been carefully built over the past 100 years.

Arts & culture Literature

Looking at life, photos and Finnish happiness after four decades in Finland

Tim Bird’s new book, Happy Land, reflects a life of observing, photographing and finding contentment in Finland. It holds some wisdom for more recent arrivals, too.

Life & society Happiness

The 4-letter word that literally explains Finnish happiness

Finnish happiness expresses itself in one little word, onni – and a host of other words and expressions derived from it.

Arts & culture Visual arts

These self-portraits from Finland are everything that selfies are not

Throughout history artists have expressed themselves through self-portraits. These Finnish and Finland-based artists have made an international splash with theirs.

Arts & culture Architecture

Peek into one of Finland’s most famous buildings, in Paimio

Created by renowned Finnish designers and architects Alvar and Aino Aalto, Paimio Sanatorium was built between 1929 and 1933. Our video visits this world-famous Finnish architectural landmark.

Arts & culture Literature

Catching the pike: How Finnish author Juhani Karila reeled in a literary phenomenon

Juhani Karila grew up in a corner of Lapland so quiet that his imagination became loud. Decades later, it has helped him become one of Finland’s most distinctive literary voices.

Arts & culture Visual arts

Finnish artist creates world’s largest light installation in Australia

World-renowned light artist Kari Kola sets up the world’s largest light installation in southwestern Australia, together with photonics experts from his eastern Finnish hometown, Joensuu.

Life & society Winter

Photos from Helsinki: Creating creatures and castles from snow and ice

During a proper, snowy winter with crisp, sub-zero temperatures, Helsinkians embrace ice and snow sculptures with irresistible enthusiasm.

Arts & culture Literature

8 questions on the Kalevala, the epic that shaped Finland’s identity

The epic Kalevala relates ancient tales, mainly from the Karelia region, and has become a cornerstone of Finland’s cultural identity. Its poetry has reached readers all over the world, including J.R.R. Tolkien, who took inspiration from it.

Arts & culture Music

Meet Ida Elina, Finland’s modern kantele virtuoso

When a Northern Finnish child picked up a kantele mostly to annoy her sister, no one imagined she would become one of the instrument’s boldest contemporary voices.

Life & society Travel

Regenerative tourism in Finland gives travel a deeper meaning

Shovelling snow to save endangered seal pups might not be everyone’s idea of a holiday. But for some travellers in Finland, it’s exactly the kind of meaningful experience they’re looking for.

Life & society Winter

Finnish winter fun: Zooming across a frozen lake on an ice route

Across Finland, ploughed and marked routes on frozen bodies of water turn winter landscapes into public playgrounds. On Lake Tuusula, the atmosphere resembles a festival.

Life & society Travel

Where Finnish snow-how meets “Wow!”

Try ice sculpting, join an icebreaker cruise or bathe in a snow sauna. These destinations combine snow-how with hospitality.

Life & society Winter

Warm, windproof and Finnish: How Finns dress for the ski tracks

People in Finland love cross-country skiing. But how should you dress for exercising in freezing conditions? We let the skiers share their best advice.

Life & society Travel

Polar-night hike: A winter walk in the northern Finnish woods

In the deepest darkness of winter, Finland reveals a softer kind of light. A snowshoe trek in Oulanka National Park shows why the polar night is something to embrace.

Draped in design: Exploring Finland’s textile art at EMMA

“Wow” moments in Finnish nature

Finnish city of Vaasa enjoys Unicef recognition for child-friendly urban life

9 years and counting: Finland is first in the World Happiness Report

Unpacking Finnish happiness

Looking at life, photos and Finnish happiness after four decades in Finland

The 4-letter word that literally explains Finnish happiness

These self-portraits from Finland are everything that selfies are not

Peek into one of Finland’s most famous buildings, in Paimio

Catching the pike: How Finnish author Juhani Karila reeled in a literary phenomenon

Finnish artist creates world’s largest light installation in Australia

Photos from Helsinki: Creating creatures and castles from snow and ice

8 questions on the Kalevala, the epic that shaped Finland’s identity

Breaking news from Finland

Meet Ida Elina, Finland’s modern kantele virtuoso

Regenerative tourism in Finland gives travel a deeper meaning

Finnish winter fun: Zooming across a frozen lake on an ice route

Where Finnish snow-how meets “Wow!”

Warm, windproof and Finnish: How Finns dress for the ski tracks

Polar-night hike: A winter walk in the northern Finnish woods

Hei! Looking for...

Newsletter subscription