For years I've been meaning to write this, and now as there was a post about someone planning a trip (also) to Finland I thought I'll do it now. Would be nice to have something similar for other countries too.
Safety and traffic
You are safe in here. Your van will not be stolen no matter where you leave it. Nobody here has any of that security gear you in the UK seem to have as default. I haven't even heard anyone have their van emptied unless they are in some really shady neighbourhood, and most likely you will not end up in those places if you don't really try.
The number for emergencies is 112, including health, accidents, fire etc. There is also the "112 Suomi" app, not sure if it works with foreign sims but if it does it will forward your coordinates during the call if you call 112 via the app. If you have mechanical problems and you do not have any special number to call (from your insurance or some other service) you can call +3582008080 (Autoliitto) to get help. Naturally it has to be paid for.
Speed limits are up to 120kmh and the speed limit applies up to 3500kg. Above that it's max 80kmh. Most people (want to) drive slightly above the limit, for example true speed 85-86 @ 80 limit and you will not be in trouble. BUT! Naturally I can't promise that, but what I can promise is you will have a queue behind you if you follow the limits exactly.
Shopping
Citymarket and Prisma are the biggest shops for daily needs. Food, clothes, electronics, sports stuff etc.
S-Market and K-Supermarket have almost the same grocery offerings, but they don't have any of that other stuff.
Sale, K-Market and Lidl are clearly smaller than the previous, but you will get your fridge full.
You will find S-Market, K-Supermarket, Sale, K-Market and Lidl (or one/some of them) in any town or village, the two bigger naturally not so much.
Alcohol is sold between 9am and 9pm, and alcohol above (I believe) 8.5% can be bought only from alcohol store called Alko. They are not open on Sundays.
If you need spares or some other car stuff (and outdoor and fishing equipment, tools etc), look for Motonet. It's the only really big chain in Finland. If there is none close to you, look for "varaosakauppa" (spare parts shop) or maybe "autokorjaamo" (garage). If you need to fix something not directly related to car mechanics (like if you bed has collapsed or a door as fallen off), you may find what you need from Puuilo. Also K-Rauta, Biltema and Stark may be able to help you. If you need something for your hab area, it's slightly more difficult to give general help. We have Best-Caravan who have 4 shops around Finland, but most others are only one-shop places and I don't remember many of them, Jyväs-Caravan is the only one that comes to my mind and it's located in Jyväskylä. Googling "caravan tarvikkeet" will give you results, but as we know, it's not easy to find one if you don't know the places around you.
Almost everything is open 7 days a week, grocery shops generally at least from 8am to 9pm and others slightly less at least on weekends. You will not get your van repaired in weekends but other than that, almost everything goes. If you really need to get something fixed at night and/or weekend, you might try to look for "Raskone". It's a service company for trucks etc and afaik they (at least some of them) work 247 if needed - and paid accordingly.
In Finland you do not need cash. Cards (Visa/Mastercard) are accepted everywhere. There is a slight chance some pop-up shop doesn't have a card reader, but even the girl selling strawberries in a corner of a parking lot will have one. If you WANT cash, look for "Otto automaatti", that's ATM. Most banks don't any more offer walk-in service (and if they do, it's just a few hours for a few days per week) so I hope you don't need a bank. Osuuspankki and Nordea are two of the few banks we have.
Cellphones and internet
Cellphone coverage is very good. You need to go really in to the woods to be completely out of service. If you want to use data without worries, go get a prepaid sim. They are sold everywhere and you just buy it, there are no questions or forms. We have three 'real, big operators', Elisa (aka Saunalahti), DNA and Telia. Not much difference but I've had less fuss with Elisa/Saunalahti. Afaik all these have the same pricing, 1 eur per day for literally unlimited data at 100mbit (if the network allows, in less urban areas it may be only 10mbit but you will be able to Netflix almost anywhere). The sims have 5 to 10 eur in them when you buy it and it will have instructions on how to buy more.
Wild camping and services for those who do it
By law you can stay almost anywhere. In the recent years plenty of signs prohibiting this and that have been installed and it sure is wise to obey them even if they are almost every time against the law. If you take a dirt road and find a spot for the night, someone may come up and tell you to leave as it's their property and you should then leave, but they literally do not have the right to do so even if it is their property. Naturally you can not go in to people yards, but if their house is 2 more kilometers down the road legally you can park there. Same goes for parking lot of beaches, parking lots for any outdoor activities etc, you are legally allowed to stay there but someone may be pissed off by that. Exception to all of this is driving offroad, that's something you can not do even if your 4x4 could climb a tree. You can park next to the road if it doesn't do "more than minor damage" (it's mentioned exactly like that in the law) but you can not drive 50 meters to the forest.
If you want to travel 100% wild camping oh boy are you in trouble when you need to service your toilet and/or water system. Especially if you are coming from Norway you will be driving in to the stoneage. In Norway you just drive and often spot a sign telling you you can do your s**t here, in Finland you will need to look for a place to do that. And you will need to look hard and plan days ahead. Especially if you are more north than 1/3 of the country from the south. The easiest way is to use camping sites, but they often give you "the eye" if you ask just to use the services. Park4night may be of help, and some other links will follow.
Links (as long as they work)
puskaparkit.com
The 'official unofficial' wildcampers map.
Parkit = places to park
Palvelut = services for motorhomes
Kaikki = show all
Older, slightly easier to use version of the previous link. Not sure if it's updated any more / as often as the .com
Juomavesi = drinking water
itsepalvelupesulat = self laundry (see also https://24pesula.fi/ (also in english))
Kemsan tyhennys = toilet disposal
Matkaparkit = "stellplaz map", have to be paid (see also https://matkaparkki.com and https://www.best-park.com)
Enemmän puskaa = Places to park, mostly non-urban
Enemmän parkkii = Places to park, more urban
www.google.com
An old, less known and rarely updated map of places to park
Big trash bins next to roads
In Facebook there is this group "Puskaparkkiryhmä", that's for wild campers. There are plenty of other caravanning groups but I bet you will get help and answers to anything in this group. Oh, and btw, almost everyone (at least under 50) here has had English for 7 years in school, so theoretically you should be able to communicate everywhere.
Guess that's it for now, hope it's any help to anyone. If you are in trouble in Finland, feel free to contact me via this forum, or even better, e-mail porakone@hotmail. com (Put a clear subject so I notice it as it probably goes to spam box).
Small additions:
You can drink water from any faucet you can find, it's pure even in the dirty booth where you empty your toilet.
The most 'dense' part of Finland is the south, roughly below the Turku-Tampere-Kouvola triangle, you'll find what you need quite easily there. When you go above the Vaasa-Joensuu line, things get quite a bit more difficult. When you go above the Arctic Circle you are pretty much in trouble if you need something more than bread and butter.
In the north you will find reindeer herds standing on and aside the road, be carefull when it's dark.
Safety and traffic
You are safe in here. Your van will not be stolen no matter where you leave it. Nobody here has any of that security gear you in the UK seem to have as default. I haven't even heard anyone have their van emptied unless they are in some really shady neighbourhood, and most likely you will not end up in those places if you don't really try.
The number for emergencies is 112, including health, accidents, fire etc. There is also the "112 Suomi" app, not sure if it works with foreign sims but if it does it will forward your coordinates during the call if you call 112 via the app. If you have mechanical problems and you do not have any special number to call (from your insurance or some other service) you can call +3582008080 (Autoliitto) to get help. Naturally it has to be paid for.
Speed limits are up to 120kmh and the speed limit applies up to 3500kg. Above that it's max 80kmh. Most people (want to) drive slightly above the limit, for example true speed 85-86 @ 80 limit and you will not be in trouble. BUT! Naturally I can't promise that, but what I can promise is you will have a queue behind you if you follow the limits exactly.
Shopping
Citymarket and Prisma are the biggest shops for daily needs. Food, clothes, electronics, sports stuff etc.
S-Market and K-Supermarket have almost the same grocery offerings, but they don't have any of that other stuff.
Sale, K-Market and Lidl are clearly smaller than the previous, but you will get your fridge full.
You will find S-Market, K-Supermarket, Sale, K-Market and Lidl (or one/some of them) in any town or village, the two bigger naturally not so much.
Alcohol is sold between 9am and 9pm, and alcohol above (I believe) 8.5% can be bought only from alcohol store called Alko. They are not open on Sundays.
If you need spares or some other car stuff (and outdoor and fishing equipment, tools etc), look for Motonet. It's the only really big chain in Finland. If there is none close to you, look for "varaosakauppa" (spare parts shop) or maybe "autokorjaamo" (garage). If you need to fix something not directly related to car mechanics (like if you bed has collapsed or a door as fallen off), you may find what you need from Puuilo. Also K-Rauta, Biltema and Stark may be able to help you. If you need something for your hab area, it's slightly more difficult to give general help. We have Best-Caravan who have 4 shops around Finland, but most others are only one-shop places and I don't remember many of them, Jyväs-Caravan is the only one that comes to my mind and it's located in Jyväskylä. Googling "caravan tarvikkeet" will give you results, but as we know, it's not easy to find one if you don't know the places around you.
Almost everything is open 7 days a week, grocery shops generally at least from 8am to 9pm and others slightly less at least on weekends. You will not get your van repaired in weekends but other than that, almost everything goes. If you really need to get something fixed at night and/or weekend, you might try to look for "Raskone". It's a service company for trucks etc and afaik they (at least some of them) work 247 if needed - and paid accordingly.
In Finland you do not need cash. Cards (Visa/Mastercard) are accepted everywhere. There is a slight chance some pop-up shop doesn't have a card reader, but even the girl selling strawberries in a corner of a parking lot will have one. If you WANT cash, look for "Otto automaatti", that's ATM. Most banks don't any more offer walk-in service (and if they do, it's just a few hours for a few days per week) so I hope you don't need a bank. Osuuspankki and Nordea are two of the few banks we have.
Cellphones and internet
Cellphone coverage is very good. You need to go really in to the woods to be completely out of service. If you want to use data without worries, go get a prepaid sim. They are sold everywhere and you just buy it, there are no questions or forms. We have three 'real, big operators', Elisa (aka Saunalahti), DNA and Telia. Not much difference but I've had less fuss with Elisa/Saunalahti. Afaik all these have the same pricing, 1 eur per day for literally unlimited data at 100mbit (if the network allows, in less urban areas it may be only 10mbit but you will be able to Netflix almost anywhere). The sims have 5 to 10 eur in them when you buy it and it will have instructions on how to buy more.
Wild camping and services for those who do it
By law you can stay almost anywhere. In the recent years plenty of signs prohibiting this and that have been installed and it sure is wise to obey them even if they are almost every time against the law. If you take a dirt road and find a spot for the night, someone may come up and tell you to leave as it's their property and you should then leave, but they literally do not have the right to do so even if it is their property. Naturally you can not go in to people yards, but if their house is 2 more kilometers down the road legally you can park there. Same goes for parking lot of beaches, parking lots for any outdoor activities etc, you are legally allowed to stay there but someone may be pissed off by that. Exception to all of this is driving offroad, that's something you can not do even if your 4x4 could climb a tree. You can park next to the road if it doesn't do "more than minor damage" (it's mentioned exactly like that in the law) but you can not drive 50 meters to the forest.
If you want to travel 100% wild camping oh boy are you in trouble when you need to service your toilet and/or water system. Especially if you are coming from Norway you will be driving in to the stoneage. In Norway you just drive and often spot a sign telling you you can do your s**t here, in Finland you will need to look for a place to do that. And you will need to look hard and plan days ahead. Especially if you are more north than 1/3 of the country from the south. The easiest way is to use camping sites, but they often give you "the eye" if you ask just to use the services. Park4night may be of help, and some other links will follow.
Links (as long as they work)
Puskaparkkikartta
Karttapalvelu omia polkuja kulkeville retkeilijöille. Etsi ja löydä elämäsi parhaat puskaparkit!
puskaparkit.com
Parkit = places to park
Palvelut = services for motorhomes
Kaikki = show all
Older, slightly easier to use version of the previous link. Not sure if it's updated any more / as often as the .com
Juomavesi = drinking water
itsepalvelupesulat = self laundry (see also https://24pesula.fi/ (also in english))
Kemsan tyhennys = toilet disposal
Matkaparkit = "stellplaz map", have to be paid (see also https://matkaparkki.com and https://www.best-park.com)
Enemmän puskaa = Places to park, mostly non-urban
Enemmän parkkii = Places to park, more urban
Reissuparkkikartta – Google My Maps
Reissuparkkikartan tiedot (päivitetty 18.10.2024) • kohteet ovat ilmaisia, myös ilmaiset matkaparkit • sininen = peruspaikka, levähdysalue, P-alue • vihreä = luontoarvoja • violetti = P-alue taajamassa tms. • piste pallukassa = palveluja saatavana
In Facebook there is this group "Puskaparkkiryhmä", that's for wild campers. There are plenty of other caravanning groups but I bet you will get help and answers to anything in this group. Oh, and btw, almost everyone (at least under 50) here has had English for 7 years in school, so theoretically you should be able to communicate everywhere.
Guess that's it for now, hope it's any help to anyone. If you are in trouble in Finland, feel free to contact me via this forum, or even better, e-mail porakone@hotmail. com (Put a clear subject so I notice it as it probably goes to spam box).
Small additions:
You can drink water from any faucet you can find, it's pure even in the dirty booth where you empty your toilet.
The most 'dense' part of Finland is the south, roughly below the Turku-Tampere-Kouvola triangle, you'll find what you need quite easily there. When you go above the Vaasa-Joensuu line, things get quite a bit more difficult. When you go above the Arctic Circle you are pretty much in trouble if you need something more than bread and butter.
In the north you will find reindeer herds standing on and aside the road, be carefull when it's dark.
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Brilliant and thank you.
) that's maybe your only bet to get that sorted. And be aware, they are OLD people and the service is "a bit special" even in Finnish and I don't know if they can anything else.
