Is there a place in or near Rovaniemi with cleared paths on a lake or a river for ice skating? Preferably not a square but a longer distance track.

I am planning to visit in March 2025 to Finland around spring equinox. What are the chances for us to see Northern lights and what are the other things that we should keep in mind while travelling to Finland.

https://www.hs.fi/suomi/art-2000011004270.html

Hi

Does anyone know the average time to get the Finland resident permit after submitting the application at the VFS office?

Some say it's days and some months. Need to plan things accordingly.

Thanks!!

https://www.passblue.com/2025/01/27/finland-offers-more-perks-to-stop-its-declining-birth-rate-women-shrug-it-off/

I will be in Rovaniemi next week and currently the forecast has it below freezing but sunny most days…

Hopefully not too silly of a question but will the sun melt the snow even if it’s comfortably below 0 degrees and there are no additional snow in between.

Thank you

Hello,

I’m looking for the best destination in Finland to fully experience winter. I’d love to enjoy the snow, watch the northern lights, hike through snowy forests, walk on a frozen lake, and go snowshoeing.

Ideally, I’d like to stay in a cool and peaceful place, away from mass tourism, but with at least one small supermarket nearby for convenience.

Do you have any recommendations?

Thank you!

https://www.fazer.fi/tuotteet/961161/fazer-leipurit-leipurimestarin-rouhepatonki-380g/

A copy would be nice but i realize copyright and shit but is there a baguette recipe that is somewhat similar to it? A bit of rye, malt, flax seed... That kinda stuff. Sourdough......?

Hi everyone! ❤️

I'm planning a nice dinner with my wife in Helsinki for Valentine's Day and looking for a romantic restaurant with a cozy or fine dining atmosphere.

Do you have any recommendations? I'd love to hear about your favorite spots and personal experiences! 😊

Kiitos 🙏

Curious to see what y’all think! :)

https://youtu.be/k4fBWS9ytL8

Hi all! I may hired full-time for a role (not in Finland) where it is easiest to simply monthly invoice them my 'salary'/fee, as a sole trader.

Now, I know that I should calculate some overhead in the fee calculation, but I have no idea how much or even where to look for information/knowledge. (I have always been a salaried employee so far)

Would anyone have any experience on this set-up, or could even point me to some resources where I can read up?

Many thanks in advance!

I would love to learn finnish and my learning style is communicating regularly with someone.

I know apps are easy way to learn, but in my opinion speaking to someone or chatting to native person who speak Finnish or local language is a better way to learn fast.

Is it common to make real connections on reddit in Finland ?

Hey everyone,

Finland is often praised as one of the most English-friendly countries in the world, especially in Helsinki. But is that really the case, or is it just a myth?

Currently, there is a blog from Helsinki

Sure, workplaces, universities, and many public services accommodate English speakers, but what about real life? 

I know i can google it right away. If Sweden has Ikea and Mojang (Minecraft) Denmark has Lego. What brands or products does Finland is popular about? Since Nokia's world reign already ended 15 years ago.

Despite all the negative stuff I have been reading about Finland. We have decided to move there, as 1) A very safe country for our kids 2) Education is always ranked as best in the world. However, the language is very difficult as it seems. How long did it take you guys to learn? I speak fluently 3 languages which shares nothing common with Finnish language so I am thinking it will take some time.

I graduated from a Finnish educational institution a couple of years ago and got a job where I can choose how many shifts to take. I'm currently on a residence permit for a person with a degree completed in Finland. I wonder how important it is that I make the required amount each month if I don't want to lose my residence permit.

I'm paying relatively little in rent while living with another person. My expenses are generally pretty low. So, I need much less than the required €1,210/month to live (I live in the Helsinki region). I have around 2.5 years before I need to renew my residence permit, and I will most likely be eligible for citizenship before it expires (I speak Finnish).

I want to make time for pursuing some personal goals and am thinking of significantly cutting back on the number of shifts I take.

How likely is Migri to notice if I earn less than the required amount for an extended period of time (more than three months) if I have a job and never apply for any KELA benefits?

Hello everyone,

We will be travelling to Finland via ferry and up north via overnight train this month. We are taking our 2year old on the trip. I have read the travel guide provided by the government und also searched this community and google, but didn‘t find anything. Is it possible to rent a sled in or near Kemijärvi for our child? We want to go on short hikes and our pram (on wheels) will likely not work in the snow. We don‘t want to carry him in a backpack (not sure of the word, but specifically made for carrying childen on your back) because we are afraid to slip and fall.

How do finish people manage bringing their children?

For further info - yes, he‘s able to walk. But likely not for a whole hour to finish a small track.

I‘m very thankful for any advice. :)

There seems to be a neverending stream of these posts nowadays..

I see why:

"Thank you for your application to our Internship Program! Nice to see that Terveystalo's Internship Program has attracted a lot of interest, and we have received 1259 applications for the Junior Developer position."

Nice to see our severe lack of tech workforce seems to have subsided?

Regularly someone posts on reddit that they want to learn Finnish, or they want to find Finnish friends. I am a stay at home dad and have experience working with people who have moved here from some other countries. I think I can allocate some portion of the day talking to people in discord, if there are people who would find it nice to aid the learning process by talking to someone native casually. I don't want a huge public server with hundreds of people to moderate, but rather a smaller platform with no need for extensive rules and limitations. I will share the link to the discord to everyone who sends me a private message.

Hi there, my wife and I moved to Helsinki about 2 years back and discovered Bonne Mangosose few months back and absolutely loved it. We are trying to find this one liter pack for it in the stores but unable to find it anywhere. We can find the smaller packs in Prisma however sometimes it’s hard to find it as well. There are 1 liter Mango-Pineapple mix sauce packs but not just 100% Mango. Any information where can I buy the one liter packs? PS. The picture is from my wife’s workplace but the kitchen person who brings new cartons doesn’t have that information as well, hence asking here. 😊

I’m planning to study abroad in Finland and was wondering about universities that offer strong programs in entomology or insect ecology. If anyone here has studied it in Finland, I’d love to hear about your experience!

How are the courses structured? What kind of research opportunities are there? And how does it compare to your previous studies (if you studied the same field elsewhere)? I want to get a sense of what to expect and how it might differ from my current studies.

Would appreciate any insights!

Hello!

I live in Italy, but my family is part finnish. I've always loved some finnish foods, but all the websites I found ship to Finland only.

In particular I'm looking to buy cardamom, here in Italy it's just not the same.

Any suggestions on how to get it? It's pretty standard stuff in Finland, every supermarket has it!

Thank you!

I’m (F22) planning to study abroad in Finland soon, and while I’m really excited, I can’t help but feel a bit concerned. I’m a Muslim woman who wears a scarf (not a jilbab, just a regular scarf), and I’ve always heard that Northern European countries can be racist and Islamophobic. Since I’m a woman, I feel like that makes things even riskier.

That being said, I’ve always wanted to go to Finland! Some of my favorite rock bands are Finnish, the country looks stunning, and from what I’ve seen, the people seem really nice. But after hearing some warnings, I’m starting to second-guess things.

For those who have studied abroad, especially other Muslims, how was your experience? Did you face discrimination? Were people generally accepting? Any advice on navigating life there as a visibly Muslim student?

Hi, as the title suggests I'd like to send something (a display monitor) through ToriDiili.

It is not an expensive one (I wouldn't even consider it if it was 200+), but still, I'd like that money, and the transaction to go well for everybody.

How do I ensure this goes smoothly? In my mind I can:

- record a video, and take pictures with the monitor working right before going to drop-off

- tell the buyer that I do not take responsibility at all if something happens during transport, and get his written consent that they agree (as far as that goes...).

But what actual protections do I have in case something happens? What if the guy picks it up and then cancels the payment or something? Or complains that it is broken (maybe it is, maybe it isn't?).

I do not want to hassle too much for 100 bucks, but at the same time, I'd like the 100 bucks.

I am asking this also for future reference, and in case I would be the buyer of such electronic items.

P.S: it is not an obvious scam account, it has the "Tunnistettu henkilö" badge and 2 reviews.

Hello, which bank has the least fees? I mean for having an account and such? My gf has Finnish nordea and she pays around 5 eur every month just for the fees.

I read that s bank is free or very cheap. Do they also provide house loans ? If we decide to buy something in the future.

I have a Danish nordea so i was just thinking to stay there but I would also prefer not to pay too much fees.

It would also be nice if the bank app had english translation.

Thanks for any tips.