Spooktacular Finland

This Halloween season, embark on a chilling journey through haunted spots, spooky sites with chilling stories around Finland. The autumn season is warm, and cozy with the spectacular bloom of foliage colors (‘ruska’ in Finnish) but it is the time when the days are getting darker and the leaves are dying. Yet nature shows its ‘sisu’ (perseverance, courage) and goes into survival mode. Seasonal gastronomy is flourishing using fresh ingredients foraged above and below the ground and as the hunting season starts different kinds of game are added to the cuisine. Get inspired by some of the programs Next Travel can organize for your group!

🐻War history, mythical rocks and bear watching at Saimaa in Lakeland Finland

Eastern Finland holds a treasure, the enchanting Lake Saimaa with its pure nature. Saimaa is unique in Europe. Situated in the heart of Europe’s largest lake district, is one of the best places in Europe to visit for a unique holiday. 

An important Saimaa Geopark Geosite and a national shrine is Astuvansalmi, one of the biggest rock painting sites in the Nordic countries. The paintings are on steep bedrock approximately 10 metres above the current water level. The paintings are estimated between 4500 and 6000 years old. Mystic figures, elks, human figures and handprints are displayed on the rock. This impressive site is watched over by a ‘rock god’, a rock that resembles a human head.

The 184-metre high Neitvuori (‘maiden’s hill’) with its peak being 110 metres above Lake Saimaa was named after a maiden who plummeted to her death from a cliff, when fleeing the Russians during the Great Northern War. From Neitvuori, in clear weather, you will have beautiful forest views and a panorama of the Luonteri archipelago in the labyrinthine Lake Saimaa.

🐾Bear watching in Eastern Finland

Experience the most unforgettable nature experience in Eastern Finland: watching the Finnish national animal, the brown bear. We can organize a wildlife safari with adventure enthusiasts to spend the night in a hide inside a booth or small cabin quietly from evening to morning, and watch through tiny windows as the predators arrive to eat the carcass hidden in front of the booth. Bear safaris are 100% safe – not suitable for the youngest children in the family.

😬The spooky Parikkala Sculpture Park

Visit this peculiar park full of hundreds of weird concrete statues, made by the Finnish folk artist Veijo Rönkkönen. Located in Parikkala, eastern Finland, Veijo Rönkkönen's sculpture park is home to hundreds of bizarre statues, some even featuring real human teeth. As Finland’s most significant collection of contemporary folk art, these concrete figures are known for their haunting facial expressions, which give the park an unsettling atmosphere. Adding to the eerie vibe, some statues are accompanied by sound effects, enhancing the park’s spine-chilling ambiance. 

😱Haunted walking tours in Helsinki and Suomenlinna Fortress Island

Helsinki is filled with haunted houses, execution sites and other frightful attractions. The historically and culturally significant buildings of the Alexander Theatre and the Finnish National Theatre are homes to ghosts. The legend has it that the bricks for Alexander Theatre came from a fortress that was bombed during the Crimean War and alongside the bricks came a ghost who loves opera and likes to open doors! The Finnish National Theatre is also the residence of half a dozen restless spirits that are said to inhabit the building, walking around the main stage, backstage and changing rooms. The ghost of Urho Somersalmi sits in the director’s stall and disappears if anyone spots him! Finnish actor Urho Somersalmi murdered his wife with an ax he received as a gift from the Finnish Actors' Union and he later on hanged himself. 

Gallows rock in Arabia shoreline of Helsinki

The oldest execution site in Helsinki was erected along the Arabianranta shoreline in 1550. Thieves and murderers, as well as many high-ranking nobles were instantaneously sent to the scaffold and were also hanged there. 

The Dreadful Suomenlinna -tour

Explore the hidden spaces inside the imposing stone walls of Suomenlinna Fortress island on a guided tour. Beneath lofty vaults and within the depths of dark corridors, the history of the fortress unfolds in a whole new way! The Dreadful Suomenlinna -tour is based on historical facts and figures, and it focuses on the dark side of human life. In the past, those who had done wrong often ended up serving time in the fortress. In the 1700s and 1800s, in the margins of the fortress community lived also women, who had fallen through the cracks and ended up in equally infamous professions. The tour also discusses lethal agents invisible to the eye: diseases!

😱Lodge glamping and the unsolved mystery of Lake Bodom in Espoo (Helsinki Metropolitan Area)

Autumn is a season for lodge glamping so you can experience the best of Finnish nature as the tent allows sounds and the pure scents of nature inside while keeping the rain and wind out. We can organize your transportation, accommodation, nature activities, and hiking in the woods.

This lake in the suburbs of Espoo may seem idyllic, but it was the location of one of the most gruesome unsolved crimes in Finnish history. In June 1960, four teenagers on a camping trip were attacked in the night. There has since been a lot of speculation and theories of what happened that night, but the mystery remains unsolved. The lake itself is beautiful and peaceful but it is disturbing to walk around it with this knowledge. With this theme, we can also organize an escape room team working experience for your group.

🏰 The haunted Mustio Manor in Raseborg

Over 200 years old and a home to many ghost stories, such as ‘the grey lady’ that haunts the corridors at night. The grounds at Mustio now house a hotel, a restaurant, a summer theatre and a museum. Experience an unforgettable Halloween at Mustio Manor, come and feel the chills and listen to captivating ghost stories at Southern Finland's most famous haunted manor. Join a Halloween ghost tour through the manor's historic rooms and most secret corners for chilling stories about the manor's past and tales of former residents, ghostly phenomena, and unexplained events.

Contact us at info@nexttravel.fi and get a quote for your group! Welcome to Finland!