When I mention I live in Finland, people picture me equipped with a furry coat, scarf, and hat and enveloped in darkness all year round. While that picture might be accurate for five – fine, seven – months a year, it cannot be further from truth during summer. Summer in Finland is an explosion of light, smells, and colours. The fact that good and warm weather is rare makes people more motivated to enjoy it until it lasts. Summer is when people living in Finland breathe in nature and sunlight to endure the following winter. Here I have gathered some must-do activities for you to learn from Finns on how to live summer to the fullest, no matter where you live.

Grilling

You know summer has started when you begin smelling sausage in the air. Major retailers launch the same campaign around grilling season every year: it’s time to brush off the tools and throw some meat or fish on the grill. When I lived in Italy, my family was always lazy to fire up the grill. We procrastinated all summer, because sunny days were the norm there. By living in Finland I have learned to live and appreciate grilling season to the fullest: I love to lay the table on our terrace and eat freshly grilled cheese, sausages, even fish. If you love nature, you can try grilling on the open fire. Many trails have designated pits for campfires (do not start fires in undesignated areas!). If you want to grill like a pro, fish your lunch yourself from a lake!

Swimming in a lake

Finland is know as “the land of a thousand lakes”. You learn that is an understatement when you find out that there are over 187 000 lakes in the country, amounting to one lake every 26 Finns. Dipping into quiet freshwaters is definitely a summer must-do for us living in Finland. The earliest you dive in, the better: whoever dips last to wait for warmer waters, is a chicken in Finland!

Playing Mölkky

Mölkky is a beloved outdoors game that Finnish families love to play. It suits pretty much all ages and it is easy and fun to play. In the game you are asked to throw a wooden pin and hit the numbered wooden skittles. A good aim wins over quantity in this game. Mölkky has gained worldwide popularity – apparently it’s huge in France! – to the point that tournaments are played and associations founded all over the world.
We certainly love a good game of Mölkky and even though we were not familiar with the game when we move to Finland, we have adopted it as one of our beloved family summer games.

Going on hikes

About 75% of Finnish land is covered in trees. Going on hikes in forests or national parks is part of the Finnish summer experience. If you live in Finland, check out the amazing national parks the country features. You can check out some of the hikes we went on near Espoo (Oittaa, Hannusmetsä, Klassarinkierros), in Repovesi or Valkmusa. If you live elsewhere I cannot advise you directly, except for recommending to enjoy nature when it blooms at its best.

Enjoying sauna

Last but not least, the national pride and most beloved tradition of Finland: sauna. Wait: Finnish sauna. It’s an important distinction to make given how picky and proud my fellow Finns are about it. At the bare minimum, you have to enjoy sauna in your birthday suit and keep the temperature between 80C and 110C. During summertime Finns love to heat up in a (wooden) sauna and then dip into the chilling lake waters.

Don’t these sound as wonderful summer activities? Simplest things are the salt of life. Enjoy summer!

This post is a collaboration with Tactic Games, producer of the game Mölkky. Opinions are mine and sincere. Read more about my work values here.
Featured image by congerdesign from Pixabay.