Mistakes Tourists Make in Finland

[@AK-xq5cn]

Interesting map choice at 6:50

[@Juhani96]

original one xD

[@heh9392]

Based Wolter

[@fantasip]

It's how the Finnish border looked before Finland had to leave that Carelian area to Russia in the peace settlement

[@Mmm-bl3xb]

Pre Stalin imperialism and Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Atleast Finland conserved its independence and most of its territory

[@barrysteven5964]

I've been to Finland eight times and my children have spent many summer holidays in a lakeside mökki. The only thing that gets on my nerves about Finland is when Finns constantly push the stereotype of themselves being unfriendly and never speaking to anyone they don't know. I've always found Finns to be friendly, warm hearted and very witty.

[@magicofshootingstar]

Well Finns rarely initiate talks with strangers if there isn't a need. If there is a need (and I go to place x to mingle is considered need in this case 😄) they usually don't have problem talking. And if you make proper friends with a Finn, you will have very loyal friend for a life. Oh and in smaller towns/cities people are more friendly (or curious: "who is that, I don't recognize the car" 😅🤣) than people in biggest cities.

[@mikkoolavijarvinen3653]

McDonalds sells hamburgers that contain some mayonnaise. Hesburger sells mayonnaise that contains some hamburger.

[@henkkahenrik4183]

@@mikkoolavijarvinen3653 as Hesburger should. Their mayo is made by gods. XD

[@yorkaturr]

Finland is a fairly large country and the weather varies widely between the north and south throughout the year. Arriving in Helsinki in our typical 0 Celsius winter weather dressed up like you're ready to take over the North Pole will only be uncomfortable, as it's always +23 C indoors. Just make sure to wear shoes that don't slip on ice wherever you go, because the sidewalks are slippery everywhere. Slipping on ice will typically either break a bone or dislocate some joint in your arm.

[@ToPAnDER]

@@yorkaturr The slipping and icy sidewalks are a menace. I just fell 4 times in 20 minutes while walking the dog

[@mikkorenvall428]

Sure if you are not used to slipping it can cause breaking a bone but 8 out of 10 you just get a pain and a bruise. And if not careful you might get little concussion. And to put size to some proportion Finland is about 800 miles south to north and about 350 miles at it's widest east to west.

[@velttovee]

and if out of town raised you usually know "penguin walk" to have your weight down :D

[@Stadionpunainen]

@@mikkorenvall428 thats why its so important to keep falling again and again in winter when you are kid :D

[@ArchieArpeggio]

There might also be quite high changes in temperatures. I remember one winter day when it was -31 celsius at the evening and night. Next morning was only -1 outside.

[@finnishyourplate]

Hey I think Finnish food can be exciting too! That's why I originally started my channel. I love your channel by the way, partly because you're often in Turku, where I'm from originally. Most KZbinrs who visit Finland only seem to just stop in Helsinki for a day or so, and then quickly take a ferry to Tallinn or Stockholm

[@CC94_]

Try lonkero/long drink when in Finland. Gin with fruit soda, traditional is grapefruit but there’s so many. The best!

[@jussim.konttinen4981]

You can make lonkero anywhere. Pour in 4cl of Gin. Top up with grapefruit lemonade. In Finnish grapefruit is "greippi", which is why people confuse it with grape.

[@Qassu78]

Lonkero is by definition gin or brandy and grapefruit juice. It is a drink developed by Alko and made by Hartwall for the olympic games of Helsinki in 1952. Everything else sold as Lonkero is just fake.

[@Qassu78]

By the way, we had two firsts back in the 1952. Besides of Lonkero, Coca Cola made it's entry to finnish markets :'D

[@watdeneuk]

It's so surprising to me that ''cutting the line is rude'' is a thing in every one of his video's. No, cutting the line is not ok, ever, where ever.

[@imonoke7903]

Many countries people cut in lines. In finland NOBODY cut in lines

[@woltersworld]

So many places in the world peopls dont care about the line culture

[@japanneedsjesus]

@@woltersworld there should be Line Police! 🚓👮‍♂️

[@oldbittercraig3513]

I reckon you've never been to India.

[@VampyricObsessions]

Living in a relatively multicultural area, I've witnessed several occasions where some foreigners try to cut in line when they're "just buying cigarettes" or whatever, and then looking absolutely dumbfounded when the cashiers ignore them and other customers get angry (also, having the nerve to act confused when people scold you for being so unbelievably rude and inconsiderate is not going to help - if anything, the opposite lol). It's surprising to me as well, but that is absolutely a thing people should be reminded of.

[@tobiojo6469]

Hey Mark, awesome video and hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and fabulous new year.

[@turpasauna]

Merry Christmas to everyone. 😊

[@woltersworld]

Same to you!

[@gjmarc]

Yes there are lots of great places in Finland. I travelled through Karelia, to places like Joensuu, Savonlinna, Outokumpu, and many more. I learned about the magic of blueberries as a cure for stomach ailments, (if you suffer from coldsores, eat a handful of blueberries) Oh and I love salmiakki. I actually cook a lot of Finnish dishes especially around Christmas. Lastly yes I can speak some Finnish and V.S.P. was not the first words although I know them. My friends in Helsinki were pleased at how much Finnish I remembered.

[@turpasauna]

Lingonberries are even better for stomach aches, especially digestion issues. 😊

[@lotus_kitsune]

V*ttu, s*atana, p*rkele. Nice touch, Mark! 😂 But really, we love hearing good things about our little country.

[@woltersworld]

I love Suomi!

[@Moondancemilly]

@@woltersworld we know you do.

[@mikkoolavijarvinen3653]

Those are already very well known internationally, I'd suggest teaching greetings like "työnnä kantele virtsaputkeen".

[@iamthematti]

Say it in finnish! ​@@woltersworld

[@TeroKoskinen-xy2zz]

VSP and H (H*lvetti)

[@abc_0_10_11]

He knows us Finns. One of us :) !

[@woltersworld]

Kiitos!

[@venkkooo]

love the map of real finland at 6:48

[@larshohmuth4035]

Don’t skip trying new Scandinavian cuisine. Spis or Ravintola Vinkkeli in Helsinki are amazing and much cheaper than restaurants in Copenhagen or Stockholm. But yes, middle of the road Finnish food is rather grim. Sushi is pretty good, though, and burgers are often a safe bet. And don’t miss Amos Rex or Suomenlinna.

[@russmeans]

Markets for us are always destinations. So interesting to look and see how others live every day.

[@woltersworld]

I love visiting them too

[@mikkorenvall428]

Funny about the cuisine... But true. We don't have that much finnish cuisine in restaurants. We cook it at home! When we go out we want something else. More than once I have laughed that most sure place to get reindeer stew or fried vendace in Finland is to go to Helsinki market square where it's been cooked for tourists... You don't get much elsewhere... unless you cook it yourself.

[@smiauu]

everyone should try salmiakki

[@jenniferlemming3249]

My husband loves black licorice, and I was able to buy him a bag of salmiakki when we visited Duluth, MN this past summer.

[@taraoakes6674]

We attended the World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki in 2017, and I laughed at all of the other nations (other than other Scandinavians) that were shocked by the licorice only kiosks in the convention center. I love the soft black licorice in small ropes, although I did try some of the others while I was there.

[@suomenpresidentti]

Best food in Finland hands down is Läskisoosi, when cooked properly. Serve with boiled potatoes, traditional soft ryebread and buttermilk.

[@hannuback]

If you're visiting in the summer and especially if you want to travel to the countryside and the archipelago, keep in mind that the finnish holiday season is busiest in June and July. Schools end in the first week of June and start by mid August and that's when the finnish families are on vacation. This means that some smaller museums, summer restaurants, markets and even some resorts close their season in the first weeks of August. Then again if you're ok with this and want to avoid crowds, the weather is often warm in August (by finnish standards) and there is still plenty to see. I like to have my vacation in August and the first weeks of September, but I often find that the holiday season is over and there are less options available. Many travellers have been surprised that the finnish summer season ends so soon, but the reality is that most customers are domestic and many businesses can't afford to keep things running until September in hopes that there will be customers from abroad.

[@magicofshootingstar]

I'm sure somebody has commented this but I'm lazy and not reading the comments: "Lakritsi" is a black liquorice (sometimes salted a bit, normally not). "Salmiakki" is ammonium chloride which is salt in a chemical sense (not as table salt sense). Sometimes salmiakki is mixed with liquorice to make some of the candies but true salmiakki has nothing to do with liquorice except color and slightly similar taste 😃

[@EstacaoFinlandia]

Quando ofereci salmiakki para minha amiga no Brazil ela disse que parecia ser uma bala feita de soy sauce. Mas nós oferecemos porque realmente gostamos! Experimente o sorvete de salmiakki, é ótimo! Hyvä matkaa Suomessa 😊

[@TeroKoskinen-xy2zz]

Good Christmax in you Wolters.

[@js0988]

1. They come to Finland in the winter!

[@Spugedelia77]

Many people want see snow (for the first time) and experience cold weather.

[@woltersworld]

Inliked it in the winter.... the qst winter i visited 😉

[@iamthematti]

As a finnish if some tourist would try to say anything in finnish i would consider them a friend for a lifetime

[@gordongekko5441]

Welcome to my hometown!

[@MightyBearKing]

Chocolate with salmiakki-surprise inside, LOL

[@Wadetrtl]

I’ve learned that Finnish people are often much more friendly towards tourists, than other Finns 😄 So when Finns say that we’re not friendly or we’re cold and quiet, that might not be the case if you are visiting!

[@Penelope222]

I should stop watching your videos about Finland. Only had three days, fell in love and miss it dreadfully! I’d kill for a Karelian Pie riight now! And the Haribo/candy options!!! I actually don’t mind the licorice, but perhaps that’s because I’m Aussie and grew up with Vegemite 😂 Agree on Hesberger too. So much better than McDonalds.

[@woltersworld]

Sorry. But we suffer togetherr now as i dont know when im heading back

[@Moondancemilly]

@@Penelope222 There are better things to eat in this big beautiful world than Hessi.

[@Penelope222]

@@Moondancemilly oh absolutely, but after an evening at Linnanmaki, it was a pleasant discovery!

[@Murks33]

Hesburger is definitely the mayo-lovers choice over the other chains.

[@burkkis]

I work in the restaurant industry in Helsinki. And i get alot of tourists asking me if i speak english. You don't have to ask that if you're in any city in finland, and especially from people working in customer service. Everybody speaks english.

[@MegaMuussi]

@@burkkis no, not everybody speaks english in finland.

[@mattegeniet]

@@MegaMuussi no but the vast vast majority of service industry workers do. I’ve met the occasional Russian or Estonian cashier who don’t but otherwise extremely rare.

[@lwilton]

I live in the Los Angeles area and visited Norway last year. It was so amazing to hear people speaking English in public! And to be able to actually talk to a casher or service employee with more than hand gestures and "da nada". That just doesn't happen in America!

[@jd3422]

You're probably right that many people, especially in customer service, speak English. For me, though, beginning an interaction by asking that question is much more polite than just forging ahead in English, with the expectation that people will understand you.

[@castform57]

4:03 that's a pretty good pronunciation. To be properly grammatically correct, it should of course be "minä haluan yhden korvapuustin". Without those specific cases the sentence is basically like "I want. One cinnamonroll". It's perfectly understandable, but those are some of the weird situations where you'd have to alter the words to "correctly" say the phrase.

[@villevanhatalo]

Have you tried Harald restaurant in Finland (the viking style restaurants)? Or Savotta restaurant near Kauppatori in Helsinki. They're quite good, though Savotta is mainly for tourists.

[@ProfessorOfCool]

Zetor is even more "peak Finnish".

[@LilA-zl6tf]

Herburger's paprika mayonnaise! 👍❤

[@torpmorp1324]

Reindeer is the same animal as caribou in Canada but half domesticated. All the Finnish reindeer have owners.

[@markusnisius9325]

Once i was up in Oulu watching a hockey game wearing my touristy Finland hat and so many people smiled at me, just like the example with learning a few words of Finnish. They love it when you take interest in the country. About the words they teach you, not sure about the S, but the other two are for sure vittu and perkkele 😉

[@Moondancemilly]

Lies. Finns don’t smile.

[@Johan-un9gl]

Can I find hesburger in Sweden? If not, I need to visit Finland!

[@hjalmarpokela8941]

Not finding traditional finnish food in finnish restaurants is very simple. We are in our hearts the same broke country in the dark of the north we have been for a millenia. So we cook our basic tradiotanal foods at home and when we go out, we want to eat something different. I think there is a statistic that in 1990 almost 95% of meals that finnish people ate were cooked in home or at school.

[@jkausti6737]

2:20 Yeah, in Finland physically abusing your kids, even slightly, is a criminal offence. Imagine a country where you can't beat up your own kids? That's Finland.

[@lisaanimi]

Awful slander about Salmiakki

[@stasacab]

Aurora borealis is not visible everywhere, all the time. Not even in Rovaniemi. Polar plunge is not a requirement if you go to sauna. Northern Finland can be seriously arctic and wild. I have seen videos of people cycling to Nordkapp in winter. They know what they are doing, I hope, but don't you go and try it.

[@mikkozeizei]

The most common mistake people make when they come to Finland is speaking way too loud. Especially in trains. And like you told in this video, we don't probably say anything but our brain is burning inside.

[@heh9392]

7:00 Helsinki is like the only city in Finland where people jaywalk and it's normal there.

[@ArchieArpeggio]

Nope. People do that everywhere depending wht time it is and how hurry people are. In smaller cities it is very common if there isn´t much of trafic.

[@7goldglamour777]

Finnish is a hard language to learn. Luckily my Finnish friends knew Swedish and we would converse that way. But English is spoken like a second language in Finland, taught early on

[@Maani070]

If you like mayo on your burger you will propably love hesburger but if u hate it you will propably hate hesburger. Hesburger is kinda like pineapple on pizza either you love it or you hate it.

[@hoo_jii]

Every local in Helsinki does jaywalk ;)

[@corinna007]

"Trusting the weather." Bud, I'm Canadian. Rule number one is don't trust the weather forecast. "Not visiting the markets." Luckily, I've stayed with friends while I've visited, so they know the best places. And yes, karjalanpiirakat and korvapuustit are fantastic! "Not telling your kids that the reindeer you eat are not the same reindeer Santa flies with." I don't have children, so for now I'm clear. 😅 I'm not southern European so late night dinners out aren't really a thing for me except maybe in bigger cities. "Not speaking Finnish." This is one I really need to work on; I do speak some Finnish but I'm too shy to actually speak it when I visit. I'm getting better, though! "Cutting in line" Yeah, same here in Canada. Cutting in line is quite impolite. Usually, though, the line cutter will be called out, and if it's an honest mistake, the person will apologize and move to the correct spot. "Thinking all of Finland is as expensive as Helsinki." I've found that prices are usually pretty comparable to where I live. I've spent the most time so far in Tampere. I've managed to make 400€ - 500€ stretch a week until I came home. "The food." Yes, the reindeer, korvapuustit, and especially the karjalanpiirakat are divine. "Finland is a large country" Again, I'm Canadian. You could fit Finland twice into my province alone. The next town over from mine is an hour away. Long distances are nothing to us. "Jaywalking" I think it's a mix here. Some people do, some people don't. I don't. "Not talking to Finns" Yeah, definitely talk to the people! I have a lot of Finnish friends and they are wonderful. 💙🤍 "Eating salty black licorice." I strongly disagree. I don't like black licorice, but I actually like most of the salmiakki. Even the salmari isn't that bad. "Comparing Hesburger to McDonald's". I can't compare, because I haven't actually been to Hesburger. 😅

[@suomenpresidentti]

Pharmacists salmiakki is the real deal. Sold in pharmacies.

[@petrakoskela5340]

🇫🇮💙

[@Grassbrook]

#1 Only visiting Helsinki and/or Lapland and thinking this is "Finland". Helsinki is the equivalent to New York in the US, but in a bad way. Lapland is a bit like Yellowstone without the volcanic stuff. So I would highly recommend skipping at least Helsinki and spend your time elsewhere, e.g. Turku and the surrounding archipelago and take the coastal road up north, if you really really have to go to Lapland. Turku, the ancient and real capital city, the Archipelago Sea and the Åland Islands are something really unique in Finland. The other stuff is just "meh".

[@SimoExMachina2]

The one mistake all visitors to Lappeenranta always make is that they cannot tell the difference between "Vety" (Hydrogen) and "Atomi" (atom), our traditional fastfood dishes. Vety is the meat pie with both ham and egg, while atomi is the meat pie with only ham or egg. And with the ham you have to make the critical decision: boiled or smoked. I love smoked ham, I can live with boiled, but smoked is the superior variant. Always take it with "all toppings". And if you love coffee, take the "pan coffee" (unfiltered), because that has so much more flavors to it. Flavors such as arythmic heart beat. Welcome to the city of Lehmus trees. I have no idea what those trees are in English. They are pretty and they are ours, so feel free to use the wonderful service called Google translator.

[@magicofshootingstar]

Well Finns don't know those either, so I guess "all visitors" is exactly correct 😅🤣

[@thejjzz]

"Finnish food is better than the food in my country" said no one ever.

[@nikovarinowski8807]

V. S. P. VITTU, SAATANA, PERKELE?! 😂

[@laukkuapina]

Now I would like to hear you talking while breathing inside. Or did you do that already?

[@sl4193]

Thank you Mark, appreciate you sharing your travelling experiences. I do like visiting a local food market, a great suggestion.

[@woltersworld]

Glad you enjoyed the video, I love local food markets too!

[@pojuantsalo3475]

V.S.P. 🤣Yeah, those are the first words foreigners tend to learn. Some foreigners actually like salmiakki when they taste it for the first time, but that's 10 % at best. In general salmiakki is the most approachable for beginners mixed in chocolate or ice-cream. Even people who say they hate salmiakki often like those.

[@eerohorila1109]

@@pojuantsalo3475 And the P is the most powerfull. Every vote for the most powerfull curse word in Finnish language is dominated by the P. It rolls of of your tongue when you hit your toe to a table leg, and you don't even think about it. Perkele.

[@Xopeto1]

You maybe should change that map at 6:50, because generally us finns are very fine with current border with Russia. Karjala takaisin (Karelia back) is more of a joke these days. Ps. When I travel to new destination in Europe, I always first check out your video about it.

[@Skege1000]

You used bit older Finnish map. That was before WW2

[@venkkooo]

that's the real one. We are planning on implementing that in the future. T : KKL

[@woltersworld]

My editors

[@pelaaja2285]

Turku on paras

[@BradThePitts]

December 2024: Kauppahalli Market was CLOSED at 5pm on a weekday! Hop on Hop off was weekends only! Hard to find open restaurants on Sunday evening.

[@jukkasarilo7573]

Why do finnish people not dislike tourists? They do not come here.

[@japanneedsjesus]

🇫🇮 ❄️🦌

[@amadeuz819]

Its santas reindeer's babies we eat.

[@Tramptraveller]

❤❤❤

[@greg5023]

"Expect snow" ... I grew up near the Gulf of Mexico and if I went to Finland, I would expect glaciers.

[@woltersworld]

No glaciers. Though you will feel like a glacier if you go in january

[@ellipsis8228]

VittuSaatanaPerkele

[@woltersworld]

Holy trinity strikes again 😀

[@user-ol2nk1wx9x]

" Mistakes Tourists Make in Finland " speaking as a Finn, coming to Finland is the biggest mistake one can make.

[@user-ol2nk1wx9x]

I do agree on the "don't go to Finnish restaurants" though, like, if you're already in Fin for work or some other unavoidable reason then it's very good advice. There are decent restaurants in Helsinki, but all of the "finnish" ones are either 1) lunch places meant for a work lunch serving basically school lunches, or 2) fancy-pants haute cuisine places with wild herbs and tree bits noone actually eats (meaning, they're "finnish cuisine" in name only) that you'll have to pay €150+ at for a tasting menu, or 3) tourist traps

[@toni4620]

Those three words we will teach you are curse words 😅😅😅

[@woltersworld]

You’re not wrong, lol.

[@VampiraVonGhoulscout]

I've never had the egg butter on my karjalanpiirakka, which I know is a crime in Finland. But in my defence, I don't like eggs.

[@turpasauna]

Butter, especially melted, is good too. Oh and mild cheese.

[@MegaMuussi]

I am a finn, never eat karjalanpiirakka with egg butter. Why should I? Not a must at all.

[@woltersworld]

Fair enough. But its really good

[@wadas9042]

vittu saatana perkele

[@woltersworld]

The holy trinity of finnish language. Fun fact, 3 first words the students taught me in school in finland 😀

[@japanneedsjesus]

In Alaska there is a town near Fairbanks called "North Pole" it is Christmas themed, so Santa must be American.

[@jarmopaakkonen2045]

Santa lives in Korvatunturi, not North Pole. So you must be wrong🙃

[@japanneedsjesus]

@@jarmopaakkonen2045 Is he your neighbor? That must be really cool having Santa as your neighbor! 😎

[@jarmopaakkonen2045]

@japanneedsjesus Nope,I don't live in Finland 😉

[@BeyondWrittenWords]

V.S.P. lol!

[@woltersworld]

Holy trinity 😉

[@Moondancemilly]

I have a tip! Just don’t. :)

[@woltersworld]

Booooooo!!!

[@Pahakyy]

Piss off! Salmiakki is ace.

[@woltersworld]

Not my jam 😀

[@Moondancemilly]

@@woltersworld I’m surprised considering how much you simp for Suomi.

[@murraytown4]

Ahem.. Santa is Canadian.

[@toni4620]

Since when Rovaniemi and Santa's village has been in Canada? Please google and find out it's from Finland, Korvatunturi.

[@ADAtrips]

Thankyou! Now maybe I can talk my wife in going to Finland. You made it look fun. My wife is Fin, and Swede and American. But does not like to travel much. (I am opposite). Question: What is your favorite Finish town? 🌴🌴Aloha

[@murraytown4]

@@toni4620 take a chill pill and relax.

[@NihonKaikan]

Licorice? Yes. Salmon? Hell no.

[@gubocci]

Vittu saatana perkele!

[@Knappen82]

How on earth is there anyone who doesn't like salty licorice. That just goes beyond my reason 🫤