How to plan your perfect Finnish summer cabin holiday

PICK YOUR CABIN STYLE
The opportunities are endless, from a simple cottage without running water or electricity to a full-blown luxury villa, you can find anything. I personally love the charm of simplicity – we opted for a cabin without running water, but with electricity, which was a great compromise. Think of things like the kitchen appliances, if you want to go fishing, do you need to wash clothes? Also important is the exact location, especially if you have reduced mobility or travel with smaller children.

ARRIVAL
Getting to your cabin is quite important to think about, because it’s very likely you’ll need a car. Not just because cabins are by nature out in the sticks, but also to get groceries and all other supplies to location will require that. If you will need to rent a car it is an additional cost to consider that can be quite substantial. You can also take the train to the next larger town and rent a car from there. This saves you driving kilometres and often it’s cheaper than from the larger cities.

SAUNA
No Finnish summer cabin holiday experience is right without the sauna. Especially in a cabin without running water, the sauna will be the place to wash and “shower”. Older cabins might still have the sauna right next to the shore, which nowadays isn’t allowed to be built anymore, so it’s extra special! Important to consider is the type of sauna as well, the majority of cabins have a wood-fired sauna, smoke saunas are rarer and the electric saunas are usually found more often in apartment buildings and homes. Whatever it is, if you’re not super familiar with either, maybe it’s a good idea to read up on how to work the sauna properly before you travel.

LAKE VS SEASIDE?
Seaside = less mosquitoes, but risk of algae when swimming, water supply can be a bit annoying.
Lake = mosquitoes can drive you nuts, lakes are generally warmer to swim in and you have the freshwater supply right there. We were at the seaside in the Western archipelago and during our entire stay, we encountered maybe 3 mosquitoes. So it totally depends on your personal preference, but also of course on the season and the severity of the specific year you travel.

WATER ACCESS
For me, it was quite important to have our own access to a beach or a pier. Of course, there are also cabins that are just in the forest, but if swimming and all that is important to you, make sure the type of access is right for you. Is a pier enough for you? Do you want to use a boat as well? Beach access is sometimes shared, so look out for that.

ACCESS TO CIVILISATION
Meaning: how far away is the next grocery store, the next town, restaurant or café. This is mainly important for groceries and other supplies, because it has a big impact on what you have to bring and how meticulously you need to plan food-wise, and how you want to fill your days – if you want to go on some little trips around the place or just stay in the cabin. Our cottage had a small village shop just a 10-minute drive away, and a bunch of bigger shops within half an hour by car, and a café with lovely terrace also nearby for a little afternoon outing.

CLEANING
Most places offer a cleaning service at the end of your stay, so think if you want to add that! I personally like to get it, it’s a holiday after all and a small luxury. It is usually expected required that you take our the bins and recycle properly and of course don’t leave a total mess behind.