FAM Trip

I was lucky to join a group of travel agents from two Russian cities Moscow and Saint Petersburg on a fascinating two-day trip to Finland’s most beautiful region – Tavastia. The reason for this trip was sightseeing, visiting tourist places, observing places of residence and hotels and just enjoying the beautiful scenery of the region. Our colleagues, Russian travel agents, collaborate with Visit Finland and Let’s Go Tavastia in advertising tourist trips for travelers, family weekends and various events in Finland.

My partner Virpi Juutinen who is working in the Finnish travel company Vekka Tours and me joined the Russian group and started our adventure around the picturesque places of this region from the Hotel Sveitsi in the small industrial town Hyvinkää. We had a great opportunity to experience all the delights of this resort: see the rooms with a high level of comfort and have some snacks in the restaurant with a panoramic view on the Finnish forest nature.

Then we went to explore the surroundings of the town of Hämeenlinna, and in particular the national park – Aulanko, which is one of the oldest in Finland. An observation deck and a tower, located on a hill, give you a view of the landscape on the part of the park and Lake Vanajavesi, which is breathtaking and forever remains in memory. There are walking paths, tennis courts, golf courses, as well as bicycles that can be rented on the territory of the park Aulanko. Just a few meters from this beautiful place there is the hotel Scandic Aulanko Spa, where we stayed for the night.

The next morning we went to visit the luxury hotel Vanajanlinna, which offers unique facilities for meetings, corporate and private events, as well as for family celebrations. The hotel is also an ideal place for a truly relaxing weekend. In addition to 29 standard rooms there is also an opportunity to choose an apartment or a villa for a secluded outdoor recreation in the company of loved ones.

Later we went to the sports resort Eerikkilä, which has several football fields, a huge number of sports activities and equipment to take, but besides active recreation, the resort also cares about rest, relaxation and recovery of its guests. It also provides delicious, nutritious and healthy dishes made from local products. The next place we visited was the equally picturesque resort Petäys, on the shore of Lake Vanajavesi. It also gives the opportunity to spend the holidays actively, or simply relax in comfortable suits after visiting the hot Finnish sauna or “black” smoked sauna, and even an outdoor jacuzzi.

After we went to a small cozy town Lepaa, in which, by the way, is located one of the campuses of our university. The incredible beauty of the manor, with a huge history behind, met us and fed us with a dessert specially prepared for the Russian group according to the unique recipe of the chef. It is worth to notice that the cook chooses dishes specifically for each guest or groups who come to the estate. There is local winery not so far from the location, where you can see all the stages of fruit and berry wine production. Obviously, we also did not abandon such an interesting idea. After the tour, we were offered to taste one of the drinks that was so delicious.

After that, Virpi and I said goodbye to Russian colleagues, as they further went to travel to other regions of the Western Lakeland of Finland.
I can say with certainty that it was a very informative and interesting journey that will surely strike my future career in a positive way, and also increase the flow of tourists in the incredibly beautiful region Tavastia!