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How to survive in Finland in November
-Practical things you need to know


There are lots of things you need to know when you come to Finland in November. First of all the weather is already quite cold especially in the northern parts above the Arctic circle.


When you arrive in Finland it´s important to have lots of warm clothes with you. If you don´t own warm clothes needed to survive November in Finland you have some serious shopping to do.
First of all you need a warm fluffy coat and a warm pair of comfortable shoes. You also need a woollen scarf and a nice pair of thick gloves, and don´t forget to buy a hat.


If you have some problems finding these things here is some good shopping advice.
If you arrive in Helsinki, which isn´t that big if you compare to other capitals you might have visited, here are some shops you might try out.
If you´re looking for a vast variety of items go to Stockmann, which is one of the most popular shopping venues for the upper middle class.They offer all kinds of things you might need with sports-, electronics-, and clothes sections and probably the best grocery store in Helsinki.
And of course we also have small boutiques specialised in different style persuations. If you´re into let´s say hip hop influenced "gangsta" style you´ll find that "Syndicate" and "Mic Mac" store have just what you need to satisfy the needs of your inner "gangsta".
But if you like the opposite more trendy, rich style clothes, there are lots of small and expensive shops that offer you everything you want in Helsinki´s down town area.
We also have small shops all over town which are specialised in all kinds of more exotic styles.


When you have everything you need to survive outside in November it´s time to move to the things you can do in Finland. If you want to see what Finland is known for, you need to go to the northern part of Finland, which is Lapland. In November there could be snow already so there´s a lot to do there. When you first go there you could go to visit Santa Claus. He lives at Korvatunturi but he has a place called Santa´s village which you can visit, where you can see how his elves work and how his reindeer live during November.
It´s kind of a big place where you can do several different things, like maybe go for a ride with the reindeer or just feed them. There are also many souvenir shops where you can buy something to take home with you, maybe to your parents or friends or maybe even for yourself.
If you´re not into visiting Santa you could always head up for the fells for a long nice hike. Lapland´s mountains have a lot to offer like lots of different wild animals, great views over Lapland`s great forests and lots of fresh air to keep you going. If you´re lucky you might even see a wild bear. We can promise you that if you go for a hike it will be a unique experience you might never get to experience again.


If you don´t decide to head up north which means you´ll stay perhaps in Helsinki,the capital, there´s a lot to do. If you want to visit museums there are quite a lot of places to go to. If you like art you could go to Kiasma which offers modern art or then if you´re into opera or ballet you could maybe go to see a performance of ballet or go to listen to those great opera singers at the Finnish National Opera, which happens to be here in Helsinki.
If you like different sports you´ve come to the right place. Finland offers you everything from beach-ball to ice rink sports.
Of course you have to play every outside sport inside in November but we have quite a lot of ice rinks if you want to try something different. But it´s not that easy to find a place to try skating if you´re interested, a month later and you could maybe skate outside already.


If you´re not at all interested in any of those things you could experience Helsinki by night maybe. If you´re under 18 you´re not allowed to go to any bar, cafeteria (after about 7pm) or discotheque.
It´s quite sad, it´s not practical at all, because the young ones go out and destroy the city when they don´t have any inside place to go to and they don´t want to be at home. But if you know a lot of people it´s good, because there´s always someone you can go home to and spend your evening with, if you have nothing better to do. There´s nothing better than a good home party with lots of friends. You could also go to catch a movie at the cinema or go to rent a movie and buy a pizza and go home to someone and chill and have some fun.

Now you know many things that will help you survive in Finland in November. Now all YOU need to do is pack your bags and head for the airport and take the first flight to Finland and we´ll see you when you get here. Have a nice journey!!!

Sources: Made by:
Our own knowledge Sonja Degerth
Alexis Hulden
Isabelle Thibault