Bri’s Must-Do Adventures in Northern Europe

A guide for your winter trips:

1. Go on a sauna crawl in Helsinki, Finland

There are more saunas than cars in Finland; there are 2 million saunas in Finland for a population of only 5 million. The Finns consider their saunas a necessity, right up there with rye bread and vodka. If you get the chance to go to Finland, you absolutely must go on a sauna crawl. This activity consists of visiting multiple different saunas in quick succession while getting drunk on Finlandia Vodka. If you want the authentic experience, after leaving the last sauna and you are properly drunk, you must take a quick dip in the ice-cold Baltic Sea.

2. Take a booze cruise to Stockholm, Sweden

The Baltic Queen cruise line runs booze cruises between all of the countries that border the Baltic Sea. These cruises are nothing like the Thousand Island booze cruise we have all done in Kingston. These cruise boats are MASSIVE and have multiple full-size night clubs on board. The boats are almost exclusively full of exchange students partying for 10+ hours. You leave one country, party the night away, take a quick nap, and wake up in a new country. BEST TIME EVER!

3. Explore Tallinn, Estonia, in the Winter

Visiting Estonia is not often at the top of many exchange students’ travel lists. But this hidden gem is one of the most affordable and beautiful destinations in the winter. Tallinn is a medieval town with a Christmas village type of vibe - it’s very similar to Prague but without all the tourists. If you are interested in history, architecture, and concept clubbing (my favourites were a nightclub in a war bunker, or the laboratory-themed bar), then you should definitely add Tallinn to your list.

4. Go to a reindeer farm in a Finnish national park

Finland has some of the coolest national parks in Europe! Just a 45 minute train outside the city center is a national park that boasts one of the worlds largest reindeer farms. I highly recommend that you go visit, feed the reindeers, have a Finish Cinamon roll, and do a little cross country skiing!

5. Try authentic Swedish meatballs

Once you have arrived in Stockholm (via booze cruise hopefully), I highly recommend you go to Meatballs for the People and try authentic Swedish meatballs. If you think Ikea meatballs are good boy are you in for a treat. My friends and I ordered the tasting platter which comes with 8 meatball variations, and unlimited mashed potatoes.

Whether you're visiting a friend or are on an exchange up North, make sure to make the most of it by going on these unique experiences.