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10 Viking Sites and Events in Finland

The Vikings of pre-Christian Scandinavia were violent, ruthless marauders who terrorised much of Europe for several centuries, and that is precisely why we love them so much. For all of our fascination with the Vikings, we don’t often hear or talk about their impact in Finland, simply because the Vikings never had much of an influence in the country as they did in others. Yet there is plenty of evidence of Vikings landing in Finland, and the Finns are just as fascinated by them as anyone else. These are some of the top Viking archaeological sites, events, and shops to be found in Finland for all history nerds to enjoy.

Åland viking market.

By far the biggest and best Viking event in Finland, the annual Viking market transforms the village of Kvarnbo in the south west Åland Islands into an authentic Viking village for a weekend, attracting over 10,000 visitors each year. There you can wear authentic Viking costumes, stay up late feasting and drinking ale, role play as a Viking, see crafters at work, and watch battle re-enactments. The 2018 market will be held from July 26 to July 28 and will again attract Viking societies from around the world.

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Rosala Viking Centre

If you can’t make it to the Viking Market, the Viking Centre at Rosala is the next best you can get to an authentic Viking experience. The museum contains a replica Viking village, weapons exhibit, burial boat, Viking ship, and even a sacrificial stone. For an extra fee, you can have a guided tour of the centre and even learn how to throw a Viking axe. The attached restaurant and bed and breakfast allows for full immersion in the world of the Vikings.

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National Museum of Finland

Until recently, Finns were somewhat in denial about their history of Viking conquest. After more discoveries by the National Board of Antiquities, it is now possible to see discoveries from Viking archaeological sites in Finland’s museums , especially at the National Museum in Helsinki. Most notable are the beautiful pieces of jewellery from the Räisäla hoard.

Janakkala gravesite

One of the most extraordinary Viking-era arachnological finds in Finland was uncovered completely by accident by amateur explorers with metal detectors. The gravesite in the Häme region dates back to the 12th century and contains a well-preserved skeleton of what is presumably a Viking warrior wielding two swords, possibly placed there to aid the warrior in the afterlife. One of the swords is the longest ancient sword discovered in Finland from any era.

Turku Medieval Market

Depending on who you speak to, the medieval period is a little too late to cross over with the Viking period. Yet at the Medieval Market held in Turku every June, you can experience many of the same things you would at a Viking recreationist event. This includes authentic costume, entertainment, handicrafts, smiths, and an all-around fun atmosphere. Some trade stands also sell Viking jewellery or merchandise.

Ahvenkoski Iron Age village

Possibly the most significant Viking archaeological find in all of Finland to date. In 2010, evidence of a harbour and small Iron Age village were uncovered in the village of Ahvenkoski at the mouth of the Kymijoki river, dating from around 1000 to 1200 CE. The site includes a smithy, furnace, and hundreds of smaller Viking artefacts. Two years later, a cremation grave was found nearby containing human bones and several weapons.

Viking Restaurant Harold

As a theme restaurant, the Harald chain found throughout Finland is somewhat expensive and more than a little cheesy. But if you can afford it and want to gorge on meat and mead like a real Viking, it is a great spot to take friends for a memorable dinner or party. You can even eat your meat straight off a sword!

True Viking Shop

If you’re looking for high quality Viking jewellery, clothing, or costume items, you can’t get much better than the True Viking Shop based in Helsinki. The knowledgeable staff sell a huge range of Viking related items for good prices, including replica weapons, drinking horns, and Mjölnir (Thor’s hammer) necklaces. As well as the shop in Helsinki, you can also find them at many events throughout Finland or order from the online shop.

Borge Swyn Viking ship

This amazing replica Viking ship was constructed in 2014 to accurately resemble a real Viking ship found in Finland to see just how the Vikings built their own ships. The Borge Swyn now sails back into Kvarnbo harbour every year for the Viking Market for visitors to see up close.

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Helsinki - Tallinn - Helsinki - Viking Line - Day Cruises

• Europe    
• Finland    
• Uusimaa    
• Helsinki    
• Helsinki - Things to Do    
• Viking Line - Day Cruises

We had a tax-free coupon from our previous journey. With that, one way journey from Stockholm to... read more

We started on Tuesday in the middle of the day. Viking Line served us sparkling wine, a nice way to... read more

Helsinki - Tallinn - Helsinki

Wow, I thought that my trip over on a Monday morning in the middle of winter would be quiet....not so! Turns out I was in Finland for the school break. As a result the boat was very, very busy, and unless you were first in queue you'd struggle to find a seat on the ship. Despite all this, I had a blast! There's a couple of bars, dance-floor, smoking room, karaoke, shopping, restaurants. I paid extra for the buffet on the evening cruise back and I thought it was money well-spent! The food was good and wine was free-flowing. The cosmetics and alcohol shopping is very good and it's certainly cheaper to buy these goods on the ferry as opposed to buying in Finland. Viking Line was ideal for me as my hotel was nearby the terminal in Helsinki. In Tallinn, the ship docked very close to old town, around a 10 minute walk away. Sadly Tallinn did not overly impress me, different strokes for different folks I guess. It was still a fun little outing. I would say that I only really had a few hours on land in Tallinn due to the limited scheduling of Viking Line, so I definitely felt a little rushed. However since I was looking forward to returning to Helsinki it didn't matter. All in all it was a great day out.

We took a 2 day cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki. The cruise (Mariella) is not new, let's be honest, but it was a nice tip nonetheless. The cabin was excellent for 2 people (although 4 beds were available). I guess it would be a little crowded for 4 people. We booked the Standard cabin. The prices were very affordable (the accommodation and transportation that is). We decided to take the Viking buffet and breakfast both days. Dinner was a little pricey but it was nice because it had a lot of variety. The service in the restaurant was great. Breakfast was ok as well. Please be aware that people also bring their own food, there is a cafeteria to grab a small bite to eat (salads, open faced sandwiches and sea food, desserts and coffee) as well as more expensive restaurants. Activities onboard were plenty, we had time to go to the magic show, live music, and disco. The prices on the shops (alcohol) were very affordable, we managed to buy a few drinks. Wi-Fi was impossible to get throughout the trip, but oh well we had other things to do. When we arrived to Helsinki we had plenty of time to walk round, visit the Cathedral, shops and a very beautiful market. I totally recommend it.

We made a last minute decision to take the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn for the day - what a great idea! We loved the ferry ride, taking advantage of the buffet lunch (which we discovered included wine on tap) and listened to the band, who were pretty good. Tallinn is beautiful and we had plenty of time to explore the town. On the ferry trip back to Helsinki we had reserved a table in the A la carte restaurant - I had a superb fillet steak. If you are in Helsinki looking for something to do, take a day trip to Estonia.

We were leaving on Friday evening 17.30 from Katajanokka and were in Stockmann at 10 am local time. The cabin was on 4th level Seaside standard, comfortable, good scenes to the sea. It was nice to follow ice flows in the Helsinki Katajanokka harbour front, full moonlight bridge on the return trip, the 7th floor was dedicated to restaurants: Buffet restaurant, Ocean Grill, Food Garden, Tasting menu restaurant. We enjoyed breakfast at buffet, first dinner at the cafe and the second evening's dinner at the Ocean Grill. The supermarket is based on the 6th floor. The ship supermarkets sell tax free confectionary, cosmetics, perfumes, foodstuffs, clothing, a wide variety of alcohol drinks. There is also specific playing space for kids. For entertainment the band was playing as well you could sing karaoke in the nearby bar.

We took a day trip to Estonia and it was well worth the visit. The boat felt over crowded and seats were few and far between. Boat was very noisy on the way back with karaoke but Estonia is well worth a visit for a day

It is very easy to take a Viking Line boat from Helsinki-Katajanokka Terminal and go to Tallinn or Stockholm. The trip to Tallinn takes 3 hours and to Stockholm overnight arriving to Stockholm roun 9 o'clock. Daytrip to Tallinn leaves you about 4 hours in the city before returning to Helsinki. Very nice trip, I recommend.