Scandinavia... what do you think of when you pronounce this word? What associations do you have?

I think most of us would agree that our idea of Scandinavia is that of a cold land – winter, snow (feel cold already, don’t you?), tall pine-trees, mittens with traditional ethnic ornament and reindeer carrying Joulupukki/Santa Claus or Father Frost in a sledge. I personally imagine cosy houses with smoke rising from their chimneys, wolfs in local forests and magic elfs.

Now close your eyes and imagine you are in Scandinavia, or, to be more exact, in Finland. Have you imagined this? No-no, you will have to open your eyes to go on reading. So, you’re in Finland. And you’re… splashing in the water, bathing, besprinkle people around you, and there are children jumping into water with exclamations of joy. Now its time to learn something about Finnish aquaparks.

The largest European and Scandinavian indoor water park is called Serena and is located 23 kilometres from Helsinki. Its really warm inside, and the atmosphere is that of a jungle or tropics. The total park space is more than 200 square meters, and here you can walk around palm trees, observe outside views through Serena’s glass walls, and choose one of the numerous attractions you like most. And this is really a difficult task, since the diversity is great – there are more than 150 attractions there. A 140-meter long “Water stream” allows you get the most of your water trip whereas “Black Hole” is for the most reckless ones. To be short, it’s a place to fit any taste. Plus to this, you can bathe in a “Dead Sea” swimming pool with 25% salt – you can keep afloat without any efforts.

Another wonderful water park is found in Nokia, 15 kilometers from Tampere. The park is called Rantasipi Eden and there are also lots of interesting and useful things to see and to do. Those are warm and cold swimming pools, water slides, special constructions for mountain climbers. Relax in Finnish saunas and Jacuzzi, take relaxation and cosmetic treatment. Aromatherapy and hydromassage fill you with optimism and inner harmony.

And of course some Finnish hotels also offer water entertainment. One of them is Rantasipi Tropicland Spa Hotel with its wonderful water park. The hotel is located in Vaasa. Among the facilities offered there are traditional Jacuzzi and saunas and of course water slides (the most joyous thing!). You can also get medical treatment in local physiotherapy room, with its medical baths and experienced masseurs.

So, what do you think? I guess your doubts about southern entertainment in northern Finland are away now. So buy a bathing suit, pack your bags and go to enjoy Finnish water!