Reviewed by Natalie Sladek
Finland : Safety by CityFinland, a country in Northern Europe, bordering Russia, Norway, and Sweden, is often considered a jewel of Northern Europe.
It boasts breathtaking landscapes and the fact that it is the homeland of everyone’s favorite guy – Santa!
But apart from its natural beauties, landscapes, Baltic seashore, and wonderful islands, it is also a modern welfare state with comfortable and cozy little towns and cities.
Still, nature is definitely Finland’s biggest pride: it boasts about 188,000 lakes and about the same amount of islands, and as if that weren’t enough – if you’re lucky – you may even see the Northern Lights up in the north of the country during winter, and the midnight sun in the summer.
Another natural beauty the Finns also call their own is the mythical mountain of Korvatunturi, the home of Santa Claus, which fills the country with Santa fans.
Warnings & Dangers in Finland
OVERALL RISK : LOW
Finland is very safe to visit, and its capital, Helsinki, is ranked 9th on the list of safest and most dangerous cities in the world. Use your common sense and your trip should go smoothly.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK : LOW
Transportation in Finland is very safe and reliable, even though the roads can get a bit dangerous during winter. Also, be careful on public transport, as it's the place where pickpockets operate.
PICKPOCKETS RISK : LOW
Helsinki is filled with tourists, and naturally it attracts a bunch of pickpockets and here's the strange part: they are usually foreigners! Be careful when carrying your valuables and never leave them out of your sight.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK : LOW
As for natural disasters, Finland is threatened by occasional flooding during winter, as well as snow storms: snow can start falling as early as November and continue falling until May and many parts and cities of Finland have a thick layer of blanket of snow. However, generally, Finland doesn't have many natural disasters to worry about.
MUGGING RISK : LOW
Do not fear mugging or kidnapping in Finland, since it is a rare occurrence here. Still, do not accept any unsolicited help or drinks from anyone you don't know (even though drink spiking is also not an issue in this country).
TERRORISM RISK : LOW
There haven't been recent terrorist attacks in Finland, but they shouldn't be ruled out, so you should remain vigilant and be aware of your surroundings at all times.
SCAMS RISK : LOW
Finland is not actually known for scams, but where there are tourists - there will always be scams. Bear in mind that Finnish police are one of the least corrupt in the world, and they never take money to let you off the hook. So do not ever give money to a person who presents him/herself as a police officer.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK : LOW
Women traveling alone should have no problems in Finland. You should use your common sense, and be careful at night, avoid desert and poorly lit streets, and finding yourself alone with strange people in abandoned areas. Apart from that, you should have no safety problems in Finland.
So... How Safe Is Finland Really?
Generally, Finland is a very safe country to visit.
It has fairly low crime rates and if you follow common sense and remain vigilant at all times, you should have no problems in Finland.
Be careful at night, particularly on Friday and Saturday after the young people of Finland go to bars and clubs to get drunk and, in some cases, intentionally look for trouble.
Pickpockets aren’t common, but they do operate from time to time, especially during the tourist season, which means during summer but an interesting fact is that pickpockets, in this case, are almost always foreigners.
Most Finns feel very safe carrying their wallets in their pockets or purses.
It is common for parents to leave their sleeping babies in a baby carriage on the street while visiting a shop, and in the countryside, it is common to leave cars and house doors unlocked.
However, what does get stolen are bikes: you have to be very careful if you plan on buying or renting a bicycle. Bicycle thieves very commonly operate, so never leave your bike unlocked even for a minute.
How Does Finland Compare?
| Country | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Finland | 86 |
| Morocco | 54 |
| Canada | 88 |
| Estonia | 82 |
| Albania | 75 |
| Czech Republic | 88 |
| Latvia | 80 |
| Cyprus | 75 |
| Slovenia | 87 |
Useful Information
- Visas - Most countries do not need a visa to enter Finland for any stays shorter than 90 days. Any longer than than, you will have to obtain a visa. Finnish government might require for you to prove your paying ability, in order to prove you are able to finance your entire trip. Also, make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your planned date of return. However, if you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
- Currency - The official currency in Finland is euro. ATMs are widely available and credit cards accepted in most establishments. It is advised that you exchange your money in official banks and exchange offices.
- Weather - The best time to visit Finland varies from month to month and depends on the goal of your trip: for plenty of snow and winter activities, spending time with Santa in Lapland and riding a husky driven sleigh, December to March is the best time for you. For springtime sun and fresh post-winter air, April to May is the period. For long and warm summer days, opt for June, July and August. During summer days, the temperature is about 15-20°C, and during winter, the temperature drops as low as -25 °C.
- Airports - The main and busiest airport in Finland is the Helsinki Airport in Vantaa. Helsinki-Malmi is the second-busiest airport in Finland.
- Travel Insurance - Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Finland, since it covers not only medical problems, but also theft and loss of valuables.
Finland Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | -2 | -2 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| Low °C | -7 | -7 | -4 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| High °F | 28 | 28 | 36 | 45 | 57 | 66 | 70 | 68 | 59 | 48 | 39 | 34 |
| Low °F | 19 | 19 | 25 | 34 | 43 | 52 | 57 | 55 | 48 | 39 | 32 | 25 |
Finland - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Helsinki | 95 |
| Oulu | 70 |
❤
Relly very nice&safe country.i wish if gov of finland help me.i wanna come there and spend my life there ❤
Beautiful and low risk. a very safe country in the world
Very safe!
Hi, I am a Finnish citizen for years and can say its a very safe country! I live on the City of Lahti and crime barely exists in Finland except some pickpockets (eastern europeans) on Helsinki .
Thats all have a nice day!
I want to go there someday☺️
True story about safety
I too, am a Finn and oh BOY do I love this country. It’s super safe and here’s the funny thing: Someone bought the house next to my grandparents one, and it became a gang’s “base” (dunno what to call it). There’s only been one police operation there, and otherwise the members are pretty nice! They’ve rented an electric saw to neat up the bush fence in between, and all of that kinda stuff. Gramps feels safe living there!
On turvallista
Hei olen asunut suomessa jo monta vuotta ja voin sanoa että rikollisuutta ja epäturvallisuuden tunnetta ei ikinä ole ja mukava asua naistenkaan ei tarvitse pelätä/olla valppaana vapaa maa kaikille
Auto-Translated from Finnish:
Hey I have lived in Finland for many years and I can say that crime and epäturvallisuuden sense is never nice to live and women do not need to worry / be alert free land for all
Finland is very beautiful, its people very helpful and friendly,albeit somewhat shy.
good
Well, I visited Finland before I saw this, and I’m not saying that you should do this. (even though, generally people are nice) So I was taking my children to Fazzer and someone offered to take us thereafter I asked which transportation would be cheaper and faster, and so I doubted a little then I accepted.
When he dropped us off at the factory he said only to pay him 5 euros (even when the taxis are usually 10 euros) and he was very nice.
So that was just my experience in Finland, but yeah it’s very wonderful and beautiful.
Turpa kiinni sönkkö!!!! Finland is very dangerous country and specially Oulu a city which hates immigrants that have danger skin colour. Every minute in Oulu white people beat immigrants on the streets specially during Friday and Saturday when people drink some viina in bars and clubs. So if you’re of Asian or African descent you should be careful in Oulu and remain vigilant in the evening because if you speak a foreign language you will find yourself lying on the street unconscious and blood spattering from your face. And there are also a gang called Soldiers of Odin who roam the streets in the evenings and at nights. This gang carries knives and maybe hand guns so be careful if you come face to face with them, they will not spare you if your skin colour does not suit them. Always carry pepper spray with you and be ready to call 112 if you feel threatened. And you should always record any racist encounters with you smartphone so that you have evidence to show to police. My advise is to avoid Oulu at all means possible if you care of your dear life.
Safe country
That’s why its safe. ***** *****!
Finland is very safe
Aaro your lying Finland is safe
When you say Finland is dangerous, then you haven’t seen dangerous places.
Pretty accurate stuff, except the Malmi airport is just for private aviation and flight training. The second busiest commercial airport is at Oulu (Northern Finland). I’m local but as a tourist I would avoid maybe Kaisaniemi park and main railway station in Helsinki during nights. Finland is really safe, just to remember to lock your bike 🙂
Feel safe and relax
Fully agreed except this “It is common for parents to leave their sleeping babies in a baby carriage on the street while visiting a shop”. Nobody leaves here babies in a baby carriage on the street alone!
It is totally safe to visit here, warmly welcome!
Wow very smart country I wish I could get chance to visit this country for job
Safe!
One of the countries where you don’t have to constantly pat your pockets to make sure everything is where it should. The people are so, so helpful and friendly and if you like outdoor activities here everyone seems to go for a run, ride a bike, skate etc
Mostly very safe, a bit less for women and POC
Hello, writing this as a young Finnish woman who lives in Southern Finland. I’m no expert and I’m only writing things based on my personal experience.
I can say with confidence that Finland is about 95% safe, so your chance of running into trouble here is minimal. There’s a couple things solo travelers, especially women and people of colour should look out for.
1. Be vigilant in Helsinki in the evening, especially on vacation times or from Friday to Sunday. The area around the train station has incidents of pickpocketing and even people threatening others with knives to give their money. I would not recommend wandering around aimlessly there in the evenings or especially at night.
2. Though most Finns are friendly, some may be a bit racist. I am white myself so I have not encountered racism that was directed at me, however I have seen it being directed at others in the form of jokes and dirty looks ect. Finland is unfortunately rated one of the most racist countries in Europe, so it’s something to look out for, but shouldn’t be a super big problem for tourists.
3. Intoxicated people. Another reason why I don’t recommend walking alone in bigger cities especially if you’re a woman or a person of small stature. Finns really like to get drunk on Fridays and weekends. Most drunks will leave you be if you don’t engage, though, so you’ll most likely be just fine.
Conclusion: Finland is very safe, as long as you’re careful in the evenings and remain mostly vigilant. No need to feel scared and welcome!
We DO take care of our babies!!
Wth. I am not even commenting the other statements( but just hoping tourists wouldn’t rely on the feeling of overall safety, the rates mean nothing if the shit happends to you), BUT NO ONE LEAVES THEIR BABIES OUTSIDE WHILE VISITING THE SHOP!! Maybe someone has done that at 70’s in some small countryside town! You would immediately get cops and social workers after you if you’d do that. Insane statement I just cant understand who has said such a BS, and why it is written here without questioning. We are not animals!
Safe and nice country
I visited Finland while I was vacationing in Estonia. Felt very safe. Asked a Finnish gentleman for directions. He was very helpful and explained everything in detail. Super nice country with good people.