Finland Insight Guide (Insight Guides) [Paperback]

For those of you familiar with the Discovery series of Insight Guides, this Finland volume is very representative of the series: it will not disappoint and I highly recommend it. You probably already know the series' drawbacks and the supplementary information that you'll need, which I describe below for those who have never purchased an Insight guide.

This review is primarily aimed at those who are not familiar with Insight Guides and who are trying to work out which would be the best travel guide to Finland to buy. Insight guides are not in the same category of travel guide as Lonely Planet and Rough Guide and in most cases cannot be compared to them. Insight guides, and this volume on Finland is no exception, are lavishly illustrated volumes, printed on nice glossy paper, with absolutely loads of full colour, high quality evocative photographs (on every page, with many double-page spreads) and the emphasis of the text is on orienting the visitor - as much culturally and historically as in geographically - to the country. Hence there are interesting, well-written chapters on the history and culture (including a long section on 'The Finnish Character', 'Art, Architecture and Design', 'Music and Film', 'Finns who speak Swedish', 'The Sami and their Land' etc) of Finland that far surpass what you'll find in either LP or RG.

These aspects take up nearly 1/2 the book, with the second part devoted to the different regions of the country in a more standard, travel-guide fashion, with pictures and discussions of the main attractions etc.

This Finland guide is what the best travel guides should be: inspirational - something the LP and RG guides cannot claim to be. If, like me, you are not terribly familiar with the country and what (beyond the obvious things) you may want to visit there, this actually SHOWS you, in glossy full colour, the places you may want to visit - something that a dry paragraph of text about an unfamiliar place, with no illustration, cannot do (as is the case with LP and RG). This book is hence indispensible when you are in the process of planning your trip, before you've actually booked anything. The very nature of the book also entices you to explore other regions of the country that you would probably otherwise have given a miss, simply because you were unaware of what gems lay hidden there. It really is indispensible for deciding and planning what you'll do in Helsinki or in the country as a whole.

The main weakness of this volume (and indeed the series as a whole) is that it is thin on the practical information you need to fully plan your journey, and this is where Lonely Planet comes in. The type of information I'm referring to is the sort: which bus line goes from Vanaa airport to Helsinki, where do I catch it from, how much does it cost, can you buy tickets on board, how long will it take; opening times, admission prices and websites of museums; train travel times and fare guidelines between major cities - that kind of thing. So either you spend ages on the internet gleaning this vital info, or you buy or borrow a Lonely Planet, which is otherwise dry and uninspiring, to plunder for this information.

In summary, I'm afraid you will probably have to buy two travel guides to Finland as I don't believe either this Insight Guide or the Lonely Planet are adequate in and of themselves. (The Rough Guide, by the way, lumps Scandinavia into one single volume. With four countries treated in one guide, it does none of them justice and should be avoided as pretty useless, even if, like me, you are normally a fan of RG). I suggest buying a new pristine copy of this beautiful Insight guide, and buying the cheapest secondhand copy of LP that you can find - you just need to plunder it for practical info.

I bought this guide mainly because the lonely planet guide had a low rating and I feared a massively out of date edition. I was coming to Finland for a few months and wanted something informative and helpful. My opinion of this guide book was initially very low and I even considered trying to send it back - its format is very different from the Lonely planet guide and for me, being used to that format I found it very frustrating and unhelpful. I still think compared to the lonely planet format this does not support travellers as well in terms of listed accomedation, resterants, transport and opening hours of establishments etc. However as I came here to study I found the guide became very useful in establishing the context of my surroundings, it was very informitive about the history and culture of Finland. Also the pictures are simply beautiful and a joy to look though (particularly on very dark Finnish winter days!). This guide takes more patience than a lonely planet guide but when you take that time it can be a very rewarding read.

I have been to Finland five times now and planning another trip for next year. I have travelled all over Finland so the photos in this book takes me back to when I was there.

A great book that makes you see the country in all her glory.