Next Travel Finland DMC & PCO

09/06/2024

🩷Discover the charm of the pink Ihantola building: A Jugendstil Masterpiece!🩷

Imagine being a working-class citizen of Finland in 1907 looking for a roof over your head. Kallio was already established as a working-class residential district. You would be lucky to have lived in a flat in the beautiful pink Ihantola building (meaning ‘Wonderful World’, in Finnish) with its pink plaster façade featuring lively, art nouveau details with natural and geometric motifs.

In 1887, the parallel streets of the Kallio district in Helsinki known as Linjat (‘lines’) were established, quickly turning the area into a working-class residential district. The main public space, Karhupuisto park, is situated on a rocky outcrop at the intersection of these streets.

Among the tall brick buildings surrounding the park is Ihantola, located at Viides linja 18. Ihantola was designed by master builder O. E. Koskinen and built by a workers’ housing company, welcoming its first residents in 1907.

08/06/2024

🇩🇪German Rotarians on an educational tour in Finland 🇫🇮

Last week, a German Rotary group led by Prof. Dr. Andreas Schlüter visited Finland to experience Finnish culture and architecture. After a walking tour around the city, they took a coffee break for refreshments and snacks in Jugend Hall, an ideal spot for an Art Nouveau experience. They admired the vaulted ceilings, stone pillars, and painted walls. Painted friezes ran along the walls and under the arches, and a vast fresco adorned the back part of the hall.

Jugend Hall, which today operates as a café, was built in 1904 as the headquarters of the Kansallis-Osake-Pankki (KOP), Finland’s largest bank at the time. The building was designed by Lars Sonck, a master of the Art Nouveau movement in Finland. The interior is impressive, with the walls being decorated with murals by Valter Jung.

Reach out to NextTravel to create insightful tours for your group! 📧[email protected]

07/06/2024

⛪Discover Helsinki: The Jugendstil Capital of the Nordics 📸

Imagine living in the year 1902, a time when Helsinki was blossoming with the creative energy of the Jugend era. Eliel Saarinen, the visionary Finnish-American architect, walked the city streets envisioning the future of Finnish architecture.

On weekends, enjoyed strolls through Töölö and neighborhoods, where many of his other architectural works, including residential buildings and public structures, were taking shape. The district’s colorful facades and intricate designs, with shades of creamy yellow, dusty pink, and serene blue, brought to life his vision of a city harmonizing with its natural surroundings.

The residential building at the harborside Katajanokka is one of the most beloved Jugend-style buildings in Helsinki. Architects of this residential building were the famous trio Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen.



Photo by Juho Nurmi, CC BY 4.0

02/06/2024

🐕 Arctic husky hike at a Finnish National Park, organized by Next Travel Finland. 🐾

The majestic beauty of the huskies combined with the stunning landscapes of Finland make for an unforgettable experience. 🌲🏞️

Cruise ship passengers participated in the Arctic husky hike and spent time with huskies full of energy and spirit, in the serene atmosphere of the National Park. A day filled with exploration, fresh air, and the joy of bonding with these amazing creatures!

Is hiking with huskies on your adventure bucket list? 📝 Yes / No 👇🏻Let us know in the comments!

01/06/2024

🦌 Reindeer encounters in Finland 🦌This day, cruise passengers took a bus trip to a beautiful National Park.🌳🌲Amidst a warm spring day, they experienced the magic of feeding reindeer with lichen. It was a serene and peaceful encounter, with nature all around and the reindeer joyfully interacting with our guests.

🤍 Pearl (‘Helmi’ in Finnish) the white reindeer stole the show!

🌿Moments like these make our journeys truly special. Would you like your next travel to be in Finland encountering and feeding reindeer? Get in touch and we will make it happen.

31/05/2024

Welcome, Aurora! 🇬🇧🚢🇫🇮 Last week we welcomed the Aurora cruise ship from Great Britain to the Port of Helsinki! Guide Cornelia and driver Markus (one of the many guide-driver teams) were there to welcome our guests. 🤗

Next Travel offers a plethora of tours to experience the best encounters in Finland: from tuk-tuk rides filled with sightseeing and history in the heart of Helsinki to feeding the reindeer and petting huskies at a National Park. Contact us for your offer at [email protected].

Welcome again, Aurora! We hope you enjoyed your stay and created memories that last a lifetime. 🌅

28/05/2024

Day 4 & 5🌞Weekend activities in Helsinki and Turku!🌞

Last Saturday, American business students embarked on a boat to the Suomenlinna / Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, the most well-known UNESCO World Heritage site in Finland for a guided tour by an authorized guide. On a beautiful sunny day, they explored the Suomenlinna Church from the outside, wandered through the main square where Ehrensvärd's grave -the founder of the Suomenlinna island fortress - is located, and checked out the dry docks and some of the ramparts. After a delightful lunch, they sustainably hopped on a train to Turku, Finland's first capital.

Sunday was another sunny day, perfect for a boat trip to Ruissalo and the charming little island of Pikkupukki. Our guests enjoyed snacks on board and even took a detour to Forum Marinum, a museum beautifully situated next to the Turku Castle, their final stop. In Turku Castle, they navigated narrow passages and stairs while listening to interesting medieval stories and facts by guide Veronica.

This weekend was filled with history, stunning sights, and fantastic weather, making it truly unforgettable!🌞Would you like to visit the Suomenlinna Fortress or the Turku Castle?🏰

21/05/2024

💡Day 2 & 3: Educational and business insights for Bentley University business students and their programme leaders

💼During the second and third day of their study trip in Finland, the students and their program leaders had the opportunity to visit innovative companies and organisations as well as meet with ministry representatives and industry experts, gaining valuable insights into Finnish business practices and culture.

🏥The group also visited the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and met Mrs. Liisa Hakala, Deputy Director General at the Policy Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, who explained Finland’s Government Programme and Health policy as well as Mrs. Sanna Kulmala, who covered the WORK2030 development programme that aims to make Finland a leading developer of working life innovations and have the world’s best workplace wellbeing by 2030. 🌍🔧

💪In addition, they delved into the unique Finnish concept of ‘sisu’ by Elisabeth Lahti.

Feeling inspired and ready to embark on a learning journey with your group? Feel free to contact us and we will gladly organize your trip and insightful visits with Finland’s top experts! 🧳✈️

📧 [email protected]

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16/05/2024

DAY 1🌍✈️This week a dynamic group of Bentley University's business students from the USA arrived to Helsinki to spend a whole week in the capital of Finland! The itinerary of their study trip includes a blend of cultural and culinary experiences as well as academic visits to local universities and organization visits.

On May 15, a Helsinki-authorized guide took them on an exciting 2-hour walking tour around Helsinki. They visited major landmarks, offering a perfect blend of history, culture, and local insights. After a long day exploring the city, they enjoyed exquisite Finnish cuisine in a private cabinet on the 10th floor rooftop restaurant of Hotel Vaakuna with stunning views overlooking the city. Stay tuned as their adventure continues!

10/05/2024

This week we were able to welcome a group that took flights to Helsinki to start their 3 weeks journey in Europe. Helsinki had a chance to offer its best with vintage tram ride in the morning, showing the newly constructed Kalasatama dwelling area and the returning icebreakers from the north. The visit to the Senate Square, adorned with the iconic white Dome, was a highlight. Having refreshments on board the tram, the program followed by a private Sibelius concert. Lunch was served at a French/Finnish restaurant, founded by one of Finland's renowned chefs, before the coastal tour continued, featuring visits to landmarks like the Uspenski Cathedral and the Rock Church. The following day, their journey continued as their private jet whisked them away to new adventures in Europe!

02/05/2024

Summer Cruise Season 2024 is here ☀️

The past week has been exciting for us!

Last Saturday we kicked off the summer 2024 cruise season in Helsinki with a visit of Le Bellot by Compagnie du Ponant. We are delighted that for the rest of the year, we are welcoming cruise guests to Helsinki in every month except November! 🚢

The last day of April marked the official start of Norway’s first cruise season with tours operated for Rotterdam by Holland America Line in Stavanger. 🇧🇻

Beautiful and sunny spring weather and happy guests were the absolute highlights! 💫

26/04/2024

Part of our team visited Rovaniemi for inspections this week. Even though the winter season has come to an end Santa's village is already preparing for next Christmas.
We were very lucky and honored to meet Santa himself!

He gave us his phone number, so if you want to meet him too, be in touch and we can arrange it for you.

12/04/2024

Want to experience this?

https://www.facebook.com/Channel4/videos/1149538132627044/

28/03/2024

Happy Easter wishes from the happiest country in the world!
🐥🐥🐥

The World Happiness Report is out, and once again the Nordic countries are humming along with the highest scores. Finland ranks first.

08/03/2024

This week we enjoyed two inspection visits. One in sunny Helsinki and an other one in Rovaniemi, where things got a bit spooky!

21/02/2024

Even though the month is almost over, I would like to present you two sweet reasons to come to Finland in February.

In the beginning of the month, we celebrate our National Poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg by eating Runeberg’s tarts. This delicious tart was created by Mrs. Runeberg to satisfy her husband’s sweet tooth. This sponge cake like pastry is moisten with rum or punch and topped with raspberry jam and a ring of frosting.

Around Fat Tuesday, we enjoy Laskiaispulla, Shrove Buns. A sweet bun is cut in half and then filled with either jam or almond paste and whipped cream. The filling divides opinions and is always the topic when discussing this pastry. Which do you think you would prefer?

06/02/2024

Today is the Sámi National Day, so the perfect day to introduce you to Siida, The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre. Siida is located in the town of Inari, in the Sámi Homeland, in Lapland.

Their exhibitions and events give the visitors a window into the north: they provide information on the ancient and vibrant Sámi culture and on arctic nature.

Come on over and we will take you there!

Although 6 February is not an official flag day, authorities in Finland, Sweden and Norway have recommended that the flag be flown.

The flag contains two asymmetrical rectangles superimposed with vertical lines running through a circle, with the red circle representing the sun and the blue circle the moon.

Photos by Saamelaiskäräjät and Siida

02/02/2024

There isn’t a better way to start the year than with winter cruise calls and tours in Kemi, Oulu and Rauma! 💫

From winter wonderland with snowshoe hiking, snowmobiling and arctic animals to a UNESCO World Heritage site wooden Old Rauma, we offered cruise guests unique experiences and memorable visits to Finnish ports.

And this is not the end of it – we are welcoming Hanseatic Nature back to Finland also in February and March! ❄️🇫🇮

26/01/2024

Our congress team in full action today! 💫

We were taking care of the congress organization for the annual Health Economics Day that took place already for the 33th time. It is our pleasure to be part of this event with interesting topics year after year.

Need help planning your next congress or meeting? Send us a message and our professionals will make sure that your event runs smoothly!

19/01/2024

What wonderful encounters we had this week at the Matka Travel Fair in Helsinki!

Thank you for each and everyone of you!

Our slogan proved it's accuracy once more:
33 years of Expertise is Something, but our Clients are Everything. ❤️

11/01/2024

Come and meet us at the Matka Travel Fair in Helsinki!

We will be at the booth 7d152 on 18.1. and we would love to talk to you! ❤️

03/01/2024

When Helsinki is on its darkest, the city lights up with the annual Lux Helsinki light festival. This year’s theme is “science from art” including AI-driven installations. The works are both specially commissioned and ones that has toured around the world created by Finnish and international artists.

It shows familiar buildings and places around the city on a different light and brings out tens of thousands of people to wonder around, no matter the weather. Cozy cafes and restaurants are open on the way bringing good spots to rest, warm up and change thoughts about the art seen.

Let us bring you to Helsinki next January to see this luminous festival!

📷Lux Helsinki and MH

29/12/2023

What a wonderful year we have had!
On the land and sea, we have had the privilege to take our customers to new adventures.
Hopefully 2024 will be a good year for you and we can host you in Finland!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024!

22/12/2023

Today is not only the day of winter solstice, but the big moment of the season when Santa starts his journey to meet all of us.

While not on his yearly trips around the world, Santa lives near his workshop on the Lapland fell of Korvatunturi in northern Finland.

21/12/2023

From the home country of Santa we are wishing you a very merry Holiday Season and thanking all our customers, partners, suppliers and colleagues for the great year we have had.

See you again Next year! ❤️

11/12/2023

The season has started in Lapland and we are happy to host our groups at the winter wonderland!

07/12/2023

Looking for a unique location for incentive groups? Then Helsinki, the capital of Finland is your next destination!

Are you tired of over-crowded, noisy cities and cliché destinations? Do you feel challenging finding a professional local partner?

Suggest to your group one of our great winter experiences:

Combine Finnish traditional sauna experience with the once in a lifetime opportunity of floating in the frozen sea equipped with survival suits. From warm steam to refreshing ice!

Meet the Arctic animals in a National Park not far from Helsinki – feed the reindeer and take a ride in a husky sleigh in a Winter Wonderland.

Our local skilled staff is ready to assist you with anything needed to guarantee a successful trip. We are your one point of contact!

Want to know more? Contact us: [email protected]

https://www.nexttravel.fi/

06/12/2023

Today, on 6th December, we celebrate Independence Day and Finland's 106th birthday. We at Next Travel adore our beautiful country! For us Finland and being a Finn is:

🇫🇮 Being close to nature
🇫🇮 SISU - To keep going on, no matter what
🇫🇮 Enjoying the four seasons
🇫🇮 Unique and rich language
🇫🇮 Sauna
🇫🇮 Having heritage from west and east
🇫🇮 Culture and citylife
🇫🇮 The space and tranquility
🇫🇮 Spending time at summer cottage no matter the season

Happy Independence Day! Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää!

📷 Next Travel staff