It’s important to spend quality time during your vacations, and trips are a great way for everyone to relax and reconnect! Book your spot to discover Southern Finland. We’ll try to provide in local knowledge, travel itinerary, transport services, accommodation, and visits to places of interest.

Traveling with kids


 request: tours@ilvestravel.fi


Let the music take you to the Southern Finland!

The Finns love live music, both indoors and out, and the country is full of music festivals ranging from intimate to massive, covering diverse styles like old chamber music, jazz, heavy metal, classical, pop-music, electronica. So let the music take you to the Southern Finland!

Book only room, Vanajanlinna

Music highlights of Hämeenlinna!

Feel like royalty! Enjoy the superb service quality of Southern Finland and stay in lovely Castle hotel during your Finnish vacation. The Vanajanlinna Castle Hotel offering a stylish accommodation in a delightful and charming Hämeenlinna medieval town. Whatever the occasion – be it a family holiday, wedding or a romantic break with your other half – we guarantee, that you and your friends will be talking about your castle stay for years to come!

Come and visit places in Southern Finland, that inspired Finnish composer Jean Sibelius and get closer aquainted to Finnish culture.

We would be glad if you:

  • Picture yourself taking delight in a delicious meal served on fine porcelain
  • Feel the warmth sitting in cosy armchair with a good book or listening finnish classic music of the late Romantic period
  • Imagine the sheer softness of a thick wool rug under your feet
  • Visualise yourself strolling around spectacularc panoramic views of Kanta-Häme province, that is perfect for your short holidays
  • Enjoying Hämeenlinna, the birth town of Finnish national composer Jean Sibelius

Break includes:

  • Two nights in double room at Vanajanlinna Castle
  • Full Finnish breakfast each morning
  • Wifi
  • Transfers from/to Hämeenlinna– the birth town of Jean Sibelius, where the great composer spent his childhood and school years entrance fee at the Sibelius birth house in the center of Hämeenliina, which works currently as a museum
  • Visiting medieval Castle of 13th century in Hämeenlinna
  • Walking and making stunning pictures in Aulanko, Nature reserve – union between nature and culture in Tavastia region

Additional service:

  • Tasting Sibelius cakes at local pastry cafe, Hämeenlinna
  • Shopping at local commercial center Goodman

Price: Ask group price.

Please note: Sibelius birth museum works from 2 May to 31 August – daily from 10 am to 4 pm and from 1 September to 30 April – Tue-Sun from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Group size: min.15 persons, max. 50 prs.

Sibelius and Aalto. Two greats who were inspired by the Finnish nature.

If you a fan of Finnish classic music and Finnish architecture, this holiday trip is for you. Explore the Southern Finland in depth during your finnish weekend breaks. Enjoy the superb service quality of Southern Finland and stay in lovely Castle hotel!

The Vanajanlinna Castle Hotel offering a stylish accommodation in a delightful and charming Hämeenlinna medieval town. Whatever the occasion – be it a family holiday, wedding or a romantic break with your other half – we guarantee, that you and your friends will be talking about your castle stay for years to come!

Come and visit places in Southern Finland, that inspired Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, architect Alvar Aalto and get closer aquainted to Finnish culture.

  • Staying in Hämeenlinna – birth place of Jean Sibelius
  • Visiting villa Ainola by beautiful lake Tuusula, where Sibelius’ family lived more than 50 years
  • Visiting villa Kokkonen – artist’s home and atelier designed by Alvaro Aalto, architect of Finnish modernism

We would be glad if you:

  • Picture yourself taking delight in a delicious meal served on fine porcelain
  • Feel the warmth sitting in cosy armchair with a good book or listening finnish classic music of the late Romantic period
  • Imagine the sheer softness of a thick wool rug under your feet
  • Visualise yourself strolling around spectacularc panoramic views of Kanta-Häme province, that is perfect for your short holidays
  • Enjoying Hämeenlinna, the birth town of Finnish national composer Jean Sibelius
  • Enjoying timeless beautiful, functional Finnsih design and architecture

Break includes:

  • Two nights in double room at Vanajanlinna Castle
  • Full Finnish breakfast each morning
  • Wifi
  • Transfers from/to Hämeenlinna– the birth town of Jean Sibelius, where the great composer spent his childhood and school years entrance fee at the Sibelius birth house in the center of Hämeenliina, which works currently as a museum
  • Buffet-lunch at restaurant Turengin Asema, combining Finnish culinary traditions & quality
  • Entrance fees to museums
  • Day trip to Tuusula, visiting villa Ainola & villa Kokkonen

Price: Ask group price.

Please note: Sibelius birth museum is open from 2 May to 31 August – daily from 10 am to 4 pm. From 1 September to 30 April – Tue-Sun from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Villa Ainola is open: 2 May – 1 October
Tuesday-Sunday 10-17 o’clock (closed on Mondays and 23rd and 24th of June).

Group size: min.15 persons, max. 50 prs.

Farm visits or rural Suomi

Rural tourism means returning to rural sources and living for a day or a couple or even a week the life of a farmer, where instead of an alarm clock, there are roosters, and a noisy city is a quiet chime of cow bells on a pasture.

This is a very different experience to a bus-tour farm demonstration. Stay with us and we’ll tell and show you, how amazing, friendly and fertile Kanta-Häme is!

Farm visits or rural Suomi

Rural tourism means returning to rural sources and living for a day or a couple or even a week the life of a farmer, where instead of an alarm clock, there are roosters, and a noisy city is a quiet chime of cow bells on a pasture.

This is a very different experience to a bus-tour farm demonstration. Stay with us and we’ll tell  and show you, how amazing, friendly and fertile Kanta-Häme is!

Finland is a country of farmers with variety of local brands and high quality of goods. We invite you to spend a day exploring, learning and opening new unknown places in the day trip, Farm Visits.  In recent years, agrotourism and learning how food is produced has become a growing interest. People want to meet the farmers and visit the farm to see the direct food source and better appreciate everything that goes into bringing food to the table.

We honor local farmers and their history and traditions. Farms in Kanta-Häme have long history from 17 century preserve cultural  heritage and landscapes with  friendly lovely animals.

The  Farm visits is the perfect way to ecourage people to step away from their computer games and cell phones and experience real nature and “get back to basics”.

How we’ll travel?

We’ll pick you and your family by bus up from your local address and drive you to a variety of farms  along the rural side of Kanta-Häme province, that boasts many lovely forest areas.

We offer visiting four-five farms, depends on season:

  • Crop and field tour (oats, wheat, specialty crops)
  • Farm equipment and technology demonstrations
  • Berry farm (strawberry, raspberry, sweet corn maze), where you can pick  berries into own containers. You will be shown how the berries are weighed, priced and packaged for customers. The group is taken on a wagon ride pulled by one of our farm tractors.
  • Alpaca farm, where you’ll meet  curious, albeit slightly shy animals that simply beam with positive energy and cheer you up with their large eyes and smiley faces! Alpacas like to spend their days eating grass on the pastures. When guests arrive, they gather by the fence and wait for treats. There’re 22 of them.
    In the farm, you can pet an alpaca and feed it treats.
    You can buy souvenirs and products with eco-label made of alpaca wool in local farm shop.
  • Sheep farm, where you’ll see lambs and various products from broad beans.
  • Pheasant farm
  • Forest walk –green Finnish gold , we’ll visit private forest , where  you’ll enjoy open fire, where grill Finnish sausages, Karelian pastries, cook fresh kettle  coffee/ tea.

You can find peace of nature nearly everywhere you turn. On a late summer’s day, you can take a bucket or a plastic bag with you, head to the nearest forest, to find either berries or mushrooms.

Nordic summers are magic. You’ll have the amazing opportunity to experience Finnish nature at it’s best with  long, bright days.

We’re sure, you will enjoy Finnish countryside, hopefully learn new skills and Finnish way of life.

Practical information:

  • Language: Finnish, English, Russian
  • Physical level; Easy
  • Not suitable for wheelchair users.
  • Maximum participants: 55

Package Pricing:

  • all day trip: € per person (12 years and up).

Write us to ask for special rates with groups of 20 people or more.

You can choose and book right here accommodation – we have a range of guest houses or summer cottages.

We hope you understand  harvest season is a busy time. If you a would like to connect and to apply for a farm tour, please e-mail: tours@ilvestravel.fi or fill contact form.

We appreciate your interest and thank you for your support of local farmers!

Kanta-Häme Handicrafts Shopping Tour

Finland is known for high standards for craftsmanship and design. It’s a country, that blends rural isolation and urban culture, adventure and serenity. It is no wonder, you would like to buy a memorable souvenir, that is authentic to the nature of the country and products, that reflects the lifestyle and values of Finns.

Unfortunately, however, too many travellers fall into the trap of buying gifts or souvenirs that are overpriced, unreflective of Finland, and very often designed and manufactured abroad.

We invite you to learn more about local handicrafts, traditions, local products, that are carefully preserved and produced in Kanta-Häme region.

Kanta-Häme Handicrafts Shopping Tour

Finland is known for high standards for craftsmanship and design. It’s a country, that blends rural isolation and urban culture, adventure and serenity. It is no wonder,  you would like to buy a memorable souvenir, that is authentic to the nature of the country and products, that reflects the lifestyle and values of Finns. 

Unfortunately, however, too many travellers fall into the trap of buying gifts or souvenirs that are overpriced, unreflective of Finland, and very often designed and manufactured abroad.

We invite you to learn more about local handicrafts, traditions, local products, that are carefully preserved and  produced in Kanta-Häme region.

  • The first stop of the Kanta-Häme Handicrafts Shopping Tour will be Wetterhoff House of arts and creative handicrafts. There are three floors of things to see, to buy craft products, gifts, participate in workshops.

    It specializes in handmade textile, home decoration products, jewelry, wide collection of yarn (over 100 different yarn skeins) .

  • After that, we will head to the small family-run gloves company. Witness firsthand the skills of the local glove artisans, where  both design and development is done in small place in Kanta-Häme province since 1989.

    The selection includes: men and women gloves (from wool, cashmere, genuine natural silk, cotton, genuine lamb and lamb), mittens, bags, scarves, kids shoes.

    Items are ready to wear and also is possible to make custom-made according to the client’s specification. The owner will demonstrate the items and explain their origin.

  • For the last stop, we offer a visit for you to the small chocolate factory ”Kultasuklaa” (that in finnish means golden chocolate), where it has been making hand-made chocolate for over 25 years. There’s a factory shop where you can buy some chocolate (chocolate boxes, confectionary, organic raw chocolate)  for you or as gifts from Finland. You can watch chocolate production in real-time from the shop’s windows.
  • Inside look at the Glass Factory.  The famous factory’s history began in 1881 and it is still operating in a small Finnish village, Iittala. It’s worth seeing  how glassblowers  create final beautiful shapes  by free-blowing or mold-blowing,  the manufacturing process of glass as appealing craft.
  • In design museum Iittala, you can introduce with the history of Glass factory in five different exhibitions.
  • Iittala shop outlet, glassware, tableware and design products

Finally, we will drive you back to your hotel.

INCLUDED

  • private transportation from and to your hotel
  • car/bus  rental with our driver

Additional service:  

  • It is possible to organize workshops (jewelry, bookbinding, finnish ryijy-rug, knitting in darkness)
  • For each workshop should be minimum  6 participants  and maximum is 12 people

Duration: 4 hours

Destinations: Hämeenlinna-Turenki-Iittala

Available languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian

Trip type: Private tour. You and your group will be the only participants.

Price: Ask group price.