How to plan a family holiday in Finland

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Surrounded by a pine forest with the cobalt‑blue Lake Näsijärvi sparkling in the sun in one direction and Lake Pyhäjärvi glistening in the other, the view from Tampere’s Pyynikki Observation Tower is spectacular. But my eight‑year‑old son Zac is too distracted to take it all in. He’s focusing all his energy on plucking up the courage to step over the tower’s stone edge to abseil down.

“It’s 26 metres high but feels higher due to the setting,” says instructor Eero Suvela from Kelo ja Kallio Adventures, who is full of patience and encouragement. Zac points to Lake Pyhäjärvi and tells Eero that we plunged into it the day before, following his first-ever sauna. “Last week, both lakes were still frozen,” says Eero. Zac smiles, takes a deep breath and gingerly steps backwards.