Helsinki is a city of the sea; weirdly it was built alongside a series of oddly shaped peninsulas and islands jutting into the Gulf of Finland. Back in the 1800’s there was a huge fire which destroyed most of the buildings in and around Helsinki, so everything has had to be remade, as a result everything is more modern, Helsinki has some of the purest neoclassical architecture in the world. Helsinki is the meeting point of western and Eastern Europe, the fact is reflected in its cosmopolitan image, its influx of Russians and Estonians and its generally multilingual population. Helsinki is a beautiful city and is the perfect place for sitting back and relaxing with a bit of people watching.

Helsinki’s Market Square – Kauppatori, Finland by Eoghan OLionnain

Coming ashore

Helsinki is a very busy cruise destination and trust me, as soon as you dock here, you can see why so many people would want to come here. you can dock at three destinations, these are; katajaokka quay, this has a shop, toilets and a taxi station, it’s not too far from the city centre from here you can easily walk there, south harbour has a terminal at Olympia quay, there’s shopping, info desks, currency exchange and a taxi rank here, it’s about a 15 minute walk into the main part of town from here. The final port is hernasaari harbour which has shops, an info desk, taxi rank and even internet access, it’s much further away from the main part of town than any other harbour, so you may have to consider going in a taxi.

What to do in Helsinki

Helsinki has so much stuff to do; you’ll find it hard to fit everything in that you want to do! Here are the two things that you must do in my experience; you must come to the Helsinki zoo (korkeasaari elaintarha) there are snow leopards and reindeer enjoying the cold climate all year round, there are wonders of creatures here that love the cold, it’s a real different zoo and extremely good to bring the kids to. But if you love exploring and you love history then you must come to suomenlinna, which is Finland’s castle. It is now a unesco world heritage site and had museums, gardens, parks and much more, it makes a great day out. Learn all about the history of Finland from the Russians, the British to the Crimean war.

Helsinki Zoo, Finland by Pete

Where to eat

What can I say about the food at Helsinki? It’s incredible that’s what! There are two places to eat that I would extremely recommend and these are:

Havis

Havis is just across the street from the main market square; this restaurant specializes in traditional Scandinavian dishes with the slight twist to certain meals. You must start with the blue mussel soup and then move onto specialities such as the slow fried whitefish. Vegetarians will love the mushroom crepes with glazed vegetables; there is also a daily vegetarian special. The dessert menu is the best; it includes traditional Finnish standards like strawberry milk and doughnuts with coffee pudding, absolutely divine.

Zucchini

Zucchini is perfect for a vegetarian lunch or just a coffee; it’s the place to come to relax. There are pizzas, pasta, soup, salad and much more and all are made fresh to order and are extremely tasty. The atmosphere here gives of the homely vibe, it’s great to just sit here and people watch.

I would love to come back to Helsinki another day, maybe more in style next time by going on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth in 2014. You have to come to Helsinki on a cruise; it feels like that’s the way you have to come.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Debarshi Ray

In truth there are an equally large number of people all over the world who prefer colder destinations. From explorers to mountain climbers to athletes who ski and snowboard their way to that coveted adrenaline rush. They don’t get as much publicity though, probably just because those photos aren’t quite as stunning or appealing.

In much the same way, cities like Helsinki, Finland don’t receive as much attention (at least here in the United States) as many more popular southern destinations like Italy, Greece or Australia do. The biggest mistake you can make when planning a vacation though is to make a decision based on a photograph. Beauty is so much more.

Assume that you are planning a vacation to Helsinki though. What is there to do amidst all the snow and cold weather? Turns out there is much more than you think and guess what? It’s not as chilly as one might imagine either. In fact it is a very charming city and all you have to do is be willing to give it a chance to impress.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Leo-setä

The Fortress of Suomenlinna is one of the most popular places to visit and is only a couple minutes away from Helsinki harbor. It has received the designation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the military architecture and was used as a fortress to defend the city from Russian attacks in the 1800’s and during the century before from other attacks.

If you are at all religious, or just appreciate great architecture and design, you will be impressed with the infamous Rock Church located a few minutes outside the city center. There is no admission fee and on the weekends you’ll usually find special events and concerts that are open to the public. This goes hand in hand with the Cathedral of Helsinki where you’ll find a charming Christmas market during the early winter months.

If you love to explore the outdoors you’ll love the Sibelius Monument, 600 metal organ pipes that have been welded together to create one of the most amazing pieces of outdoor art in the world. There are also places like Esplanadi Park which is quite small but located right in the middle of the city for easy access.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Christine

If immersing yourself into the local culture is your thing then you’ll no doubt appreciate the extensive lineup of festivals that call Helsinki home. The Finland Lantern Festival is held here to make the Chinese New Year, Helsinki Pride Week is held in June and December marks Independence Day in Finland.

Perhaps most interesting is just exploring the city via its public transportation options. The Tram goes almost anywhere you would want to visit (and is especially useful in bad weather) and last time we checked Nr. 3 passes the most important sights (at least according to that guidebook in your luggage). The ferry is also an excellent option.

Traveling to Helsinki can really be one of the most rewarding vacations of your life if you are open to new experiences. Who would have ever imagined that forsaking the sunny beaches of Florida or the magnificent coastlines of Italy could be so amazing? Everyone in Helsinki already knew.. add yourself to the list.

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The main local attraction is the Turku Castle built in the 18th century, where you can visit a historical museum since 1881. Other important buildings are Turku Cathedral or Tuomiokirkko from the 13th century, open-air museum Luostarinmäki, located in Mount Vartiovuori – it is a part of the city which has survived from the 18th century.

There is also Orthodox Church, Brinkhall Manor, Kakskerta church, an old mill in Samppalinna, Church of Archangel Michael from 1905, Martin church from 1921, Turku Art Museum, Museum of pharmacy and museum Ett hem or home to a typical Finnish houses from the 18th century. In Turku, there are several festivals – the most famous is music festival Turku and Ruisrock Festival. There are 176,000 inhabitants living in Turku.

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