About Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki, Finland’s southern capital, sits on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland. Its central avenue, Mannerheimintie, is flanked by institutions including the National Museum, tracing Finnish history from the Stone Age to the present. Also on Mannerheimintie are the imposing Parliament House and Kiasma, a contemporary art museum. Ornate red-brick Uspenski Cathedral overlooks a harbour.
The Helsinki metropolitan area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Nordic countries, the City of Helsinki being the third largest after Stockholm and Oslo. Helsinki is Finland’s major political, educational, financial, cultural, and research center as well as one of northern Europe’s major cities. Approximately 75 percent of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The nearby municipality of Vantaa is the location of Helsinki Airport, with frequent service to various destinations in Europe and Asia.
Plan and Book:
Overview
In 1550, Swedish King Gustavus Vasa ordered that a city halfway between St. Petersburg and Stockholm be built. The city became known as Helsinki, and it is a glorious location that overlooks the Gulf of Finland. Laced with green parks, fabulous sculptures, and fascinating squares, Helsinki is a wonderful travel destination. It is the capital of Finland, and is home to 800,000 people. It is surrounded by water on three sides, and touring Helsinki on foot is always your best bet. The city is compact and elegant, with the majority of citizens extremely well educated.The population is quite affluent, but is not an overly self-indulged people, especially considering they live so well.
The locals still refer to Helsinki as their big village, and they are always very helpful and kind to tourists.This is definitely a city that has four distinct seasons, and if you are visiting Helsinki in the winter, you had better bundle up. Located on the southern coast of Finland, during the summer, Helsinki has some of the longest days anywhere in the world.During this time, it is not uncommon to have days that last over twenty hours. Helsinki is one of the major cultural centers in all of Europe.The architecture is magnificent, and the museums and galleries are incredible. Helsinki has wonderful shopping and dining facilities, and is a pristine and inspiring city to visit.
Everything seems clean and organized, and the government really takes care of its citizens and visitors. The quality of life here is extraordinary, and with each season comes a different version of the city. The public transportation system in Helsinki is efficient, and everything is very accessible.The city serves as a meeting place between western and eastern cultures, making Helsinki a wonderful cultural center.In 1952, the Olympic Games were held here, and soon after this grand event, the world began to truly embrace Helsinki as the tourist haven that it is. Americans and Europeans saw the well-organized country of Finland and fell in love with it.
Attractions and Activities
Guided City Tour: This tour illuminates eclectic Helsinki – where the old lives harmoniously alongside the new. From the historic city centre to numerous examples of contemporary architecture and grandiose landmarks, the city’s passion for design is revealed. Live commentary from your guide illustrates your route.
Finnish Lakes and Forests Tour: Amble along the forest trails that zigzag Finland’s Nuuksio National Park. Skirt glassy lakes and observe wildlife before retreating to a blazing fire in a traditional Lappish tent. Savour Finnish sweet bread and coffee before going for a bracing lake swim.
Tour of Medieval Porvoo: Dozing on the banks of the Porvoonjoki River, the small town of Porvoo paints a pretty picture. Step back in time as your guide navigates the old town’s medieval alleyways, and profit from free time to visit the cathedral or peek into craftsmen’s workshops.
The biggest historical museum in Helsinki is the National Museum of Finland, which displays a vast historical collection from prehistoric times to the 21st century. The museum building itself, a national romantic style neomedieval castle, is a tourist attraction. Another major historical museum is the Helsinki City Museum, which introduces visitors to Helsinki’s 500-year history. The University of Helsinki also has many significant museums, including the Helsinki University Museum “Arppeanum” and the Finnish Museum of Natural History.
The Finnish National Gallery consists of three museums: Ateneum Art Museum for classical Finnish art, Sinebrychoff Art Museum for classical European art, and Kiasma Art Museum for modern art, in a building by architect Steven Holl. The old Ateneum, a neo-Renaissance palace from the 19th century, is one of the city’s major historical buildings. All three museum buildings are state-owned through Senate Properties.
The Design Museum is devoted to the exhibition of both Finnish and foreign design, including industrial design, fashion, and graphic design. Other museums in Helsinki include the Military Museum of Finland, Didrichsen Art Museum, Amos Anderson Art Museum, and the Tram Museum.
Surrounding Area
Nuuksio National Park
Nuuksio National Park is a piece of untamed wilderness about 25 km from Helsinki city centre. Established only in 1994, Nuuksio is one of Finland’s newest national parks, set up to ensure that a piece of pristine wilderness is kept within striking distance of the capital. Its location so close to a major city is unusual, and due mostly to the fact that the rocky and wet terrain was unsuitable for farming or other development. Nuuksio’s landscape is archetypically Finnish: conifer and birch forests, forty-three lakes, small swamps between them and gentle rolling hills, sometimes covered in moss, sometimes with the granite bedrock exposed where the vast ice sheets of the last ice age scraped them clean. There are plenty of quiet spots of beauty, but don’t expect jaw-dropping gorges or soaring mountains. Buses run from Espoon keskus (Espoo center), which you can reach by train or by bus.
Lake Tuusula
Lake Tuusula area hosts many types of museums that present art, culture, and history. Several artists, including painters, writers, and composers, lived and worked in the area surrounding the lake, which makes Rantatie museum road one of a kind in Finland. The worlds of the artists of the golden age of Finnish art are brought to life at museum sites that take the visitor back to the heyday of the Finnish National Romantic era. The museums in the Lake Tuusula area provide an extensive picture of Finnish history during times of peace and war alike. Take the bus from Kamppi terminal to Ainola or follow Finland’s national composer Jean Sibelius’ footsteps by taking the H-train to Ainola station south of Jarvenpaa. Area best explored by car or bicycle.
Porvoo
Porvoo, a scenic small town, is just 50 kilometers east of Helsinki. One of the most popular day trips from Helsinki, its picturesque city center of wooden houses is a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a small charming old town of wooden houses. Much more lively in the summer. Porvoo has been around since the 13th century, although most of the present buildings date to the 19th century. In 1809, Finland’s nobles assembled at the Diet of Porvoo to affirm the country’s conquest by Russia. Today, tourists stroll on the cobbled narrow lanes of Old Porvoo (Vanha Porvoo), which has survived the sprawl of the more modern part of the town around it remarkably intact. The place is particularly popular in summer.
Porvoo is best explored on foot: the Old Town is compact, many streets pedestrian only and with few cars otherwise, and all main attractions can be easily reached from the bus, ferry or train stations. There are buses from Helsinki’s Central Bus Station to Porvoo every 15-30 minutes. There is no regular passenger train service to Porvoo, but the Porvoo Museum Railways run a vintage train from Kerava to Porvoo and back on Saturdays in July/August only. MS Runeberg cruises from Helsinki to Porvoo between May and September three to five times a week, departing at 10 AM and returning at 4 PM. The trip takes 3.5 hours one way. On Saturday, you can also opt to take the boat one way and the train back. The boat leaves from Linnalaituri on Helsinki’s Market Square, opposite the President’s palace.
Raseborg
Raseborg, town of around 29 000, is known for being bilingual with Swedish as a majority language. Many parts of the town have their own names in Finnish and Swedish, which can be quite different from each other. This might cause some mix-ups with for example car navigators that don’t recognize both languages. Located 80-100 km west of Helsinki, Raseborg has castle ruins and 7th century ironworks. Raseborg is 1 hr by train from Helsinki.
Nearby Fiskars Village is known as a centre of Finnish artisan village of art and design. High-quality around-the-year conference, hotel and restaurant services, together with a variety of shops and workspaces offer visitors something to see and do throughout the year. Regular bus connections with 20 minutes travel time run from Karis junction bus station. The only Finnish ghost town on the island of Jussaro is located 18 km south of Ekenas. Jussaro was a mining town where iron ore was mined once. Between 1967-2005 the island was used by the Finnish Defence Forces. Islands services in season include guest marina services, a shop, rent-a-sauna, guided tours and starting in 2016 also lodging. A waterbus service operates from Baggo Marina.
Tampere
Located 170km north of the Finnish coastal capital Helsinki, Finalnd’s third-largest city is also the biggest inland town in the whole Nordic region. Geographically, Tampere lies on a narrow isthmus between Lake Nasijarvi, which reaches far to the north, and Lake Pyhajarvi in the south. In addition, there are 200 lakes and ponds in Tampere, and a total of 450 in the entire region. Tampere is the birthplace of Finnish industry, and boasts one of the last Lenin museums left in the world as well as a spy museum. There are only few neighborhoods in Tampere which can be considered interesting to most visitors, namely Downtown, Pyynikki, Pispala. It is worth the effort to spend a few hours hiking around the ridge in Pyynikki and Pispala district which lie a few kilometres west of downtown. Tampere is 1 hr 20 mins by train from Helsinki.
Hameenlinna
Hameenlinna, a city in Southern Finland, is exactly 100 km north from Helsinki. Hameenlinna is known for Hame castle, a large medieval castle, and the beautiful park area Aulanko. The birthplace of Jean Sibelius is now a museum, telling about the composer’s childhood, at Hallituskatu 11. The old wooden house is conserved between bigger modern buildings. The museum is open after renovation. Hameenlinna is 1 hr by train from Helsinki.
Turku
Turku, the oldest and now fifth-largest city in Finland, is the country’s historical capital. Located on the Southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of Aura River, Turku was the most important city in Finland from the 1300s until 1812, when the Russians moved the capital to Helsinki (closer to Russia and away from Sweden). The main attractions of Turku are its history and the great natural beauty of the neighboring archipelago. The cathedral and the medieval castle are well worth visiting. Like most places in Finland, Turku is at its best during the summertime, and hosts a great number of festivals, including rock festivals, chamber music festivals and a faire. Trains offer direct day connections from Helsinki (2 hrs), Tampere (1 hr 40 mins), Pieksamaki, and Kuopio.
Hanko
Hanko, the southernmost spot in Finland, 140 km west of Helsinki. This town of less than 10,000 people is famous for its summer activities, including sandy beaches, sailing, tennis, art, theatre, etc. Hanko is Finland’s southernmost town and a known traveller and vacation maker destination in the summertime. It is a major recreational marina with many or most sailboats and motorboats visiting Hanko on their way west towards the Finnish archipelago or eastwards to Helsinki. Hanko is a popular town to visit in summer and a lot of tourism ensures good services and a lot of restaurants in the marina. Hanko is also a major port for exports and imports year around. Hanko is 2 hrs 40 mins by train from Helsinki.
As a coastal city, Helsinki has good connections to some fine international destinations nearby:
St. Petersburg, Russia
St. Petersburg, a city of million, is a Russian port city on the Baltic Sea. It was the imperial capital for two centuries, having been founded in 1703 by Peter the Great, subject of the city’s iconic Bronze Horseman statue. It remains Russia’s cultural center, with venues like the ultramodern Mariinsky Theatre hosting opera and ballet, and the State Russian Museum showcasing Russian art, from Orthodox icon paintings to Kandinsky works. St. Petersburg is 3.5 hrs asway by semi-bullet train with departures four times a day. You can also take an overnight ferry.
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm is the official capital of Sweden, a remarkable city full of life and energy that is sure to dazzle your eyes and comfort your soul. This is not just a city to visit; Stockholm is truly a city to experience. There exists an incredible amount of activities to engage in, and the scenery is so picturesque that you will never feel bored or unfulfilled. Sweden is a well-run and well-educated country, making it all the more pleasant to visit. The conditions and accommodations in Stockholm are magnificent, as are the dining facilities. Choose from a wide array of fabulous restaurants for dinner, and then walk to a cafe for an outstanding dessert. The museums in Stockholm are quite interesting, and this ancient city has plenty of historic landmarks. Stockholm is also accessible from Turku (2hrs by train from Helsinki) or by ferry serviced by Viking Line and Silja Line.
Tallinn, Estonia
Estonia’s capital on the Baltic Sea, Tallinn is the country’s cultural hub. It retains its walled, cobblestoned Old Town, home to cafes and shops, as well as Kiek in de Kok, a 15th-century defensive tower. Its Gothic Town Hall, built in the 13th century and with a 64m-high tower, sits in historic Tallinn’s main square. St. Nicholas Church is a 13th-century landmark exhibiting ecclesiastical art. Tallinn’s Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tallinn is the major political, financial, cultural and educational center of Estonia. Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe, it has the highest number of startups per person in Europe and is a birthplace of many international companies, including Skype. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland. Tallinn is served by Tallink and Eckero line ferries.
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