Hi, traveller. Are ready to explore Northern Europe with me?
I decided to start my blog post from our recent trip to Helsinki. I didn't see so much there, and barely can you give any tips on what you should do there or what to eat, but there are few things that I would like to mention and inspire you to travel to Finland.
I remember when I was a student, my friend's brother told that he was leaving to Finland for his scholarship. To be honest, at this time I thought, "What a crazy man! Why Finland?" After taking my short trip to Helsinki, I realized what I had been missing all along. Yes, it is freaking cold here during the winter. And yes, they have short days in winter and very long days in summer. But learning about Finland, I came to appreciate this amazing and advanced country.
How did we get to Helsinki? We took a ferry from Estonia, which wasn't expensive and not that difficult. It took about 2 hours. On board, we had options to shop and dine. After our short ride, I decided to simply relax in the hotel. On my next day, I went to walk around the city, trying to visit several museums without checking out if they worked on Monday. So, don't make my mistake and make sure to check online if museums are open. There are a few museums that I wanted to check: Kiasma, National Museum of Finland, Design Museum, and Sinebrychoff Art Museum.
Since I didn't get to see any museums, I decided to at least visit the Christmas market located on Helsinki Senate Square where you can buy handmade goodies that are made in Finland. Dominating the square is the most beautiful 19th century Helsinki Cathedral. From there, I walked toward the harbor to check out the market. I started my journey very early in the morning, so everything was closed too. I walked along the harbor to find a vista point at the Tahtitorninvuoren Puisto Park and continued to walk toward the Kiasma museum. After failing to visit the museum, I decided to take a stop at the popular Finish brand store of Marimekko. When I went to Paris Fashion Week this year, I got to see their new spring/summer collection and decided to take my chance to get a small gift for myself as a memory of Finland. If you get chance to travel to Helsinki, make sure to stop there and buy a beautiful scarf or dress, just because it is cheaper to buy there than to shop online. They not only sell women clothes, but also home goods. By lunch time, I decided to take a break for a small bite at one of the cafes, and got a huge portion of salad that was very delicious and cheap. As soon as I finished my lunch, I met with my husband and we decided to check out the most colorful neighborhood in Helsinki - Huvilakatu. Later, we took a ferry to fortress Suomenlinna. Sadly, in the winter season, it quickly gets dark, and we barely could see anything when we arrived to the fortress. After taking a ferry back to the city, we decided to stop at City Museum. We wrapped up our day trying wild bear and reindeer meat at Savotta.
I decided to start my blog post from our recent trip to Helsinki. I didn't see so much there, and barely can you give any tips on what you should do there or what to eat, but there are few things that I would like to mention and inspire you to travel to Finland.
I remember when I was a student, my friend's brother told that he was leaving to Finland for his scholarship. To be honest, at this time I thought, "What a crazy man! Why Finland?" After taking my short trip to Helsinki, I realized what I had been missing all along. Yes, it is freaking cold here during the winter. And yes, they have short days in winter and very long days in summer. But learning about Finland, I came to appreciate this amazing and advanced country.
How did we get to Helsinki? We took a ferry from Estonia, which wasn't expensive and not that difficult. It took about 2 hours. On board, we had options to shop and dine. After our short ride, I decided to simply relax in the hotel. On my next day, I went to walk around the city, trying to visit several museums without checking out if they worked on Monday. So, don't make my mistake and make sure to check online if museums are open. There are a few museums that I wanted to check: Kiasma, National Museum of Finland, Design Museum, and Sinebrychoff Art Museum.
Since I didn't get to see any museums, I decided to at least visit the Christmas market located on Helsinki Senate Square where you can buy handmade goodies that are made in Finland. Dominating the square is the most beautiful 19th century Helsinki Cathedral. From there, I walked toward the harbor to check out the market. I started my journey very early in the morning, so everything was closed too. I walked along the harbor to find a vista point at the Tahtitorninvuoren Puisto Park and continued to walk toward the Kiasma museum. After failing to visit the museum, I decided to take a stop at the popular Finish brand store of Marimekko. When I went to Paris Fashion Week this year, I got to see their new spring/summer collection and decided to take my chance to get a small gift for myself as a memory of Finland. If you get chance to travel to Helsinki, make sure to stop there and buy a beautiful scarf or dress, just because it is cheaper to buy there than to shop online. They not only sell women clothes, but also home goods. By lunch time, I decided to take a break for a small bite at one of the cafes, and got a huge portion of salad that was very delicious and cheap. As soon as I finished my lunch, I met with my husband and we decided to check out the most colorful neighborhood in Helsinki - Huvilakatu. Later, we took a ferry to fortress Suomenlinna. Sadly, in the winter season, it quickly gets dark, and we barely could see anything when we arrived to the fortress. After taking a ferry back to the city, we decided to stop at City Museum. We wrapped up our day trying wild bear and reindeer meat at Savotta.
Helsinki Architecture
Senate Square & Christmas Market
Helsinki Harbor
Tahtitorninvuoren Puisto Park
St John's Church
Book Store
Three Smiths Statue
Marimekko
Huvilakatu
Uspenski Cathedral
On the way to Suomenlinna fortress
City Museum Helsinki
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