After visiting the charming medieval town of Tallinn (read more here) in Estonia, we were ready to visit Helsinki, the modern capital of Finland 😎. With a short ferry ride of 2 hours from Tallinn we crossed the Gulf of Finland and reached Helsinki.
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| Sibelius Monument in Sibelius Park |
Internet is full of information about the many things to do and see in Helsinki. In this post I am listing the places which are an absolute must-see in my opinion.
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| Helsinki Cathedral in Senate square |
This plaza is surrounded by impressive neoclassical buildings. For me the highlight was the cathedral with its distinct green dome.
- Unique street identifiers
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| Building in the old city center |
If you take a walk in the old city center, you will see some streets have boards with a picture of an animal below the street name. In medieval times when farmers came to the city they couldn't read so photos of animals were used to identify the streets uniquely.
How do I know this you ask? Of course, because a local guide enlightened me in a walking tour! 😂
I believe it is the little things in a city that make it more memorable. Another noticeable thing is that all signs and boards are in 2 languages - Finnish and Swedish.
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| Very impressive building |
Visiting a library is never on the itinerary when you are a tourist in a city. You might be thinking "What could possibly be so interesting about this library?" We thought the same when a visit to this library was highly recommended by our guide. He gave some information but once we went inside there was so much more to do and see that we were blown away.
The building structure already sets the tone to expect something different and modern in this library.
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| Inside the library |
This amazing library is open to everyone free of charge. It is filled with not just books but also cool gadgets like 3D printers and tablets. It has sewing machines and even meeting rooms which can be booked by anyone.
It left us feeling that every city should have such a library, a place you can go to try something new or study or work in peace for free!
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| Kamppi
Chapel |
This chapel is situated in the middle of the bustling city center. As soon as you enter, you instantly feel calm in the quiet atmosphere. Honestly, I have not experienced such silence anywhere else. A visit to a cave in Iceland comes close but the dripping water in the cave was breaking the silence. However here it was complete silence. I hope you also get to experience the same 'pin drop silence'. I loved it for sure!
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| Inside the cathedral |
This is a Finnish orthodox cathedral. The design and interiors are very different from the churches seen in central and western Europe so I found it very interesting to look at it and observe all the details.
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| Breakfast at cafe Engel |
When in a new country I always make it a point to eat the specialties of that region at least once. Being a vegetarian the choices are limited (colder the climate, more meat based dishes) and that is actually very convenient for me 😄 because that means I don't have to spend a lot of time in choosing a dish.
Along with being famous for vodka and coffee, Finland also has a lot of variety in pastries to offer. Why not start your day with a pastry? 😉😋
I tried the Kringle and loved it for its cinnamon flavor.
That is all! I hope this list will make it easier to chose the places you want to visit in your trip to Helsinki!
What we missed:
The Island of
Suomenlinna - As we visited Helsinki in winter, it did not make sense to visit this island. It looks like a great place to visit in good weather.
I will remember Helsinki for its unique buildings, what did you like the most in Helsinki?😃
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