Helsinki..anyone been? What’s a must do?

[Sidebeforeself]

Got chance to go next month and I prefer peoples real experiences rather than travel guides. Nobody I know has been so Im turning to MN wisdom! Any advice appreciated

I went with work last year and going again in a few weeks. I didn't have much free time but walked around the harbour area where some of the main sights are and there was a market on. Lots of nice buildings, saw the cathedrals and old market hall. I stayed at the airport but the train to the centre was great, very punctual and felt safe. I went at night and then got up early and went againbbefore work. Hoping to see more things soon. I really liked it and would like to go for longer.

I only went as a day trip, but if you are in to cocktails, Trillby and Chadwick was a lovely bar. https://www.sonofapunch.com/restaurants/trillby-chadwick

Otherwise, I just wandered looking at the buildings etc.
I think there was an unusual church that was cool to look inside.

Just adding the website for the church.
https://temppeliaukionkirkko.fi/

It's in a rock!

Thanks both. I do love just having a wander…

The Natural History museum is fabulous.

I went in April, we just wandered everywhere and spent so much time walking. One day was torrential rain but we just popped in and out of places.
We did a little walking tour (I planned and researched myself and made a route on a great website called GPS My City) of:

• The National Theatre
• Senate Square and the Cathedral
• The other Cathedral, sorry can’t recall the name
• Market Square on the harbour - stopped for some hotdogs here as it was cheap
• Old Market Hall
• Esplanadi Park - just a nice tree-lined promenade type thing
• Railway Station
• Chapel of Silence
• Rock Church

That only took about half a day, with stopping for coffees and drinks etc. Later on that evening we went to some of the tiny islands in the centre you can access by bridges.
There are loads of vintage and second hand shops which we spent ages in!
It is the most expensive city I’ve visited in the last few years by far just as a warning - and I’d just come from Stockholm!

We did a lot of walking and the vintage shops were great - we did one of the free walking tours, Helsinki is one of my favourite cities in the world you will have a wonderful time

Wow thanks everyone. @justanothercuppa I may literally just follow your itinerary. @Summerhillsquare I LOVE a natural history museum so thats definitely going on the list too.

Helsinki is lovely! I’ll be there in about 10 days time 😍.

You must visit Suomenlinna, an ancient fortress island and Unesco world heritage site. It’s a short boat trip from the main harbour. It’s easy to wander around and the ferry schedule is very frequent. Don’t pay for the expensive tourist ferry, just find the regular public transport ferry.

https://suomenlinna.fi/en/

Also visit one of the many coffee shops (Finns love their coffee) and people watch.

Where are you staying @Sidebeforeself ?

We’re going in July, I was thinking a morning at the sauna place, a day across to Tallinn (as a pp mentioned the regular ferry much cheaper than the tourists options) we were also thinking of a tourist trip around the coast and obviously time mooching around the city.

Few more..

drinks at either Torni hotel and/or Klaus K hotel, both have a sky terrace with great views over the town centre.

Lönnrotinkatu is a side street of Mannerheimintie (the main road cutting across the town centre) it has a lot of restaurants which all have terraces outside and has a great vibe in summer. Nights will also be light into very late.

I was just about to post this! It's fascinating isn't it. We went in the depths of winter and the ship had to break through the ice.

Definitely agree Suomenlina is a must - we spent a whole day there just wandering around.
Also the Allas sea pools right near the harbour area - saunas and outdoor pools of all temperatures plus lots of sunbeds. There’s also a great roof terrace for drinks and food.

@WendyFromTransvisionWamp We are staying in Kamppi … your suggestions sound fab. Getting v excited now

Löyly sauna is an absolute must do

Pack some lovely swimwear

sauna, throw yourself in the Baltic Sea and then have a massive long drink (a gin grapefruit cocktail) and warm by the heaters

Well I like the sound of the cocktail …🤣

Kamppi is a the area with two shopping centres.

Kallio is the “trendy” area, and lots of 2nd hand clothes shops - UFF is the main one and there are a few branches across the whole of Helsinki.

in terms of restaurants, they are traditionally expensive but they have gradually added some lower price places like the falafel chain Fafas.

museums are not free, but you can get tickets to visit multiple museums/art galleries so works out cheaper if you get that type of pass.

kaisan kafe is worth a visit - they are famous for their HUGE cinnamon buns at decent prices along with other baked goods.

the market place in the main harbour is worth visiting. I like ordering a bag of fresh peas to shell and eat at the waters edge. close to this is the cathedral with the big steps.

As well as the main harbour with the market place, the one near Eira is also beautiful and there is a public sauna round that area too if you fancy trying that out.

There is so much more to the city but that is off the top of my head!!

@Wigtopia Thanks so much!

Definitely Suomenlinna and the market near the harbour.

No problem! Also forgot to add that Goose is a lovely restaurant at reasonable prices if you want a slightly fancier evening meal. You cannot book though, so might need to queue for about 20mins but they often have a wait area where you can buy a pre-meal drink ☺️ I joy - it’s one of my fave cities!

Some great suggestions. Also you must try Lohikeitto It's the traditional Finnish salmon soup, made with salmon, leek, potato, cream and lots of dill. Absolutely delicious. We bought ours at the harbour market and ate it there. Also, there's a huge ferris wheel by the harbour and one of the cabins is a wooden sauna! Might be something novel to try, if you can book it.

DH will love that. I cant eat salmon Im afraid but he will be very happy with that

It's been a few years, but I always enjoyed a meal at Zetor;

https://www.raflaamo.fi/en/restaurant/helsinki/zetor

The menu is quite amusing.

Oh Zetor looks like fun!!