Helsinki

[ThroughTheMirrorEmpire]

We have a morning (crack of dawn due to jet lag until about 2pm) in Helsinki next Sunday. We’re staying the Saturday night in a central hotel and need some ideas of what to do with two kids (8 and 11). Is anything open early on a Sunday?
Thanks!

Sounds an odd suggestion but the central public library, Oodi, opens at 10.00.
Absolutely amazing building - plus good coffee shop 😁.

Thanks! We love a library

Sauna on harbour front.

Oodi is great 👍

If the weather is ok, you could take the ferry to Suomenlinna, an Unesco world heritage site right outside of the harbour. Ferry service starts early, around 6am (as Suomenlinna is also a residential area). Not sure when cafes etc open on Sunday morning but you are free to walk in, out and around all of the fortress and all the exciting tunnels. Your DC are a great age to do this.

Just make sure to take the regular HSL passenger ferry, it’ll cost only few euros rather than the tourist ferries which will charge you a lot more.

suomenlinna.fi/en/

Swimming in the pool by the harbour.

There’s an interactive science museum a short train ride away in Tikkurila, opens at 10am

Its a weird place really Helsinki, unlike west european cities and a bit bland

Thanks for all the ideas!

I loved Helsinki, I didn’t think it was bland at all.

Not remotely bland. You must be an incredibly boring person to find it so...

Or Finnish

With only a few hours to spare, I would do the library, the station and the harbour where there are plenty of nice food stalls with lots of local food. (not cheap, but not dear either, for Helsinki) x

Walk down by the waterfront, there’s a market there, also rides/experiences to “fly” over Helsinki aka cross. We walked down by the docks too which was interesting. Museums most open at 10 and you’ll need to check cafe opening times as we weren’t up early. Most hotels seemed to have brunches on Sundays, food was amazing at ours

Great ideas, thanks! Looking forward to it now

Second suomenlinna, it is lovely!