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Helsinki City Guide

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:13:46 +0000

The capital of Finland, Helsinki, is a the city of contrast where the urban style is flavoured by the sea and surrounding nature.

It is a city where one can’t get bored. In summer, the heat and midnight sun inspire many citizens to occupy numerous parks and terraces. In winter, the city’s active cultural life offers something for everyone. Various tourist attractions and historical sights, great spectrum of interesting museums, galleries and restaurants guarantee a wonderful stay in this cosmopolitan city!

The city was founded in 1550 and it become the capital in 1812. Its architecture is a symbol of Nordic modesty and refinement. The city centre, especially around the Senate Square, is an outstanding example of Neo-Classicism. Some monuments are reflect the Byzantine-Russian impact on Helsinki’s architecture.

How to get there? Helsinki has train and bus connections to all major towns in the country. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is located 19 kilometres from the city centre. Moreover, there are many daily ferry connections with Estonia, Sweden, Germany and St. Petersburg.

About 45 hotels offer comfortable accommodation during your stay in Helsinki. There are about 840 restaurants serving both international and Finnish cuisine.
The simplest and the quickest way to see Helsinki’s sights is by hopping aboard the 3T tram that passes by the Parliament House, Finlandia Hall, National Opera and Senate Square. The whole loop takes about one hour. In summer, one can also take a topless double-decker bus from which to view the city’s most important sights.

Guided walking tours, available in various languages, are the best way to learn more about this amazing and fascinating city, its history and contemporary life. They include 15 different schemes, for example, Helsinki’s Russian Past, Art Nouveau in Helsinki and Imperial Helsinki.
Brief, Helsinki is surely one of the most wort-visiting European cities that offers various activities, attractions, and outstanding sights for you and your family!

Artek

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:37:53 +0000

Artek is a Finnish furniture company. It was founded in December, 1935 by architect Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Aalto, visual arts promoter Maire Gullichsen (Ahlström — Gullichsen family) and art historian Nils-Gustav Hahl. The main aim of the venture was to promote the furniture and glassware of Alvar Aalto, and to produce furnishings for his buildings.

The name Artek manifests the desire to combine art and technology, echoing a main idea of the International Style movement - to emphasize the technical expertise in production and quality of materials, instead of frivolous ornaments.

Kauppatori

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:33:53 +0000

In Summer this is a very pleasant place to be. Never mind that it is very ‘touristy’. It is very central and it is by the water. As well as craft stalls there are fruit and vegetable stalls selling strawberries and peas. There are also stalls where you can have a very good salmon and potatoes lunch for a (by Finnish standards) good price. There are other good dishes, sometimes including reindeer. Of course a coffee and cake while basking in the sun is pretty good too.

This is a good spot to stop for a sun and fresh air break if you’ve been in museums or galleries for a while. Again in Summer, stroll a short distance up Esplanadi for a free concert.

Market Square

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:31:29 +0000

The Square is spacious and it has access to water, which makes it a nice place, although not all the architecture around it is exactly pretty. The hall itself is a fascinating old brick building, and inside it has this ‘old times’ atmosphere. The hall smells like fish – like many market halls do – but it is clean.

As the neighborhood is still in the middle of gentrification process the clientele is very diverse. It is used more by Helsinkians than by tourists, and the shopkeepers know their regular customers. The Finnish clientele ranges from students and artists living nearby, to people who want special items, to Tarja Halonen, the President of Finland. And yes, the neighborhood is proud of this place, that’s for sure!

Hakaniemi Market Hall

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:29:24 +0000

Hakaniemi Market Hall is located in a two story brick building in a former working class district in Helsinki. The market that was opened in 1914 and now a days it is the liveliest of the three old central market halls of Helsinki. The hall is located on a square, where during the summer season an outdoor market takes place daily.

Hakaniemi Hall is the place where Finns go to when they want to get really good fish, ecological vegetables or just enjoy the atmosphere of shopping in something else than a supermarket. The first floor of Hakaniemi Hall has 38 food stores, and the second has 28 specialty shops – including a 2nd hand bookstore, a shoe repair store and a textile handicrafts store. It has six cafeterias, and the market hall cafeteria on the first floor is the best place in Helsinki place to buy an inexpensive traditional Finnish lunch.

Forum

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:24:36 +0000

The Forum shopping mall has some 140 shops on four floors. Kluuvi shopping centre also has a wide variety of shops. Kämp Galleria is a haven of designer brands and high fashion. The latest addition, the Kamppi shopping mall opened in 2006, housing 150 shops and a number of cafes and restaurants.

Eerikin Pippuri

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:20:33 +0000

Eric’s Pepper, as the name translates, is a popular late-night stop for the pub-goers around the Kamppi area. This small fast-food place serves mainly kebab dishes, which have become very popular in Finland. The price-to-quantity ratio is excellent, whereas a discussion of quality is not necessary. It is good for any time from lunch until it is time for a midnight snack.

Elite

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:18:48 +0000

If you want to try something really local and special in Helsinki, you should definitely spend an evening at Elite, founded as early as in 1932. Many famous Finnish singers, writers, painters, actors have considered this almost their own living room.

Even today you can hear interesting stories about their regular tables and orders. The menu in Elite is traditionally Finnish. You might even run into a big party (with dancing, drinking and eating) after the moose-hunting season! The restaurant is closed on Sundays but you can still make reservations for bigger groups for that day.

Piccolo Piazza

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:16:37 +0000

Piccolo Piazza is a small, cosy pizzeria at the Katajanokka end of the no.4 tramline. The place is furnished like any normal Finn’s kitchen, simply and neutrally. Just a few tables are needed to fill up the small area. Still, there always seems to be space for one or two more customers.

The menu covers various different kinds of pizzas, pastas, and salads. This place has operated for quite a few years already, enjoying popularity with young diners. Its small size guarantees that your meal will be brought to you in minutes, and it even accepts many credit cards.

Fazer

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:13:33 +0000

The newest pedestrian street in the city is home to the old, traditional Fazer that has served the inhabitants of Helsinki for decades. This Russian-French cafe and confectionery shop is located between Esplanadi and Kluuvi shopping centre, opposite Hotel Kämp. You can have both traditional and fashionable products: cakes, pastries, handmade chocolates, pasties, pies, savoury snacks and salads. You can have them in the cafe or take them with you, and if you order in advance you can take away pastries and food for parties. Check out the gift service: they make decorations for cakes and personalised Fazer gifts.

This is a suitable milieu for people of all ages, and you can always have tasty, traditional ice cream and good Finnish coffee. The university buildings nearby, and Maxim cinema next door make the place quite busy.