Helsinki was like no other capital city I had ever visited! It was so diverse with delectable food culture, beautiful architectural design, a vibrant art scene and inspiration around every corner. It felt like I had stepped through the pages of adventure novel where I was sailing to islands over the sea, experiencing the time old tradition of the sauna, learning of folk tales and travelling back in time with its colourful history too. I visited knowing barely anything about Finnish culture and came away feeling inspired and in awe of this wonderful city. I loved the connection to nature and the 'come as you are’ attitude celebrating individuality.
British Sophie Pearce visited Helsinki in spring and published 3 posts about her stay on their popular Instagram account thirdeyetraveller. She also published 9 blog posts on her popular blog Third Eye Traveller.
Here follows a short summary of those posts with 5 tips out of her recommendations in Helsinki:
1) Helsinki has an archipelago of 330 islands, make sure you visit at least one! Suomenlinna Sea Fortress Island is amazing and an accessible island all year round.
2) Visit a Finnish sauna like a true Finn, that means braving a dip in the Baltic Sea! Löyly and Allas Sea Pool are my recommendations.
3) Did you know that Finns drink the most coffee in the world? Get your caffeine fix at the instagrammable Café Regatta with a cinnamon bun! You also need to learn about the Moomin’s in Finland; they’re a national icon! Go on a Tove Jansson heritage tour.
4) Helsinki has some beautiful architecture, make sure you check out Huvilakatu for the most colorful Art Nouveau / Jugend buildings.
5) Food is one of the best parts about Helsinki, Savotta serves traditional Finnish cuisine with an incredible view of the Helsinki Cathedral!
As well as being a very photogenic city, it’s also about living presently and cherishing unique experiences. Whether that’s eating forest to table around friends, sipping filter coffee at the bay, swimming in the Baltic sea, smelling fresh pine in the woodlands or breaking the boundaries of art by becoming part of it. Helsinki has an endless list of breathtaking experiences to enjoy. I’m a big fan of the Moomin’s, so I loved visiting where they were first invented and seeing them as brand ambassador’s for big companies in Finland. Sipping coffee with my favourite characters in the Moomin Cafe’s was also a big tick off and childhood dream come true! And, like a true Finn, I now have my own Moomin mug to start my own collection at home. One of my favourite things is being around nature, so the fact that it was so accessible in a capital city was incredible. I loved exploring the islands like Suomenlinna and Seurasaari and seeing what surprises I could find there. The air, the land, the water was so fresh and it was such a lovely escape from the urban side of the city.
See all her photos on Instagram here!