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Here you’ll find travel reports about Helsinki. Discover travel destinations in Finland of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

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  • Janine und MarkusAround-The-World Part 2
    Day58

    Mach et joot EU!

    August 1 in Finland

    Now we are on our ship MS Princess Anastasia. In about two hours we will leave the harbour of Helsinki to go to St. Petersburg, Russia. Travelling through different countries without needing a passport is over now.

    For the next 30 days we will travel through Russia via Moscow, Perm, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Ulan-Ude and more.

    Jetzt ist es soweit, wir sind auf unserer Fähre (MS Princess Anastasia) die uns heute Nacht von Helsinki bis nach St. Petersburg bringt. Damit endet auch das entspannte Reisen durch die verschiedenen Länder ohne das man seinen Pass braucht. Aber natürlich freuen wir uns auf das was kommt.

    Die nächsten 30 Tage reisen wir einmal quer durch Russland bis zur Grenze der Mongolei und sehen uns unter anderem Moskau, Perm, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, den Baikalsee und Ulan-Ude an.    Read more

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  • Janine und MarkusAround-The-World Part 2
    Day53

    Helsinki

    July 27 in Finland

    Downtown Helsinki is really, really nice! We spent a whole day in the city walking around and had a lot of fun. In the national museum we became the next president of Finland, in an official Magnum store we created our own Magnum ice cream and we saw the first Russian orthodox church (I am sure there will come many more soon).
    It is still unbelievable hot up here in Finland and our accommodation has no A/C and even the windows we cannot open completely, but what would be a visit in Finland without a visit of a sauna :D and this sauna is included in the room rate!

    Die Innenstadt von Helsinki ist wirklich sehr nett. Wir sind den ganzen Tag durch die Stadt gelaufen und hatten jede Menge Spaß. In einem Magnum Café könnten wir unser eigenes Magnum kreieren und natürlich essen (verdammt lecker!), Wir haben die erste russisch orthodoxe Kirche besucht (davon kommen noch viele mehr im nächsten Monat) und am Ende würden wir im nationalen Museum tatsächlich zum zukünftigen Präsident von Finnland gewählt.

    Es ist auch immer noch super warm hier in Finnland. Leider können wir in unserer Unterkunft weder die Fenster anständig öffnen noch haben wir eine Klimaanlage... Aber was wäre schön ein Besuch in Finnland ohne Sauna? Unsere Sauna kostet zumindest nicht extra :D    Read more

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  • Janine und MarkusAround-The-World Part 2
    Day54

    Insel Hopping

    July 28 in Finland

    After our trip through downtown yesterday we have visited three islands close to Helsinki today: Vallisaari, Suomenlinna & Lonna. It was nice and sometimes we thought we were in Hobbiton...

    Nach unserer Stadtbesichtigung gestern ging es heute mit der Fähre zu drei Inseln vor Helsinki: Vallisaari, Suomenlinna & Lonna.
    Es war ein wirklich netter Ausflug und neben den schönen Blicken auf Helsinki dachte man manchmal man sei in Hobbiton...Read more

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  • North Cape 2018
    Day3

    Sightseeing Helsinki

    July 18 in Finland

    Helsinki - was für eine schöne Stadt. Das Bike stand heute fast den ganzen Tag. Wir sind durch die Stadt gelaufen und haben uns Helsinki vom Wasser aus angesehen. Sehr, sehr schön 😍❤️😍. Morgen beginnt dann die eigentliche Tour mit dem Bike. Wir werden jeden Tag unterwegs sein, ab morgen gibt's keine faulen Tage mehr. Wenn das Wetter so bleibt (und danach sieht es aus), dann wird das eine absolute Traumreise werden. Am 24.07 werden wir dann das Nordkap erreichen...Read more

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day14

    Final Day in Helsinki

    July 8 in Finland

    We had a relatively late start today, and it was nice to just dab about for a couple of hours - that is the beauty of being in an apartment, you have the space. Today we are booked on a bus tour with our Helsinki Card, which is a bus tour around the city pointing out major landmarks, and driving through a range of interesting suburbs. We got to see the Olympic stadium that was built in 1938 and 1939 for the Olympic Games that were to be held in Helsinki in 1940, but with the outbreak of war they were cancelled, and Helsinki did not host the summer games until 1952. The first games post-WW2 were held in London. We stopped at the Sibelius Monument, which is located at the Sibelius Park in the district of Töölö. It was created by Eila Hiltunen and is dedicated to Finnish co poser Jean Sibelius. We also drove through the suburbs of Kaivopuisto, Punavuori, Etu-Töölö and Taka Töölö, and ended the tour near Senate Square. Senate Square and its surroundings make up the oldest part of central Helsinki. Landmarks and famous buildings surrounding the square are the Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, and one of the main buildings of the University of Helsinki.

    After the completion of the tour we decided to back track past some of the buildings and statues we had passed by too quickly. We then went to the Sori Taproom and Eatery for lunch.    Read more

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day12

    A visit to HAM

    July 6 in Finland

    After a quick lunch at a Chinese restaurant (Helsinki seems to have a large number of Chinese restaurants), we headed over to The Helsinki Arts Museum (HAM). Much of HAM’s art collection is spread across the city in parks and gardens, schools and libraries. Their motto is ‘Art is popcorn for the brain’. There is currently a Graffiti exhibition, which was very interesting, as it tracks the development of graffiti from the 70’s onwards. I learnt a lot about graffiti at this exhibition. Graffiti can be divided into three broad categories - tags, throw-ups and pieces. Tags are basically the writer’s stylized signature done with a marker or spray paint. A throw-up consists of quickly executed outlines and fill. The term ‘piece’ describes a more complex graffiti painting. All three types appear in many styles, varying with the writer’s skills. Each writer’s aim is to gradually develop their own recognisable style.

    The core element of graffiti is usually a signature or word around which the piece is constructed layer by layer. The writer often does a sketch on paper beforehand, as the onsite painting must be done quickly. A classic piece consists of letters’ outlines and fill, background and various highlights.

    There was also an exhibition on Finnish artist Tove Jansson - she was a painter, novelists, comic artist, illustrator and writer, and is best known as the creator of the Moomins (I have never heard of the Moomins).    Read more

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day12

    The remainder of Day 12

    July 6 in Finland

    After the HAM we wandered around town, did a bit of shopping, visited Temppeliaukion Kirkko, also referred to as the Rock Church - it was very weird. It was designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1969. The walls are constructed of rock pieces, and there is a 24 metre roof covered By 22km of copper stripping. When it rains water runs down the rock face, and so drains have been installed around the base of the walls. Apparently the acoustics are exceptional.

    We then strolled through the city, and looked in a few stores. I still need to go into Stockmans, their major department store, for a gander though. We then headed back down to Market Square to take a ride on the Helsinki Sky Wheel, which Ian had mistakenly thought was free with our Helsinki Card, when in fact we received only a 2 euro (10%) discount. It was a pretty crappy experience. The wheel is very small - more like a ferris wheel - and the glass is tinged blue, so all my photos from the wheel are crappy and unusable! All up, there were three fairly quick round trips, and it only lasted about 10 minutes.

    After the disappointment of the wheel we needed to reward ourselves, so we had a lovely drink in the sunshine - a glass of Veuve Cliquot will do that! We went to a lovely bistro for dinner, The Cock, not far from our apartment. I had their hose G & T which comprises pink grapefruit, lingonberry and Helsinki dry gin, and it was delicious. Ian is still working his way through the Finnish beers on offer! We also ate some food.    Read more

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day13

    Suomenlinna - Sea Fortress

    July 7 in Finland

    We headed off just after 9 this morning to catch a ferry across to the island of Suomenlinna. Suomenlinna was founded in 1748 on a cluster of islands off the coast of Helsinki. A UNESCO Heritage site, Suomenlinna, the “fortress of Finland”, was built by the Swedes in the mid-18th century and it comprises of a number of car-free islands joined by bridges. On landing at Suomenlinna’s main quay you immediately see the pink Rantakasarmi (Jetty Barack’s) - these are from when the Russians occupied the island and are well preserved. There were guided tours, but we decided to do our own thing at our own pace - not really into large group tours if I can avoid them! We came across a large church, Suomenlinna Kirkko, which was built by the Russians in 1854, and was a Russian Orthodox place of worship until the 1920’s when it became Lutheran. It had a very stark and simple interior which I really liked. It is also one of the few churches in the world to double as a lighthouse - originally the beacon was gaslight but it is now electric and it is still in use. There are 800 residents currently living on Suomenlinna, and as we walked around we could see that many of the fortifications and old garrison buildings have been restored and converted into residential properties, Studios and offices, meeting and event facilities, restaurants and museums.

    We wandered around the island towards Kings Gate, and on the way we were able to enter the walls - which are 10 metres thick - in a number of places. We passed through the Great Courtyard that was designed by Augustin Ehrensvärd and completed in the 1760’s, and which served as the main square. It was badly damaged in the Crimean war in 1855, and the tomb of Ehrensvärd can be found in the square. There are cannons/guns still in place around the island, especially at Kustaanmiekka, which served as a reminder of the Russian occupation in the 19th century. There are also bunkers scattered around this area.

    We made it to King’s Gate, which is said to be the iconic symbol of Suomenlinna. It was built between 1753 and 1754 as a ceremonial gateway to the fortress. The gate is built on the site where a ship carrying King Adolf Frederick of Sweden was anchored while he inspected the construction of the fortress in 1752.    Read more

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day8

    More wandering around Stockholm

    July 2 in Finland

    After finishing at the Historika Museum, we decided to explore the neighbourhood. We had delicious sausages in toasted baguettes with mustard, ketchup and sauerkraut - yum - and got talking to one of the friendly locals while we were waiting. We then caught the underground for the first time. The transport system in Sweden is clean, easy to use and dependable.

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  • Danielle and Co travelsNorthern Europe
    Day8

    A visit to the Fotografiska

    July 2 in Finland

    After having a little rest back at the apartment, we once again headed out, and used the underground to get to Fotografiska, a Centre for contemporary photography. The gallery presents four big and 20 smaller exhibitions each year. It is located in a former industrial building on Stockholm’s waterfront, and there are stunning views from the cafe/restaurant located on the top floor. We saw an exhibition called Secret Times by Cathleen Naundorf. She trained as an artist, and many of her photographs looked like paintings - she uses a graceful meld of photographic techniques with painted art. Specifically, she uses the interplay between light and shadow to produce a mystical atmosphere. We also saw an exhibition by Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier titled Sealegacy Turning the tide. This was all about the impact humankind has had on the sea, but also those people who respect this most precious resource. Next we saw an exhibition by Evelyn Benxi Cova Merror who stated that “everything I do is a collaborative process and the author of this show is not an individual”. The exhibition is dedicated to all who make my mind grow. The final exhibition was titled Linda McCartney Mary McCartney - Mother Daughter. I have posted photos from each exhibition that particularly resonated with me, as art is such a personal experience.Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Helsinki, Хельсинки, Helsingfors

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