Traveler truths: Helsinki

This is a new series I’m starting focusing on important insights derived from my travels. These are simple, useful tips and observations I’ve obtained on my travels in places where I've stayed a significant period of time (i.e. beyond 3 days and usually at least a week) that helped me, and will hopefully help you too. First up, Helsinki.

1. Helsinki is a haven for nature lovers: The sheer abundance of lakes, forests, paths and parks make Helsinki a treasure trove for those who like the outdoors. No wonder Helsinki is called the ‘land of the thousand lakes’. The air is clean, the surroundings picturesesque and the views amazing. The people are proud of their green surroundings, and regularly venture out of the busy city centre to the neighbouring islands (e.g. Suomelinna, Rajasaari Island, Seurasaari) or take a ferry to nearby Talinn, Stockholm or Norway. The Nuuksio National Park, an hour from Helsinki, was one of the most breathtaking places I’ve visited and full of postcard-perfect views. You should join them, and be prepared to leave the city. It is definitely worth it.

The beautiful nature of Helsinki

2. Helsinki is a walkable city: Although you can buy a public transport pass for the bus, metro, trams or train, Helsinki is easily navigable by walking if you want to keep your costs down. There is only one line on the metro, which suggested to me that public transport wasn’t exactly essential. I walked around Helsinki and to all of the many attractions on foot, and spent a good few hours each day walking. My legs got a workout, and I saved on public transport fares. Helsinki is just large enough so you don’t get bored in a week, and small enough for you to cover it on foot. Just allow plenty of time to reach and return from your destination (resting as needed) and you should be fine.

3. Many of the museums are free: Helsinki has a network of seven large museums that always have free admission. What’s more, the Finnish National Museum is free on Fridays from 4-6pm.

Discoveries from the free City Museum of Helsinki

4. Cyclists are respected and well taken care of: Helsinki is an incredibly liveable city, and very hospitable to cyclists. Walking areas are divided into sections for pedestrians and cyclists, reducing the risk of collisions and providing cyclists an incentive to get on their bike. The fact that Helsinki is quite small as a city makes a bike a very handy and convenient option for getting around. Melbourne could definitely learn a thing or two to cater to its burgeoning cyclist community.


5. The Finnish are a reserved people: In comparison to Melbourne or other areas of Australia where people will openly engage you in conversation without being prompted, in Helsinki people will pretty much leave you to your own devices unless you actively ask them. It's not a bad thing or anything, but if you need something, you really do need to make yourself known.

Andy’s traveler rating – Helsinki

People: 4.5/5
Liveability: 5/5
Attractions & Culture: 4/5
Nature: 5/5
Cost of living: 3/5
Weather: 3.5/5
Public transport: 4/5

Overall: 29/35

Helsinki: A Day of Two Islands

To round out my last day in Helsinki, I decided to tick off a few more of Helsinki's attractions - again a combination of man-made and natural. Ducking quickly into the Kamppi area near the city centre, I headed into the Kamppi Chapel of Silence (free admission) for some reflective thinking with a higher deity of some kind (I'm an Atheist). Next, I proceeded to the Temppeliaukio Church, more commonly known as the Rock Church (free admission) for its distinctive origins from rocks. It's very small so there's not much to see apart from a few photos.


The interior of the Rock Church

After these detours, I was ready to move onto the main course of the day - the Seurasaari Island and it's traditional Finnish buildings of days gone by. However, after walking along the west coast of Helsinki, I came across the Rajasaari Island and couldn't resist a brief pitstop.

Attraction details:

Name: Rajasaari Island
Directions: A short walk along the Merikannontie Road, continuing along the west coast. I estimate it would take around 15-20 minutes walk to get to from the city centre. 
Admission fee: Free
Rating: 4/5 stars

A popular spot for dog walking, sunbathing and swimming, the Rajasaari Island is full of scenic views and beautiful flora (I spotted some roseberries) and fauna (swans, etc). I highly recommend it for a pure dose of Mother Nature away from the city.


Rajasaari Island


Rajasaari Island 2


Rajasaari Island 3

After taking in the views, I proceeded further along the coast to the Seurasaari Island, which depicts what life was like in 1600s Finland through a series of preserved old buildings, churches, windmills, farms and the like.

Attraction details:
Name: Seurasaari Island
Directions: Continue walking along the west coast of Helsinki past the Foliosovagen Rajasaari Island and you will see signage pointing you to Seurasaari. Alternatively, the number 24 bus from the city centre goes directly to the Seurasaari Island as its last stop. The bus takes around 20 minutes all up.
Admission: Free (excluding entry to any open museums and restaurants/cafes)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Traveller tip: Take some food and have a picnic there to properly enjoy the views.

The next 2 hours was spent simply drinking in the history and atmosphere of the buildings and learning about Finnish history by reading the signs dotted around the attractions. Compared to the relatively commercialised Suomelinna Island on the opposite side of Helsinki, I found Seurasaari to be immensely peaceful, organic and beautiful. Tame hares and squirrels are regularly scene scampering around amidst the herb-rich forests, making for an interesting hybridised journey of history and nature.


Seurasaari Island


Seurasaari Island


Seurasaari Island 3


Seurasaari Island

Helsinki: Man vs Nature

On my sixth day in Helsinki, I visited a combination of 6 total man-made and natural attractions: the Kamppi Chapel of Silence, Finland National Opera Building, Helsinki Winter Garden, Olympic Stadium & Tower, Helsinki Central Park and the Hietaniemi Beach & Cemetery. I only explored the Winter Garden in depth so that's what I'll cover below. Despite the equal combination of man-made vs natural attractions of today's visit, it is becoming quickly apparent to me that Helsinki is a nature lover's city. It is called 'the land of the thousand lakes' after all, with lakes, parks and forests frequently dominating the landscape.

Attraction details:

Name: Helsinki Winter Garden
Directions: A short walk from the city along the Mannerheime Road.
Admission fee: Free
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Founded in 1893, the Garden contains over 200 species of plants. A rose garden outside leads you into a conservatory of different themed rooms of plants, including palms and cactii. The plants are beautiful and obviously lovingly cared for, with many different species growing side by side. There is enough here to occupy you for around 2 hours. The location of the Garden is ideal, with the Olympic Stadium & Tower and the gigantic Helsinki Central Park within walking distance.


The Helsinki Winter Garden

Eurasia Day 3: Nuuskio National Park

After yesterday's visit to the scenic Talinn and its centrepiece Old Town, Eurasia 2014 Day 3 represented a distinct change of pace. Away from the worries of civilisation, our destination was the Nuuksio National Park, a national park just thirty minutes by car out of Helsinki. Filled with dazzling views, pindrop silent forests, and challenging but learly-marked trails, its an essential destination for any traveller to Helsinki.

Attraction details:

Name: Nuuksio National ParkDate visited: 14 September 2014
Admission price: Free (Haltia Nature Centre admission is 7 euros, with buffet lunch for ~10 euros but I did not stop there)
Directions: Take the bus or train to Espoo, then the 85A bus to Nuuksio National Park (there are several stops at different entrance points to the park). The trip takes around 1 hour each way. For directions and a map, head to the Outdoors in Finland website. The regional bus ticket for 5 euros each way will cover your trip to Nuuksio National Park and back. Rating: 5/5 stars

The Nuuksio National Park is a welcome respite from the busy rhythms of city life in Helsinki. Containing few tourists, clearly marked paths for walkers of all skill levels, numerous BBQ spots for a picnic lunch (or marshmallow or two) and enough scenic views to fill a shop of postcards, Nuuksio is a top-notch example of the serenity and awe-inspiring power of Mother Nature. Personally, I took a trip with a friend for around 4 hours visiting a small section of the park with a brief break in between for lunch, but the park is immense and would easily occupy a full day if you're up for some serious trekking.

Just one of the gorgeous views within the Nuuksio National Park

In short: Visit Nuuksio National Park for a diversion away from the city centre, some jaw-dropping views and some quiet time alone with only the company of the odd walker and the thoughts of your own head.

Eurasia Day 2: Day trip to Talinn, Estonia

On the second day of my Eurasia 2014 trip, an expedition to Talinn, the capital city of Estonia. Aside from maintaining my perfect 1:1 ratio for days in Europe: new countries visited, I found Talinn to be a pleasingly modern and fast-paced city compared to its more relaxed cousin across the gulf in Helsinki. Just a fifteen minute walk to the harbour followed by a two hour ferry ride from the Helsinki mainland, Talinn proved to be well worth the wait.

The Tallink Ferry we took to Talinn (2 hour journey each way)

Attraction details:

Name: Talinn Seaplane Harbour Museum / Talinn Old Town
Date visited: 13 September 2014
Admission price: 10 euros (includes entry to both the internal exhibition and the external ships) / free
Directions: From one of the harbours of Helsinki, take a ferry to the Talinn Harbour. The Talinn city centre and Old Town area is around 15 minutes walk. The Seaplane Harbour Museum is also a 15-20 minute walk from the Harbour, but in a north-west direction.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars / 5 out of 5 stars

 Deciding on the 7:30am ferry to Talinn was a little punishing to be sure, but it ensured me and my travel companion were well into Talinn by 9:30am. And what an experience it was! Traveling by ferry to a new country (a routine activity in Europe I'm told) on the Talink Ferry, I was surprised to find not a collection of seats on a deck, but a multi-level structure boasting a perfume store, a Super Alko store for purchasing alcohol (a favourite past time of the Finnish who regularly travel to Talinn for cheap booze before ferrying it back to the mainland) and a buffet restaurant for the passengers on board.

Instead of heading directly into the city, we ventured first to the Talinn Seaplane Harbour Museum, a maritime museum that opened in 2012 after being transformed from an airplane hanger building. Along the way we passed many visually appealing buildings that foreshadowed the colourful monuments dotting the Talinn Old Town of our afternoon.

In comparison to the Estonia Maritime Museum (which seems a little mainstream), the Seaplane Harbour Museum seems targeted towards maritime enthusiasts, with an internal exhibition containing numerous life-size examples of real submarines, articles of warfare, seaplanes and ships. In this part of the museum, you are able to walk through the numerous rooms of a seaship (including cabins, kitchen, engine room, steam room, bathroom, captain's room, etc) and a submarine. Interestingly, there is an interactive airplane simulation where you can pilot your own aircraft, a section for you to dress up in nautical clothing, and a model submarine for you to explore, putting you directly inside the mind of a nautical professional. External to the building, there is the gigantic submarine Lembit you can walk through. I walked out with a renewed appreciation of the difficulties of the nautical lifestyle.

The airplane hangar turned Seaplane Harbour Museum in Talinn 

At around 12pm, we headed into the Talinn city centre for lunch, and were rewarded with views of the Town Square and its myriad winding alleys, cobblestone streets, quirky shops and vibrant architecture that formed the 'Old Town' district. There is also  We stopped at a quaint restaurant named Porgu, which is situated in an underground cellar you need to walk down to reach. The relatively low prices, sparse crowds (we were the only people there for 30 minutes or so) and free WiFi were a great motivator for my culinary beginnings in Europe. My mustard and honey baked chicken fillet with mashed potatoes, pak choi, sun dried tomatoes, and creamy mushroom sauce (9.5 euros) was a delicious blend of hearty flavours, while my friend's smoky duck fillet, sweet potato mash, black plums, baked cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas and pomegranate sauce looked positively drool worthy (washed down with a decilitre (100mL) of Hoegarrden beer).

Delicious cheap food in Porgu (honey mustard chicken)

After our brief pitstop for lunch, we continued through the Old Town streets, went inside one of the countless churches and browsed some of the surrounding shops before proceeding to the Upper Lookout spot over Talinn's Old Town. The view was simpy breathtaking! The day came to a close with market shopping and some very European people watching via a park and cafe detour for some chocolate cake and tea.

A highlight of the day was the Hare Krishna procession we saw enter the park just as we were leaving. They sing a semi-catchy song complete with drums, singing and dancing to the two repetitive words of 'Hare Krishna' - an interesting diversion to say the least. The 4:30pm ferry back to Helsinki deposited us back to the mainland around 6:30pm.

The picturesque views of Talinn Old Town from the Upper Lookout

In short: Visit Talinn for some cheap food, the UNESCO Heritage Listed Old Town and the breathtaking views. The ferry is around 18-40 euros depending on the time and date and ferry company chosen.