Hey guys!
Helsinki is an amazing city.
Of course, it’s the capital of Finland
and there are so many fun things to do here.
In this video, I’ve rounded up some of the absolute best.
I’ve also made a ton of other videos around Finland
including more about Helsinki,
so I will link those in the description box if you want to see more,
but for now, here’s the best of Helsinki.
MARVEL AT THE ROCK CHURCH
One of the most unique places you can visit in Helsinki
is a church built directly into rock.
In Finnish, it’s called the Temppeliaukio Kirkko
and in English, better known as the Rock Church.
And that’s because it was built out of solid rock.
Two brothers who were both architects came up with this design and it opened in 1969
and they left the excavation marks in the walls
to remind you of how much effort and work was required
to dig down into this solid rock to build the church that you see today.
If you look closely, you can still see water coming down some of the walls.
It drips down into grates and is carried away.
When you look up, you see a beautiful ceiling made of copper
that forms the dome of the church.
And the acoustics inside are really special as well.
So much so that they host over 400 concerts every year.
So it’s a unique place not only to visit but also hopefully catch a concert.
TOUR ALVAR AALTO’S HOUSE
Alvar Aalto was a world-famous Finnish architect and designer.
If you don’t know his name, I can almost guarantee
that you’re familiar with some of his designs.
And in Helsinki, you can come and do a tour of the home that he lived in,
worked in,
and designed himself with his wife where they lived as a family until he passed away.
And you can see some really interesting details that he put into the house.
Right down to things like the doorknobs that were curved
so that when you walked by, you wouldn’t catch your sleeve.
Or the sinks in the bathroom, which were designed so that when the water runs,
it would create the least amount of noise possible.
Aalto also loved to paint.
It was a hobby and a way for him to unwind
and you’ll find a lot of his works here at the house.
However, he didn’t consider himself an artist so you’ll notice that none of the art is signed.
EXPLORE AN ISLAND FORTRESS
This is Suomenlinna.
You need to take a boat here from Helsinki.
And this is a military fortress
and it served for Russia, Finland and Sweden over the years.
Construction here began in the mid-18th century
and in 1991, it became protected by UNESCO
because it’s such a unique example of military architecture.
This is one of the most popular attractions in all of Finland.
They get over a million visitors every year.
It’s also a neighbourhood of Helsinki still because 800 people call this home.
I think the best thing to do is come and walk around
and just get a better appreciation for the history of this fortress.
One of the most fun things walking around the fortress
is going and exploring some of the nooks and crannies.
There are many little tunnels and caves
and cutouts that you can walk around in
but usually they have no lighting whatsoever
so bring a flashlight or get your phone out
and make sure you don’t slip because it can be a little bit difficult to walk around.
But so cool to just walk around in the dark and explore.
WANDER MARKET SQUARE
Market Square is really centrally located
and it’s a great place to just get something to eat.
There’s different food stalls,
souvenirs,
handicrafts.
You can look around, see what they have to offer.
And also just to look out at the water
because there’s a bunch of activities with the boats coming in and out
and a nice place to just sit down and enjoy the view.
VISIT OLD MARKET HALL
The Old Market Hall in Helsinki has been open since 1889.
It’s a fantastic place to come and grab a bite to eat or drink.
But it’s also a place to just come and take a look
at some really unique Finnish foods.
Walking up and down these aisles, you’ll see all sorts of vendors
selling everything from bear to reindeer to moose.
Every sort of fish, salmon that you can think of.
Finnish berries, tea, coffee, it’s all here at the Market Hall.
SEE THE SIBELIUS MONUMENT
A half hour walk from downtown Helsinki
is the Sibelius Monument named for the late composer.
It was done by a Finnish sculptor and unveiled in 1967.
And it looks like organ pipes.
There are over 600 pipes made of welded steel
and on one side you can also see a bust of Sibelius himself.
TAKE THE PLUNGE AT LÖYLY SAUNA
Saunas are a massive part of Finnish culture and of national identity.
There are about 5.5 million people living in Finland
and 3.3 million saunas just to give you an idea.
And because so many new homes have their own private saunas,
there’s been a decrease in the amount of community saunas.
But if you’re in Helsinki, you can come to a public sauna like this,
it’s called Löyly.
Not the easiest Finnish word.
But it’s a traditional wood fired sauna and once you’re all hot from the sauna,
if you’re feeling brave and you want to have the traditional Finnish experience,
you can come outside and go in the water.
HANG OUT AT THINK CORNER
This is one of my favourite spaces in all of Helsinki.
It’s called Think Corner
and it’s a free co-working space that’s run by the University of Helsinki.
It’s like a Scandinavian dreamscape inside.
Totally serious.
I love it so much.
You can work here,
you can just come and hang out, there’s free wifi.
You’ll see lots of university students.
They have a cafe
and they also have a shop with not only University of Helsinki march,
but also books in both Finnish and English.
So if you want a cool spot to just come and hang out in Helsinki, this is it.
EXPERIENCE FINNISH NATURE IN THE CITY
Welcome to nature.
This is Hotel Rantapuisto.
Only a half hour away from downtown Helsinki if you can believe it.
And this hotel has a long and really cool history.
It was finished in 1963
and it was a training centre for the Nordic Bank, which later became the Bank of Finland.
And the architects were a couple.
Marta and Ragnar Ypyä.
And Ragnar actually used to work
at the architectural firm of the very famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in the 1920s.
And so they’re a real powerhouse and they designed this entire building
and now it’s a hotel.
And this type of architecture lends itself so well to the amazing nature around you.
Lots of glass, tons of windows, long glass walkways.
And what I love about this hotel specifically
is that if you’re in Finland and you don’t have time to go all the way north to Lapland
and you’re in Helsinki, you still get the feeling of being completely surrounded by nature.
This is our room at Rantapuisto
and it’s incredible to be in Helsinki and get an amazing view like this.
When we woke up this morning,
I couldn’t wait to just get out to the water so, in our pyjamas,
Marc and I just went down and sat there and looked out.
It was so calm and so quiet
and it’s really hard to believe that you are in Helsinki.
But being in this hotel room and looking out at this view is just so peaceful and calm.
SHOP THE MARIMEKKO OUTLET
This is the Marimekko outlet store at Herttoniemi.
If you’ve never heard of Marimekko before, it is the most recognizable,
probably the most beloved brand in all of Finland.
If you visit Finland, you are 100% guaranteed to see someone wearing something,
or have a bag that’s Marimekko.
If you go to a hotel, chances are very high
that you will drink out of a Marimekko mug or eat off of a plate.
You get the idea…it’s very, very popular.
This is actually the headquarters for all of Marimekko
and this is also where you find the biggest outlet store in all of Finland
so you come here, you can find clothing and shoes,
bags,
plates and cups,
napkins,
fabric.
All sorts of different items.
They have normal priced products
and they also have a lot of discounted products.
So it’s a great place to come and look around and maybe take home a Marimekko souvenir.
At the Marimekko outlet, there’s also a cute little cafe
where they serve lunch and snacks and drinks.
And of course, everything from the napkins to the cups to the plates
is all different Marimekko.
FLY AROUND HELSINKI
One of the most fun ways to get a bird’s-eye-view of Helsinki is at the Flying Cinema.
You wear 3D glasses and watch a 15-minute presentation
where you fly all around the city and they point out different sites.
It’s a great way to get a look at where you might want to go out and explore in the city yourself.
And you’re on one of those platforms you often find on rides at amusement parks
where you’re moving all around.
And they also add elements like air, water, mist, even snow falling.
Things touching the backs of your legs
so you really feel like you’re flying around.
They also have kind of a smoother gentler ride, which is a 15-minute fly over Finland
and you see all of the most majestic parts of the country.
GET OUT ON THE WATER
Helsinki is a city where you never feel too far from the water.
And an amazing way to get a different point of view on the city,
is to go down to the Market Square and get on a ferry boat.
It will take you all around.
There are tons of little islands
and they’ll tell you some of the history of the place.
And also, a lot of people live on these islands
so you get some insight into how other people live in the city.
These are some of Helsinki’s icebreaking ships on their summer holiday.
They don’t need them quite yet.
But in the winter, they break through ice up to 5 meters
and keep all this water accessible.
STAY IN A FORMER PRISON CELL
This is our room at Hotel Katajanokka.
It’s very spacious as you can see.
But what’s super cool and unique about this hotel is its past.
It used to be a prison.
And there’s been a prison here since 1837 and it actually ran all the way up until 2002.
And then in 2007, they opened the doors as a hotel.
And when you check in, they say, “Welcome to your prison time.”
So hopefully for most of us, this is the only night we’re going to spend in a prison.
Former prison.
And if you look closely in the room,
you can see how incredibly thick and solid these walls are.
And they have all these other little historical touches
to remind you that it wasn’t always so easy to check out of here.
Like these locks and keys.
This is my favourite part of the hotel because there’s no mistaking
that this used to be a prison.
You can look up.
All of the floors and see where all of the cells used to be,
which have now been turned into hotel rooms.
You can do tours here and one of my favourite kind of historical tidbits
about when this was run as a prison is that in 1946,
they found evidence of a tunnel that had taken a couple of weeks to make.
It went from the 3rd floor men’s common area to cell #13,
which belonged to the female prisoners.
So these men had taken a couple of weeks not to tunnel out to freedom,
but to make a way over to the women.
Out here in the courtyard at Katajanokka,
you get another glimpse of what prison life would have been like
because they have the huge brick walls circling the entire hotel
to keep you from escaping of course.
And then they’ve left bars on a lot of the windows.
Not on the rooms
because there may be some limits to how authentic you want your experience in a former prison to be.
But they’ve left them on quite a few windows out here.
SWIM IN THE SEA
Down by the Market Square, there are a few pools
and one of those pools has the harbour water in it so it’s really, really cold.
And if you watch for long enough, you’re sure to see some very brave souls get in.
The bravest ones swim right across as quick as they can and get out.
It doesn’t look all that fun to me but it’s really entertaining to watch.
STEP BACK IN TIME AT HOTEL VAAKUNA
Vaakuna Hotel is one of my favourite places I’ve maybe ever been, especially in Helsinki.
We were just walking down the street
and I peeked through the doors and saw the lobby
and it blew my mind so we came in to take a look.
This hotel began construction in 1939
and unfortunately construction was interrupted and delayed by the war
but it was completed and opened in 1952,
which by the way is the same year that Helsinki hosted the Olympic Games.
And stepping into the lobby, it’s like you’re back in 1952.
All of the furniture here was designed by the same architect who designed the hotel.
It is still here.
It’s immaculate looking.
It feels like I’ve walked onto the set of a Wes Anderson movie.
Wes Anderson…please, please will you film a movie here?
It’s unbelievable.
DINE AT RAVINTOLA LOISTE
Up on the 10th floor of Vaakuna Hotel is a restaurant called Ravintola Loiste.
And you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to come dine.
Whether you dine or just come to take a look, it’s like stepping into a 1950s time capsule.
LIVE LIKE A LOCAL
One of the ways to feel a little bit more like a local when you’re travelling
is to make yourself at home in a rental apartment.
When we’re travelling, we even like to stay at different apartments in the same city
so that we get to try out different neighbourhoods
and just get a feel of how it is to live in that community.
I found this place on Airbnb
and you really cannot get more central than this.
Unless you were sleeping in the train station, I don’t think you could get any closer.
I can see the train tracks and the train station from our balcony.
And from this view,
you can also see the amusement park across the city, which is called Linnanmäki,
which Marc and I went to and had a really nice time.
And they also had a fireworks display the night that we weren’t there
so we got to stand here in our apartment and look far across the city and enjoy the fireworks.
So that was an extra special treat.
It’s all about this view.
However, there’s also a second view with a little balcony
where we really enjoyed cozying up with a cup of coffee.
I just love staying in apartments like this.
This is really big.
There’s actually two beds
and a lovely kitchen because I also love to go grocery shopping
and do some cooking while we’re travelling.
And it’s also just a more affordable way of travelling.
But it’s all about this view.
Waking up to this in Helsinki, I don’t think it gets any better.
And I will link this below if you’re interested.
So, there you have it.
So much inspiration to be found in Helsinki.
Places to stay, things to do.
I hope that you have enjoyed this video.
If you want to see more about Helsinki
and also about other parts of Finland,
like up north in Lapland, I’ve made lots of other videos.
So check them out.
I will link them in the description box below.
Hopefully this gave you some insight into Helsinki.
I do hope that you enjoyed it.
Make sure you give it a like if you did.
Subscribe to the channel for lots more travel adventures
and I’ll see you in the next video.
Bye.