10 things that need to be on your to do list in Helsinki, Finland
Helsingin tuomiokirkko - Helsinki Cathedral
Top of anybody’s list who is visiting Helsinki should be the Cathedral for its stunning, overbearing presence across the entire city. Look at any promotional material for Helsinki or Finland as a whole and the Cathedral likely features on it - and it's not hard to see why. On the first day of our visit to Helsinki, the Nordic blue sky sans clouds contrasted excellently against the bright white colour of the cathedral itself producing dramatic pictures like that below
For all the beauty on the outside and it’s impressive standing, inside is a different matter. The Cathedral belongs to the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, when compared to Catholic or Orthodox churches, the inside is underwhelming and plain because of the faith’s minimalist tendencies. In short, definitely visit the cathedral for the outstanding architecture outside and with it’s central position - it's impossible not to take a look.
Kansalliskirjasto - National Library of Finland
Although I did not visit to loan any books and, more than anything, we stumbled across the Library after visiting the Cathedral - I was extremely glad we did. Outside the building is large but unimpressive, however, unlike the cathedral, inside is beautiful. Organised, symmetrical, quiet and relaxing. Helsinki is not a hectic city vis-à-vis London, Shanghai or New York, but this is a serene environment for relaxation and, of course, a great resource for Finnish citizens to find literature and books. Just take a look at some of the images - a dream for fans of organisation!
Vanha Kauppahalli - Old Market Hall
A gorgeous, but expensive, indoor market hall beside the harbour, not dissimilar to Borough Market in London, that is full of Nordic delicacies and goods that you would expect. Founded in 1889, it has a survived through a checkered history during the Russification of Finland, Independence, World War One and subsequently the Finns befriending Nazi Germany through to the modern Finnish state today. Inside is a selection of mostly edible food items and also spots to get coffee and pastries - although it can get quite busy and crowded inside. I would recommend going to the Kauppatori (Market Square) just a couple minutes walk away instead to get better value and more selection.
Kauppatori - Market Square
Similar in some regards to Vanha Kauppahalli but outdoors and subject to weather conditions, there is a lovely selection of different Finnish and international foods to eat. I would extremely recommend buying any of the fish which is freshly caught and very tasty as well as quite inexpensive for Finland. If you’re into the usual tourist “souvenirs” (aka junk) you can also find it here.
Helsingin päärautatieasema - Helsinki Central Railway Station
Tick off two benefits in one visit:
- Explore more of Finland with an extensive sub-urban and long distance railway network
- See the impressive railway building architecture (outside)
Due to the short visit to FInland, I did not manage to venture far outside of the Helsinki area however as the Station is centrally located it's pretty easy to find in order take a look at the lovely architecture or venture further into Suomi.
Uspenski Cathedral
Another day...another cathedral. Uspenski Cathedral belongs to the Eastern Orthdox faith and the contrast with the bright white Helsinki Cathedral could not be greater both inside and outside. Despite Helsinki Cathedral being far more famous, I would argue the Uspenski Cathedral is far more intricate and interesting to look around. When it comes to design philosophy however you can definitely see how the Lutheran doctrine of minimalism has won over in Nordic and Finnish culture against the somewhat gaudy gold colouring of the Orthodox faith.
Shop at Stockmann - Helsinki’s flagship department store
Northern Europe’s largest department store, apparently. An emporium of pretty much anything you would want to buy with international and local brands available. Visiting is not for everybody but it is nice to see a city with a thriving high street, particularly when compared to some parts of the UK. Strangely for the home country of Lapland, it was one of the only places we could find for Helsinki souvenir Christmas tree decorations albeit this was in late August.
Walking tours around the city…
As with any city, there are numerous options for walking tours around Helsinki with the one I selected called “Original Walking Tour Helsinki” who were free, although a “donation” is recommended, and offered a good-length tour. Any kind of tour, whether walking, on Segway or on a tour bus, are great to find out more about a city you haven’t visited before and are time-constrained - having done the same in Budapest and Stockholm also. Give it a go wherever you are visiting and it might even inspire you to explore portions of the city you hadn’t considered before.
Museums of Helsinki
During this trip, we visited the Helsinki City Museum - just across the square from the Helsinki Cathedral - with it offering a unique view of the development of Helsinki over the past couple hundred years. I liked the City Museum. It is relatively compact, offers a broad variety of content from the 1800s through to today and is easy to follow. I had also planned to visit The National Museum of Finland whilst in Helsinki but eventually ran out of time - this seems a good visit for people wanting a combination of older history in a medieval style building.
Try Salmiakki liquorice….
I will go on the record, I hate it. Give it a go whilst you’re here, you can purchase it almost in any convenience store.
One other major part of my trip to Helsinki was a visit to Suomenlinna/Sveaborg, an island about 15 mins ferry ride from the city, however I’ll be covering this in a later article because of how impressed I was by this little island.
Have you been to Helsinki? What are your top picks when visiting the city? Drop me a message in the comments below!