Where you can get from Helsinki. What to see in Helsinki - attractions

You have already thoroughly studied, let's go explore Finland further: the oldest city and former capital of Turku, the most comfortable city with the Moomin Museum Tampere, the capital of Lapland and the home of Santa Claus Rovaniemi. We tell you in detail how to get to them, where to stay and what is worth seeing there. Cool museums from the Lenin Museum to the Moomin Museum, unusual hotels, old castles, cultural hubs on the site of former factories and beautiful nature - an eventful trip is guaranteed.

Turku

Why Turku?

Founded in the 13th century at the mouth of the Auirajoki River, Turku is the oldest city in Finland and its former capital, which has a lot of Art Nouveau, many wooden houses (after all, a former part of the Russian Empire), a kind of mixture of Riga and Kostroma.

The river is the main center of attraction of the city; along it there is an embankment, parks, and piers. There are boats along the river, beautiful buildings overlook the river. There are several bridges across the river, including pedestrian ones, but the most interesting thing is a small ferry ferrying people and cyclists (Läntinen Rantakatu 47) . It's free, orange, and rolls back and forth all the time. Further from the river there is also beauty: in some places the terrain goes up a lot, you can climb higher and explore the city. One of the best views is from the observatory (Tähtitorninkatu 1) .

How to get there?

You can get to Turku by plane from, and (SAS, airBaltic, Finnair, Wizz Air). You can get here by train or bus from most large and small cities in Finland. But the most picturesque way is by ferry. It's worth noting that a budget cabin on the daily overnight Viking Line ferry from Stockholm is comparable in price to a hostel in the center of the Swedish capital. The measured hum of diesel engines, the beauty of the archipelagos and the smooth (or not so smooth, if there is a storm) rocking on the waves are included. All in all, this could be a beautiful itinerary for a great Scandinavian trip.

On Turku train station (Ratapihankatu 37) There is a luggage room (cash only), a cafe, a paid toilet and a full-wall map of the city. Turku is connected by railway to Helsinki and Tampere, and then anywhere.

A good option for an overnight stay - Forenom Aparthotel Tampere City(Hämeenkatu 28). That wonderful type of hotel where you may not meet a single living person the entire time. An hour before check-in time, a code is sent via SMS that opens the front door, the door to the floor and the door to the room. The room has dishes, iron, coffee maker, kettle, microwave and refrigerator.

Visit Tampere– Tampere tourism website.

Rovaniemi

Why Rovaniemi?

The capital of Lapland and, according to guidebooks, the home of Santa Claus. The city itself is located just 6 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle with all that it implies. In the winter season, prepare for temperatures from -15 °C and, in the summer - for the sun that never sets around the clock, which rarely warms the air above 20 °C. The most beautiful nature awaits you all year round. You can stock up on shorts yourself, and winter overalls can be rented on site.

How to get there?

The journey by train will take at least 8 hours on a daytime train with seats (from € 35) to 12 hours on a night train (seat in a compartment from € 49). There are two- and three-seater coupes, with and without a shower, for men and women. There are direct buses from Helsinki, but you will find more options with a transfer to Oulu. 11 to 14 hours of back pain can be purchased from € 39 if you plan in advance. Norwegian and Finnair fly to Rovaniemi from Helsinki; the one-way price for both starts from € 37, but by the New Year season, if you don’t have time to book it in advance, it increases significantly. The airport is about 10 kilometers away from the city center; you can use the shuttle for € 7 or Santa's Express from € 3.5.

What to see?

Photo – heartmybackpack.com, Backpacking North, finduslost, Lucas Marcomini, Jason Charles Hill

We often meet people who think that Helsinki is rich in ferries and airports with which you can get from Russia to Europe. This is, of course, true; you can get to Europe. But if you haven’t really seen the city of Helsinki itself, haven’t felt its true Finnish character and national flavor, you’ve deprived yourself.

We declare with full responsibility that Helsinki is exactly the city you can fall in love with. But first you need to see it, and not just run past on the ferry. In what other city in the world can you find a live hare next to the opera house?

Finland is a relatively young country, it appeared on the world map as the Grand Duchy of Finland and received broad autonomy thanks to Russia and Emperor Alexander I, whom the Finns revere to this day, naming one of the main streets in the capital after him. Everything that was built up to this point is connected with Sweden.

Helsinki is an important transport hub; passenger ferries with tourists from Sweden, Germany, Russia, and Estonia arrive here. The Viking Line and Tallink Silja Line ferry terminals are located close to the central embankment and market square, within walking distance from the train station.

The main attractions of Helsinki can also be explored on foot. For those who have difficulty with long walks, there is a tram called a tourist tram. Its route is looped, so you can get on the tram and return to the same place, or you can get off at interesting places and then continue the trip. The most popular tram route is No. 2. However, he is not the only one.

For the convenience of exploring the city from a tram window, it is best to buy a travel card, which is valid for all types of public transport in Helsinki during the day.

If you have any questions, you can ask them at the Helsinki Information Center (North Esplanade Boulevard 19). There you will also be offered maps of the city and a walking route for lovers of the architecture of national romanticism (the Finnish version of modernism).

History of Helsinki

Helsinki was founded on June 12, 1550 by order of King Gustav Vasa of Sweden. True, the first place (the current Arabia district) was not chosen very well (the harbor was too shallow), and later the city was moved to the area of ​​​​the current Market Square.

In 1748, the Swedes built the Sveaborg fortress (Suomenlinna in Finnish) on the islands near Helsinki; it was supposed to protect the city from the sea.

During the war with Napoleon I of 1808/09, according to the Treaty of Friedrichsham, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire, and in 1812, Helsingfors (Helsinki) was declared by Emperor Alexander I of the Grand Duchy of Finland. This was the first step towards complete independence of Finland, and the monument to Alexander I was erected in the very center of the city on Senate Square next to the Cathedral. Aleksandrinkatu Street is named after him.

From that moment on, the provincial city began to develop rapidly. The university was moved from Turku, and construction of the railway began. By the end of the 19th century, Helsinki had become a modern European city.

Finnish independence was declared in December 1917. The bourgeois Finnish government, on whose side Marshal Mannerheim fought, won the civil war in Finland.

The Russian-Finnish War (1939–1940 and 1941–1944), as well as Finland’s participation in World War II (on the side of Germany, and after 1944 on the side of the anti-Hitler coalition) nevertheless did not deprive Finland of independence, and its capital, Helsinki, although it suffered during the bombing, it is one of the few European capitals that escaped occupation.

In 1995, Finland joined the European Union.

In 2017, Finland celebrated 100 years of its independence.

Architectural style “national romanticism” in Helsinki (Finnish modern)

The heyday of Finnish national culture occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century. The style that emerged at this time in Finnish architecture was called “national romanticism”. This is one of the varieties of Art Nouveau, but with a bright Finnish flavor. In addition to those features that are inherent in modernism as such (asymmetry, rejection of straight lines and angles, the use of natural materials, different shapes of windows, etc.), it is characterized by massiveness, a combination of roughly processed natural materials (Finnish granite) with artificial ones, decorating buildings with floral ornaments, as well as figures of characters from Finnish folklore. These are bears and lynxes, squirrels and owls, trolls... This is the Helsinki we loved the most.

Our editor spent a weekend in the Finnish capital, and now she can name at least 10 reasons why you can’t help but fall in love with this city!

Short flight

Helsinki is the perfect option when you only have a few days to spare. The flight from Sheremetyevo (Moscow) to Helsinki takes only an hour and a half, so nothing prevents you from going to explore the city almost immediately after you find yourself in the capital of Finland.

Cosmo tip. Helsinki Airport is located outside the city limits, so be sure to have some cash with you to take a taxi.

Tasty food

When you reach the city, be sure to stop for a “break” to have a snack at one of the restaurants in the center. An inexperienced tourist may at first think that Finland is not one of those countries that are famous for their cuisine, but this is not so. The gastronomy of Helsinki is very diverse: here you can find both an exquisite Michelin-starred restaurant and, for example, drop in on some hospitable city dweller for lunch! Yes, don’t be surprised, 4 times a year any resident of Helsinki can become a restaurateur; to do this, just register on a special website, indicating your menu items and prices.

Popular

Cosmo tip. If you are a gourmet and crave new gastronomic experiences, check out the Spis restaurant: a set of six unusual mini-courses with a wine paired with each one will not leave anyone indifferent.

Your own guide

Helsinki is not a very big city, and it’s not difficult to navigate, even if you’re here for the first time. It’s easy to map out your own tourist route, just use the Internet. In addition, all local residents speak English, and many understand or can even speak Russian.

Cosmo tip. Be sure to visit the former Helsinki City Hall (now a museum), the Church in the Rock and the Chapel of Silence. And you can see the panorama of the city and just enjoy the beautiful view from the Finnair Skywheel installed in the port. By the way, you can choose the Veuve Clicquot VIP cabin, where the price of the ride includes a bottle of the famous champagne. Another life hack: city tram number 3 seems to have been specially launched for tourists, it travels in a circle and goes around very beautiful places.

SPA

The phrase “Finnish sauna” is familiar to everyone; the country of Suomi is famous for this for good reason. The spas here are simply amazing and are located literally on every corner. There is even a public sauna in Helsinki, located near the port - visiting it is free, the inside is perfectly clean and tidy at all times, and firewood freshly chopped by previous visitors is always waiting outside.

http://livingdayspa.fi/

Cosmo tip. We recommend visiting Living Day Spa. This spa is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Helsinki, so a relaxation trip is ideally combined with a walk before and after.

Distance

Finland is a small country and all the cities are located quite close to each other. If you have allocated 3-4 days for your trip, be sure to visit Espoo, a satellite city of Helsinki. In 2016 it will be possible to get there by metro, but for now there are trains and buses. Espoo is home to Nuuksio, one of Finland's many national parks (39 in total!), where friendly guides will take you on a mini-hike through the Finnish forest.

Cosmo tip. It is best to go on a hiking trip prepared - in comfortable clothes and shoes. But if you don’t have any with you, then you can get them for the duration of your walk in Nuuksio, at the Haltia nature center.

Shopping

In addition to brands that have not yet reached Russia (COS and &Other stories), Helsinki is famous for its vintage shops, where you can find amazing dresses in the Victorian style that is fashionable today, as well as priceless items from the iconic collections of Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and other houses. fashion.

Cosmo tip. Lots of really good vintage shops in the Design District.

Moomins

Finland is the birthplace of the Moomins! Here you can buy cool souvenirs and things with their image in literally every shopping center, not to mention the souvenir shops and shops. Therefore, if you are a fan of the iconic saga of Tove Janssen, this is a real paradise for you.

Cosmo tip. Take a look at the Moomin Valley Museum in Tampere - there you can learn a lot of interesting things not only about your favorite characters, but also about the life of their creator.

Art

Contemporary art, which will be treated with caution in Russia for another twenty years, is in a completely different situation in Europe. And Finland is no exception. Helsinki has a lot of museums and galleries to suit every taste.

Cosmo tip. While walking in the center, you can look into the galleries spontaneously: admission to most of them is free.

Design

A Finnish apartment is impossible without a stylish interior, so you definitely won’t be able to leave Helsinki without a couple of beautiful things that will take their rightful place in your home. We recommend getting one of the famous Toikku birds - each of these birds exists in only one copy and, in addition, all these glass birds replicate the real birds that inhabit the Finnish forests.

Cosmo tip. In the Iittala store you will find not only Toikku birds, but many other stylish little things and, of course, the notorious Moomins.

Amusement park

If you are planning a trip to the Finnish capital from April to October, be sure to set aside a couple of hours to visit the Linnanmäki amusement park. In fact, once you get there, the notorious two hours will probably not be enough, but you will definitely have time to try out the main attractions!

Cosmo tip. It’s best to go there in the evening - the park has very beautiful lighting, and the roller coaster experience is much more intense at dusk!

You can explore the city in sufficient detail in a short time, but you want to spend your vacation in an eventful, active and varied way.

To old Tallinn

Going for a day is a nice idea. The Estonian capital is full of medieval charm and wandering through its narrow streets is quite possible if you have a day in Helsinki free from local excursions.
The most convenient way to get to Tallinn is by ferry. The summer schedule begins in mid-June and ends in the second half of August. During this period, the first ferry departs at 10.30 and the last at 21.30. In the remaining months of the year there are only two flights per day and their schedule varies. A detailed schedule is available on the website www.vikingline.ru.
The ferry is a kind of entertainment center with live music in restaurants, bars, a sauna, nightclubs and playrooms for kids. Once you arrive in Tallinn, you can book a cabin for the night on the ferry to explore the city in detail and at your leisure.

Ancient bastions

One of the main attractions in the vicinity of the Finnish capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Suomenlinna Fortress was built in the mid-18th century to fortify eight rocky islands off the coast, called the Wolf Skerries. Five of them are connected by bridges or spits, the rest are separate. The fortress houses several museums, a naval academy and even a light-security prison, whose residents maintain order and cleanliness in Suomenlinna.
You can get to the fortress by ferries and water buses:

• Ferries depart from the pier at the capital's Market Square. The first flight is at 6.00 am and the last flight is at 2.20 am. The interval between ships is from 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the time of day. The journey takes a quarter of an hour, the price is about 5 euros. Trams 1, 1A and 2 will take tourists to the Market Square. The stop is called Kauppatori.
• In summer, you can travel to Suomenlinna by JT-Line water bus. The ticket price for it is 7 euros.

For Helsinki Card holders, visiting the fortress museums and traveling on the ferry are free. The card is sold at tourist information centers and allows you to receive benefits when using public transport and discounts at some restaurants and museum ticket offices.

City of Red Barns

Only fifty kilometers separate the capital from, and this city certainly finds itself in the zone of interest of tourists who are deciding where to go on their own from Helsinki for one day. Its calling card is the old red wooden barns on the banks of the river, against which all guests love to take pictures.
Porvoo is the oldest city in the country and its authentic atmosphere attracted Leonid Gaidai, who filmed his film “Behind the Matches” here. The old town hall has been preserved in the town and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary is of undoubted interest for fans of Scandinavian architecture.

If you have the opportunity to visit Helsinki, you should definitely take advantage of it. The city has many attractions, and one day is clearly not enough to see them all. This is a very interesting city with a long history. Tourists of all ages will be interested in walking along its streets, visiting museums, and visiting fortresses and cathedrals. But there are interesting places in the city for children, and where to go in Helsinki with a child, you can ask the travel agency.

How to get there?

You can get to the capital of Finland by any means of transport, by air, by land and even by sea. Three airlines operate daily flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg airports: Aeroflot, Finnair and Pulkovo Airlines. An hour of flight - and you are in Finland. From St. Petersburg you can come to Helsinki by high-speed train "Allegro", which delivers tourists to their destination four times a day. Travel time is 3.5 hours.

There are also two high-speed trains - the Finnish Sibelius and the Russian Repin. Lux Express buses run three times a day from the Northern capital of Russia to the capital of Finland. And this is the cheapest option. One way ticket -1400 rubles.

There is also a reliable connection on the St. Petersburg - Stockholm ferry. It will be a kind of small cruise. Departure from St. Petersburg in the evening, and get off the ferry to Helsinki, where you will arrive the next morning, at the South Port (Olimpiaranta, 1). But this type of transport is more suitable for the warm season.

Hospitable city

This is one of the cities in Europe that has created favorable conditions for tourism and recreation. The city has many different museums, attractions, and architectural monuments. It is enough to purchase a map of Helsinki, and “where to go and what to see” as a question should disappear by itself. Fans of walking around the city will find several developed routes that cover all the interesting places that the capital of Finland is rich in. For those who just came to relax with a large group, the guide will also find where you can spend a weekend and get acquainted with Finnish culture. There are many interesting places in Helsinki where you can go with your child. In general, you can go to your “Finnish neighbor” on a weekend from St. Petersburg, because it’s always a mini-trip to Europe, which is almost nearby. The main thing is to decide where you still want to go and what to see.

What is the Helsinki map?

Tourists who don't know what to do in Helsinki in one day can purchase an all-inclusive sightseeing package that allows them to see the best of the city while saving time and money. This package is called the Helsinki map. The card is available for 1, 2 and 3 days, depending on the period for which it is purchased. This card is a kind of all-in-one ticket. By purchasing it, tourists will subsequently receive free admission to 25 top attractions and museums, as well as a city tour and a panoramic bus tour to the tourist island of Suomenlinna, as well as free entry to the SkyWheel and SEALIFE Helsinki.

Budget travel option

For example, if tourists decide where to go in Helsinki without the above map, they will have to pay for each attraction or object of visit:

• Suomenlinna, sea fortress - museums and tour - € 37.00.
• Bus tour with panorama - € 32.00.
• Excursion along the beautiful canal - € 25.00.
• SkyWheel (discounted entry) - € 12.00.
• SEALIFE (discounted entry) - € 16.00.
• City tour by bus - € 28.00.
• Ateneum Art Museum - € 15.00.
• Temppeliaukio Church (rock church) - € 3.00.
• Museum of Contemporary Art "Kiasma" - € 14.00.

By visiting these 9 attractions without a Helsinki card, you will spend 182 euros, and in addition there will be costs for public transport. And the 3-day Helsinki Card costs €66.00 and includes free public transport, so the savings are obvious!

If you are passing through Helsinki

Sometimes the trip turns out to be unplanned. Perhaps this is a business trip, or you happen to be passing through this city. In this case, no one really thinks about where to go. In Helsinki you can just walk, and the streets will lead you to the embankment and the main Cathedral on Senate Square. Your feet will take you to the Old Market Hall - an ancient indoor shopping market. Very beautiful buildings and unusual for their maintenance. Who would have thought that the Finnish National Theater is located in a building that looks like an impregnable castle. The beautiful red brick building of the former customs house in 1900 and the Best Western Premier Hotel Katajanokka, located in a former prison, are made of the same brick.

Here's where you just need to look: Linnanmäki Amusement Park. This is one of the oldest parks, which houses rare wooden roller coasters, as well as new modern ones. Both of them work and delight both adults and children. The park has a tower with an observation deck. You can climb it and see Helsinki from a bird's eye view for free.

Museums in Helsinki

For those who are interested in the culture and life of the country's population, it will be interesting to visit the most popular museums in Helsinki. Typically, such an excursion is made in the autumn-winter period, when indoors are more comfortable than outdoors. The most interesting include the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma - Museum of Contemporary Art "Kiasma".

Visitors enter the museum through a spacious lobby with a glass ceiling. This location serves as the starting point for stairs, ramps, and corridors that curve to lead to the rest of the building. The irregular, subtly differentiated spaces of the museum serve as exhibition halls.

You can always find where to go in Helsinki. So, the Kaupunginmuseo - the Helsinki Museum - is interesting to visit. It documents and displays the history of Finland's capital. Those who are interested in natural sciences can visit the Finnish Museum of Natural History - Science Museum of Natural History. It is interesting for its exhibits Design Museum - Design Museum.

Traveling with children

Coming to Helsinki with children, many ask the question: “What to do with a child, where to take him so that he will be interested?” There are enough places like this for both kids and teenagers. These are museums and entertainment, Espoo and Vantaa, which can be visited in summer and winter. In a historical museum, a child might be interested in Vintti's workshop. Children learn to build a wooden frame or a wall from bricks. They will be allowed to grind grain and even work on a typewriter.

You can visit the island of Seurasaari with your child. This ethnographic complex is interesting because there are 80 buildings brought from all over Finland. These are peasant estates, shops and workshops. There is a school, a postal station and even a working mill on the territory of the complex. True, this complex operates in the warm season from mid-May to mid-September. On holidays such as Easter, Christmas and Midsummer Day, folk festivities take place on the island.

Helsinki in winter

For those parents who came to Helsinki, where to go with their child in winter, the question does not arise. They know that the city has the largest water park in Europe, Serena, which is popular with both adults and children. Children and adults will not be bored at the Eureka Science Center. Time spent there leaves a lasting impression.

After all, here you can sit in the cockpit of an airplane, imagining yourself as a pilot, ride a tightrope on a bicycle like a circus performer, or climb into a bear’s den. And in "Eric" there are no restrictions. You can touch everything with your hands. The main feature of "Eureka" is a planetarium showing 3D films. You can stroll through the park on the snow-covered island of Seurasaari. And if you come for Christmas, you should definitely check out the City Winter Garden. He will surprise you with his winter outfits.

Helsinki is interesting at any time of the year. It has so many attractions that, having been here once, a person does not feel satiated. The city of Helsinki is hospitable and incredibly beautiful.