tfly212

Would appreciate some guidance or suggestions. I have a work trip in June to Copenhagen where I will have two free weekends. One I will definitely spend in CPH and the other I want to go somewhere new. My main criteria are:

1. Reasonably short flight from CPH ~ 2 hrs (will be going Friday afternoon - Sunday)
2. Interesting sights
3. Good food and some nightlife

Thanks very much.

BigRuss

What is "good food"? Neither Polish, Estonian, nor Finnish cuisine will be rated like French or Italian. Every place has good restaurants, you just need to look for them (i.e., on Timeout, inyourpocket.com or similar).

Gdansk fits 1 and 2 if there are direct flights from littlemermaidville. Go look up Gdansk Shipyards and Gdansk Crane. And it must have "some nightlife" considering that Brit stag parties still target the area (including nearby Sopot and Gdynia).

sandy_b

I went to both Helsinki and Tallinn last summer. Helsinki is just another big city. We found nothing much to see or do there and it is very expensive.

We really enjoyed Tallinn. It is small, walkable, has plenty to see for a weekend, and we enjoyed the food and beer.

I vote for Tallinn.

Sandy (in Denton)

A_S_M

Having been to all the Scandinavian and Baltic capitals, together with Warsaw and several other Polish cities including Gdansk, I would choose Tallin or Vilnius over the Polish ones. Helsinki is different from the other Scandinavian capitals, though whether it is worth a visit after spending time in Copenhagen is a mute point.

Helsinki has a lot to offer,it is capital city, and is easy to get around, with a good tram system. (why not look it up in The Insight Guide to Finland). There are some very good restaurants in Helsinki, though food particularly wine is expensive.

Tallinn is, of course much smaller, and really is a place to visit. Restaurants are improving with so many tourists visiting it. I think I would come down in favour of Tallinn, though I must say I greatly enjoyed Vilnius in Lithuania.
(With regard to the comments by BigRuss on French and Italian food. Not all French people ear at 4 star Michelin restaurants, the French and Italians are mainly peasants, and eat peasant food, good though it may be. Of course the pizza is ubiquitous, from Finland in the north all the way south to the Mediterranean)

bibliotecaria71

I would return to Tallin in a heartbeat. It was beautiful and is perfectly sized for a short visit. We ate at The Beer House. With its giant beer stein-shaped menus, we figured that lunch would be pretty "meh." Turns out I had my best meal of the trip there! What was it? "Bacon on the Bone." It's hard to describe, but it was delicious!

thursdaysd

Add Riga to the list, especially if you like Art Nouveau architecture.

tfly212

Thanks for all the replies...I think Talinn might be my spot.

ullongy

I've spent a ot of time near to Polish sea so I recommend you Gdansk and other great places like: Gdynia, Sopot, Wladyslawowo.
You'll be back healthier - iodine makes miracles with lungs and whole body. I know some smaller places worth seeing too. If you want to go to the sea in June, the biggest cities would be full of noisy tourists. Polish ciusine is great, you should try pierogi or bigos.

chryzeida

Pierogi are great, indeed. I love Baltic sea too. And I agree with ullongy that bigger places are full of people. But still the sea is amazing. And it's not a problem to find something smaller, but still worth seeing. I love Ustka and villages next to Ustka.

clausar

I have been to all these three cities....
I wasn't much excited about Helsinki, loved Tallinn but i would gladly return to Gdansk !!

ullongy

Yeah, because Gdansk is amazing. A lot of history, tourist attractions and pubs. I especially like historical churches, like St. Mary or St. Catherine.

xjennas

I think that Helsinki is nothing special, especially comparing to other capital cities I've visited.

argaya

Tallinn is nice. I love Toompea Castle and the Old Town. This city looks fabulous during the winter and the summer.

chryzeida

If you decide Gdansk, make sure you'll see St. Mary's Church (Bazylika Mariacka). This is the largest brick church in the world, very impressive. And the National Museum is worth seeing, if you like this kind of things.

bambuman11

1. Reasonably short flight from CPH ~ 2 hrs (will be going Friday afternoon - Sunday)

All these cities cost about same to fly from Copenhagen. Almost always under 200€ /RT, but sometimes deals for 150€ / RT

2. Interesting sights

Gdansk is very small. Helsinki is the biggest, but Tallinn has the best old town and affordable prices like Gdansk. But in Helsinki you have most sightseeing definitely.

3. Good food and some nightlife

Definitely Helsinki if money is not an option, if you are on budget then Tallinn. Gdansk is even cheaper but Tallinn has way better nightlife.

chryzeida

Gdansk has some great restaurants I love. Generally, Polish cuisine is very tasty. And Polish seaside is beautiful.

Percy

Been to all 3

I would say

Gdansk...Tallinn
The reasons have been given above.

chryzeida

I've been to Helsinki too, but I had this feeling that this city doesn't have something really important in its existence. But I have no idea why I felt it.

ullongy

Gdansk is the cheapest from all three cities, if I'm correct. So if you want to save some money and see really impressive place, go to Gdansk.

anlangdon

I would say Gdansk. I love Poland - beautiful views, cheap hotels and restaurants, nice people. Whole seaside is great. If you have time, you should go to Ustka too.