francolf

Hello,

I´m planning a trip to scandinavia for next March. I have almost decided the itinerary but i have a doubt. At the end of the trip i have 3 or 4 days to stay in Tallinn or Helsinki and i don´t know what is the best option.

I would like to know both cities but what do you recommend? To stay in Tallinn and make a day trip to Helsinki or viceversa? or to stay 2 days in Tallinn and 2 days in Helsinki??

Thanks you in advance!

thursdaysd

I would recommend Riga ahead of either. But otherwise I would probably stay in Tallinn - cheaper and cuter - and day trip.

For my visit to all three see http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ne-baltics.cfm

Or start here for text with pix: http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...ain-and-shine/

Dukey1

I've been to both and I would do both if possible but your travel needs might be different. I enjoyed both and found them to be somewhat different and different enough to be interesting.

lanejohann

id stay in helsinki and do a daytrip to tallinn on the ferry...
there are guides wandering around inside the old town in tallinn and it is well worth hiring the services of one
if youre interested i can provide more details
tallinn is lovely and helsinki has quite a few interesting places to visit..we missed out...should have stayed one more day but we were in a hurry to get to moscow
enjoy your trip!
oh and do do do find the fabulous spiced almonds in tallinn..taste like nothing on earth...sooooo goood!

ter2000

I'd stay in Tallinn and do a daytrip to Helsinki. IMO there was a lot more to see in Tallinn then in Helsinki. Didn't like Riga at all - found it very seedy.

sandy_b

Friend and I were just in Helsinski, St Petersburg, and Tallinn in August for 12 days. We have both travelled to over 71 countries and 99% of the trips have been independently. Maybe we have just seen too much and are jaded but neither of us enjoyed Helsinki. We found it expensive and just another big, modern city.

We stayed in Helsinki for 2 days and then took the St.Peterline ferry to St.P. This allowed us to stay in StP for 72 hrs (3 days) without a visa. We loved, loved, loved this part of the trip! We visited Catherine Palace, the Hermatage, Peterhof, Church on the Spilled Blood (our fav), and St Issac's Cathedral. These 3 days were fabulous!

We returned to Helsinki and immediately took the 2-hr ferry to Tallinn . . . a pretty walled city. We were there 3 days and it only had sites for 1-2 days. It was only marginally cheaper than Helsinki.

I typed up my travelog from that trip and also did a photobook on Shutterfly. If interested, email me at [email protected].

Sandy (in Denton)

Percy

It really does not matter that much whether you stay in Tallinn or Helsinki and ferry across the Gulf of Finland to the other city.

You can see a lot in Helsinki in a day IF you know where the major sites are and the same goes for Tallinn.

I enjoyed both of them, they are different but of course Old Town Tallinn is much older

Odin

Can you end your trip in Stockholm instead of Helsinki? I would choose Stockholm over Helsinki, Tallinn over Helsinki. Have been to all these cities esp Helsinki which doesn't have much to see and is very expensive. Riga is very interesting, the jugendstil architecture, the museum of occupation and the market in the old Zeppelin hangars are just some of the interesting sights.

francolf

Thank you for all the replies.

I don´t have the itinerary finished yet but i want to spend 5 days in Stockholm before going to Helsinki/Tallin.

The cities i´m thinking for the itenerary are: Bergen, Tromso (to see northern lights), Copenhague, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki/Tallin. I haven´t decide the order yet.

Percy

There is a lot to see in Helsinki, so let me give you and outline to save time.

1. Almost everything centres around the Market Square.
You will be here for sure.
2. when you are in the Market Square, stand with your back to the water.
Across the street that Blue building on your right is the City Hall
Next to your right the City Halland next is the Swedish Embassy and then next is the Supreme Court Building.
Finally , next is the Presidental Palace with the wrought iron gates.

3. Keep looking to your right and up the hill is the lovelt Usepenski Cathedral built by the Russian in 1868.
You really should go inside , and the views back to the Market Square are great.

4. Coming down from the Uspenski Cathedral you will pass the Main Guard House on your right, and straight ahead another block is the Senate Square.

5. here at the Senate Square perched on a hill is the most photographed Church in Finland ...the Helsinki Cathedral.

6. Climb up the steep steps to the Helsinki Cathedral ( White Church nicknamed the Wedding Cake ).

7. Go inside and make sure you also visit the basement.
The admisssion is Free !!!

8. when you come out of the Cathedral, just stand before the steps going down.
Look to the right , that is the Council of State Building .
Now look to your left, that is the University.

These buildings are "almost " identical looking" . but I picked out seven subtle differences.

9. Look straight ahead and that monument in the centre of the Square is of Alexander II of Russian and Finland was under Russian rule at the time.

10. Now look past the Alexander Monument to the buildings across the Square.
That building with the black bar like rood is the Sederholm House...the oldest stone building in Helsinki

Next to the Sederholm House ,that lovely Yellow bldg. with the white pillars is the Bock House,it used to be the City Hall from 1816 t0 1818.

11.A block behind the Helsinki Cathedral is the Snellman Square and on either side of the Square is the Bank of Finland and the House of Estate and then the Nationalarchives.

Go here to see the ornate architecture of these buildings.

Go back tothe Market Sqquare which is a block away and you will see the Obelsik dedicated to honor Czar Nicholas the first and his wife ( Czarina).

12. With your back to the water ,turn Left and walktowards the very lovely statue of Havis Amanda.

A very ornate nude statue of "Princess of the Baltics "

13. From here straigh ahead is 4 blocks of a tree lined street.
This is the Esplandi Park. Walk right through the middle and admire the ornate buildings on either side.

You will come to a monument of J. L. Runebeg, he is perched on a very high pedestal.
He wrote the National Anthem of Finland,

At the base of this monument is a lovely statye of a girl who is The Muse of Finnish Poetry( a goddess who inspires creation of Literature)

She has six books at her feet.

14. Walk another block and you will come to the end of the Esplandi Park.
That white building right there is the Swedish Opera House.

You are now on the croner of Mannerheimintie Street th4e Main Street in Helsinki.
Just to your LEFT is the Erottaja Square and "Zero Point".

It is from zero point that all distances to other cities are measured from.

15. You can now turn RIGHT down M annerheimintie Street and you will come upon a statue of Three Blacksmiths...then the Stockmann Department store.

Another block down is the statue of Filed Marshal Mannerheimintie on a horse, in front of the curved Kiasma Museum for Modern Art.

16. Right here turn RIGHT to see the lovely Train Station with the two huge statue on the Train Station building.
These are the "Guardian of Travel "

walk into the large Square next to the Train Station.

here you will see a monument to Aleksis Kivi , Finland's Romantic Poet writer.
That building back of him is the National Theatre,

Now make a 180 degree turn and that ornate building is the National Gallery.

17. Go back to Mannerheimintie Street ( only a block away) and keep walking down the street.

You will see these building over the next 4-5 blocks

**The Parliament Building and Monuments to past essidents

Percy

oops it posted, don't know why.

anyway :

The Parliament Buildings and monuments to past Presidents
The National Museum with it's red capped Tower.
The White Finlandia Hall...the Concert Hall
The National Opera House
and then

The Olympic Tower. Go to the top of the Tower for terrific views.

You can now turn around and walk back down Mannerheimintie Street to the Market Square

You are not thatfar from the Rock Church whihc is a must see in Helsinki.

If you want a drink or lunch then go to the Hotel Torni which is a block off Mannerheimintie Street and go the the Aleljee Bar on the top floor of the hotel for great views of all the

buildings you just saw down Mannerheimintie Street.

Other nice places to see just a block or two off Mannerheimintie is

The Errotaja Firehall ,the oldest in Helsinki.
This is a very nice red brick building with a great tower.

Also along the Esplandi Park is the Hotel Kamp.

This hotel was built in 1969 BUT to plans of the original Hotel Kamp of 1887.
What a lovely job they did, the buildinglooks a 100 years old.

If you have time and you should, take a boat ride to Suomenlinna Islands.

This was built by the Swedes in the 16 century as a Sea Fortress, on six islands.

The boat leaves from the Market Square every 20 minutes and the boat ride is about 15-20 minutes, the view back to Helsinki are terrific.

I can give you more places to see but I think that is enough for now.

( I have not mentioned Sebelius yet !!)

Nothing to see in Helsinki ...really !!

Odin

Not really, the post is longer than what there is of interest in Helsinki to see. Quite frankly once you've seen the market and the Cathedral, there isn't much else. Suomenlinna is nice to visit in summer. Hotel Kamp has a great restaurant, ate there about a month ago on a trip from Stockholm by boat. Best thing about this trip was the journey thru the islands. Did another trip from Stockholm to Riga by boat 2 weeks ago which was much more interesting destination, although have been to Riga twice before, still found it more interesting. Will revisit Tallinn before the year is out.

isabel

I am also considering these cities for part of a trip next summer. I have read that the boat ride (overnight) from Stockholm to Helsinki is very pretty but when googling images I have to say that while pretty, it doesn't look particularly unusual or breathtaking or anything. Water with lots of low islands. I am hoping someone could tell me what is it that makes it worthwhile. When I look at photos of the Norway fjords I see spectacular scenery unlike anything else I've seen in Europe or the US but when I look at the photos of the Stockholm archipelago it looks like lots of large lakes/coastal areas I've been to.

Also I've heard these boats have a lot of people who are on the trip just to party and drink and wonder how true that is.

Percy

Each to his own

I very much enjoyed Helsinki and saw much more than I posted.

I have a friend in Tallinn who is a private tour guide , so he came to Helsinki to get me and then he showed me all around Tallinn for the next three days.

Tallinn is great to see if you know where you are going and not just walking about the cobbled stone street maze.

In the end it all depends on what YOU want to see in each place you visit.

Ruby99

I agree, it does depend on personal preference.

I just got back Sunday for 15 days in Copenhagen, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm. Out of the 4 cities, I preferred Helsinki, then Copenhagen, Tallinn and lastly Stockholm. For some reason, I just didn't like Stockholm that much, but I really enjoyed the ferry ride coming over from Tallinn. I'd heard it called a party ship, and it really was. Stayed up until 2:30 am!

So to answer the original question, I'd stay in Helsinki and do a day trip to Tallinn.

My only regret during my trip is I didn't make it to St Petersberg by ferry.

Percy

Thanks for letting us know Ruby99.

I liked Copenhagen ,but also Stockholm and Tallinn.

I usually do my homework well and then make a list of the places I want to see, so as not to miss anything . !