What to do in Helsinki?

Old Aug 18th, 2011, 02:27 PM
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What to do in Helsinki?

Hi Fodorites,

In June 2012, I have a tentative trip lined up for Scandinavia. It's not finalized in any way at all, but I am trying to do some background research, namely, what is there to do in Helsinki, Finland? I'm trying to find historic places to visit, but Helsinki seems quite modern. If the trip does go ahead, I will have about four days to wander Helsinki's streets alone, and I don't feel comfortable with going out of the city alone, so was trying to find some local tours etc. but it's just so hard to find anything online. Just wondering if there are any places you know of in Helsinki that are scenic, historic, or interesting to a photo-snapping literary geek such as myself?

( The trip if confirmed will take me and my father to Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and possibly London, though my DF will be at a conference, so I will be alone for most of Helsinki, but will tag along with the conference when they go to Tallinn and Stockholm)
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 04:14 PM
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http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/finland/helsinki/

I like Finnish design, so I enjoyed the Design Museum. We spent the better part of a day on the castle island (Suomenlinna) and wished we had allowed a full day. Lots of photo ops on the island.

Helsinki felt incredibly safe to me.
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Old Aug 18th, 2011, 11:46 PM
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Hi Irish

If you don't have a car, the hop-on-hop-off bus tour is a good option for 24 hours. The underground church and park with the Sibelius chime sculpture are a distance from the main city area, so the bus is a good way to get there.

The main city area has large markets, and a church that towers over the central square.

See www.visithelsinki.fi for details Di
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Old Aug 19th, 2011, 11:56 AM
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Yeah, I won't have a car.....mostly because I'm too young to rent one ( under 25 ). What do you think of a day trip to Porvoo? Is it worth a whole day?
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Old Aug 19th, 2011, 02:41 PM
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I didn't get to Porvoo, but Turku on the east coast is a lovely little town with plenty to do and see in a day. Di
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Old Aug 19th, 2011, 08:33 PM
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There are tours to St.Petersburg. I did not take any of them, but I visited St. Petersburg and I liked it. It is a very beautiful city, with very interesting and big museums, palaces and gardens.

I found http://www.scantours.com/3_daysrail_journey_unique.htm
3 days (2 nights) organized trip by train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. Think about this: you will not be alone as it is an organized trip and you will still have one full day for Helsinki.
You need visa.
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Old Aug 20th, 2011, 11:50 AM
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Thanks valtor, that is a good suggestion, but I am really looking for tours in the Helsinki area, like a local English speaking tour out to Porvoo or the big nature reserve etc. What I'm curious about is whether you have to find and book these things in advance, or whether you can just rock on up to the information centre and join one or what? I've seen these tours advertised online, but when you click through they are no longer valid, so either they are just not online anymore, or maybe they don't exist anymore?
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Old Aug 20th, 2011, 12:26 PM
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I have not experience with day tours from Helsinki, but I took day tours from many other cities in the world. Never had a problem, I asked at the hotel, they gave me some brochures with day trips, I selected the tour for the next day and the hotel booked it for me.

You can download a brochure of Visitors center in Helsinki:
http://www.visithelsinki.fi/In_Engli.../Brochures.iw3
I suppose that you also can contact them by email, ask about tours and they will advise.
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Old Aug 21st, 2011, 02:09 PM
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Irish,

I've visited HEL multiple times over the past 5 years, staying from 3 days to 3 weeks on business.

First, there is a good trip report on this board from a young female traveler who spent a week alone in Helsinki a year or two ago. It is filled with details of each day's activities that might interest you.

Second, within Helsinki itself for scenic, historic, or interesting to a photo-snapping literary geek:
The area around the harbor:
Esplanade Park for street performers/music, eating an ice cream, and mixing with Finns on a nice day out.
Lutheran Cathedral on the hill.
Senate Square buildings (you can learn the history of their commissioning and the influences on the architect).
Uspenski Orthodox Church on the next hill.
You might also like to see the Helsinki University--I seem to remember something about the library and its collection.
There is also the National Library of Finland, but I know nothing about it. www.nationallibrary.fi/
A small city history museum near the visitors center gives some context for the city.
Also, the harbor has an outdoor market of fish, fruits, vegetables, and souvenirs that is scenic. There is a small market hall for the cruise ship day visitors. A larger one is located further in town by a metro station. Let me know if you want info.
You can also catch the boat from Market Square to Suomenlinna where there are guided tours and great photo opportunities.

A short walk away is the main train station with great architecture. Then you can take the tram up Mannerheim to see the National Museum of Finland, the symphony hall. On the far side of the lake are some historic wooden homes of the well-to-do.

A little further to the northwest is the Temppeliaukio Church (rock), then further up is the Sibelius chime sculpture mentioned above and continuing in that direction is the Seaurasaari open-air museum with old houses and other buildings from various centuries gathered together with English speaking docents present to tell you how people lived in that region at that time. Crafts for sale as well.

All these locations can be reached by tram and bus or there is usually a day tour for the cruise ship passengers that you could also take. The Visitors Center would be the source of information for that.

I went to Porvoo by bus one day. I had seen boat one way, bus one way trips that only gave 1-2 hours in Porvoo before return, so I thought I would leave my return open ended. Turns out that the historic wooden building area with shops/restaurants in them is very small, so just a couple of hours is enough. I liked it, but very little to see. So, if the boat/bus trip is being offered next summer, it might be a nice option and give you some scenery.

A day trip by train to Turku to the west is possible. You could probably pick up a city tour once there. A fort, some waterfront restaurants, a living history area, some churches. OK, but nothing that made me say "wow".

A day trip by train to Tampere is also possible. It also has an orthodox church on a hill. It is known for its brick industrial buildings and smokestacks. Several of the buildings now house museums of various types. There are some older structures in the city. Also some modern architecture they are proud of, including the library. Again, not sure about tours of the city. Most everything of interest except the lakes are relatively close to the city center. I've only walked around the city, not visited many sights yet.

If you do decide to travel to other cities and pick up local tours, the transport is relatively easy. The main train station is the terminus of the intercity trains. The Kamppi bus station is the place to catch intercity buses. Market Square is where you catch the Suomenlinna ferry and the harbor tour, if you like.

The local public transport system is easy once you get used to it. There are passes in case you don't want to figure out exact fares. www.hsl.fi/en Tips for visitors
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Old Aug 21st, 2011, 02:59 PM
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Kay2, WOW! Thanks for all of that extremely valuable information! I will start exploring some of the things you mentioned!
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