2 Best Sights in Katajanokka and Senaatintori, Helsinki

The train station—the terminus for routes all across the country—and its adjoining Railway Station Square are the city's bustling commuter hub. The station's huge, iconic granite figures clutching illuminated globes are by Emil Wikström; the solid granite building they adorn was designed by Eliel Saarinen, one of the founders of the early-20th-century National Romantic style. The complex of tunnels underneath the station lead to a variety of shops and the city's most central Metro station.

Helsinki's amusement park, to the north of the city center, is a great option for families and one of the most popular attractions in the whole country. Linnanmäki includes a unique "heritage" wooden roller coaster and the Sea Life aquarium, and even stages an annual Carnival of Light to brighten up the onset of fall in October. Other attractions include a horror festival in September that amplifies the children's yells that are always audible anywhere near the park, as well as Ferris wheels, bumper cars, a water-rafting track, an "octopus" ride, a viewing tower, a freewill ride, various carousels, a clowns' house, and a minitrain. The park's season opens on the May Day holiday and continues through September, with the October Light event in the second half of that month. No summer is complete for Helsinki children without a visit to Linnanmäki.