Art, architecture and saunas: Falstaff tells you how to make the most of a weekend in Helsinki.
Combining fresh Nordic flavours, an established art & design movement and a love for the outdoors, Helsinki is a coastal city fusing classic architecture and traditions with modern design concepts and sustainability.
Named the World Design Capital in 2012, Finland’s most populous city of Helsinki has developed into a mecca for lovers of modern art, design and architecture. For an exploration into creative museums, elegant working spaces and unique boutiques, dive into some of the city’s neighbourhoods which make up the Design District.
Begin your day in the Kaartinkaupunki area, home to the Design Museum and Museum of Finnish Architecture, where you can learn more about how design has developed in Finland throughout history and see examples of the city’s diverse buildings. Design stretches far beyond the basics for the Finnish – fashion, interiors, textiles and furniture are all celebrated here. Check out the home and studio of Alvar Aalto which creates some of the country’s most renowned furniture, before picking up some stylish, handmade pieces to wear from The Garden Centre. A collection of boutique outlets located in Kamp Galleria, the centre includes some of the best locally produced fashion, cosmetics and gifts in Helsinki. Before heading onwards, stop for lunch at the much-loved Old Market Hall on Helsinki’s harbourfront. Here you will find traditional indoor stalls selling delicacies such as herring, reindeer meat and freshly smoked salmon – along with the essential coffee and korvapuusti (cinnamon rolls) and a selection of local restaurants.
After a satisfying meal, catch a tram to the nearby district of Kamppi, home to art museum Amos Rex. It is located inside Lasipalatsi, which contains cafes, shops and restaurants as well as a cavernous underground space which displays site-sensitive, experiential, and often technologically experimental exhibitions mostly by contemporary artists. Amos Rex always shows one exhibition at time and it is just one floor, and there is a small room with the collection on show. A gem for lovers of contemporary art.
By now, you may need a little refuelling. Just a short walk away you’ll find Fazer, the original café of the eponymous chocolate and one of Finland’s most delicious and well-known treats. Besides a dizzying array of chocolates, bonbons and cake flavours, the café has an almost endless selection of pastries and coffee to enjoy in the mid-afternoon.
If you have time, make sure to add HAM (Helsinki Art Museum) to your list, which belongs to the city’s residents and has more than 10,000 works on display both inside and on Helsinki’s streets. Get your first real taste of Finnish home cooking with dinner at Kosmos. Open since 1924 and run by its family’s fourth generation, it serves classic dishes such as fried Baltic herring, reindeer sirloin and sweet cloudberry vacherin, all handmade using traditional techniques.
Helsinki has two things aplenty: beautiful churches and saunas, and there’s no better way to let off steam (so to speak) after a day of exploring famous sights than by experiencing löyly, the Finnish art of the sauna.
Kickstart the day with breakfast at Ekberg 1852, the city’s oldest patisserie which serves a huge buffet style breakfast, including local favourites such as cinnamon rolls and marinated fish – if it’s not too early! The first stop is the imposing Helsinki Cathedral in the city’s main Senate Square. The stunning white neoclassical church with green domed roofs is a Helsinki icon, and inside it is equally as impressive, used by Finns for worship, weddings and celebrations. Just a short walk away is perhaps an even more impressive church, Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe. The red stricture with green roof and gold tipped spires is very similar to churches in neighbouring Russia, with intricate paintings and golden designs on the interior and it is completely free to enter.
It's easy to grow tired of too many churches, but we guarantee you’ll want to save time for Temppeliaukio. This huge, circular church in the heart of Helsinki was carved directly into rock which makes up the walls of the building, while a large glass dome forms the roof. Almost one million people visit the church each year, often for concerts which benefit from the excellent acoustics on the rough stone walls. Close by are many souvenir shops, where you can purchase a gift or perhaps a classic Finnish Moomin toy to take home.
Saturday afternoon is for nothing but relaxing, and there are two places to choose from. The best sauna in the city is arguably Löyly, a sleekly designed sauna and restaurant complex perched on Helsinki’s waterfront. It features two classic saunas and a traditional smoke sauna, plus a spacious terrace, restaurant and of course, direct access to the icy waters of the Gulf of Finland. It’s recommended to enjoy a hearty bowl of salmon soup with rye bread first before sweating it out in your swimsuit (public saunas are mixed gender in Finland).
Alternatively, Allas Sea Pool literally floats in Helsinki’s harbour, and has three saunas, two warm water pools and, as the name suggests, a pool which remains the same temperature as the sea. In winter, you’ll spot people submerged in here or even ice swimming nearby. Its’ warm café, Seagrill restaurant and Sky Bar on the roof make this the perfect spot to round off the day with a meal or drink against the twinkling lights of the city.
Saturated with churches, museums and forts, Helsinki has thousands of years’ worth of history to get to grips with, so start bright and early on Sunday to make an excursion to one of the city’s best historic locations, Soumenlinna.
Don’t worry about breakfast, as the ferry which departs from the Market Square opposite the Presidential Palace takes just 15 minutes. When you arrive, grab a steaming cup of Finnish light roast and a pastry from Café Silo, which is located right by the ferry pier, perfect for watching the boats go by. Suomenlinna is a sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 1700s. It is one of the most popular attractions in Finland both for historical sightseeing and picnicking in the summer, and has over 6km of fortress walls, tunnels and parkland, one hundred canons, a church, barracks and museums. This will quickly fill an entire morning in the sunshine, before heading back to the mainland.
Last on the list of historic places is the National Museum of Finland. The museum has artefacts and exhibits about Finnish history from the Stone Age right up until the present day and is endlessly fascinating to explore, particularly if the weather isn’t favourable. Before leaving the city, you can’t miss an insight into how passionate the Finns are about sustainability, whether you visit the environmentally friendly Oodi Library or simply closeout your final day with a drink at zero-waste restaurant Nolla’s bar and microbrewery. Their changing selection of drinks are produced in house, while their organic wines are locally produced; if you can get a reservation to dine here, the seasonal menu is also to die for.
Hotels
Hotel Kämp
Hotel St. George
Hotel Lilla Roberts
Restaurants
Old Market Hall
Fazer Café
Kosmos
Ekberg 1852
Café Silo
Nolla
Saunas
Löyly
Allas Sea Pool
