Short trip to Finland?

April 5, 2009 5:52 PM

A few days in Finland?

I'm being flown to Helsinki for work at the end of May. BF probably going to come along on frequent flyer miles. What should we do during a short trip (maybe 5 days)?

We'll check out Helsinki, but would probably be bored just staying in a city the whole time. We'll probably take the ferry to Tallinn. But we would like to get somewhere outdoors for a few days -- possibly hiking or canoeing or something. Or puttering around one of the archipelago regions. Or just staring at the sea. We *might* rent a car, but are leaning towards public-transit-able destinations at the moment. We want to keep the cost down, but we're not college students either....

Oh, and we did a similar, though longer, trip to Norway last year, and I've also been to Denmark. So Scandinavia isn't totally new.

I've been researching online & with my guidebook, but want to get your two cents too!

posted by kestrel251 to travel & transportation (5 comments total)

Tallinn is definitely worth a day. If you like contemporary art, Kiasma museum in Helsinki is great (and amazing architecturally). Tallinn's art museum is also quite good. From Helsinki you can take a ferry 15 minutes to Suommenlinna and wander around. The church in the rock is another stunning site. (I have photos of all of these in my Flickr stream (linked from profile) if you want to take a look.)
posted by matildaben at 6:02 PM on April 5

Villa Hvitträsk. Beers on the esplanade. Drinks at the Hotel Torni. (I think that's the place…my memory is a little foggy.) Helsinki is great. The Finns are great architects and big on coffee and beer. Aside from the great architect part, it's as if I am Finnish…
posted by Dick Paris at 7:31 PM on April 5

I'm Finnish (grew up in Helsinki) and I definitely recommend going to Suomenlinna, it's a great place for a picnic/walkabout on a nice summery day. I'm a fan of contemporary art, so Kiasma is a good investment in time. For a more traditional approach, I recommend Ateneum, just next to the central railway station in the centre of town. It's a great and different way to get a feel for Finnish culture.

It's a (deliberately) kitschy and touristy, but restaurant Zetor always seemed to do it for my foreign friends. Food's good too.

The trip to Tallinn is also highly recommended as it's a great way to spend a day. Some great (and cheap) restaurants to be visited.

Other than that, I really do recommend just to walk around town as Helsinki is a great size for just wandering in. Be sure to stop off for coffee and pastries (Fazer cafe is excellent) or some beer in the many summer-time terraces.
posted by slimepuppy at 4:54 AM on April 6

I have been to Talinn. It is really worth going there. You can have a really good 3 course menu for 20 EUR and the city center is really beautiful.

You can also check some Forums because there are many Expats who know Finland quite good and they can recommend you what to do e.g. http://www.finlandlive.info

Porvoo is also nice. Though it is not that big I think it is still worth going there and it is not that far from Helsinki.

I also liked Naantali. Its worth to stay there over night in Naantali Spa. A Hotel which is actually a ship. The city center is nice.
posted by mike80 at 2:17 AM on September 24

And if you like outdoor you can also go to Nuuksio which is close to Helsinki Naantali

Here are the links to the other places I recommended:
Porvoo
Naantali
Finland Community
posted by mike80 at 2:21 AM on September 24