Some father/son tourism in and between Jyväskylä and Helsinki this Feb?
December 18, 2018 6:08 AM Subscribe
I am going to a conference in Jyväskylä, Finland this coming February. For his Xmas present I'm going to organise for my 70-year old dad to come out for some of the trip and I'd like some advice on how to plan it.
My conference is Tuesday till Thursday so that means
(i) Dad comes out to Jyväskylä on Tuesday or Wednesday entertains himself there till Thursday evening when we journey to Helsinki before going home on Sunday.
(ii) I meet Dad in Helsinki on Thursday evening and we have a short city break till Sunday.
(iii) Something else from Jyväskylä till flying back from Helsinki on Sunday.
Would option (i) work? My Dad is adventurous and more mobile than me(!) Is there much to do in Jyväskylä alone?
Any father/son tips for Helsinki? Most importantly where should we stay? Any recommendations of hotels or things to do that don't involve a huge amount of walking gladly taken. We both like old things, churches, food, bars, museums. Dad especially likes ships and engineering and I like record shops. We like talking to people.
Finally, how about (iii) is there anything we could do instead of going to Helsinki or in addition given our time constraints (we got to get back by Sunday). Adventurous would be good, although trekking on foot is out. I've been to Tallinn before. Could we do St. Petersburg in a day there and back?
Thank you!
My conference is Tuesday till Thursday so that means
(i) Dad comes out to Jyväskylä on Tuesday or Wednesday entertains himself there till Thursday evening when we journey to Helsinki before going home on Sunday.
(ii) I meet Dad in Helsinki on Thursday evening and we have a short city break till Sunday.
(iii) Something else from Jyväskylä till flying back from Helsinki on Sunday.
Would option (i) work? My Dad is adventurous and more mobile than me(!) Is there much to do in Jyväskylä alone?
Any father/son tips for Helsinki? Most importantly where should we stay? Any recommendations of hotels or things to do that don't involve a huge amount of walking gladly taken. We both like old things, churches, food, bars, museums. Dad especially likes ships and engineering and I like record shops. We like talking to people.
Finally, how about (iii) is there anything we could do instead of going to Helsinki or in addition given our time constraints (we got to get back by Sunday). Adventurous would be good, although trekking on foot is out. I've been to Tallinn before. Could we do St. Petersburg in a day there and back?
Thank you!
Best answer: Someone who lives in the area could likely give more information, but I've made a few trips to Jyväskylä and there likely wouldn't be loads for your father to do whilst there; it's a pretty small town, and in February there won't be many opportunities for outdoor activities (that region is lovely in the summer months). That being said, if your father's never been to Finland before and he's an adventurous type he may enjoy the opportunity to explore an unfamiliar city, and get a sense of the people and culture before hitting up Helsinki. Finland is also GMT+3, so he may appreciate having a couple days to ease into the time change/reduced daylight and have a few small outings in a quieter place, and then enjoy the capital once he's adjusted a bit.
As for Helsinki, anywhere near the city centre would be good for accommodation, and it would depend on your budget. Hotel Kämp is the gold standard; a gorgeous place with a lot of history, but any hotel within the central area will be easily accessible to much of the things you'll likely be interested in. In the rare instances when the walk is a bit too far, the tram system is excellent and may be a fun experience.
City centre will also give you the best access to the activities you mentioned -- Senaatintori/Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral are close by, and Temppeliaukion kirkko just a bit further. Kiasma, Ateneum, the Design Museum, Natural History Museum, and the new library (recently featured on the blue) are nearby, as is Musiikkitalo and the Opera House.
Too many good restaurants to name, and choices will depend on your tastes. Helsinki has some great bars; all of the Son of a Punch bars are excellent, I personally would recommend either Trillby & Chadwick or Liberty or Death. (Kämp has a good bar as well, and the bar manager is one of the best in the business, but it definitely has the 'expensive hotel bar' vibe.) Trillby is in the Torikortteli area, which would be a good area to spend an afternoon. Chapter does both drinks and food, and is pretty well regarded as well as being located opposite Senaatintori. Savotta is next door, and does traditional Finnish cuisine. Roster is one block up on Esplanadi and does excellent food; Salutorget is slightly more central on Esplanadi, and while I've never been there always seem to be people seated outside.
A sauna visit is almost mandatory; The Allas Sea Pool is just off Kauppatori and very easily accessible from the center. They have gendered saunas, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a seawater pool kept at the ambient seawater temperature where you can sample the local pastime of ice-swimming. If you're looking for something a bit more posh, hop in a taxi and go to Löyly at Hernesaari, where they have both 'regular' and smoke sauna (wood heated, in the traditional manner), as well as seawater access. (If you or your father are squeamish about nudity, Löyly is a mixed sauna where swimwear is mandatory; in gendered saunas it isn't and only the tourists wear bathing costumes.) Löyly does an 8-10am shift on Saturdays; spending your morning there and then having brunch in their restaurant could be a nice start to the day, and the view from Hernesaari is lovely. (Make a reservation if you do this.)
My completely subjective, personal recommendation would be that your father join you in Jyväskylä, and do a bit of low-key exploring and time-adjusting during your conference. You then travel to Helsinki via rail Thursday evening, have a restful evening at your hotel, and then head out Friday morning for some museum and church sightseeing, and maybe visit the library and catch a concert at Musiikkitalo in the evening if that's your jam. Then have a sauna and brunch at Löyly Saturday morning, and spend Saturday afternoon in the Torikortteli area, grabbing a (n early) drink at Trillby (they get busy at the weekends) and dinner at any of the good restaurants nearby.
Feel free to memail me with more specific questions and I'll try to answer them.
posted by myotahapea at 8:35 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
As for Helsinki, anywhere near the city centre would be good for accommodation, and it would depend on your budget. Hotel Kämp is the gold standard; a gorgeous place with a lot of history, but any hotel within the central area will be easily accessible to much of the things you'll likely be interested in. In the rare instances when the walk is a bit too far, the tram system is excellent and may be a fun experience.
City centre will also give you the best access to the activities you mentioned -- Senaatintori/Helsinki Cathedral and Uspenski Cathedral are close by, and Temppeliaukion kirkko just a bit further. Kiasma, Ateneum, the Design Museum, Natural History Museum, and the new library (recently featured on the blue) are nearby, as is Musiikkitalo and the Opera House.
Too many good restaurants to name, and choices will depend on your tastes. Helsinki has some great bars; all of the Son of a Punch bars are excellent, I personally would recommend either Trillby & Chadwick or Liberty or Death. (Kämp has a good bar as well, and the bar manager is one of the best in the business, but it definitely has the 'expensive hotel bar' vibe.) Trillby is in the Torikortteli area, which would be a good area to spend an afternoon. Chapter does both drinks and food, and is pretty well regarded as well as being located opposite Senaatintori. Savotta is next door, and does traditional Finnish cuisine. Roster is one block up on Esplanadi and does excellent food; Salutorget is slightly more central on Esplanadi, and while I've never been there always seem to be people seated outside.
A sauna visit is almost mandatory; The Allas Sea Pool is just off Kauppatori and very easily accessible from the center. They have gendered saunas, a heated outdoor swimming pool and a seawater pool kept at the ambient seawater temperature where you can sample the local pastime of ice-swimming. If you're looking for something a bit more posh, hop in a taxi and go to Löyly at Hernesaari, where they have both 'regular' and smoke sauna (wood heated, in the traditional manner), as well as seawater access. (If you or your father are squeamish about nudity, Löyly is a mixed sauna where swimwear is mandatory; in gendered saunas it isn't and only the tourists wear bathing costumes.) Löyly does an 8-10am shift on Saturdays; spending your morning there and then having brunch in their restaurant could be a nice start to the day, and the view from Hernesaari is lovely. (Make a reservation if you do this.)
My completely subjective, personal recommendation would be that your father join you in Jyväskylä, and do a bit of low-key exploring and time-adjusting during your conference. You then travel to Helsinki via rail Thursday evening, have a restful evening at your hotel, and then head out Friday morning for some museum and church sightseeing, and maybe visit the library and catch a concert at Musiikkitalo in the evening if that's your jam. Then have a sauna and brunch at Löyly Saturday morning, and spend Saturday afternoon in the Torikortteli area, grabbing a (n early) drink at Trillby (they get busy at the weekends) and dinner at any of the good restaurants nearby.
Feel free to memail me with more specific questions and I'll try to answer them.
posted by myotahapea at 8:35 AM on December 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
(Also: Panza in Jyväskylä does good food, and a couple of the bartenders spent a few years in some of the best Helsinki cocktail bars before moving back so their drinks are excellent.)
posted by myotahapea at 8:58 AM on December 18, 2018
posted by myotahapea at 8:58 AM on December 18, 2018
I've sailed in a beautiful ship from Helsinki to Yväskylä, I suppose the lakes are frozen and not navigable in February, but I'd still check it if I were you. It was just an amazing way to see the landscape. It was more than 20 years ago so the details are too hazy for me to direct you to a site or something.
posted by mumimor at 11:57 AM on December 18, 2018
posted by mumimor at 11:57 AM on December 18, 2018
Jyvaskyla as a city is a bit ho-hum. If your dad enjoys the outdoors (and is ok with being outside in February in Finland) then the lake is rather lovely to walk around (nice, paved trail) and the hill from which the city was defended in wartime is nice to walk up. The downtown area is ok, nothing amazing, but a little cute. There are some lovely cross country trails for skiing.
Helsinki has much more of interest to see and do, which previous answers cover better than I can. Between Helsinki and Jyvaskyla — Tampere appears to me to have an interesting city center. I’ve not spent much time there, but did note that I’d like to go back.
posted by Doc_Sock at 9:42 PM on December 18, 2018
Helsinki has much more of interest to see and do, which previous answers cover better than I can. Between Helsinki and Jyvaskyla — Tampere appears to me to have an interesting city center. I’ve not spent much time there, but did note that I’d like to go back.
posted by Doc_Sock at 9:42 PM on December 18, 2018
Response by poster: Fantastic, thanks all, good info. I'll run all this past him and let him make up his own mind. Am excited for this!
posted by einekleine at 11:44 PM on December 18, 2018
posted by einekleine at 11:44 PM on December 18, 2018
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Temppeliaukio Church is a popular place for visitors to go - it's kind of sunken into the rock, and quite beautiful.
Suomenlinna is also popular and interesting, but it doesn't sound like it's a barrel of laughs if your mobility isn't great.
Sauna is a huge part of Finnish culture, so maybe find somewhere you can do that for a relaxing taste of Finland that doesn't take too much walking about. It's nude sauna country, so be prepared to strip right off and not have anybody bat an eyelid.
A couple of things to be aware of - although the nights will be drawing out a little by February, there will still be a fair amount of darkness - looks like sunset is 4.30pm at the start of the month. And Finns are notoriously taciturn, so you might have to persist a little if you want to indulge your love of talking to people! To be fair, I think they just don't really do small talk, but if they've actually got something to say, they'll be fine.
posted by penguin pie at 8:03 AM on December 18, 2018