Travel diaries 6: A guide to Helsinki

Before we start I thought I'd address this burning question everyone has: "WHY OF ALL PLACES DID YOU GO TO FINLAND? WHAT'S THERE?!"

Talk about popular tourist spots in Europe and almost nobody brings up Finland. Finland seems to be popular during winter for tourists that want to see the Northern Lights, but even then hardly anyone goes to Finland for the city sights.

I'm fond of large cities (to be honest, London, Zurich and Vienna are more ideal places of travel though they are expensive af). Helsinki is a cosy small city, and it is a Scandinavian country so do expect things to be slightly on the pricey side.

I expected it to be boring, but Helsinki turned out to be one of the best European cities I had visited yet! The place is severely underrated.

So what is good in Helsinki?

1. The people

My friend and I stayed at an Airbnb throughout our short 3 day stay there. Our host, Adriana, was a very pleasant woman who works as a lecturer in a university at Vantaa. She is able to speak English, Finnish and Spanish.

This is her apartment listing on Airbnb. Apart from having the opportunity to stay with a wonderful host, the people in Helsinki are really friendly and helpful. My friend accidentally dropped her passport on the streets and some nice person picked up, ran after her and gave it back to her! (She said she loved Helsinki so much she wanted to stay there for a month, it very nearly came true) I wonder how many people elsewhere would have just turned a blind eye to it!

2. Coffee

If you're a fan of coffee, or are the kind of person who would destroy everything in your path without your morning coffee (like me), Helsinki is the place to be. I would recommend heading to Cafeteria Roastery. The only complaint I have of the place is that food choices are slightly limited, but the coffee is amazing.

Also, the Pan Catalan is a must-try here. It is a bread dish with tomatoes, salmon and garlic. It is hands-down the best thing on Earth, in heaven and in hell.

3. Street Food

If you head towards the Harbour, you will pass by Market Square. One thing its stalls are famous for is local catch. This little anchovies-like dish on the menu caught my eye, and I was expecting it to be salty, the way ikan billies are, but it turned out pretty manageable. At least I know my hair wouldn't be falling out in clumps any time soon.

My parents and my friend tried out the salmon and it was fantastic, too!

(I really cannot remember what this is, sorry)

4. Castles

If you have got time to spare and are fond of natural scenery, I recommend taking a day to visit the Suomenlinna Fortress. It has lots of Pokemon (for people who are Fanatics, Mr Mime is a Pokemon exclusive to Europe only), has lots of natural greenery and is an all in all pleasant area. It is only about an hour by boat (you can book tickets on the day itself from the south-eastern harbour).

(Look, mountains and a water body!)

Suomenlinna didn't particularly interest me because I wasn't into nature, and my brother had a little accident with a broken light back at home which required stitching so I didn't particularly enjoy myself that day. But I can see the appeal of the place to nature-lovers. 

Other castles around the area to check out are Turku Castle, Olavinlinna and the Rasborg Castle Ruins. I love unconventional-looking buildings so I recommend the ruins. :D

5. You get to save on transport.

I was very unfamiliar with Helsinki and one of the things I was most worried about was transportation there. However, my worries were unfounded as Helsinki, being a small city, can be easily explored on foot. Our host told us that the distance from end of Helsinki to the other was only about 5 km (I checked this on Google Maps, it is true)

In any case, there was also a city bus that took you around attractions in Helsinki, but there really was no need to do so if you travel in autumn or winter.

Life is very nice and quiet in Helsinki. Even in summer, temperatures stay at a pleasant range of 10-15 degrees. The streets are nice and wide, you will never experience the kind of unpleasant crowds you will find in Oxford Circus in London. Surprisingly, it seems to be little cities like Helsinki that turn out to be the sweetest and most cosy tourist locations. There is very little hype about this place, and frankly, the hype isn't necessary anyway because it is easily likeable for the tourists who do visit the place. My friend said she would definitely come back here again, and actually, I would too, just for the coffee!