Helsinki has many interesting and beautiful sights and attractions, but if you only have one day to spend, here’s what you should do. [...]

Helsinki is a very versatile city and offers something in every area, for everyone. Besides the famous landmarks and activities there are also quite a few flea markets in Helsinki, which are absolutely worth visiting. Instead of just going to the main shopping streets, it is a real adventure visiting a flea market in Helsinki. You’ll find all kinds of small and big treasures which you can’t find in any store. Try spending one day [...]

The city of Helsinki is the home of numerous statues and monuments, which teach us about the history and the culture of the city. Most of these works can be found in and around the center, near the main landmarks. Starting at the busiest tourist attraction, Helsinki’s harbor, you can find the fountain of Havis Amanda. The statue of the nude female mermaid was sculpted in Paris in 1906. The sculpture was intended to symbolize [...]

Helsinki’s Heureka Science Center opened in 1989 with the purpose of making scientific knowledge accessible to everyone. Guests should plan on spending at least three hours exploring Heureka’s exhibits. There are more than 200 exhibits in the permanent collection, not including the planetarium. Heureka also regularly hosts two temporary exhibitions. In order to serve visitors from around the world, exhibit texts are translated into Finnish, Swedish and English. One of the most-visited exhibitions at the [...]

Every language is a culture in itself, what has been called a “languaculture.” Like each languaculture in different nations and societies, there’s also a usually unnoticed but very strongly present worldwide deaf culture and Sign Language. The cohesive representing body for Sign Language is the World Federation for the Deaf (WFD), and their international headquarters is right here in Helsinki.

As I don’t normally associate Indian-Subcontinental religions with Northern European countries, when I found out that there’s an Iskcon temple in Helsinki (part of a sub-branch of Hinduism particularly dedicated to the god Krishna), I had to go check it out for myself.

Helsinki is a rather expensive city, but if you know where to go, you can save a considerable amount of money! 1. Travel by walking Public transportation in Helsinki is very functional but unfortunately quite expensive. Luckily Helsinki center is very dense and the best way to move around is by walking! You can walk from one side of city center to another in mere 10 minutes! 2. Eat at lunch time Most restaurants have [...]

The city of Helsinki’s sports department operates four swimming halls year-round. There are also outdoor pools for refreshing relaxation during the hot summers. These public swimming pools are open to residents as well as tourists. Each swimming hall has something that makes it unique. Below are brief overviews of each swimming hall and their regular hours of operation. Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall Opened in 1928, Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall was Finland’s first public indoor pool. The building [...]

Finland’s Tuska Open Air Metal Festival started in 1998 and will celebrate its fifteenth year this summer. It has increased in popularity every year and is now the largest music festival in the Nordic Countries to be dedicated solely to metal. If past years are any indication, more than 30,000 people are expected to attend the Tuska Open Air Metal Festival in 2012. The festival’s audience was not always so large. In 2000, the first [...]

How much do you really know about Helsinki? Test your skills in this 15 question quiz.

Challenge your friends and find out who is the Helsinki Quiz Champion!

There are nearly 30 public beaches in Helsinki. Most of these beaches are along the seaside, but at least four of them rest on the banks of the Vantaa River. The Helsinki Environment Centre carefully tracks the water quality of Helsinki’s beaches throughout the swimming season. The information gathered is posted online each day, allowing beachgoers to check the water quality before leaving their homes. The majority of beaches in Helsinki are open from June [...]