3 Days of Adventure in Helsinki: A Travel Diary is a blog post about my 3 day trip to Helsinki. The main reason for this trip was to finally meet up with my best Finnish friend. We have met through our blogs and became real best friends through e-mails and messages about our life, family and jobs. Read on if you want to find out what I did and saw during my three day stay in Helsinki.

Day 1: arrival & meeting my best friend

My Helsinki flight was on Thursday morning and my return flight was a red eye flight on Sunday. So, there was just enough time to explore Helsinki with my friend and to meet her family. I rarely fly with national airlines but in this case I didn’t have any choice but to use the direct flight from Zagreb to Helsinki by Finnair. Unfortunately, this line doesn’t operate anymore. It was a straightforward flight which rewarded me with beautiful views of Finnish countryside as the plane descended to lower altitude some time before actual landing. At the airport I was surprised by the depth of the entire building since going down to the train station felt like entering the caves of Moria. My train ride to the city center was comfortable and relatively quick. I gazed through the windows at lovely Finnish countryside and I saw a couple of sights as we approached Helsinki such as Linnanmäki amusement park.

The train station was busy and the building itself was the first famous landmark that I got to see in Helsinki. Helsinki Central railway station is an Art Deco building from the early 20^th century. It features a clock tower and two tall “Lantern bearers” sculptures. I walked from the train station to my hotel. During this leisurely walk I went past the art museum Amos Rex and past the Natural history museum with a giant bear sculpture at the balcony. I also saw across the street a humongous seagull’s head which is an art installation at Helsinki Art museum.

There were some roadworks around my hotel but I was quite satisfied with my accommodation, especially its great location. The room was on the small side but I got some complimentary toiletries and I got to try some Finnish specialties for breakfast such as Karelian pie and lingonberry juice.

My Finnish friend met me at the hotel and took me on a stroll around some residential, less touristy areas of Helsinki. I was very happy that we finally met in person after all those years of virtual conversations. We strolled through Eira and Kaivopuisto neighbourhoods and by the sea. We came across a kind of witchcraft shop and had a quick snoop around it. It was a quirky shop for sure.

My first impression of Helsinki was that it reminded me a lot of Croatian capital Zagreb. The architecture of the buildings and even the colors of facades screamed more Central Europe than Northern Europe to me. This impression stuck with me despite the fact that Helsinki has a seafront location (Baltic sea) unlike landlocked Zagreb. At some point during our stroll by the sea, it started to rain. We had dinner reservations and managed to reach our restaurant just before proper downpour. Dinner was lovely but expensive as expected. Helsinki is definitely one of the most expensive destinations that I have ever visited alongside London.

We decided to continue our conversation and to burn off some calories by walking some more after our dinner. My best friend took me to beautiful Esplanade park which was planned by Helsinki’s principal architect Carl Ludvig Engel. We had our dessert at charming Kappeli cafe built in 1867. I had a very delicious cake and some traditional biscuits as well. It was a perfect first day in Helsinki.

Day 2: sightseeing of Helsinki (part I )

After a hearty breakfast I set out to explore Helsinki on my own while my friend was at work. My first stop was the famous and unusual Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church). I didn’t know what to expect from it but when I reached it, it was closed. I deliberated whether to wait and buy the ticket or to continue my exploration of Helsinki. Then, I saw a souvenir shop across it and went inside. I found lots of Christmas ornaments to my heart’s content. I joked previously with my friend how I’d definitely find a Christmas ornament in Helsinki even though it was June but she was dubious about it. Happy with my newest addition to my collection of travel Christmas ornaments I purchased the ticket for the Rock church and finally got inside.

Temppeliaukio Church was carved directly into solid rock. The church hall is covered by a copper dome which has many skylights that let the natural light in throughout the year. It was designed by two brothers and finished in 1969. It is a very spectacular church. The Rock church is by all means the most unusual church I’ve ever visited. I wandered around it at my own pace without any hurry. Furthermore, all visitors were treated with an unexpected free piano concert since the pianist had a rehearsal for that nights’ concert.

When I finished my sightseeing of the Rock church I wandered towards the train station and the Senate square. It was a glorious sunny day with mild temperatures. It was just like an October day back home and yet there it was a lovely June day. I had another look at the unusual train station and the surrounding area. There are some quite appealing buildings around it.

It was time to finally see the symbol of Helsinki, its white cathedral at the Senate square, previously known as St. Nicholas Church and Great Cathedral. Helsinki cathedral was completed in 1852. It is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki. The cathedral is quite large. I decided to go inside the church. I had a look around the bright interior of the church and then sat at the church’s steps overlooking the Senate square.

The Senate square is dominated by four neoclassical buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel: Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. I just watched the world go by for a while and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my skin. Below the Senate square is the Market square and the harbour area but I went first to another interesting church, the so-called Red church.

Uspenski cathedral, with its red brick facade and golden cupolas is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe. There are great views of Helsinki cathedral and the harbour area from Uspenski’s cathedral hill. The church’s interior is quite lavish and very different from the interior of the white church (Helsinki cathedral). Entry to both churches is free; it is a donation based entrance fee.

It was time to go down to the Market square (Kauppatori) by the harbour. I walked near the outdoor swimming pool and a sauna complex. There were a few brave swimmers despite the somewhat chilly wind. There was also a Ferris wheel and I thought a bit about going for a ride because that’s something I usually like to do. However, I decided not to go on the Ferris wheel and instead proceeded to walk towards the stalls at the Market square. There were a lot of people, mainly tourists browsing the stalls with Finnish souvenirs and local delicacies. There were also a lot of seagulls and some other birds. I remembered my friend’s warning about these hungry flying thieves. I had a look inside the Old market hall and around the small harbour for local ferries.  I even saw a Croatian flag at one of the stalls.

But then I had a sudden yearning for a cinnamon bun so I walked from the Market square towards Esplanade park and its many cafes. I also did some souvenir shopping on the way to satisfy my sweet tooth. I had a peek inside Robert’s Coffee Jugend with its Jugend style interior but I decided to have my cinnamon roll at Cafe Esplanad.

There were a lot of people in Café Esplanad, mainly Finnish families having lunch. I must confess that I occasionally indulge in a bit of people watching. There was one especially elegant looking family at the café. Actually, I saw a lot of attractive people during my sightseeing of Helsinki. My cinnamon bun was huge and very tasty. Also, I couldn’t help but notice one guy who had an uncanny resemblance to Alfie, a character from Emily in Paris TV show. Maybe it was really him, enjoying some pastry in Helsinki or he had an identical twin.

After my delicious cinnamon bun I found another Christmas shop but that’s a story for the next blog post. So, stay tuned for the second half of day two and day three of my Helsinki adventure.

I visited Helsinki in June 2023.

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