Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki, Finland

Neo-classical, empire style brick buildings, spectacular churches and quiet promenades only hint at the charms of this Nordic jewel. Beneath its alluring 18th century good looks you will find a modern, efficient city who was awarded the title of World Capital for 2012.

The weather forecast wasn't that great for our day in Helsinki. We woke to water on the bridge cam so new the sun wasn't shining. As the day progressed we did see some sunshine but also some light rain which was more annoying than inconvenient!

Our day started nice and early. We decided to preserve our energy by catching the port operated shuttle into the city at a cost of 10 euro for a return ticket and takes about 15 minutes. With an early sailaway.... all on board by 3.30... we thought this would be the best way to maximise our time in port. Other options included- walking (approx. 3kms and 60 minutes), tram @ 8 euro return but a bit of a hike from our berth, HOHO bus from the pier at $34US or taxi at approx. 15 euro. The port shuttle worked well for us.

Once in the city we did a do it yourself walking tour. This took us to see all the main highlights of the city which were all reasonably accessible on foot.

The city is quite compact and we ticked off all the sites we had highlighted to see.... even some last minute shopping in the market!

The last shuttle left the city at 3pm and my aim was to be on the 2.30 or 2.45. The line was long and I managed to be on the 2.50 with Peter being on the last shuttle.... this was because part way through our walking tour we had different objectives so we parted ways.

Back at the port terminal there were more shops that you just have to walk through plus free wifi. I couldn't believe the amount of people that were buying real fur coats.... I thought that was taboo now! They weren't cheap either....

Quick facts:

Founded: originally named Helsingfors, King Gustav Vasa built Helsinki in 1550 to become a major trading port.

Region: Capital of Finland at the southern end of the Gulf of Finland which is part of the Baltic Sea.

Population: 623,732 (2015)

Climate: typical four seasons with an average of 100 days of snow a year

Language: Finnish and Swedish

Religion: 73% Lutheran

Currency: Euro