Helsinki, Finland: What I love about this city is that it’s beautiful, easy to walk around, has many excellent green spaces, and feels safe even when you’re out exploring solo. Finn’s are not usually as socially outgoing as Americans (for example, don’t typically engage in small talk) but most speak English (especially in the city) and they appreciate when you speak even a few words of Finnish (for example, “kiitos” means “thank you”). Helsinki is a wonderful city to visit and I recommend checking it out when you have a chance.

Places to Stay: There are a lot of great options for staying in Helsinki. We prefer to stay downtown near the Esplanade as it’s close to a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Also, the Finnish breakfasts served at the hotels are outstanding and not to be missed.

  • Lilla Roberts: Our family has stayed here several times. We usually reserve a junior suite which is very spacious. The location is fabulous, the breakfast is outstanding, they had the best hairdryer I have ever used at a hotel, and the towels were wonderfully soft. Probably my favorite thing about staying here though is the courtyard. We love meeting friends here for a pre or post dinner drink.
  • The Torni Hotel: Over the years our family has stayed here the most. The location is excellent, their breakfast is incredible, and they have a bar at the top of the hotel with outstanding views of Helsinki.
  • Marski by Scandic: We stayed here for the first time during this trip. This hotel has a hip vibe and is a popular meetup place for a drink. You can’t beat the location and they also had a good breakfast that included a make-your-own juice bar (though the breakfast layout was a bit odd as it was distributed between two floors, and I would rank the breakfasts at Torni and Lilla Roberts above the Marski’s).

Restaurants: There are quite a few options for dining in Helsinki. Below are three of my favorites.

  • Sea Horse: Opened in 1933, the Sea Horse serves delicious Finnish dishes. We eat here on every visit (I almost always get the meatballs because they are so good but all the dishes have been fantastic).
  • Kappeli: Another great place for Finnish food is Kappeli located on the Esplanade. Try their salmon soup- it’s amazing!
  • Manala: Serving delicious Finnish food and pizzas (including one with reindeer).

Things to Do: While in Helsinki make sure to do the following.

  • Esplanade Park: Walk Esplanade Park.
  • Kauppatori Outside Market: Visit the many booths that offer fresh Finnish produce (try the sweet peas), jewelry, t-shirts, and handy crafts as well as outdoor cafes (try the muikku/ fried fish, meat pies, and salmon soup) but watch out for the seagulls as they are some of the biggest ones I’ve seen!
  • Stockmann: Located in the center of Helsinki, and one of Europe’s largest department stores, you can find all kinds of wonderful things here and there’s even a food market inside so you can stock up on Finnish rice pies (which are one of my favorite things to eat in Finland along with rye bread and maybe the best pickles in the world).