One of the world's northernmost capitals, Helsinki is a hotbed for Scandinavian design, museums, and cute cafés. Just 456 km from St. Petersburg, the city is also where east meets west. Mixed in with Art Noveau architecture, Russian-built neoclassical churches remind visitors that Helsinki was once ruled by Czar Alexander I.
Helsinki City Guide Introduction
Today, visitors flock to Helsinki for the beautiful, harbor-side location and the eclectic mix of old churches, modern museums, and pleasant parks. (Not to mention the Finnish saunas!) Helsinki boasts a cute, small-town vibe and is simple to navigate. While the city is expensive, budget hotels and free sights are to be found. Read on for our budget tips and information on getting around Helsinki.
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From our Helsinki blog
With plenty of museums, historic and elegant churches and charming cafés, Helsinki is a capital city with a lovely smalltown feel. It also has a very modern side, with a mix of both eclectic and minimalist design in th ... read
Sometimes we run across a city that just has a very good feel. Often these are university towns, places that are not in the premier league of tourist destinations, but spots that have a decidedly laid-back and welcoming ... read
The new high-speed rail service linking Helsinki with St. Petersburg, just launched last December, has been an immediate success, with passenger numbers in the first four months of 2011 up over a third on the same period ... read
Europe’s ferry schedules are famously fluid, and it’s often devilishly hard to keep pace with new route developments. Here is our choice of a quartet of interesting ferry options for spring and summer 2011. 1. St. Pe ... read
March is the month when many Europeans crawl out from their winter shells and start exploring. And with spring beckoning, we have come up with a handful of easy daytime rail journeys that just clamor to be taken. There i ... read
