Editor’s note: I spent a day in Helsinki a number of years ago as part of a Baltic cruise. While I didn’t like it as much as some of its neighbors, I do recall thinking that my exploration was too brief, and my opinion not based on much more than a few hours. For me, those are places I always yearn to return to, places I truly want to change my mind about. This piece by Sam Spector only reinforces that, depicting the Finnish capital as a truly lovely and peaceful city! For more of Sam’s writing, click here to visit his index page.

I am currently on a flight to Warsaw, Poland from Helsinki, Finland, to lead a synagogue Jewish heritage tour for the next ten days to Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. While these trips are fun and one of the best parts of my job, they are definitely work. You are the first one up in the morning, the last one to go to bed, and the one having to sort out any drama on the trip or handle complaints and concerns. For this reason, whenever I am leading such a trip, I like to go a couple days early to get over jetlag and relax myself so that I can be on top of my game and the most pleasant rabbi that I can be before being “on” for ten days straight. However, whenever I can, I like to use those couple days to visit a new place that I have not been as I recover from the jetlag. This time, Helsinki was the big winner as it had a convenient and affordable direct flight from Seattle with easy connections across Europe.

Helsinki often gets overshadowed by its neighbors; it is less than 400 kilometers from St. Petersburg, and the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden seem to have more to offer for tourists (though Lapland in Finland’s north is starting to get more attention, particularly in the wintertime for those who want to hang out with reindeer). Honestly, this is fair as I did not find there were too many attractions in Helsinki, and it can be seen pretty easily in a couple days. However, that does not mean that I am knocking it at all; I actually loved the Finnish capital.

Helsinki has a population of around 700,000 and has great universities. In a recent poll, Finland was actually named the happiest country in the world, and it is easy to see why in Helsinki. Despite being the country’s largest city, I found it a place with very little traffic, great public transportation, ample parking, little homelessness, and it was extraordinarily clean. I visited Helsinki in mid-May thinking that it would be cold, but it was actually a perfect 70 degrees with blue skies. The main area of Helsinki to visit is around the Market Square. It is here where cruise ships come in and nearby where the regular two-hour ferry for Tallinn, Estonia comes and goes.

Market Square is in the shadow of Helsinki’s two cathedrals, which speak to its history. While Finland is not considered a Scandinavian country, it is considered a Nordic one, and it takes influences from its next door neighbors of Russia and Sweden, as both of these countries occupied Finland at times. The Helsinki Cathedral is a white one with green domes, is a Lutheran cathedral, and in the Protestant tradition is not particularly ornate on the inside. Leading up to the cathedral are stairs, which are a popular meeting place for locals to meet up and sit to chat.

On a nearby hill is the Russian Orthodox Uspenski Cathedral, which is a brick red color with a green roof and bright golden onion domes. Below, in the Market Square, there are numerous outdoor booths serving food and selling local handicrafts. Next to the square is the Market Square Hall, established in 1893, which has more for people to explore. There, you can find unique traditional Finnish foods from elk and bear carpaccio, moose meatballs, many varieties of reindeer, and tons of fresh salmon dishes like salmon soup.

Also in Market Square is the Allas Sea Pool. A major part of Finnish culture is the sauna. In fact, the modern sauna was a concept invented in Finland, and sauna is a Finnish word. The Allas Sea Pool is more of a commercial, tourist experience compared to the small traditional saunas where local Finns go, strip naked, and beat themselves with leaves while they roast. While the Allas Sea Pool is clothed and I saw no leaves, it is still a fun experience. The Allas Sea Pool has two pools, one they call a “heated” pool that they keep at a way too cold 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and the other a pool with sea water from the Baltic’s Gulf of Finland with a pool enclosed around it, which was 44 degrees Fahrenheit when I went and jumped in for a period of about 10 seconds, while Finns somehow sat in it for long lengths of time. Next to the seawater pool are segregated male and female saunas that reach temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Up above the “heated” pool is the mixed sauna where men and women can be together. This sauna has views of the Gulf of Finland and is not quite as hot but gives you less of the feel of an authentic sauna; outside of this room are chairs for sunbathing and watching ships go in and out of the harbor past the little islands. Make sure in Finland to go experience a sauna, as it is a truly Finnish cultural experience.

While in the Market Square, grab a ticket for a few euros to Suomenlinna Island. The fifteen minute ferry ride takes you to what some have dubbed the “Gibraltar of the North”. The ferry ride itself takes you past tiny islands that have homes, hotels, and restaurants on them and also give great views of Helsinki. While there are a few museums on the island, including a famous toy museum, just walking around the island itself is really the highlight. As a former fortress, there are walls, bunkers underneath mounds of earth, and cannons protecting Helsinki’s harbor from invaders. The island also has numerous Russian-inspired architectural buildings and a church whose steeple doubles as a lighthouse. Another interesting spot to visit on the island is a small submarine that is the last remaining Finnish World War II era sub. Walking around the island takes a couple of hours and you will be treated to beautiful views, as well as cliffs and beaches with lovely trails.

Back in Helsinki and away from Market Square in the Töölö neighborhood is a unique Lutheran church called Temppeliauko. Built in 1969, the church looks like a bunker under rocks from the outside, and inside you find yourself in a circle surrounded by beautiful rocks sitting beneath a copper roof. An ice-age crevice is used as the altar to the church. The rocks provide beautiful acoustics, making this church, along with the ambience created by its geological features, a favorite both for worshippers and musicians, who perform concerts in the church. I will acknowledge though that the 8 Euro price for admission did feel a bit steep for what is a maybe 15 minute experience.

In the neighborhood is the Sibelius Park, named for the legendary Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). The most famous feature in this park is not the seaside jogging paths, but rather the Sibelius Monument, built in 1967. This monument has 600 steel pipes hoisted in the air that people can walk underneath designed to depict a pipe organ. Just next to the organ is a steel sculpture of Sibelius’s face. About a block away is a tiny bright red shed, which was built in the early 1900s to store fishing nets. Today, this shed is Café Regatta, perhaps the quaintest café that I have experienced in Europe. Go in and treat yourself to Finnish pastries, such as their famous blueberry pies and cinnamon buns, while sitting peacefully on the quiet waterfront with the park behind you. There is also a bonfire for roasting marshmallows, and in the summer, one can rent paddleboards and kayaks from the café. Having breakfast there is an absolute must during your time in Helsinki.

While I only had a couple days in Helsinki, I was able to do a quick side trip to the town of Porvoo, which is only about 45 minutes by car from downtown Helsinki. Porvoo is the second oldest city in Finland after Turku, having been established in the mid-14th century, and is one of six medieval Finnish cities, though it has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Located on the Gulf of Finland, the Porvoo River runs through the town of 50,000 people. The Old Town of Porvoo is charming with medieval cobblestone streets and old wooden buildings painted various colors. The town can be walked through in an hour, or with an entire day if you want to stop at all the various boutique shops. In particular, Porvoo has many candy and confectionery shops. Start your walking tour up by Porvoo’s beautiful cathedral, which dates back to the 15th century, with some parts from the 13th century. Sadly, the cathedral suffered an arson attack in 2006, destroying much of its historic roof, yet some of the original, now with black burn marks, remains. In a nod to Finnish fishing culture, there are numerous depictions of ships in the cathedral, likely for people to pray for their loved ones on the water. Porvoo’s most famous attractions are the charming red painted wooden structures on the Porvoo River. Get a picture of them from the bridge, then end your day with dinner or a drink on one of their floating river docks.

Helsinki is the type of city that two days would be more than enough to visit, and yet, it is also a place where I could live forever. If you are venturing to the Scandinavian or Baltic countries and you want to add a combination of cosmopolitan and relaxation, not to mention some joy from the happiest country on Earth, make sure you schedule a couple days in Finland’s capital.

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