Varkaus - Helsinki

As a modern and experimental city, Helsinki is the perfect destination for an adventure. All the trends hit Helsinki first and then spread to the rest of the country if they do spread further at all. Helsinki always offers you something new you have yet to experience.

The cityscape of downtown and inner center of Helsinki is dominated by Jugend style apartment buildings. These pastel colored buildings color the forerunner city in equality in Finland. Helsinki does not discriminate, not even against night owls; the city takes good care of people wandering the streets both day and night.

Wild past, trend setting present

Helsinki has spread to a fairly large area, but the public transport takes you anywhere efficiently. You don’t have to wait on the stop for long, even a five-minute wait is a rare horror. You can take the subway to travel journeys between East and West Helsinki quickly and enjoy the beautiful city scenery of the city center and downtown in a tram. Punavuori and Kallio neighborhoods tempt you to get off the tram and explore. Both neighborhoods are a mix of a wild past and a trend setting present. Punavuori and Kallio host smaller boutiques, cafés, and restaurants, and also offer a lovely environment for those just wishing to look around and get to know the city.

The sea is important to the people living in Helsinki and it’s also surprisingly close most of the time. Just behind the art gallery Kiasma you’ll find Töölönlahti, one of the best backyards in the city. Töölönlahti is a calm cove, ideal for those with less experience on the waters or for a picnic if you do not enjoy the stronger sea breeze at the seashore. Around the same parts you can find Kansalaistori, a city square where several matches and events take place, and library Oodi, which represents modern architecture at its best. Helsinki has invested in parks and other public spaces, so you get to enjoy culture, architecture, and different events free of charge.

A dive into urban culture

Helsinki is good at combining different venues and events together; food, culture, markets, spending time together, music. You name it, they combine it. Teurastamo venue in Kalasatama successfully combines urban and restaurant culture and offers a good alternative for more traditional restaurants. At Teurastamo, as with the rest of Helsinki, you can be inspired by the unique style of young adults. The city-dwellers’ style can be described with the same words as their home city; experimental and effortlessly modern.

Helsinki is a city worth experiencing. It keeps its visitors afloat but also gives them a chance to dive into an urban culture.