well normally i would be visiting too, since most of my friends live there, but our imminent trip is going to be very much a family affair- joy..
haven't been to helsinki for quite a while, but a fair bit of my ill-spent youth was ill-spent there, and i do have the tinnitus to prove it :)
anyway: coz it doesn't get dark, there's always lots going on in the summer in terms of music, bars and the like. the more alternative/bohemian district always used to be kallio- bars/restaurants are quite cheap there. the arctic icebar is one of the most famous in helsinki, for obvious reasons, and cable factory is known for hosting koneisto- the biggest electronic music festival in northern europe. plus there are many, many rock clubs- metal is a big deal in finland :)
in terms of culture- there's the national museum, architecture museum, design museum, finlandia hall, the city art museum, contemporary art museum, temppeliaukio church, the city cathedral, uspensky cathedral, sibelius monument, suomenlinna.. urho kekkonen museum is worth visiting if you have any interest in the soviet/cold war era.
yeah- the number of museums and art galleries is intimidating (biggest in europe, i believe) so best to plan ahead!
the city is mostly by the sea, so boat trips are an excellent way to get around and see the sights (there's a ferry service to estonia, too). the trams and subway are also very good- quick and relatively cheap.
and i can't think of anything else right now, which is probably just as well..
haven't been to helsinki for quite a while, but a fair bit of my ill-spent youth was ill-spent there, and i do have the tinnitus to prove it :)
anyway: coz it doesn't get dark, there's always lots going on in the summer in terms of music, bars and the like. the more alternative/bohemian district always used to be kallio- bars/restaurants are quite cheap there. the arctic icebar is one of the most famous in helsinki, for obvious reasons, and cable factory is known for hosting koneisto- the biggest electronic music festival in northern europe. plus there are many, many rock clubs- metal is a big deal in finland :)
in terms of culture- there's the national museum, architecture museum, design museum, finlandia hall, the city art museum, contemporary art museum, temppeliaukio church, the city cathedral, uspensky cathedral, sibelius monument, suomenlinna.. urho kekkonen museum is worth visiting if you have any interest in the soviet/cold war era.
yeah- the number of museums and art galleries is intimidating (biggest in europe, i believe) so best to plan ahead!
the city is mostly by the sea, so boat trips are an excellent way to get around and see the sights (there's a ferry service to estonia, too). the trams and subway are also very good- quick and relatively cheap.
and i can't think of anything else right now, which is probably just as well..
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