I flew to the Helsinki airport with Norwegian, and it all went really smooth. The flight took 1 hour and 20 minutes from London Gatwick ( and 1 hour 50 mins back).
I wasn't really sure what to see and do, although I had done some research. Once I arrived (around 3pm), I met my friend and dropped off my luggage at her flat. After that she took me on a quick tour of Helsinki before we went back to her flat for dinner (this mini tour was worth it as I was on my own the next day).
My first full day in Helsinki consisted of me taking the train into the city and doing tourist-y things. Seriously, you can wander around the city and see all the sights in one day!
 |
| Helsinki Cathedral |
 |
| Senate Square |
 |
| Uspenski Cathedral |
 |
| Helsinki Harbour |
 |
| Love Bridge |
 |
| View from Uspenski Cathedral |
 |
| Market Square |
 |
| Esplanadi |
 |
| Esplanadi |
 |
| House built into a hill |
Day three was spent museum going and shopping!
I went to the Helsinki City Museum (history of how Helsinki came to be, Helsinki life), Ateneum (Finish and international art) and Kiasma (Contemporary Art Museum). For a small-ish city, there were plenty of malls: Kamppi, Forum, Kluuvi, ITIS and Galleria Esplanad.
I also recommend shopping in Helsinki's Design District. It is really pricey, but there are lots of independent boutiques that sell a wide range of styles.
Dinner was at a traditional Finish (Lapland style) restaurant. We both had the reindeer meat. IT WAS SO GOOD!
For those of you interested, we went to Saaga (Bulevardi 34, 00120 Helsinki).
Näkemiin!
xChelsx
