Meeting the Baltic Girl

Starting from the clock of the Stockmann department store, the most frequent meeting point for its inhabitants, head towards Aleksanterinkatu, Helsinki's shopping street, and take a look at the statue of the three blacksmiths, opposite Stockmann. A walk along the Esplanade towards Senaatintori, an opportunity to visit the Lutheran Cathedral of Helsinki,Tuomiokirkko. At the top of the church steps, enjoy the splendid view of the centre of the port city, with on your right the main building of the University of Helsinki and on your left the Palace of the Council of State. In front of you is the statue of Alexander II of Russia, who was also Grand Duke of Finland in the 19th century. Make an incursion into the small street in front of the square: Sofiankatu does not pay a mine, and yet, this street paved with stones from three different periods is steeped in history: 1800, the end of the 19th century and 1930 thus left their mark on the city. Head towards Kauppatori, where you can see the Presidential Palace as you pass. Visit of the Orthodox cathedral Uspenski. It is now time to eat: the market square is full of stalls where you can taste kalakeitto, a creamy salmon and potato soup with dill and pink berries. While enjoying your meal, you can observe the comings and goings of the large ferries that operate daily from Helsinki to its maritime neighbours such as Tallinn and Stockholm. Follow the shoreline to the south and enter Vanha Kauppahalli, the oldest halls in the city (don't hesitate to test local products and a piece of Finnish cheese!). Then walk along the Esplanade, where you can pose in front of Havis Amanda, the capital's iconic statue. In summer, have ice cream in the adjacent small park. In winter, push the door of the Aschan Cafe Jugend, one of Helsinki's classic places, where it is good to taste local pastries (delicious cinnamon pulla -brioche-). Heading towards Mannerheimintie: you are now allowed to do little crazy things in the Galeries Lafayette in Helsinki, Stockmann. For fans of contemporary art, Kiasma is a must: the entrance is in the square where the statue of the Finnish hero is located. For others, one option may be to take a tour through Parliament, open to the public during certain transfers, an ideal opportunity to make progress in Finnish!
Finish the day with a refreshing beer in Teerenpeli, followed by a good traditional dinner at the Zetor and a rock concert in Tavastia. The more traditional ones will book a ticket to Finlandia-Talo.

Departure in the morning for Suomenlinna, former fortress of the city. Enjoy exploring the various underground doors of the fortified island or enjoying the sun: you can tell jealous friends that yes, you bronze also in the Gulf of Finland! Lunch break in Suomenlinnan Panimo: taste the reindeer sauté with its cranberries and mashed potatoes, typical Sami dish. After afternoon, enjoy the sun and a Baltic bath, take a coffee in Valimo, in an old arms factory converted into a bar. Back on the mainland, go to Torni, the (tiny) Eiffel Tower in Helsinki, which offers a magnificent view over the roofs of the city. Next to the tower, possibility of dinner at the Kosmos, famous for its fish dishes. Finish the day with a drink at Sling In or, if you want to guincher all night, go to Apollo.

Departure from Café Carusel, below the beautiful Kaivopuisto park, for a breakfast by the sea. Walk north of the city and start the tour of Helsinki churches: from the Mikael Agricola church (the first translator of the Finnish Bible!) to Vanhakirkko via Johanneskirkko. Start a walk in the main street of Iso-Roobertinkatu, full of shops and pleasant bars. Lunch break in one of them, the Llamas, where you can sip your drink and enjoy your meal on a swing chair. Mexican atmosphere guaranteed!
Visit the Amos Anderson Museum or the Ateneum in the early afternoon. Coming back to the centre, pass in front of Forum and enter Kamppi, a large shopping centre and bus station in the direction of the other regions of Finland. Settle down for a short break at Café Rouge before visiting (outside) the Silence Chapel. Continue the day with a visit to Temppeliaukion kirkko, then enter Sibelius Park to admire the monument dedicated to the great composer of the Romantic era. If you want to extend the visit, take a walk around Hietaniemi Cemetery: Finnish cemeteries are peaceful and relaxing places to walk. A break is required at the lilliputian and cute Cafe Regatta.
End the day at the new music centre, Musiikkitalo. On the way out, don't forget to eat at Manala, near Finlandia-talo. And for insomniacs, continue your night life at St Urho's pub.

Departure in front of the Glaces (they are opening the sea roads all over the winter) from Katajannoka with the beautiful names of Kontio, Otso, Voima, Urho and Sisu. Take a tram in the direction of Les Halles de Hakaniemi, a guaranteed market day. Pass in front of Ympyrätalo, a flagship building of Finnish architectural inventiveness and follow the shore to Linnunlaulu (literally "bird song": beautiful name for a neighborhood!), from where you have an excellent view of the bay of Töölö. Back to the centre, and visit the church of Kallio, a former shopping district. Lunch break at Oluthuone William K. Take the tram for Puu-Vallila, village in the city built in the 1910 s and famous for its traditional wooden coloured houses. For the afternoon break, choose a table at Porvoonkadun Baari, both coffee bar and exhibition gallery. For those who have not lost their children's souls, Linnanmäki's amusement park and its many old rides will awaken lost memories. Special mention to the Russian wooden mountains built in the 1950 s and to the large wheel, strategic observation point.
In the evening, enjoy pyttipannu (potatoes, sausages, onion, cream and egg), läskisoosi (pork and purée) or silakat (Baltic herring) at the Kolme Kruunua restaurant. For vegetarians, the ideal alternative is offered in the Self-catering restaurant, one of the few vegetarian restaurants in Helsinki.

Morning rest by the sea. In summer, many shipping companies offer short cruises along the Helsinki coast. Have your lunch on board. Legend has it that some passengers have already seen Russian submarines! Back on land, take a tram to Seurasaari. In winter, it is even possible for the bravest to walk on the frozen sea, from Hietaniemi beach to Seurasaari island! (before attempting the experiment, make sure in advance that the ice is solid). Once on the island, visit the open-air museum, with a reconstruction of traditional Finnish life from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Coffee break at Café Antin Kaffeliiteri. If the sun is shining, sunbathing on the rocks by the sea. In the evening, taste the sapas (Suomi-Tapas), the Finnish tapas at the Juuri restaurant. Follow up with a concert at the Kulttuuritehdas Korjaamo Cultural Centre.

For this start of the day, the family exit at the Helsinki Zoo on the island of Korkeasaari (perched Island). The zoo was opened in the 1890 s and houses a wide variety of animals, tigers and leopards from snow to lizards and tropical insects. A special bus is chartered from the main station (also possible to take a boat from Kauppatori). Don't forget to take your picnic cart before landing on the island, the easiest and cheapest solution. From the bus terminal, walk along the pleasant island of Mustikkamaa (the land of the bilberries), before taking the bridge linking the island to the mainland. Welcome coffee or tea break at one of the zoo kiosks. Your intake of animals, you can consider returning to the city centre for a human observation dinner. Take a Russian meal at the Saslik, ideal for carnivores curious to test the bear! Fort of this good meal, a little dance at the Pavi in the outskirts of Vantaa is necessary. After waiting for 40 minutes in a bus taken at Rautatientori, you will finally have the opportunity to experience a real iskelmä and practise your tango!

Finland is known for its famous Nordic design. Start the day with a visit to the Design Museum, which traces the history of design in Finland and contains a palette representative of the creativity of the country's artists through relevant temporary exhibitions. Break at Aalto café, located in the academic bookshop of Missisquoi, designed by the best known Finnish architects, Alvar Aalto. Continue this design day with the visit of the legendary pottery manufacturer Arabia. You will be able to bring a few souvenirs through the shop, which offers a wide range of Arabia products. Back to the city centre, enjoy a lunch at Café Esplanad, before getting lost in the maze of the shops of Marimekko, Pentik, Aarikka, Iittala and Kalevala Koru (inspired by the motives of the Kalevala, the great mythological Finnish narrative). History to finish this day in Helsinki, dinner at Savoy, a restaurant of luxury, but also imagined by Aalto! Ask for vorschmack, the favourite dish of Mannerheim (Finland marshal and politician, 1967-1951). For a more reasonable budget, book a table at Cella. Finnish ambiance guaranteed! For those who do not want to spend the night in bed, take a drink at the Roska Helsinki, a bar decorated only with recycled material!

The Finns love their lakes and they don't hesitate to bathe all year round. In winter, just dig a hole in frozen water (and not ask too many questions before diving...). It's better to understand why they stick to their saunas! If you are among the brave and conscientious tourists to respect the tradition of your host country, take a bus next to the central station, direction Kuusijärvi (the Spruce Lake), minutes from Helsinki. Don't forget to go there with a picnic (you will find all the ingredients needed in the small supermarket of the station). In Kuusijärvi, the program will be sports: swimming in the lake, summer as winter, and obligatory passage through a pleasant sauna. In winter, you can rent cross skis for a winter sports session among nature lovers. Grilled sausage at one of the local barbecues. Back in Helsinki, coffee break at Cafe Ursula with sea view. Interested in Finnish history? Take a detour through the Mannerheim Museum or the National Museum. In the evening, you can choose from one of the tables in the Seahorse, to taste the speciality of the house, the kateenkorva (ris). Theatre exit in the KOM theatre, with an alternative past, located opposite the Seahorse.

In France, we love football; in Finland, ice hockey is the most popular sport. And it goes without saying that the worst enemy is Sweden! Every year in May, thousands of Finns gather in front of their TV, at home or in bars, to attend the World Championship and support the national team (world number one in 1995 and 2011, bronze medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games). To feel this unanimous thrill, head for the central station square, where you can enjoy ice sports on the ice rink open all winter (ice skates can be rented). For the more adventurous, there is also the Brahe field in Alppiharju, covered with ice and maintained for the season. For summer visitors, plan a Nordic walking session (a Finnish invention), possibly led by a specialised organisation, such as the Suomen latu association. After the effort, the comfort! Try the Finnish hamburger, made from rye bread, by Hesburger, Finland's largest fast-food chain. In the afternoon, we visit the Olympic stadium, built especially to host the 1952 Summer Olympic Games. Don't miss the Sports Museum (Urheilumuseo) and the view from the top of the stadium tower.
Before you sit in the stands of the next ice hockey match in Helsingin jäähalli, take a dip in the Yrjönkatu pool. Back to the 1920s guaranteed! Swimmers did not hesitate to immerse themselves naked until 2001. Since then, swimsuits have been allowed, but Eve's clothing is still common.
After the game, dinner at the Sports Academy restaurant. In the middle of the giant screens, you can enjoy a meal with grilled meats, pasta and salads - and of course with beer!

A picturesque small town located 40 km east of the capital, founded in 1346, it is one of the oldest cities in Finland, with its old town, its completely charming wooden houses and its beautiful banks along the river. Take a boat from Kauppatori or a bus in Kamppi. Gourmet lunch in Wanha Laamanni. On the menu, reindeer with hazelnuts accompanied by its lapones potatoes (les). For small budgets, Italian meals at the Rosso. Once familiar with the old town, the visit of the Chocolate chocolate shop and its shop is an obligatory passage (attention, you cannot visit the chocolate shop, but you can admire it through the glass window of the shop). To perfect chocolate taste, take a coffee at Café Fanny.
Back in Helsinki, take a look at the sauna. Celui's in the Harju Neighbourhood is one of the most popular public institutions. A grandmother can even wash your back! And as a bonus, the specialty of the place is suction therapy. After the traditional after-sauna beer, gastronomic dinner at Pure Bistro. After a good meal, déhanchez yourself at the very rock Tavastia, next to Kamppi.

A day by boat to discover the islands of the Helsinki archipelago. Departure from Otaniemi aboard the public ship Aurora for a island trip on the island around Espoo including Iso Vasikkasaari, Stora Herrö, Rövaren and Gåsgrundet. Picnic on one of them, before you reach Helsinki city centre for a afternoon relaxing and swimming, off Kaivopuisto, on the pretty island of Pihlajasaari. Back to good harbour, take a drink in Mattolaituri, before a Nepalese meal in the Mountain, near Töölö Bay.

Due to its climate, Finland is a paradise for shopping and large shopping centres. East of Helsinki, accessible by metro, is Itäkeskus (central east), with its 200,000 m2 and more than 300 shops, making it the largest shopping centre in Scandinavia. After this consumer orgy, try the ahven, a local perch, in Suola ja Pippuri ("Pepper and salt", a nice name for a restaurant!). Afternoon at the Sea Life Centre in Linnanmäki. In its fifty giant aquariums are displayed more than 3,000 fish, from more than 100 different species. Not to be missed: the section on the Baltic Sea and the lakes of Finland. If you still have some time left, go see a film at Kino Engel, a small cinema in Sofiankatu. Legend has it that you can even sip a glass of wine in front of an auteur film. Dinner in Kaarna, for a tasting of typical dishes, including savusiika (lavaret whitefish) or muikut (northern féra).

Accessible by bus or by car, the beautiful village of Fiskars, one hundred kilometres from Helsinki, offers its colorful colours to the passers-by of this historic place. Created in 1649, this labour village housed only a few houses of workers residing within the workplace: the époque époque of the factory Fiskars (the famous orange scissors manufacturer present in each kitchen). Today, the village was converted into an artisanal city, where artisans and artists re-reinvest the old wooden and brick houses to display their creations in charming little workshops. Take advantage of this day to walk on foot or by bike along the paths between ancient mills, forges, shops, shops, museums and cosy cafés and restaurants. On return, dinner in town at the Ateljé Finne.

In winter you can enjoy the joys of alpine skiing near Helsinki. The Serena Water Park of Espoo and its ski centre have a small hill dedicated to this use (Halti Hill in Lapland is the highest point in Finland: its altitude, 1 365 metres, does not allow the different ski resorts to compete with the Alps...). Near the hill, Serena is the largest aquatic park in Northern Europe and is open all year round. Enjoy its outdoor swimming pools and numerous slides. Swimming is well known, open the appetite: get back to the Granina! In the afternoon, escape to Nuuksio, 30 km from the urban heart of Helsinki. Hiking on one of the three trails crossing the beautiful national park, discovering a rich fauna and flora. In the evening, consider a home dinner on one of Kaivopuisto's lawns, meeting with locals who don't hesitate to bring their champagne cuts to a refined picnic!

Last day devoted to idleness, after a complete stay. In the programme: A lot of coffee (in the most beautiful cafés in the city, on the Esplanade), a few hours of sleep, and a simple and comforting lunch: go to Kotipizza, the largest Finnish Pizza Chain. The speciality of the house? The Berlusconi pizza, topped with smoked reindeer meat and chanterelles (small national revenge on the one who insulted their kitchen...), rewarded by the America's Plate 2008 award of the best pizza in the world (yes, yes)! Early afternoon visit of the recently renovated Botanique botanical Garden. The main greenhouses contain more than 900 species of plants, and in summer the garden gives a collection of over 2 800 flowers. Break at Café Cardemumma where you can expect delicious smoothies, homemade pastries and ice cream. To finish this stay in beauty, dine in Olo, which serves a starry Nordic cuisine. Last night getaway on the streets of Helsinki, to get rid of its atmosphere in any other way. Then you only have to make beautiful Nordic dreams...