Helsinki in a nutshell
After a very long and bureaucratic wait, we were absolutely euphoric about me receiving my resident card (and being able to travel freely in Europe again!), we rushed to see what trip we could take together. Since the end of April and the beginning of May have several bank holidays, prices were impossible, and everything was already fully booked.
That’s when we looked at our small library, and I saw our guide to Scandinavia, which we bought in 2017 before our mega trip to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
Although it’s not part of the Scandinavian countries, one of the countries in the guide is Finland, a country that has always intrigued me a little because I had a childhood friend with a Finnish mother (Hey Jasmine!). That’s when we started considering the possibility of going and bought the tickets. There wasn’t much time between the purchase and departure, and that rush felt good!
We took advantage of the May 1st holiday, took two days off from our respective jobs, and masterfully managed to get five days of vacation. We left on the morning of the 1st, with a layover in Munich, flying Business Class with my beloved airline, Lufthansa.
It was my first time having a layover in Munich, and I found it phenomenal how similar the airport was to Frankfurt. The resemblance between the two gave me comfort because I love my long layovers in Germany!
We wanted to try leaving the airport for a quick trip to the city, but something wonderful happened—I ran into a dear friend with whom I’ve traveled a lot in the past, and who was living in Iraq at the time. So bumping into her was super hard and the best thing ever. She was also on a layover yet en route to Greece.
We had about half an hour together to catch up. It was amazing! One of the moments that warmed my heart the most this year, after a rough start. Just for that half-hour, the whole trip was worth it!
Afterwards we went to grab a sausage "weisswurst", a pretzel and a bier. A feast to honour our love for Germany! Delightful.
We could have flown directly with TAP from Lisbon to Helsinki, but the price didn’t make sense at all. And Lufthansa's service is always better than TAP's and the layover was the cherry on the cake!
We landed in Helsinki, and it was very easy to take the train from the airport to the central station.
The train is cheap, clean, and fast. And also my favourite public transportation. In half an hour, we were in the city center. There, we took a tram (still using the ticket we bought at the airport) and headed to our hotel. I loved the trams because they were fast, VERY FREQUENT, and allowed us to see the entire city through the window.
Since we still had energy and courage, we left the hotel in just a few minutes and went to dinner at Kannas. Since we arrived on May 1st, one of Finland's most important holidays—called Vappu—we encountered a festive menu and very cheerful well-dressed people. Besides that, it was 15 degrees that day, and we were told it was one of the most beautiful and warmest days in the city in 2019. Great, because in the next four days we were there, temperatures dropped dramatically, and it even snowed. But more on that later.
Kannas is a pub-style restaurant, very simple, with generous portions. We both had salmon soup (a typical Finnish dish), Bruno had fried herring, and I had the grilled salmon. We went back to the hotel to rest, ready to explore the city on our first full day.
The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, we downloaded the Helsinki public transport app on our phones and bought our day tickets. The system is very convenient and modern!
We went to the Central Station and started walking around the city. We first visited the Stockmann Department Store and gave in to tasting some licorice at Lakrids by Bulow. A box of mango-flavored bonbons was our first souvenir purchase.
It was at the incredible Stockmann where I discovered what became my favourite beauty & skincare brand in the world.
Jess
Then we strolled through a supermarket, and I think Apolónia almost lost its place as my favorite supermarket in five seconds. Oh my, it was beautiful!
We continued walking and reached the Esplanade Park, surrounded by restaurants and luxury shops. At the end of the park, there's the Kauppatori square, an open-air market facing the sea, with many stands offering tourist boat tours and ferries.
From the square, you can see the Orthodox Cathedral on a small hill, which is very easy to climb. I haven't been keen on entering churches in recent years, but I went into this one to see the opulence people talk about. I didn’t feel comfortable inside and left quickly. From the front garden, you can see the other major cathedral in the city, the Lutheran Tuomiokirkko.
Despite the cold, we had relatively dry weather all morning while walking around the city. The weather changed quickly, and it started raining. We took the tram to the northeast neighborhood to visit the Saluhall market. It was under renovation—just like one of the wonderful market we visited in Stockholm. So we went to the temporary facilities. I loved it! I adore well-organized markets with lots of variety. I bought some handmade soaps—I’m not sure if I’ll gift them or keep them, I LOVE soaps—and we had lunch there at a vegan food stall. A wonderful sweet potato soup with roasted chickpeas and a touch of cream. Oh, if all soups tasted like that, I’d eat soup every day!
After the meal, we visited the Temppeliaukio Church, also known as the Rock Church. It’s an amazing architectural and engineering work. In such a small space crowded with tourists chatting loudly, you find a place that demands respect for being built inside solid rock. I recommend going early to enjoy the silence it deserves.
That night, it rained heavily, and we decided to eat at Salve restaurant. Similar to Kannas, it was a simple eatery. We chose fish, a venison stew and had free salad and water available.
The next day, we took the ferry to Estonia (one of the best things we did!), and when we returned in the evening, we decided to eat at the hotel. It wasn’t a bad choice, as the restaurant was run by Chef Marcus Samuelsson, whom I knew from my years of watching Top Chef (oh, I miss it! Bravo TV is life!).
On the following day, we took another ferry, this time for a shorter trip to Suomenlinna, which means "Finland’s Island" a fortress built by the Swedes to defend against the Russians—who quickly took it over for decades.
Back in the city, we returned to Stockmann, and Bruno, who loves cooking, went on a quest to buy a Fiskars knife. Everyone brings home the souvenir that suits them, right?
We had planned to visit Café Regatta, but due to a sudden snowstorm, we stayed inside instead of grilling sausages outside instead of sitting by the famous outdoor fireplace. The space was small and uncomfortable, but the food (pastries and cakes) was good.
We spent a lovely evening with two Finnish friends from Bruno's at Pub d'Angleterre (Oluthuone Angleterre), playing darts. I absolutely loved talking and playing with them!
After those wonderful hours— I loved being with Finns, learning more about them, their history, life, culture, and jokes!— we went to dinner at Juuri. I had booked this restaurant before our trip to Helsinki, knowing it was quite popular and famous for serving "sapas" which are Finnish tapas. We had six of them! It was a fantastic meal and our last dinner in Helsinki!
The next day, we headed to the airport after breakfast. For this trip, we chose the Clarion Hotel Helsinki—one of the best hotels we've ever stayed in! We discovered it through a video by Casey Neistat (a vlogger we both like which is rare!) and it has one of the best rooftop pools in the world!
You'll understand why, as we even made our own video with my phone.
The service was amazing; we loved the restaurant, breakfast, bars (both on the ground floor and rooftop), the gym, the pool (of course), and especially the room! We got an upgrade and received a wonderful room with Rituals amenities and a simple, polished décor. Loved it!
For the trip, as I mentioned above, we chose my wonderful Lufthansa, with a layover in Munich. Of course, Lufthansa never disappoints! The service, the punctuality, and the food... everything was amazing!
I know I will always associate Finland with Estonia, but I’ll try to focus only on what I saw in Finland in this article. I was truly enchanted by the country and its people... yes! To start with, we were immediately assisted (without asking) when we took the train from the airport to the city by a very kind young man.
While we were checking in at the hotel, the reception shift leader spoke to us in Portuguese because he was married to a Luso-Angolan and had lived in Madeira for a few years! He immediately struck up a conversation with us in impressive Portuguese.
At the licorice shop, the guy who served us had a master’s degree in linguistic differences between Brazil and Portugal and also spoke Portuguese fluently. On the ferry to Tallinn, an older couple started a conversation with us and ended by saying they wanted to visit Angola.
Bruno’s friends, with whom we spent a lovely afternoon, were very welcoming, and we promised to meet again either there or in Portugal.
Every day, we had wonderful encounters with all the Finns we met. I left the country delighted by this, as their kindness was accompanied by a reserved manner, just the way I like it!
Besides that, speaking of the city and the country itself, I loved Helsinki for being flat, having smooth and well-organized public transportation (thank you, app!), and featuring such beautiful architecture with so much history and modernity.
Helsinki was never on my dream travel list; it’s a city I had heard little about, but I’ve realized those are the places that charm me the most—the ones I haven’t fully seen on Google or in movies, and that don’t disappoint expectations. I absolutely loved it and would return without a second thought!
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This article was first published in my former newsletter sent in June 2019 and updated for this new website on January 2025.
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