Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
One of the most important places to visit is the former fortress island Suomenlinna located in front of Helsinki. What was once the Fortress of the Finns is now a city quarter of the capital city with 800 permanent residents and one million visitors every year. Here you can explore very well-preserved ancient fortifications spread over five islands. You can easily access Suomenlinna by ferry boat from the Helsinki harbor.
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I’m an absolute fan of the concept to put bars on boats: sunshine and fresh air combined with good views and drinks. What does one want more for a break during a city trip? If you agree, take a look at the Flying Dutch anchoring between the city center of Helsinki and the hipster quarter Kallio; on the Kaisaniemenlahti lake, next to the Pitkäsilta bridge.
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You like Scandinavian design but have not yet introduced yourself to specific Finnish design? Then have a look at the designmuseo in the design quarter of Helsinki. It was founded already in 1873 and exhibits all kinds of design, including graphic design, industrial design an fashion. And it is absolute fun to spend some time there!
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The Amos Rex Art Museum is a fantastic exhibition place for art at Helsinki. It has a special location: very close to the city center, but underground. If you want to visit it you need to go to the Lasipalatsi, a functionalist building close to the main railway station. It combines coffee bars, shops, restaurants and a cinema (the Bio Rex). And underneath the Lasipalatsi (glass palace) you can find museum – fortunately the entrance at the building is clearly visible.
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The island Seurasaari in the north-west of Helsinki gives you the option to travel in time. An open-air museum exhibits 87 buildings from the Finnish countryside that have been built between the 17th and the 20th century and later transported to the island. This includes farm buildings, a church and even a mill. The staff is dressed-up in historic clothes and able to tell you more about the function of the buildings and rural life in the past.
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The amusement park of Helsinki is called Linnanmäki and has been opened in 1950 by a foundation (the Children’s Day Foundation) that collects money for child welfare work. So with every rollercoaster ride you do, you’re doing something good! Linnanmäki consists of around fifty rides, including eight rollercoasters, a panoramic free-fall tower and lots of restaurants.
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I’ve visited many zoological gardens around the world but Korkeasaari is one of the best! The zoo of Helsinki is located on an island and that doubles the fun: you could take the bridge for sure, but best let the adventure start already at the harbor with a nice boat trip towards the island. On your way you can also observe the fleet of icebreaker ships anchoring near the city center.
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The city of Helsinki has an own art collection which consists of 9,000 works. A lot of them are on display in public places, a concept I really like. The rest of them can be found at the Helsinki Art Museum (or short: HAM). Part of the presented works is a permanent exhibition of paintings by Tove Jansson whom we all mostly know as the creator of the Moomins. As she was born and died in Helsinki, the HAM takes care of her legacy.
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The Temppeliaukion kirkko of Helsinki is a special church with a wonderful atmosphere: it is built partially into the rocks of the capital city. The church was opened in 1969 and is cut into the granite, but it has a glass roof that floods the church with light. While sitting inside you still see that you’re inside a rock as the walls are not covered.
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Need some time to relax? Kaivopuisto is a park in the south of Helsinki, behind the modern harbor. From the rocks in the park you have good views on the islands in front of the mainland. There is a small observatory and you can find different restaurants. But mostly the people get here for a walk, for a picknick or to play and do sports.
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