Make sure you don't miss those places when going to Helsinki

So this is it: you decided on Helsinki for your next vacation and are ready to go. You checked all those travel guides, your searched the internet for tips and still you don't really feel sure what places to visit there. In that case, first of all: congratulations! You found yourself a wonderful travel destination that has a lot to offer! At this point you probably noticed already that it has more to offer than you can see on a sightseeing trip (unless you're staying for 3 weeks or so, in that case: knock yourself out :P). The information on the internet is enormous and most travel guides seem to have made it their only goal in life to confuse you even more than you actually are anyway. So here's some good news for you: today I'm going to show you my top 10 places in Helsinki that are definitely worth a visit. Most of them you can do within a day (they're close to each other), while some are a little further away. If you have 2-3 days in Helsinki though, it should be no problem to see them all and take your time doing so (which is important, you don't want to need vacation after your trip to get over your vacation, do you? :P). So buckle up, here goes: places you can't miss when going to Helsinki!

The old Market Hall (finnish: vanha kauppahalli) is located at the harbor of Helsinki (or one of those, as Helsinki has a lot of them :P), close to the Helsinki Sky Wheel and the Market Square. You can walk there from the heart of Helsinki, the Senate Square and the Cathedral, within 5 minutes. As you can see in the picture at the top of this post, it looks quite uninque and beautiful. But that isn't the only reason why you should visit it. In Vanha Kauppahalli you can buy the most delicious and traditional food. It may look like a rather small hall but they're selling basically everything in there! Cheese, meat, tea, pastries, souvenirs and, most important in my opinion, reindeer kebab! You probably know that Finland is famous for their reindeer dishes and vanha kauppahalli is literally the only place I ever came across reindeer kebab. Its served with salad and some sauce that I'm still trying to determine, but all you need to know for now is that it tastes awesome. It is pretty expensive, that's true, but absolutely worth it and hey, you're on vacation so who cares about that, right?

By the way: those Market Halls are pretty famous in Finland and you can find them all over the place, so this is not the only one. But it has reindeer kebab. Case closed.

You may have guessed it. Senate Square and the Cathedral of Helsinki are the most famous tourist attractions in Finland. And for a reason. The white Cathedral may look good on pictures but that is nothing compared to what it looks like in reals life. Way up on top of the stairs it seems to be enthroned above the city. You can't even imagine the feeling of being awestruck when you see it for the first time. The moment I did see it for the first time, I was just standing there, thinking "Wow." That was all, I was way too impressed and kind of lost for words (which rarely happens to me :P) to think something else. The stairs in front of the Cathedral are perfect for your little break, you can sit there and just relax in the sun (assumed ther is sun xD) with a wonderful view on Senate Square and the Cathedral in your back. This gives you somewhat of an important feeling, trust me :P But I must warn you: never eat anything there. It is, of course, totaly legal to do so but there's seagulls everywhere (like in every other place in Helsinki) and they aren't exactly shy, to say the very least. If you pack out your sandwich in the open you may (and probably will) have owned that for the longest time. Just saying. You have been warned ;)

In my opinion the Cathedral looks better on the outside than it does from the inside. There's really not much in there. But since you're here already you should definitely go inside as well. Make up your own mind about it and stuff ;)

It's kind of the other way around for me with the Orthodox Church close to the harbor and Sky Wheel. It does look nice from outside, but on the inside...wow! Just WOW. I had never seen an orthodox church before and I was completely astounded when I went inside. It looks like the throne room in a castle, I'm not kidding. Just so beautiful. So I definetely recommend you go see that Church on your trip. There's not much more to say about it (well, probably there is), just go see for yourself. I don't want to spoil that for you :P

This is actually one of my favorites. You can get to Suomenlinna by taking the ferry from the Market Square (takes about 10 minutes). You  don't need an extra ticket, as ferries are considered normal public transportation in Helsinki, so you can use your ticket that you used for the metro, bus or tram (just make sure it's still valid). On the island you can walk around the walls and tunnels of the old Sea Fortress and I really recommend going through those tunnels as well, because it's pretty awesome in there. There are also some small cafés and a K-Market (big finnish supermarket chain) on the island, so in case you get hungry or need coffee you should be fine ;)

My favorite spot at Suomenlinna are the big rocks at the other side of the island. They're directly by the sea and usually there aren't a lot of people there so it's the perfect place to realx and enjoy the peace and quiet. I think you can also swim in the sea there but I never tried that myself. Saw other people do it though. As in all the other parts of Helsinki I strongly advice you not to eat outside (seagulls, you know :P). Also, here's a picture of the rocks I just told you about:

Located in the very centre of the city, at Kamppi, is the so-called Chapel of Silence. Completely made of wood it is supposed to be a place of quiet in the city. And it does that very well, even when there are music events going on outside (which is the case pretty often) it is wonderfully silent inside the chapel. The entry is free, of course, and you can sit down on one of the benches for as long as you like. The only rule is, you may have guessed it, to be quiet. It is a bright and rather small room and very much unlike any other chapel I have ever seen. This is due to the fact that it is a place of peace and quiet rather than worship. There's not much of an interesting interior there, just a plain room where you can calm your mind whenever the big and busy city gets overwhelming. I don't know about you, but I think this is a great idea, having a place like that in the middle of the city!

Nowadays, every big city in Europe seems to have a Sky Wheel: London, Vienna, and also Helsinki. Helsinki Sky Wheel isn't nearly as big as London Eye, but it is something very unique. If you have enough money, you can book one of the special gondolas. One with glass floor and leather seats, one with a sauna! I mean, it's Finland, of course there is a sauna EVERYWHERE. But on a Sky Wheel? That's definitely new to me :P (You can check the prices here)

What's also interesting about it, is the large building you can see on the picture. It contains a sauna (of course!), a normal swimming pool and one with sea water (which is pretty damn cold, but amazing after sweating in the sauna), and a sun terrace. You need to buy tickets to use the sauna and the pools, but you can enjoy the sun terrace at the very top of the building for free. There's also a bar and a small restaurant in there, so basically everything you need!

Located in Kluuvikatu 3 (close to the Cathedral and University), they know how to make great coffee! Finland is the land of coffee (as you probably know), and for a reason. Apart from Espresso House, Fazer Café had the best coffee I found on my various trips to the city. It's not cheap, but not overly expensive either. What's more: they sell the best Chai Latte in the world (together with, again, Espresso House). Literally. I love Chai Latte and in Germany it's very hard to find a half-way decent Chai Latte. In Helsinki I was in Chai Latte heaven! So once you're there: try it. You won't regret it ;)

If you don't mind spending a whole lot of money on food, you can also buy cake (the whole thing). They sure look delicious, but I never tried them, because I'm a poor student and can't afford to buy a cake for 48 euro xD But if you can, go for it (and let me know if they were as good as they look afterwards :P).

By the way, if you don't know who that Fazer Guy is by now: look him up on the internet. I'll make it easy for you. Karl Fazer is the man who gave us the best chocolate in the world (an obviously the best coffee, too). Now you really feel like clicking the link and finding out more about him, right? (If you don't, you're weird :P)

I found this little diamond at Kamppi. It's a restaurant and it's the one with the best opening hours. We could go in and have lunch even on Juhannus, and that is when EVERYTHING is closed in Finland! Also, they serve the best food at reasonable prices (eating at a restaurant in Helsinki is usually very expensive). Last time is was there, I had the Quinoa Burger with sweet potato fries and let me tell you...delicious! It was a dream. Really. I don't like meat that much (apart from reindeer kebab, of course!), so I was thrilled to find out that they serve a lot of vegetarian and even vegan food! I warmly recommend this restaurant to you. It's central, it's affordable, it's always open, and they serve food for everyone (no matter what they like). So why not go for it? What else could you possibly need? ;)

When you take a little walk from Vanha Kaupahalli along the seaside, you'll get to Kaivopuisto. It is one of the many parks in Helsinki and personally I think it's very beautiful. As you can see in the picture, you can just sit and relax there for a while and enjoy the view. I would say it's a great spot for a picnic, but there are a lot of geese there and...well...seagulls. So probably not the best idea. That doesn't make it any less awesome, though. If you absolutely want to eat something while you're there, they have a small café called Ursula.  It looks quite nice, but I have never eaten anything there, because it was always very crowded when I got there. So if you try their food, make sure to let me know if it was any good ;)

Actually, it's not so much about the hotel as the café at the top of the building. The hotel is one of the highest buildings in Helsinki and from their roof terrace you can see the whole city from above! It's free to go up there, you don't need to be one of the hotel guests to do so. And this may sound a little weird, but use their toilets. Even if you don't have to go (no one will notice xD). But there's a big window and you can watch the city while you're doing your business. I don't know about you, but for me this was a new experience. And don't worry, because it's so high up above, people in the streets or other buildings can't see you. So why bring a newspaper if you have a whole city lying at your feet? ;)

So that's it for today: my favorite 10 places in Helsinki. There are, of course, a lot more wonderful places in Helsinki, but those are the ones I think you absolutely shouldn't miss.

What is your favorite place in Helsinki? Let me know in the comments!

Love, Reena