Three days in Helsinki and Tallinn

At the beginning of August I took a short trip to visit Helsinki and Tallinn. It was my first time in both Finland and Estonia so I was really interested to explore and see what the culture was like in these two countries. They were both so different to the places I have travelled to in the past and it was really fun to learn more about them. This is what I did with three days in two cities:

Day 1

I started in the centre of Helsinki. The city was really easy to get around with trams and buses going all over. I wanted to go and visit Suomenlinna which is a world heritage site and maritime fortress so I decided to do that first since it was a bit further away and I thought it would take the most time. You can take a ferry across to the islands which are just off the coast - the ferry took about 15 minutes and you can use your bus ticket on the boat. It's a very picturesque island with lots of cafés and historic sites to see and several museums. I only spent a couple of hours there but you could easily spend at least half a day exploring. I walked around the islands and found the information boards really interesting.

Once back on the mainland I had a look around the area near to the harbour. The harbour itself is really pretty and not far away is the Uspenski Cathedral, one of the largest orthodox churches in the world. It's built on a small hillside and the architecture is very striking. I went inside to have a look and it has an impressively ornate interior.

I then visited the main cathedral of Helsinki which is another spectacular building, hard to miss as it's prominently set and has very distinctive white walls that stand out from the rest of the city. I met someone in the streets who was also visiting the city for the day and we decided to walk around together. We went to the old market hall next to the port where you can find lots of different food places and I got a spinach and feta quiche from one of the stands which was very tasty. We also happened to come across a free walking tour so we joined in on that and it was very interesting to learn about some of the history and culture of Finland.

After spending most of the day in central Helsinki I took the tram over to the West Port to catch the ferry across to Tallinn at 3:15pm. This was where I discovered what a great mode of transport a ferry can be: you can walk around, there are cafés, restaurants and bars, indoor seating and outdoor seating, sofas, live music, places to sleep, places to stand, good views... what more could you want?

I arrived in Tallinn around 5:30pm and went to the supermarket to pick up something for dinner. They had some very interesting things in the supermarket that I hadn't seen before such as popped cheese and Kohuke, a bar made from curd cheese with a coating of chocolate or toffee around it - delicious!

In Tallinn I stayed in a youth hostel called Fat Margaret's (the name of one of the medieval towers surrounding the old town which houses the maritime museum). The hostel was really central, only a ten minute walk from the ferry dock and five minutes into the heart of the city. The hostel had a big common room, shared kitchen, sauna and swimming pool and I stayed in a six bed dormitory which was really spacious, all for just 15 euros a night. It was a great hostel and very friendly so I spoke to lots of other travellers.

Day 2

On day two I decided to make use of the hostel's free sauna and pool as it was only open in the mornings. Here I met some people who were keen to explore the city too and we arranged to meet later at the tourist office for a free walking tour of Tallinn. The walking tour was really good - it lasted about two hours but took you all over the centre of town with plenty of interesting information on the history and culture of Estonia. The tour was only briefly interrupted by a torrential downpour of rain but luckily we were able to shelter in the Russian Orthodox church. Tallinn is a beautiful city with cobbled streets and historic buildings that give it so much character.

After the walking tour we went to the station marketplace called Balti Jaam to look for some lunch. The market complex was one of the best I have seen with tonnes of different food stalls to choose from. We found some really nice pastries and vegetable dumplings at one of the stands. There were even plenty of vegan options.

In the afternoon I left the people I'd met in the hostel and went back to the old town. Here I wandered through the streets again looking in some of the shops and then I met up with a friend who was temporarily living in Tallinn whilst she did a summer internship. We got cakes from a tearoom and sat in the street catching up. In the main square of Tallinn, a lot of the restaurants seemed to have themes, for example there was one "medieval" restaurant which which was decked out in medieval decor with the staff in medieval clothing, serving medieval food. There is lots to be seen just from walking the streets!

That evening I went back to the coast. There is a walkway along the waterfront and I followed it until I came to a beach and memorial statue. I sat by the beach watching the sunset - a very nice end to my stay in Estonia.

Day 3

On my third and final day I took the ferry across from Tallinn to Helsinki first thing. Once back in Finland I went to visit the libraries which had been recommended to me by someone from the hostel in Tallinn. First I went to the university library which had nice architecture inside, not dissimilar from the Aberdeen University library with an open spiral up the middle. From the top floor terrace you get a great view of the city.

I then went to the city library which turned out to be a really cool building, much more impressive than I was expecting and definitely worth the visit. Firstly, it's a very interestingly shaped building, built from a combination of wood and glass. Secondly, it is much more than a traditional library - it houses sewing machines, video games, 3D printers, music rooms, cinema spaces, kitchens and studios. The top floor has a wonderful array of fiction books in both Finnish and English. It is open plan with lots of reading spaces, glass walls making it really bright, a floor which slopes upwards at either end and a balcony. The whole space just has a really nice feel to it - very modern but with traditional elements too.

I also visited an island called Seurasaari in the west of Helsinki. You walk over a bridge to get there and it's got lovely walks, an open air museum and a swimming area with beach. I went swimming in the sea and wandered round the island looking at the historical sites. Not far from the island there is a café which is known for having the best cinnamon rolls in Finland. I felt they should be tasted so after exploring the island I headed round the coast to check it out. It's called Cafe Regata and it's a really sweet little coffee stand selling pastries and barbeque items you can cook on their open fire. The cinnamon roll was delicious, still warm, very fresh and light. Would highly recommend!

On this final day I discovered many beautiful areas of Helsinki which were not necessarily the main tourist attractions so I was very glad to have spent a second day in this city to really get a feel for the city as a whole. After the first day I was thinking that Helsinki wasn't particularly interesting but by the end of my trip it had really grown on me.

Another nice little area I visited was Töölö bay where you can hire kayaks and paddle boards. It was a lovely sunny day and I walked around the small lake. It was nice to find this patch of nature in the heart of a big city. In the evening I wandered through the streets near the station which are lined with big old buildings. There were some concerts going on in the streets so I stopped to listed for a while and generally had a lovely time just experiencing Helsinki. It was a very good trip and I would've loved to spend longer there. There is so much to do and see.