Helsinki is the capital of #Finland and also my heart.
Last month when my summer holidays began we flew to northern Europe. Our first and foremost destination was #Helsinki. I have heard much about Finnish people, my parents talk about them in day to day conversations. Before i visited Finland, i already knew few of their achievements –
Unlike India, children don’t start school there until they are 7
The first exam Finnish children sit for is at the age of 15
Education is never forced on them. Yet, they are the highest scorers in the international exams.
And the most important being they are the creators of the world famous game – Angry Bird !
Impressive it is. Isnt it?
Coming back to what i did there 🙂
The moment we reached Central Helsinki from the airport, we were given warm welcome by a boy, almost by age, Hamza. He helped us catch the right bus to our hotel. We stayed at the #Clarionhotel for three nights, newly made, luxurious hotel. Me and papa took a swim at the famous pool on the 16th floor. The pool has glass walls, so you can enjoy the view ahead and below you while swimming. Just wow !
Here in India, I have only seen street lights as poles on the sides leaving the main path less lit. Street lights in Helsinki and even in other European countries hang from the wires illuminating the path beautifully. Makes more sense !
If you happen to read this post and put up in #Clarion, then take Tram no. 9 to Helsingfors or the Helsinki Railway Station. There you can buy travel cards or sightseeing passes easily. You can get them from the hotel as well but just incase it gets over (like in our case) then Helsingfors is the best place to fulfil all your needs. Just look for #R- Kioski which sells the passes for 24,48 or 72 hours. They even have it for 7 days if I remember correctly.
Places to see :
Suomenlinna – Ferry to Suomenlinna is at walking distance from Helsingfors. If you have the travel pass you can take a free ferry which takes 15 minutes to the Suomenlinna island. People come here to picnic, stroll, play or just laze around. It is spread out in an area of 6 kms.
My favourite part was visiting #Cafe Vanille – must try their homecooked blueberry cake and spinach quiche.
Next up was Korkesaari zoo. Must visit for the bears(national animal of Finland) & the angry birds (they will scare the hell out of you – BEWARE of Finnish birds). We also saw Snow Owl, Pikkupanda, Amur Leopards, sleeping tigers and lazy lions.
Rock Church – Made by two brothers by blasting out a single piece of rock. It has brilliant acoustics. Children play music there for visitors of the church. We lit candles and took pictures of the marvellous beauty.
Sibelius Monument – They told us on hop on hop off bus that it was constructed by a woman architect. The locals believe the structure was inspired by organ pipes but actually the architect tried to portray a forest scene believed to be the true inspiration of the artist Sibelius. The monument is located near the sea in a park and is made up of 600 organ pipes.
Must visit the very popular #Regatta Cafe – Had an icecream and munched on some almond cake with condensed milk on top. Yummm !
Europe Coffee Chain – Espresso House. While i enjoyed playing on my ipad, my parents enjoyed some of the famous Finnish desserts.
For shopping visit the famous Forum mall. Sells everything possible. They say if you cant find it at Forum, you don’t need it ! Also, Ginatricot, i bought my favourite glasses from there.
Don’t miss the birch trees with white bark. Only adds to the beauty of Finland.
Please check out the berries- lingon, cloud, rasp, blue, black and much more. They have it in plenty. Since Finland is 75% forest and only 25 % inhabitated by people you can find forest berries there in abundance ! We bought lingonberry jam for home, delicious it is.
My tips –
Please fly Aeroflot. They give the best of gifts onboard to engage oneself and have the latest kids movies collection to enjoy your long flight. I loved their special kids meal onboard too. We flew Delhi – Moscow – Helsinki (Super Fun !!!)
MOIMEHR 
I am enjoying reading your blogs. It’s very interesting.
Keep up the good writing.
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We have enjoyed our trips to Helsinki. You give excellent travel tips. Suomenlinna is definitely a wonderful place to visit,
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That is so interesting about the Finnish schooling. I live in the USA and preschool starts at 3. Some parents don’t put their children in preschool and start their children in kindergarten at 5.
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Very informative. Thanks.
Looks like you had a great time.
I noticed you recommend certain companies/modes of transport/experiences etc. Have you managed to compare those recommendations to other similar offerings from other providers?
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My recommendation of Aeroflot is from a kid’s point of view – more entertainment, kid’s meal and engaging books & games during your air journey. Thanks.
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I really love your perspective in travelling and look forward to reading more about your travels! You are so lucky that your parents take you travelling at such a young age 🙂
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amazing reading posts thatgive me a kinda life experience teachings and sure you had a good one here. a first timer on your blog and sure yes you write so neatly and you posts are so nice and resourceful.
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I really enjoyed reading your article! I loved the way you described Finnish society. Just couple of things I would like to correct: we take exams before we are 15. We have them approx. 4 times a year or even more and for each subject. The matriculation examination we do on the last year of our high school – the biggest exams. The word Helsingfors means Helsinki in Swedish by the way. 😄Did you mean the city center since the tram 9 goes there? 😊(You can buy travel cards from one day up to seven days or even two weeks) I didn’t know about the street lights that you don’t have them – good info. I really enjoyed your tips and I learnt about the Sibelius monument! Lovely article all in all!
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Great read, thanks for sharing facts about Helsinki, never knew that children start school at age of 7 that’s really a cool fact. Finland would definitely be amazing to see. It’s high on my bucket list 🙂
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I absolutely loved your article and now I think Helsinki is on my bucket list!
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Love reading your post! Helsinki sounds like an interesting place to visit. You are indeed very lucky to be traveling at a young age.. Continue to inspire others! ❤
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Wow this is great, so well written for your age. I’ve visited Helsinki too and loved it, although it was a long time ago now. Keep up the good work on your blogging and travel writing 🙂
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Really interesting and informative post, great pics too!
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A very well written post and some interesting information. Keep up the good work
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Such a great post – I love how you’ve portrayed Helsinki for travelers! So much to see and do, it must have been a great adventure! Your pictures are amazing too – Cutie!
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I’m going to Helsink in 2 weeks with my children – thank you for sharing so many tips… I can’t wait to see the rock church!
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I didn’t know that the children didn’t start school till the age of 7 there. Would love to visit Helsinki and it’s on my list! The homecooked blueberry cake at Cafe Vanille sounds amazing.
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Helsinki is on my list too. I’ve been to Scandinavia a couple of years ago and visited Denmark, Sweden and Norway but I managed to miss Finland. Thanks for sharing your trip.
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Helsinki is on my list. Thanks for telling the story of how it compares to your home. It’s interesting that school starts at 7!
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It sounds like Helsinki is a lot of fun for kids – and you’re making me hungry with your fabulous food descriptions!
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I really want to visit Helsinki, looks like you had a fab time visiting different cafes and markets. The Ferry to Suomenlinna looks like a cool thing to do!
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Definitely on my list! Thank you for sharing these tips 🙂
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I like you my girl! Baltic countries is on the top of my list and I’m definitely taking guidance from your post!
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wow, nicely put blog. Your tips are perfect to guide a first time visitor on a trip for first time. Hoping to read more in future.
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Super information and well written! It looks like you had an amazing time. 🙂
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Helsinki looks like a beautiful place to spend your vacations. You’ve listed quite interesting facts about Finland that triggered my desire to explore it. Love your amazing pictures! 🙂
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Your blog is great! I love how you write and I congratulate both you and your parents for such an amazing initiative! I have been wanting to visit Helsinki for a while now. I must admit, you convinced me! And I will for sure google Cafe Vanille to try out those goodies you mentioned! Keep up the good work and safe travels!!
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