Sign in with Facebook"Jumping Around Helsinki!" Helsinki by jumpingnorman
Helsinki Travel Guide: 3,614 reviews and 7,274 photos
Among the Nordic countries, this is the one with the most unusual language - far removed from the English language (might be more related to Hungarian). I have read that immigration has not been too much here compared to Norway and Sweden, and so those doing manual labor in the streets are still mostly light-skinned.
Helsinki is the largest and most populated city of Finland (over half a million). It is in the southern part of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and by the Baltic Sea. It was founded in 1550 as a rival to the Hanseatic city of Reval (now known as Tallinn) by King Gustav I of Sweden, but the city was plagued by poverty, wars, and diseases for a long time. But now, the GDP per capita is roughly 1.5 times the national average, making Helsinki one of the wealthiest capitals in Europe.
The city is very easy to navigate, boasting one of the best transportation systems in Europe with the trams and buses, but there is only "one" line for the Metro. It is so compact, you can just walk to most of the major tourist spots and even ride a ferry easily to the Soumenlinna naval fortress, also known as Sveaborg (In Finnish: Viapori).
My arrival here was during the night and it was unfortunately raining, and I came in by ferry from Estonia. First thing I saw was the Market Square which I easily recognized from what I heard about Helsinki. And then the turtles...they were large cement turtles scattered in some parts of Helsinkii, so i took a picture of it.
The only European capital with no medieval history, Helsinki was formed after the Somenlinna fortress was formed by the Swedes to offset Russia’s dominance in the region. Helsinki flourished from a small peasant community to a major supporter of the fortress which in turn was aptly called the”Gibraltar of the North”, since it was considered almost as significant as Gibraltar fortress itself.
One of the most amazing fortresses in Europe - it's at least 5 islands (I think) joined by bridges. Can easily be reached from a ferry leaving Market Square. It was a little bit scary for me going through the catacomb-like arches but then I easily get scared due to my active imagination. I dare anyone to sit alone in one of those "caves" for 15 minutes - alone - and e-mail me if you did it without getting spooked! I just included here a picture of one of the arches I went into..."you are entering another dimension - on your next click..."
- Pros:excellent transportation system
- Cons:street names can be a little bigger (I urge the Finnish govt)
- In a nutshell:Wonderful city to explore!
Reviews (7)
Going up the Lutheran Cathedral Steps
Things to Do
(4)
Almost anybody who sees this massive building also known as “Tuomiokirkko” with so many “stairs” wants to go up to see... more travel advice
Shopping by the Three Blacksmiths
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(4)
The Three Blacksmiths is a popular Helsinki sculpture. Shoppers particularly like this because it is near Stockmann's... more travel advice
Soumenlinna Fortress has 1000 residents!
Things to Do
(4)
I took the ferry to Soumenlinna from Market Square, using the public HKL ferry which was covered by my Helsinki pass. It... more travel advice
The Sibelius Monument
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(4)
This is a stainless steel sculptural tribute to the great composer, made out of 600 stainless steel pipes and with the... more travel advice
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Comments (24)
Nice reminde rof our trip..we missed the balck smiths!
Hello, Norman! You were lucky to visit all those places! Great! Thanks for your presentation...
Norman, gorgeous little page about Helsinki, which I visited twice. Unfortunately, I never made it to the Sibelius Monument, but I also went on a sidetrip to quaint Porvoo.
Your page brings back many nice memories of my stay in helsinki. i didn't make it to Porvoo, though
Another nice page Norman. Did you jump over the Sibelius monument?? LOL
That is so interesting about the fortress. The three blacksmith statue is lovely and The Sibelius Monument is splendid. Nice page!
postcard-perfect photos of porvoo...especially loved those wooden houses and meadows.
Glad you had a fun time in Hel!!!!!! Thanks for the virtual trip....
Great to be a virtual tourist and see other countries through anothers eyes...
Great tips on Helsinski. I haven't been here. There are so many places to see. So little time...