Helsinki in winter – things to see and do

Helsinki over New Year’s Eve is this a good idea? Admittedly, we had imagined it a little differently. One important partner totally let us down – the snow… Nevertheless, Helsinki over New Year’s Eve was a good idea and I hope to make the beautiful Finnish capital palatable to you with these tips.

Trip to Helsinki

For once, I decided not to take a direct flight for cost reasons. Actually, Finnair would fly directly from Zurich to Helsinki, but the flight tickets were too expensive for me. That’s why I decided to take the Swiss / Blue 1 (SAS subsidiary) with a change in Copenhagen. I bought the tickets from SAS, but due to a previous “incident” in Copenhagen, I was very skeptical whether it would all go smoothly. The worry was then in vain. We landed in Helsinki without any significant delay (the SAS has now rehabilitated itself a little bit with me). For the transfer from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to the city center, we used public transport (bus no. 615 to the main train station, ticket price around 5 euros).

The station is the central transport hub for long-distance and urban transport. The idiosyncratic station building is almost 100 years old and was designed by Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen. The two statues placed next to the station’s main entrance are considered one of Helsinki’s landmarks.

In front of the station building, despite the onset of darkness, numerous people, young and old, are having fun on a large ice rink. But before we venture onto the black ice ourselves, we have to find our accommodation. We walk the last few meters from the train station, via the Esplanade (the Finnish equivalent of the Champs-Élysées) to the hotel.

Where to stay in Helsinki

Our hotel, the Hotel Rivoli Jardin (Kasarmikatu 40), is located in the middle of the Design District in a central location in a quiet courtyard. The rooms are small but nicely furnished and the breakfast buffet is a little dream – it has everything my heart desires.

Price varies depending on occupancy / season – around 200 CHF per room / night

Attractions in Helsinki

Immersion | Kauppatori The best way to get a feel for what makes Helsinki
tick is at the market square near the harbour area. After checking in at the hotel, this is our first real contact with Helsinki.

There are some sights around the market square, so we explore the area a second time in daylight. I found the Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in the Western world, particularly impressive and photographically charming, as we were able to stage it on New Year’s morning together with “remnants” from the New Year’s celebrations.

Overview | Senate Square If you climb the steep steps to the Senate Building, you will be rewarded with a good view over the unique neoclassical ensemble of Senate Square
.

Browse | Design District The best thing to do is to grab a map of the numerous design shops, boutiques and culinary temptations (you can find them online here: designdistrict.fi ) and stroll through the streets of the Design District
. I especially found the beautifully staged shop windows of the furniture stores very inspiring.

Discover | Mannerheimintie Along Mannerheimintie
Street there are some culinary, cultural and architectural gems to discover. If the weather is bad, it is worth taking a detour to Kiasma, the museum of contemporary art. The Finlandia Hall, designed by Alvar Aalto, is not to be missed. It corresponds to the typical functional Finnish architectural style and is another landmark of the city. On some days, specific architectural tours are also offered, which are certainly totally interesting (unfortunately not on Sundays). Details can be found here: Guided-Tours.

Other worthwhile destinations for which you should take at least half a day are:

• The Arabianranta district and the Arabia design factory in the north of Helsinki
• Right next to it is the “old Helsinki” and the Viikki Nature Reserve
• The “Swedish Castle” Suomenlinna, which is located on small, connected islands off Helsinki

Where to eat in Helsinki

Helsinki is actually a true paradise for foodies. Numerous small gourmet restaurants tempt you with typical Finnish/Russian cuisine. I had picked out numerous restaurants in advance that I really wanted to try. Unfortunately, we had to realize that this is not so easy over New Year’s Eve. For reasons I can’t explain, a lot of restaurants closed on Sunday evening (I still don’t understand…) and since two of our three evenings were Sundays and the third evening was New Year’s Eve, the choice was reduced enormously.

But you shouldn’t miss the brilliant restaurant Juuri (Design District, Korkeavuorenkatu 27). Here, the emphasis is on seasonal, fresh produce and traditional but reinterpreted Finnish cuisine. The speciality of the house is Sapas – the Finnish version of tapas – Divine!

For a sweet break, the traditional restaurant Kappeli in the Esplanade is a good choice. There is a self-service part and the cakes are delicious.

Another highlight is the bar at the top of Sokos Hotel Torni (Yrjönkatu 26). Here you can only drink something (on request there are also peanuts, but they are totally overpriced). On the other hand, you can enjoy a fantastic view over Helsinki from the roof terrace (and from the ladies’ room). Unfortunately, we didn’t have any luck with the weather – but imagine (please turn on your head cinema), the setting sun makes the snow-covered Helsinki shine in all shades of red.

Oh yes, and if you feel cravings in between, try Hesburger, the Finnish version of McDonald’s. So, what do you think? Is it better or worse than McDonald’s?

Celebrated – New Year’s Eve Helsinki style

So that New Year’s Eve doesn’t become a total disaster and we only find fully occupied restaurants, I pre-ordered tickets for a New Year’s Eve dinner at the Piritta restaurant before departure. My choice fell on the Piritta because I was convinced by the price-performance offer (5-course meal for 59 euros). I was a bit skeptical because of the mixed Tripadvisor reviews.

The start of the evening was still a bit resinous, because the bouncer didn’t want to let us in at first, because I didn’t have tickets and he didn’t understand English. The rest of the evening was a complete success. The food was fine, apart from us there were only Finns in the restaurant with the exception of another Swiss couple (so no tourist trap) and there was live music after the meal, where all Finns sang along at full volume.

Shortly before midnight we made our way towards Senate Square. This is where the people of Helsinki have been celebrating New Year’s Eve together for over 130 years. Before midnight, concerts take place on a large stage and after the countdown has been counted down together, the New Year is welcomed with a brilliant fireworks display. I don’t usually like big crowds, but the atmosphere in Senate Square was just awesome!

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Note: My stay in Helsinki was supported by VisitFinland. As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm here.