48 hours in Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki and Tallinn are great cities to stop by and explore together because of the convenience of the ferry channel between both cities. With 3 major ferry companies dominating the route and competing for customers, tickets between the cities can be pretty affordable. Personally, I went with Tallink and paid 24 euros for one-way from Tallinn to Helsinki and the journey took roughly 3.5 hours [although most trips take only 2 hours, mine was cheaper].
When I first arrived at the terminal, I was surprised. I thought it was overkill, having such big ferries to transport people over such a short time which I felt any other simply no-frills ferries can do. It was like a cruise, with many storeys filled with rooms, restaurants, boutique shops, and observation decks. Pretty impressive.
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and is on the southern tip of the country. World-class public transport system [in my opinion] and plenty of space all around made my time here really enjoyable. The streets are wide and the pace of life here seemed to be slower than that of other international cities like Moscow or Singapore. It is also an international hub and you can find plenty of food from all over the world here, although prices can go up really quickly if you’re not careful.
I really liked how something as simple as how the metro system [and buses] in Helsinki can reflect a major part of the Finnish culture. There are no ticket gantries at metro stations and buses and all tickets are either bought at ticket machines or via your mobile app [you can buy your tickets in advance and set the time on when it will start being valid from on the app], which I find is really convenient for commuters. I feel that it also reflects the trust that is displayed towards the locals that they will not abuse the system and still purchase tickets when they use public transport.
I had a friend in Helsinki, which was great as it changed the entire dynamic of my trip. Not only did she have insider knowledge, but I was also able to hang out and just chill with a familiar face after travelling solo for a while.
What most people won’t tell you is how lonely it can get when you travel solo. Sure, it can be liberating and the sense of freedom is really out of this world. However, as human beings, we all need to interact and at the end of the day we need social interaction, and connecting with familiar faces is a nice feeling to have.
There are plenty of neighbourhoods and districts filled with interesting monuments, nature, or food where you can easily explore. We took the 15–20-minute ferry from the city center to Suomenlinna island [tickets for the standard public transport applies for this as well, which is amazing!] to catch the sunset which was really beautiful and explored Töölö, a relaxing and nature-filled area which is also home to the absolutely amazing Café Regatta.
I have to give a shoutout to My Helsinki, an amazing guide for Helsinki, which was introduced to me by my lovely friend. If you ever feel lost or have no idea what to do in Helsinki, they’ll have an answer for you!
Some places I have to recommend are The Boom Room for a lovely coffee [meals are amazing too], BLINIt [great Russian Blinis], Café Regatta [an absolute must for their cinnamon buns], and the few market halls dotted around the city — The Old Market Hall, Hakaniemi Food Hall, and Hietalahti Food Market.
I spent a weekend in Helsinki, and I must say it was a great way for me to taste just a little bit of what Scandinavia has to offer. I will have to come back for more for sure, but for now, it is time to catch a flight to my final country in this 2-month long solo journey.
Accommodation I stayed in
Helsinki: Airbnb, hosted by Tommy & Luz [amazing couple who stayed in a local area of Helsinki, giving me a feel of local life]
These were originally posted on my blog, which I found more tedious to manage than Medium. These are stories from a trip I embarked on in March to April 2019.
