The Baltic Sea Cruise: Helsinki Finland

DESTINATION PORT

Helsinki, Finland is one of the most vibrant and beautiful cities in Scandinavia.   Wherever you walk, this city is surrounded by neoclassical buildings and striking modern architecture.  This is the only port where hubby and I trolled without the twins.  They stayed behind in a youth camp – they needed a break from their mom and dad!  

THE LOWDOWN

Helsinki, Finland tucked between Sweden and Russia. Given the Neo-classical, Empire-style brick buildings, spectacular churches and quiet promenades it’s no surprise that this city is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s so much to see and so much to do that one day of visit is certainly not enough.   Our ship docked at 6 in the morning and immediately after breakfast and dropping the twins at the camp we wasted no time in exploring the city.

You don’t need to take a cab to get to the city even though there are city tour buses readily available at the port.  It’s a nice walk (roughly 30 minutes) from the port to town .

DON’T MISS

The Temppeliaukio (Rock Church) is a one-of-a-kind Lutheran church that was built into a solid rock.  Natural light pours in from the church’s glazed dome and the rough stoned interiors amplify sound, making it a unique concert venue.  We had made plans to go there but given the distance and the limited time we decided to pass.   Instead,  we made our way to the Helsinki Central Station by foot and then trekked over to the Senate Square/Cathedral- a center for arts, culture, religion, politics and education.  The Cathedral was built in the early 19th century and breathtakingly beautiful. 

Across from the Cathedral is the Helsinki Senate Square where the locals gather to sing and dance.  A few blocks down is the Market Square, which offers a festive atmosphere with rows of tents and stalls selling food, jewelry, fur clothing, and so much more.  We could feel the energy and excitement of this seaside city as we walked by one row after another.  You can spend an entire day here and just do people watch.

 ORDER THIS

Fish is hugely popular in Finland since the proximity to the lakes in the Baltic Sea is very close.  While hubby and I strolled through Square Market we wanted to try all the foods that were available, especially the fish dishes.  The thing about traveling on a cruise is that you tend to overeat not just for the day but for the entire duration of the trip. So, for us, we were not able to stuff anything else in our tummy even though we had walked for hours earlier in the day.  

On our way back to the ship we stopped by the park for some fresh lemonades and then headed over to Robert’s Coffee for espresso and cappuccino.   Robert’s Coffee is equivalent to Starbucks at U.S but their espresso, cappuccino and ice cream are to die for.

WHAT TO WEAR

I have one word for you – COLD!  The entire Baltic Sea area is cold in June and Helsinki is no exceptions.  As mentioned previously, pack light sweaters and jackets and as long as you layer your clothes you should be fine.  This is not the place to wear your summer cotton dresses or you will catch a cold.

WHAT TO BUY

We didn’t have shopping in our mind when visiting Helsinki.  We felt a bit rushed so we focused on the places that we wanted to visit instead of browsing around the shops.  However, some passengers shared some really cute Moomin merchandise that is famous in Finland.  Surprisingly we didn’t see any as we passed by some of the shops – maybe we didn’t look hard enough.   We will definitely look out for them on our next visit.

Next Sea Port Stop: Stockholm, Sweden