Helsinki
Capital Of Finland, Founded 1550 And Rebuilt As A Neoclassical Capital From 1812; A World Design Capital (2012) · Helsinki, Uusimaa
Helsinki is Finland's capital, a compact seaside city on a peninsula of granite and islands in the Gulf of Finland, and it is the country's main gateway. Its centre was rebuilt as a capital after 1812, when Finland passed from Sweden to Russia, and Senate Square, with the white Lutheran Cathedral above its steps, is one of the finest neoclassical squares in northern Europe. Close by are the red-brick Uspenski Cathedral, the Market Square by the harbour, and the Esplanadi park. Helsinki is also a city of design and architecture, from Art Nouveau facades to Alvar Aalto, the Temppeliaukio Church cut into solid rock, and the Oodi central library, and of the sauna: public saunas such as Loyly and Allas let visitors sweat and then plunge into the sea, even in winter. Ferries run to the island fortress of Suomenlinna, a World Heritage Site, and to Tallinn. Summer brings long light nights and outdoor life; winter is dark, cold and quiet. Helsinki is calm, clean and expensive, and understated rather than grand.
Helsinki, from Senate Square and the Market Square to Kallio and the waterfront, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
A city, open at all times. Museums keep their own hours and many close on Mondays. Public saunas open daily with booking recommended at popular ones. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is about thirty minutes by train from the centre. Ferries to Suomenlinna run all year on the public transport network. In midsummer the city empties as Finns leave for the countryside.