The capital of Finland is a place of extraordinary beauty, a city by the sea it is in my opinion one of the most underrated European capitals. Ok, so it does not have the romance of Paris, or is thick with the historical grime of London but it has an open pleasant feel that is not really shared by any other European capital. Perhaps because Helsinki was only founded in 1550 by King Gustav Vasa of Sweden, or because it was the Czar of Russia that made it the capital of Finland in 1812, but whatever the reason it has a different feel from any other capital city and this is what makes it so worth visiting.

The city has a population of just over half a million which makes it small by most European standards, and the tallest building in the city is just over 12 storeys. The city exhibits a fascinating mix of Swedish and Russian architecture, due mainly to the Czar who felt that the city needed to be a grand capital and to that end employed architect Johan Albrecht Ehrenström (Finn) and Carl Ludwig Engel (German) to rebuild the city. There are some great examples of this today and they all add to the charm and interest of this city.

The best time to visit is in summer, this is when nature is at its friendliest and the temperature can rise to a very pleasant 28C the city also enjoys 20 hour long days, unfortunately during the winter the opposite is true and the days are short and cold, the average temperature is around -5C.

Helsinki’s cit center is surrounded by an archipelago including some quite beautiful islands, the favourites of which are Suomenlinna (sea fortress), Seurasaari (Historic recreation park and museum), and Korkeasaari (Helsinki zoo). The city is also full of parks and most of them are very beautiful, central park is over 1000 hectares and is mostly in a natural state. There are also a great range of museums and historic buildings, a great symbol of Helsinki is the Lutheran Cathedral completed in 1852 and the Ateneum Art Museum has the largest collection of sculptures and paintings in Finland.

Helsinki is a beautiful city and is worth spending some time to discover its charms fully. I would recommend visiting in August to get the best of the weather, enjoy the arts festival, and see how this city by the sea has a character unique amongst European capitals.