Helsinki is the biggest city in Finland and it is located in Uusimaa. Around 500,000 people live in Helsinki but there are more in Greater Helsinki. Helsinki itself is one of the northernmost cities in the world so wrap up warm if you come. These cold temperatures make car hire in Helsinki is essential.
Helsinki is known as the daughter of the Baltic and its architecture is very Russian having been built in the image of St Petersburg. While Helsinki is a big city it still feels very intimate, especially in the summer when the Finns lap up the sunshine.
Helsinki Mini Guide
Helsinki was built by Russian Tsars to look like St Petersburg. They were obviously successful as Finland’s capital has been used by film crews who are trying to replicate the Russian city.
Just over half a million people live in Helsinki, so it feels somewhere between a large town and a small city. Helsinki is nevertheless very cosmopolitan and although most of its inhabitants are Finnish, many of them speak more than one language with English being particularly popular. Helsinki is surrounded by an archipelago of islands meaning that it is a great place to visit in the summer when you can take a boat out across the beautiful waters.
To get into Helsinki look for flights to Helsinki Vantaa International Airport. Once there you can pick up your Rhino rental car and make the short 15 minute journey south to the city itself. This will save you a fortune on hiring a taxi.
If you have got a cheap Ryanair flight to Tampere or Tallinn in Estonia, inquire about the possibility of having different pick up and drop off points for the vehicle if this is more convenient. All of these airports are connected to Finland by express highways. Alternatively you may be able to get the ferry across to Helsinki from Stockholm in Sweden or Tallinn.
Parking can be a bit tricky in the centre of Helsinki and is pricey at three euros per hour but it is usually free over the weekends. There are also a couple of large underground car parks which you can use in the city centre.
Going out in Helsinki can be a lot of fun as many of its residents adhere to the hard drinking mantra of northern European countries. The Vappu pagan carnival is perhaps the best example of this. It all starts on the evening of 30th April when the statue in the central square has the cap of a college student laid on its head.
All night parties can be found in the clubs and bars from then on. The following day people head en mass for a champagne picnic at Kaivopuisto Park no matter how cold or rainy it might turn out to be.
This is just one of many pretty parks in Helsinki. Others include the huge Keskuspuistos central park and the Esplanadin Puisto which is a good spot to see an outdoor performance or meet people.
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