Art & culture

One of the best outdoor-things to do in Helsinki is to go to one or many of the islands in front of the city. Seurasaari is an open air museum: there are 78 old wooden buildings from all over Finland. The cottages, farmsteads and manors are from the past four centuries. You can get a guided tour if you want to or just walk slowly on your own through the green area. The houses are open only in summertime, but the island is worth of exploring in winter as well.

There are also beaches and one of them is for the nudists. You can swim there in wintertime as well (Mind you the water is freezing and you have to jump into the hole on ice! There is no sauna or shower before or after the swim!) If you are hungry or thirsty there is a restaurant, café and kiosk. Oh and don’t forget the teeny tiny ones: Bring some nuts to feed the tame squirrels!!

How to get there? Seurasaari is only 5 km from the city central. You can take a bus from Lasipalatsi or a boat from the Market Square.

Design Forum Shop is an excellent combination of shopping, gallery and café! You will find different kinds of pieces of Finnish design: jewellery, bags, clothes and mouse pads. They sell products by 200 designers and manufacturers, so they change what they sell very often.

You can find traditional Finnish things in a new format: like a make up bag made from the canvas with which they make traditional hats in Lappland. Or you can buy a lamp that looks like a bird’s home. The shop offers an opportunity for young designers to display their skills and for customers to buy something they won’t find anywhere else.

The shop is a huge display of all the weird and interesting design there is. You don’t even feel like you are in a shop. There is a café in the shop where you can relax, enjoy your coffee and read magazines (about design of course!).

Here location is everything, since a lot of the times the lava (stage) is empty. Esplanadi Parkway is in the center of Helsinki, so if you just wander around to see the stage and it’s empty, you’ll find other amusements fast.

During the summer, which is the busiest time, you’ll probably bump into one of the 200 Finnish and international artists and groups performing there. In a photo above it’s Soundelicious, with my friends Risto and Aino, having their turn. There has also been a pop-up cafeteria at least once.

If you find out there’s music you like, it might be a good idea to combine music and dining. The terrace of restaurant Kappeli is right next to the stage. But if you are there later, like a little bit after midnight, you might find stupid Finnish dudes doing bad stand-up comedy. I won’t admit to anything, but let’s just say that the wine was delicious and the stage was free.