A last minute decision to travel to Finland 15/10 to 26/10 leaves me with little time to research and plan, so I%26#39;m looking for some advice on how to spend my time. I am flying into Helsinki and hopefully meeting up with my husband who will be working in Pori. He%26#39;s planning on doing some fishing, so any hints there would be great.
We are in our mid 50%26#39;s, like to experience both nature and the city sights.
We%26#39;ve never been to northern Europe before so do we have enough time to enjoy Finland and throw in a side trip - Stockholm or St Petersburg?
Any words of wisdom is appreciated!
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Side trips: St Pete requires a visa to Russia, but maybe you have time for that. It%26#39;s a vast city and you%26#39;ll need at least a couple of days to see a even glimpse of the creme de la creme.
Stockholm is easy to do, but I find it a bit dull. The trip takes 2 nights on a %26#39;booze boat%26#39;.
Tallinn is more interesting and conveniently only 2-3 hrs boat trip away.
Nature etc see: www.luontoon.fi/default.asp?Section=4973
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Not the ideal time of year, but you can still have a great trip.
The fishing season%26#39;s pretty much over till the ice forms, and ice fishing is very much an acquired taste.
St. Petersburg - well, it looks easy on the map, but as polarbear says, there%26#39;s a lot of hassle with visas.
I disagree that Stockholm is boring. It%26#39;s a beautiful city with a rich culture and fascinating museums crammed with Viking relics. The overnight (both nights) journey takes you through incredibly beautiful archipelagos at both ends (and in the middle, but it will be dark then). The boozing element mostly travels at weekends and is usually easy to avoid on the enormous ferries. Go for it!
The Tallinn trip is a must and very affordable. The ferry operators sell inexpensive packages including transport and hotels - often great bargains and well worth while as Tallinn is very much deserving of an overnight stay.
There is plenty of information on what to do in Helsinki in the off season in previous postings on this forum.
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Thanks to both of you! Good hints, esp the outdoors link. I researched the St. Pete%26#39;s visa and that is off the list for this trip. I like the Estonia advice - won%26#39;t have come up with that one on my own. Now for any hints for your lovely country? I know its a colder wet month, about the same as here in upstate New York. So we may take in more museums, churches and cozy coffee shops than hikes. We%26#39;re flexible and easy to please!
One last ? - how many days to enjoy the sights of Helsinki?
I appreciate your time!
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%26quot;How many days for Helsinki?%26quot; is always a difficult question for me. I%26#39;ve lived here nearly 35 years and I haven%26#39;t yet squeezed this city dry. You can get through all the main tourist sights in a couple of days easily, but on the other hand a thorough wander around Suomenlinna fortified islands could take you as long (dress warmly if you try the latter).
One thing few tourists do is to visit the beautiful Linnunlauluntie area, though it%26#39;s only a short walk from the train station. Take the path on the left-hand side of the tracks till you come to an area of century-old wooden buildings on a hillside overlooking Töölö Bay. This is a reminder of gracious living in calmer times, only somewhat spoiled by the multiple railroad tracks now splitting it in two.
If you continue in this direction, you%26#39;ll see the city winter gardens (a monumental greenhouse) at the end of the bay. This is a good place to warm up before taking the tram back into town.
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One question remains: are you going to be based in Helsinki (or Pori) or how have you thought of arranging your trip?
If you want to meet the one and only Santa Claus, then a visit to Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle will be a good place. You can travel there either by plane (1h 20 min) or by train ca 10-15 h, longest on the overnight trains which will get you from the centre of Helsinki to the (almost) centre of Rovaniemi in a comfy sleeping compartment, so you%26#39;ll save 1-2 nights in a hotel. Rovaniemi has also a very good museum specialised on life and nature of the Arctic and Finnish Lapland: Arktikum.
On the main railway line between Helsinki and Rovaniemi there aren%26#39;t too many places worth a stop at this time of the year, but here are some:
Oulu (the biggest town of the North Calotte area with its 137 000 inhabitants). Has a good arts museum OMA (www.oulu.ouka.fi/taidemuseo_eng/index.html), Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia (http://www.ouka.fi/ppm/English/index.html) and Science Centre Tietomaa (http://www.tietomaa.fi/eng/index.html). More info on Oulu: http://www.oulutourism.fi/en/etusivu.aspx
Another place to stop by on that railway line would be Tampere: http://www.gotampere.fi/eng .
If you%26#39;re into architecture (Alvar Aalto), then you can have a look in Seinäjoki%26#39;s Aalto center (seinajoki.fi/english/tourism/sights_and_dest…).
You can travel more extensively (and economically) by train in Finland if you acquire a FinnrailPass: www.vr.fi/eng/junaliput/rail_passes.shtml . Another option is to rent a car, but in late October roads migh tbe already icy at times especially at nights and early mornings (car should have winter tires).
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