I love, love, love this neighbourhood of Helsinki situated on a peninsula close to the market…read moreplace. It is almost like a Finnish Jugendstil open-air museum with lots of residential houses of the early 20th century. If you have been to places like Vienna, Riga or Darmstadt, Katajanokka might not blow your mind, but while walking around you will surely discover your favourite floral or graphic ornament, your favourite window, door or balcony or even the house you would love to move in. Quite a lot of houses have been painted in nice shades of brown, blue and yellow and a number of decorative details are highlighted in white. Katajanokka is also a special place because of Hotel Katajanokka that used to be a prison ... a few nights in a prison cell ... well, I prefer my freedom ;oD!

The weather is excellent. Time to spend your whole day outside. Movie theaters are something for…read morerainy days, right? Or you just combine those two and add a good glass of wine and maybe some delicious pastry. Then you get Kesäkino Engel. During the summer till late August Cafe Engel and Kino Engel turn their small yard into a summer cinema, combining the best those two places have to offer. Get your drink together with a small snack from the cafe and get comfortable in one of the chairs outside. Should it get to chilly then just grab one of the blankets. The movies, like in Kino Engel, are rather alternative and mainly from Europe. If you don't speak Finnish then be sure to choose one where a language you understand is spoken. You can find their program and more information on the movies on their website.

This is one of those things to do during summertime in Helsinki. The summer nights require you to…read moretest this: you sit in this cozy inner yard under a blanket with a glass of good red wine ans watch a nice movie. It one of my favourite things to do in Helsinki.

The sculpture in the square is very interesting. This square translates to Barrack's square as the…read moreMinistry of Defense building is on the other side ( not shown) of the sculpture. There is a decent grocery store on the square and a few blocks to the south are many nice shopping and dining destinations.

The contemporary architecture is worth a short look. Walk both below the ceiling sculpture and walk…read moreabove to get multiple views of the hanging sculpture and enjoy views from the glass enclosed stairs. The Song Trees Sculpture outside is very interesting with its combination of pianos on their side, a pike fish and wooded log piles.

Hillside park! I tramped through this park while trying to…read morefollow the scenic, historic tram line number three. This park is large, situated on a hill overlooking the bay where the ships moor. Since the whole park is on a hill, and was covered in ice when I went, it was a very tough climb to get across the park. The stairs have handrails, which were a welcome accommodation to help ascend and descend the stairways. It'd be tough to traverse this park in a wheelchair. There are some beautiful statues here, and large wide open spaces to run and play. It offers a great view of the bay at the east end of the park. Some of the pathways don't lead anywhere in particular, they go to someone's backyard or a business, or a wall. Part of the park seems to be used by the city for road maintenance. I can imagine that this park would be pleasant in the summertime, but when I went it was completely iced over and was a pain to try and get across due to all the ice and snow. It was a beautiful walk, but treacherous. I found no public restrooms here. There is plenty of parking here, as the park is so large that there's lots of street parking available.

Such a nice place to take a stroll. The park is on a hill, so you get a great view of the water at…read morethe top. You can also see the churches and other landmarks between the trees.

This area is a shopping area...but it has a great view of the transportation system, beautiful…read morearchitecture, and yummy little cafes to pick from. It's a busy area...so be on your guard for pickpockets. It's still a great place to take pics and see Finland!!!

In the heart of Helsinki this mall has everything. You can find stores, restaurants, groceries, the…read morebus station within it's walls. I love staying at scandic simonkentta because the elevators lead into kamppi and it's a great place to shop or eat. You have coffee shops, restaurants. Bookstores, luggage stores, grocery stores, department store, clothing stores, bars. Happy yelping mi amigos!