Stop over: Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland. Photo / Bloomberg

Make the most of the endless summer.

Helsinki, the second-most northern capital city in the world, is a busy place. More than 3000 events are held in Finland's main city each year and, with four such distinct seasons, it's easy to see why there is such variety.

In summer, the evenings stretch on and on as the sun hardly sets at all. In the depths of winter, however, the city turns into a fairy tale wonderland, with snowcapped mountains and ice skating.

It's a long way from New Zealand, so just what makes this European city worth the visit?

Getting around

The Nordic city is an international hub. Around 200 international flights arrive at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport each day, plus daily ferry services to and from Estonia, Sweden, Germany, Russia and Poland. Once there, it's simple to find your way around. Because of its compact size, the best way to see the sights is either by foot or on a rented bike.

Main attractions

Helsinki is one of the greenest urban centres in the world as one-third of the city is classed as green space. But it is the stunning white cathedral towering over the heart of Helsinki, known in Finnish as Tuomiokirkko, that visitors will be unable to miss. Another church, the Temppeliauki, is a star of modern architecture. Quarried out of natural bedrock, the "rock church" is the most popular architectural attraction in the country, by visitor numbers.

Design is a big part of the Nordic experience and Helsinki's Design District is a neighbourhood and a way of life. A total of 25 streets offer shopping, museums and design hotels. For families, the Open-Air Museum at Seurasaari shows how Finns lived over the centuries but the top attraction at Linnanmaki Amusement Park is still the classic wooden roller coaster.

Hot and sweaty

Finland has turned the idea of the sauna into an art form. Ice saunas are built out of giant slabs of the cold stuff, but are still cosy inside (just remember to wear felt socks to avoid slipping). Others include smoke saunas, mobile saunas and culture saunas, like the one built on the Helsinki waterfront in Hakaniemi, which combines bathing, sauna and cultural events such as poetry recitals and lectures.

Helsinki on a plate

As well as design, food is a big deal in Helsinki and the two are combined at the Abattoir. Don't be put off by the name, it is a lively centre for the city's food culture, and features everything from themed lectures and one-day events to farmers' markets and street food festivals.

It is just one of a handful of must-visit open-air markets and food halls that sell local produce and a taste of the real Helsinki.

Helsinki is also an oasis for coffee-lovers, as Finns drink more coffee per person than anywhere else in the world - the equivalent of almost 10kg of ground coffee per person each a year. That certainly gives us Kiwis a run for our flat whites.

>> visithelsinki.fi/en