Why not break up the year and treat yourself to a Short Break; book as little or as many days for your Short Break as you want! So don't just wait for your yearly holiday, when you can have lots of Short Breaks year round. Take a look at some of our great destinations and fantastic deals.
With Short Breaks to Helsinki and many other destinations and over 30,000
hotels, apartments & villas to choose from all at discount prices,
you're spoiled for choice!
A breath of fresh air, literally, Helsinki is a city on the water made up of many islands. It is the perfect place to chill out. Surrounded by shimmering Baltic waters, it has stunning views, wonderful sea food, a friendly easy going vibe and you can cruise around the city on paddle wheeler, boat or waterbus. Many of the local landmarks are reached by boat including the Zoo and the island fortresss, Suomenlinna. In the summer you can swim in one of the many swimming pools, at the beaches such as Uunisaari or at the Swimming Stadium which has pools for all ages.
Helsinki is perfect for those who enjoy the outdoors and the arts, with wide boulevards, gorgeous parks and outdoor spaces, trendy galleries and museums. Walking and cycling this city is easy or you can just hop on a tram. The Sibelius Park is popular with artistes and musicians and has a monument of frozen organ pipes created as an homage to Finland’s most famous composer. There are plenty of tours to help you discover the city including walking tours, day and evening cruises and even a pub tram tour. And, getting to know people is easy as most people speak English
Famous for both traditional and contemporary design, Helsinki has an eclectic but harmonious mix of architecture reflecting its Swedish – Russian heritage with romantic Gothic cathedrals and mansions and ultra contemporary buildings. The work of its design gurus on everything from kitchen gadgets to furniture can be found in many of the local shops.
The art deco sauna at Yrjonkadun Uimahalli (Yrjonkatu 21b, 3108 7401). Men and women swim and sauna separately; and no cossies allowed.
The open-air market daily except Sundays in Market Square for fresh seafood, jumpers and all things Finnish.
Check out the latest in design in the specialist shops in the Aleksanterinkatu and Esplanadi areas.
Sip chilled vodka at the The Ateljee Bar at the Hotel Tourni which has superb views of the city.
Seurasaari is an open air museum about rural life, 15 minutes from the city.
Visit Tallinn, the capital of Estonia by ferry or helicopter.
Eating out in Helsinki: Be adventurous and try some of the excellent restaurants where the menus are heavily influenced by local produce and its Russian and Scandinavian origins. Look out for fresh salmon served with new potatoes and dill, meatballs, Baltic herring, reindeer and Arctic cloudberries. And if you are feeling really adventurous there is Lappires restaurant which serves food from Lappland including elk. Of course you will also find European and international cuisine in Helsinki with pasta, salads, risottos etc. Cafes such as Café Ekberg offer breakfast, lunch and their own patisserie on site.
Nightlife in Helsinki: It has plenty of bars and clubs and some gay bars such as Con Hombres. One hot spot for everyone is the saunabar – which is yes – a sauna and a bar. Plus it has a dj.
The best time to visit Helsinki? Summer is best when the sun shines for most of the day and night. The May day festival is good fun particularly for students and there is an arts festival in August.
NB: Travel Republic provides links to other sites for information purposes only and has not used and does not endorse their products.
Hotel Reviews
Map of Hotels
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Google
Reddit
