A short but sweet stroll through Finland

The first impression you get, while glancing through the airplane window while landing, is that there are many trees and lakes, small farms and villages. So landing at a modern Helsinki airport does come as a small surprise, especially since you don’t get to see an polar bears there. But you’ll get bigger surprises while driving through the country. Go to Lapland to see the reindeer, or simply sail on one of thousands of lakes. Enjoy the beautiful nature in hope off meeting jolly old St. Nick. Let the endless summer or winter nights to take you to the world of tranquility and peace.

Four days are not enough to visit all natural beauty Finland has to offer, so we’ll take a small tour through the most important cities that left the strongest impression on the national history. Let’s start with Helsinki and continue to Porvoo (the second oldest town of Finland) and up northward toward Lahti with famous ski-jumps to Jamsankoski and through Tampere with rich industrial history back towards the capital - Helsinki.

Helsinki is a modern city with over half a million population and in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It’s a place where the mix of eastern and western culture helped create a unique European capital, very different from other northern capitals. The 450 year old history and influence of various eras made this world famous capital. The life here is full of diversity and liveliness, seen in numerous events and on the faces of the friendly people. The city also takes pride in the archipelago surrounding it with many islands, making a great boat cruise around them. It’s a shame not to see the sailing boats docked into the marina, each taking up a little bit of the common space, forming a great mosaic.

Natural beauty around the city is interwoven by modern technology, while new trends complement the traditional landscape. The city center has many lovely parks that offer a great get away for a quiet walk. The pace of the city is dominated by restaurants and nightclubs with their beat of youth and energy.

The summers are bright and in the second half of June the sun stays up even until 19:00. Near the end of September the days get shorter and fresher again, but the autumn colors warm up the spirits. In November you can already expect first snow to cover the land and January is usually the coldest month with 15°C below zero. Spring arrives in April and nature awakens in its full beauty again. The mixture of sea and continental give the feeling of pleasure. The nearby Arctic ocean and Northern Atlantic create cold weather fronts, while the gulf stream brings forth the warmer air, making everybody just a little bit happier.

Under the rule of king Gustav of Sweden the town construction started in 1550 at the mouth of river Vantaanjoki, as a perfect trading point in the Baltic. The town started developing and in 1600 the center of Helsinki moved to its current location.

In 1700, when Finland was part of Sweden, the construction of coastal fort Suomenlinna began, as a defense against Russians. It’s placed on a group of small rocky islands, which form an irregularly shaped and unique sea fortress. This massive project allowed the city to add to their wealth. Soumenlinna played a vital role in several points of Finish history, making it an important landmark still today. It’s owned by the Ministry of education and culture. The old buildings are still used as flats where people live or working spaces. Many parts are used for tourism, which bedazzle almost every visitor. In 1991 the fort was placed on the UNESCO heritage list as a unique monument of military architecture and one of most beloved tourist landmarks in Finland.

So let it be your first stop, for it is here, where you’ll find the Suomenlina hostel.

But let’s head back to mainland, where the city streets and parks await us, and with a mighty cathedral with a steep stairway perfect for gathering and soaking in the sun, green parks. The white pride covered with blue hats dominates the center and overlooks the senate square. The square with its cathedral, government palace, university and national library forms a great example of neoclassical architecture. It was built in 1852, and it took them 22 years to complete it. It’s also a place where many national and university events take place, and it’s an excellent location to meet or socialize.

Only 5 minutes away you can see the biggest orthodox church in Europe – the Uspenki cathedral. With golden domes and red bricks it’s one of the most noticeable Russian influences in Finish history. It’s a quiet place with a superb view of the city.

In 1809 the Russians conquered Finland and ruled it for over a century. The people were struggling for their freedom and succeeded in 1917. After a long domination by Swedes and later Russians, they  quickly recovered and held the 1952 summer Olympics. This helped to raise the international status of the city. At the Olympic stadium you can also find the Youth hostel Stadium, that’s sure to charm you. Welcome!

You’ll find more info at www.visithelsinki.fi. Or you can choose from one of 6 hostel, that offer shelter to budget travellers: Hostel Eurohostel, Hostel Suomenlinna, Hostel Erottajanpuisto, Stadion Hostel, Hostel Academica, Hostel Karavaani.

With the first day behind us, it’s time to go along the side roads through the many forests and past numerous lakes. Let’s start with the town of Porvoo, the oldest town in Finland, only 55km out of Helsinki. People from all over the world come to see this magical town. Here it feels as if the time stood still and despite modern life the most of the town remained unchanged, revealing its proud medieval past. The old center with its paved streets is the favorite place to visit, with many retro-boutiques, cafes and pastry shops inviting you, to try their goodness. And the cathedral hovers over it all, watching the place. Despite many fires, the town still proudly stands on its foundation, where the important merchant town developed in the 13th century. The river, on which German traders transported butter, dried fish, wood, tar, fruit, wine and spices, was the vein of the city, hence the houses on its banks, used mostly for storing goods, but they also present a symbol of the town, with their red color. I suggest you get a guide, to show you the secrets of the town and definitely stop for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine along the streets. You won’t be sorry and you’ll wish for time to stop. In order to stay here, you can book at hostel Porvoo in advance. It used to be a maternity ward, but has been converted into a hostel with a nice homey feel to it.

And finally to go inland. Through Lahti with its ski jumping ramps, we go to Jouts. But let us rest in a finish sauna for the evening at the nice little hostel of Jouts, with a cold lake after the steam and a fireplace to warm our feet after coming in from the dark. It’s a countryside hostel, but with all the conveniences of civilization, so you can surf while listening to nature. It’s a place you wish to have a lot of snowfall to trap you inside it. Fairytale houses with a warmth to take you to dreamland.

A prolonged morning sleep and towards Tampere, once known for Finlayson – a cotton factory. But not to arrive too soon, we’ll stop at Jyväksxlä.

The region of Jyväksxlä is full of surprises. It’s in the heart of Finland, surrounded in the beauty of nature. The center of the region, the city of Jyväksxlä is a mixture of distant past and recent tradition. The pearl of the city is the Rendezvous Precinct, with many shops, cafes, restaurants and a lot of live music inviting people to socialize. With over 80.000 visitors on less than half a kilometer, you can guess the shop keepers are doing just fine. There are also green areas to enjoy and relax, with Harju being the most famous lookout point, where you get to on stone stairs with flowers all around. There are many paths crossing on top, leading pass sport areas, open air theatres and hidden resting spots. But let’s not forget the market places, open the whole year around. In the summer time it’s a great place to chat. A cup of coffee in midst of a market crowd is a unique pleasure to have. If you decide to stay a while longer, you can always get a bed in the Laajavuori hostel just a few steps away from the town center.

And we’re off to Tampera, known for the white water rapids where mighty red brick factories grew. The town is closely related to industry that used the water power to run the factories and mills, placing the city on top of Finish cultural heritage list. The most noticeable factories are Finlayson, Tampella and Frenckell, which were under the guidiance of Rapids Tammerkoski, who helped the city prosper.

The cotton factory was founded in 1820 and was the first industrial object in the country. Cotton was the first material suitable for mechanical manipulation. The final product was sold into Russian with a generous custom policy. Between 1830 and 1900 Finlayson was a town within a town, for the work kept on going constantly in three daily shifts, so they decided to offer the workers as much comfort as possible. Within the factory limits they made homes, schools, shelter for the elderly, hospitals and even a church.

The six story high building of the factory, known as Kuusvooninkinen, was constructed in 1837. It’s the most important monument of Finish industrial history. This was the first object made for high industry, with a hall that has no dividing walls. The stores are instead supported by iron towers, and although the sounds of workers are long since quieted, the place is still full of activity, with art and craft students, and a display gallery, museum and even sport centers.

The main source for the industry were the rapids, for their force was transferred into energy for the factories. It helped boost the wood industry, weapon production, machine industry, wool industry… and much more.

Most of the factories are converted into residential quarters now and it’s a real joy to walk among the red brick walls with tall windows, that tell the story of the place. You can still hear the machines, water turbines, wood cutting and the chatter of workers.

Apart rich heritage there are more things noticeable there. Many museums, galleries, expositions, historical architecture and beautiful nature with many lakes and glaciers, parks, woods… You should visit it any time of the year and the hostel Sofia will be more than happy to give you a bed for the night in a place where young girls used to make money for their livelihood while it was still a factory.

And it’s also the last stop of our journey. Just a few kilometers and we’re back to the Helsinki airport and off to the next destination.