About this time, last year, we were eagerly preparing for our very short trip to Finland. A trip that proved to be packed with activities, plenty of nice and not-so-nice surprises (a last minute cancelled flight) and lots of salmon and reindeer stew.

We arrived in Helsinki late in the evening so we booked a room in a hotel located close to the airport. Who else loves a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel? I know we do…The Scandic Hotel is where we spent our first night in Finland, a hotel that offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport. Shuttle pick up point is at platform 40 outside the airport building. Room price: 160 euros including breakfast. The next day we had an amazing breakfast before taking the shuttle back to the airport. It was the most cost effective and convenient way to reach Helsinki city center.

From the airport we took line P to Helsinki train station. Journey price is 4.10 euro/adult (free for kids 7-17). The journey takes about 30-35 minutes. Tickets can be bought at the vending machines in the airport or directly on the train (cards only). Tickets should be validated upon entry at the orange stamping stations.

Getting around Helsinki: it’s best to buy a day ticket (valid for 24 h) that includes transportation to and from the airport. Day ticket costs 11 euros and include zones ABC in Helsinki and around (so including the train to/from the airport). Otherwise, for Helsinki’s central area, a day ticket for the AB zones suffices. It’s also cheaper, at 9 euro/adult. Kids below 7 do not pay. Both types of day tickets can be used to travel on the ferry to/from Suomenlinna.

Where to eat: Helsinki is not cheap. But we ate some very delicious traditional dishes in the old market hall, located next to the SkyWheel and the ferry pier. There are several restaurants in the old market hall and most offer salmon and reindeer dishes. Expect to pay about 15 euro/main dish. Alcoholic drinks are expensive, 10 euro/beer or glass of wine. Luxurious dishes are also served here. You can sample a beluga caviar canapé for about 25 euros.

What we visited in Helsinki:

• From the train station, we walked 300meters towards the modern museum Amos Rex with underground exhibitions. We did not visit the museum, but included it as a walk-by as its glass roof penetrates the Lasipalatsi Square and creates a very futuristic display of architecture.

• From Amos Rex we walked 800 meters towards the Temppeliaukio Church, with a very interesting architecture and one of Helsinki’s top sights. The church has been built on the site of rock excavation, with the walls made of rock and rubble. Ticket prices: 8 euro/adult, tickets can be bought on site or online. Opening hours: differ quite a lot, best to check ahead on their website https://temppeliaukionkirkko.fi/en/index/nimi.html….

• The Finnish Museum of Natural History it’s on the way from Amos Rex towards the Temppeliaukio Church and a good choice for rainy days.
• The Esplanadi is located close to Helsinki’s top attractions. It’s a beautiful urban park in the heart of Helsinki. It’s also a couple of minutes walk from the central train station.

• From the Esplanadi, Senate Square is a stone throw away. But it’s best to stroll around the square at 17:49 to enjoy the sound installation. The sound resembles that of a glockenspiel (bells or xylophones) and travels from one building to the next during 5 minutes and 18 seconds. In December, the square is also home to the Christmas market.
• One of the main buildings in the Senate Square is Helsinki Cathedral, a symbol of the city and a top tourist attraction.

• A 5 min walk from Senate Square took us to the popular Market Square, great to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee before taking the ferry to Suomenlinna fortress. Eric tried the traditional meat pie, which we bought from a food stall for 5 euro. The Old Market hall is located right next to the square and it’s a great option to enjoy some of Finland’s traditional dishes. We tried some reindeer soup and grilled salmon ( mains around 15 euro) and a traditional Runeberg cake. It’s a cylindrical wet cake infused with a blend of almond, ginger and cardamom spices, with a sugar paste ring on top that is filled with raspberry jam.

• The sea fortress of Suomenlinna is a Unesco World Heritage site. The island is also home to roughly 1000 residents. The fortress is a vast area with parks, tunnels, cannons, museums and restaurants. It is a testimony of the defensive system of the Swedish, Russian and finally Finnish people. The best way to get to the fortress is by ferry. Many operate during summertime. The HSL ferry travels year round from the Kauppatori pier. Travel duration is 15 minutes. Tickets can be bought from the vending machines, but it’s best to purchase a Helsinki day ticket as it is roughly the same price. Kids below 7 travel free. During wintertime the ferries are not very frequent, about 1 per hour.

• The Allas sea pool is a 3 minute walk from the Kauppatori pier. There were quite a few people enjoying the swimming pools during early December.

• The SkyWheel is immediately next to the Allas sea pool and the orthodox Uspenskin cathedral lurks at the back. The SkyWheel offers sky saunas but only during warmer months. It is closed during winter. I can only imagine the feeling of relaxing in the sauna and hot tub of a gondola above Helsinki’s rooftops!

• The icebreakers pier is another 15 minutes walk along the waterfront from Uspenskin Cathedral.
• Our final stop was the Oodi Central Library, where the third floor has a large area that is entirely dedicated to kids. The fairytale wall is a top attraction here where Eric created music and auroras. It is open from 8 am to 9 pm.

• Sea life aquarium Helsinki is a good indoor option for spending time, especially with kids. To get there we took line 9 from Helsinki main train station and got off at Kotkagatan station. After 10 minutes walk, we arrived at the entrance to the aquarium, which is actually exactly near the Linnanmäki Amusement Park. Opening hours:10am to 6pm. Prices: 22 euro/adult and 14 for kids. We’ve been to Sea Life Aquariums before, so we expected to find educative boards, treasure hunt, the discovery pool, the underwater tunnel and more. Eric loved the treasure hunt, which earned him a sticker at the end of our tour. They have feeding sessions starting at 11 (usually every hour at a different pool). The shark area was super cool with info on some prehistoric creatures as well and the oh-so-loved paleontology pit, where Eric dug up the remains of a dinosaur. What we haven’t seen in the Sea Life Aquarium of Benalmadena in Spain was the lab setup. They had a zoo plankton and a phytoplankton area, as well as microscopes to check various parts of animal species. For an extra 6 euro/adult, they have a behind the scenes tour. We spent about 1h30 min here. We were most impressed by the electric eel, who absolutely refused to move. They have light bulbs and a speaker installed that react to the electric eel. Sadly, we weren’t able to see anything…

• Heureka science center is located in Vantaa. We took train I (or K) and got off at Tikkurila station. The science center is 10 minutes walking distance from the train station. Prices: 24/adult, 17/kid (above 5). Opening times: 10am to 6pm. The science center contains some cool experiments. We loved the Facing Disaster area, where we tested the force of earth, wind, water and fire. Then Eric built his own flying machine and car and tested them (super fun way to talk about friction and see how it works). I personally loved the area dedicated to electricity where Eric designed his own electrical circuits. Such an amazing way to teach kids about the basic of electric circuitry and how they work. The Heureka Classics contains a couple of distinct areas where experiments of similar kind can be performed. There’s also a planetarium which runs 3-4 different movies, including an animated one. Apart from the main exhibition room, science demonstrations are held in the theater. If kids get bored, there’s also a nice play area. Heureka is very close to the airport (20 minutes away) so it’s a good option for long layovers, as it also has a buffet restaurant on site.