Between my flights from Dallas and to Lapland, I had a nearly 10 hour layover in Helsinki. That’s way too long to spend hanging around an airport, so I headed into the city instead. Some surprise sun made for a pleasant day walking around Finland’s capital city.
Note: this post is part of my trip report series about my trip to Finnish Lapland in October, 2022. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Date of Visit: October 21, 2022
Getting from Helsinki Airport to the City Center
In a word – it’s ridiculously easy, perhaps the easiest airport to downtown connection I’ve seen. It’s accessed by either elevator or escalator from the exit doors of the terminal. You can take either the I or P trains downtown for a fare of €4.10. Both trains run in a circle from the Helsinki Station to the airport and back. P trains run clockwise, whereas I trains run counterclockwise. There’s only about a 5-minute difference in travel time between the two, 27 minutes via I and 32 via P. You can connect to both inter-city trains and the Helsinki Metro/commuter train system here. However, if connecting to an inter-city train, you can also do so at either Tikkurla/Dickursby or Pasila (by the ginormous Mall of Tripla) stations.
Either train terminates at Helsinki Central Station (Helsingin päärautatieasema). The station itself dates to 1862, but the current building was completed in the early 1920s. Many regard it as one of the finest works of Finnish architecture. The architect? Eliel Saarinen, father of famed American architect Eero Saarinen. Avgeeks worldwide recognize Eero as the designer of both the original Washington Dulles passenger terminal, along with the TWA Flight Center (now TWA Hotel) at New York’s JFK Airport. In addition to its imposing façade, the station features a distinctive clock tower. One that oddly resembles the Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln.
The east side of the station, meanwhile, features a huge public plaza connecting to the Finnish National Theatre building. Constructed in the National Romantic style in 1902, the building still houses the performing arts troupe of the same name. In addition to three stages, the theater reportedly houses three ghosts, including an unknown Grey Lady and those of two deceased Finnish actors. (The building to the left is the Scandic Grand Central Helsinki hotel, connected to the rail station.)
And from there, I started my tour into the city.
Enjoying a Fall Day in Helsinki
From the station, I headed in the general direction of the waterfront. The narrow streets of Old Town Helsinki look much as they do in other European cities. But they also seemed strangely quiet for almost noon on a weekday.
It’s only about a 5 minute walk to Helsinki Market Square along the waterfront. With lunch hour approaching, a few vendors started setting up. In this case, selling both food and cheap trinkets. I apparently missed the annual Helsinki herring market by a couple of week. That would have been interesting to see. It’s considered one of the oldest ongoing traditions in Finland, held every October since 1743.
The light blue building facing the wharf is the historic Helsinki City Hall building. Part of the city’s famous “Lion Block”, it originally opened as the Seurahuone Hotel in 1833. In 1913, however, the hotel relocated to a new location adjacent to Helsinki Central Station. Though the original building no longer house city council meetings, it does host a rotating gallery of cultural and artistic exhibits open to the public.
Market Square also marks the boarding point for tourist ferries to the Suomenlinna Island fortress. In summer, various private ferries also operate to other nearby islands. You can also look back from the waterfront for a nice view Old Market Hall (the red building on the right).
In the center of Market Square is the Stone of the Empress, constructed in 1833. The obelisk commemorates the first visit to Finland by Alexandra Fedorovna, wife of Czar Nicholas I of Russia. It’s currently regarded as the oldest public monument in Helsinki. The monument’s most notable feature is the bronze double-headed eagle up top, re-gilded in 2000 to mark Helsinki’s 450th anniversary.
After a few minutes enjoying the waterfront, I walked a few minutes north in search of lunch. And a badly needed cup of coffee after sleeping through breakfast service on the plane. I headed a bit randomly north into Old Town, and wound up at Senate Square (Senaatintori). I didn’t intend to do this, but Senate Square is essentially the opposite side of the Lion Block from Market Square. The most well-known building in Senate Square is Helsinki Cathedral, constructed from 1830 to 1852. Along with the rest of the Lion Block, the cathedral is the work of architect Carl Ludwig Engel. Originally known as St. Nicholas Church, in honor of Czar Nicholas I, the name changed after Finnish independence in 1917.
Two other important buildings designed by Engel flank both sides of the cathedral. To the right is Government Palace, the official office building of the Council of State of Finland. It actually predates the cathedral, opening in 1822. However, it only achieved its current appearance in 1916, following completion of the final wing.
To the left, meanwhile, is the main building of the University of Helsinki. Also completed in the same neoclassical style, it also predates the cathedral, opening in 1832.
Next to the City Hall building is the Hellenius House, the former residence of province treasurer Carl Hellenius. While the home originally dates to 1770, the current faςade came about during the reconstruction of Senate Square in the 1830s. The building housed the Helsinki Police Department from the late 19th century until 1986. Today, it still belongs to the city of Helsinki, but the ground floor is occupied by local merchants.
After a few minutes for pictures, I walked across the street for lunch. My selection? Ravintola Savotta, a traditional Finnish restaurant. The restaurant is furnished like a Finnish country house, and sources all of its ingredients locally with a seasonally changing menu. Both a three-course prix fixe and a la carte menus are offered. At the time of my visit, a “Traditional Menu” cost 57 euro, while the “Classic Menu” priced at 74 euro.
Today, it’s still the same prix fixe, but prices are now 62 and 77 euro, respectively. There’s also a new “Vegan Menu” for non meat-eaters for 52 euro.
I chose the Classic Menu, as I really wanted to try the reindeer. Accompany the reindeer was an assorted appetizer plate, and a parfait-like desert of cake, berries, and cream cheese. Yes, I did contemplate adding the “tasty tidbit of northerly bear”. I didn’t feel super hungry, though, so I passed.
The first course consisted of assorted appetizers. Today’s selection included cold cuts (including reindeer salami), a green salad, smoked salmon, and more. A couple of the items didn’t suit my taste, but everything was fresh and nicely presented. I also ordered a coffee, and they bring you the entire pot in a traditional silver carafe. As you can see, though, it’s not very good (instant coffee unfortunately).
Next up came the main course, reindeer roast served over mashed potatoes with roasted root vegetables and cranberry sauce.
This I found quite good. Though a little more rare than I prefer, this was a nice cut of reindeer filet. I didn’t find it terribly distinguishable from venison, which means the slightly sweet, gamey flavor pervades throughout. The pepper cranberry sauce provided a nice contrast to the sweetness. I also very much enjoyed the roasted vegetables, which had a really nice roasted skin. Only problem – there’s a deceptively large amount of meat on this plate. It was just too much to eat with a plate also full of starchy vegetables.
Finally, my server brought out desert, a parfait of cake, cream cheese, and berries.
This wasn’t too heavy, which I appreciated after a heavy meal. But for a dessert, it definitely leans towards savory more than sweet. I think the culprit was the granola up top, which had little sweetness, and was in fact rather salty.
Overall, I enjoyed a nice meal, and a nice taste of Finland. But it definitely falls on the “fine dining” end of the spectrum, and is priced as such.
During lunch, I noticed the sun coming out, a pleasant surprise for late October. And so I went back across to Senate Square to see how it looked in the sun. It really is beautiful in the midday sun. And the great thing about being here in late October? You practically have the place to yourself.
Needing to walk off lunch, I headed farther north into Old Town, passing by the Bank of Finland building. Out front is a statue of Finnish statesman Johan Vilhelm Snellman, part of the Helsinki Art Museum’s collection.
Then I headed back towards the waterfront, enjoying a stroll through the quiet streets in this part of the city.
After reaching the waterfront again, this time I headed over the pedestrian footbridge to Katajanokka Island to take a peek at Uspenski Cathedral. The cathedral is an Orthodox church, established by Czar Alexander II and opened in 1868. It’s regarded as the largest Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe. And its reddish exterior certainly stands out on the highest point in Katajanokka.
After that, I enjoyed one last look of the water side of the Lion Block, this time in the sun.
Finally, before heading back to the airport, I took a walk through Kaisaniemi Park, next to Helsinki Central. There was still some fall foliage on the trees, making for a beautiful walk in the chilly air.
To exit the park, I headed out through the Finnish National Theater, again to see the contrast in the sun vs. the clouds. The building sort of bears a resemblance to Bran Castle in Romania in the sunlight. At least in terms of the white stone on the outside and the spires.
It was a little after 3 at this point, which meant I had plenty of time before my flight. But it gets dark quickly in Finland in late October, and I started running out of gas after a long day. So I stopped here and headed back to the airport.
Next up – a failed attempt at lounge hopping in Helsinki, and my flight to the far north of Lapland.
