{"id":3831,"date":"2017-07-01T15:23:13","date_gmt":"2017-07-01T13:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/midsummer-in-helsinki\/"},"modified":"2017-07-01T15:23:13","modified_gmt":"2017-07-01T13:23:13","slug":"midsummer-in-helsinki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/midsummer-in-helsinki\/","title":{"rendered":"Helsinki"},"content":{"rendered":"

After having experienced Iceland, I have just wanted to keep on discovering Northern countries. \u00a0Helsinki is actually a fantastic short-break destination and especially over the Summer month’s you can make the most of your days due to the neverending daylight.
\nThis city is really the ideal size for a long weekend, not too big, yet not too small. The people of Helsinki are amongst the loveliest I have ever met, so helpful and welcoming. From boat trips to the local islands to relaxing in saunas, there is literally always something to do in Helsinki – even during Midsummer!
\nI booked my flights to Helsinki, not realizing to what extent the city shuts down over this period. I would recommend not<\/strong> visiting the city at the end of June, however, after having experienced a Helsinki Midsummer I will provide you with some useful tips in case you find yourself in a similar situation.
\n“Midsummer is a main national holiday in Finland. Originally a celebration of the summer solstice, it is typically spent with friends and family at a summer cottage away from the city, either partying or relaxing. This holiday takes place at the end of June and traditions such as bonfires and bathing in saunas are highly popular”<\/p>\n

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\nFriday Night<\/strong>
\nI landed late at night (11pm) and was greeted by broad daylight and my better half. We made our way from the airport to the\u00a0Glo Art Hotel<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by Uber. The\u00a0hotel was located just minutes on foot from the heart of the city centre. It was an interesting choice of accommodation due to its traditional architecture combined with its 21st century modern feel.
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\nThe exterior is completely made of stone, the lobby and the dining area give you the impression of being back in the Viking days where as the rooms and hallways are very modern and fully equipped for all your needs.
\n\"glo-kluuvi-12\"<\/p>\n

Saturday Morning<\/strong>
\nWe started the day with the hotel breakfast buffet which encompassed a wide array of choices to suit everyone\u2019s needs and allergies.
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\nFUN FACT –\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0In Finland, many people are gluten and lactose intolerant, so you will find that most of the food is wheat and dairy free<\/em>
\nI enjoyed the marshmallows as a fun addition to the breakfast menu! We then rented two bikes for 4 hours, free of charge from the hotel to be able to get an overall glimpse of the city.
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\nWe made our way down to the sea and rode along the seafront until we got the centre’s Market Square<\/strong><\/a>. We walked around the market, admiring all the fresh fruit, vegetables, furs and souvenirs that were on display.
\n\"IMG_5167\"\"IMG_5164\"\"IMG_5165\"<\/p>\n

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Seafront<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cherries at the market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then we decided to venture on down the side streets admiring the little boutiques in search of some food, we walked amongst the rows of red brick buildings, finally stumbled upon somewhere that was open,\u00a0Strindberg<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(- \u20ac\u20ac)<\/strong> a caf\u00e9 and restaurant with outdoor seating for us to enjoy the beautiful lunchtime sun. \u00a0\u00a0We enjoyed 3 slices of sm\u00f8rrebr\u00f8d (rye bread) topped with three different options (please see in the images below)And a strawberry, goats cheese, pumpkin seed salad with a balsamic dressing, all washed down with a glass of champagne.
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Strawberry Goats Cheese Salad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Rye bread with – roast beef, smoked salmon and asparagus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday Afternoon<\/strong>
\nWe decided to make the most of the Midsummer tradition and try out the centre’s\u00a0Allas Sea Pool\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0(\u20ac)<\/strong>\u00a0The Allas Sea Pool<\/strong>\u00a0 is great for families, couples and groups of friends. \u00a0There are mixed saunas, single sex saunas, an Arctic pool (for the brave ones), as well as swimming pools. There are also multiple bars and caf\u00e9s. Your ticket allows you to come and go as you please for 10 hours straight. Definitely a bargain!
\n\"IMG_5219\"\"IMG_5235\"\"IMG_5236\"\"IMG_5238\"\"19650106_10159016235830066_658623024_o\"
\nAfter we enjoyed the constrast between the baking saunas and the ice pool, we wondered on down by the river where we discovered a series of bars, the Holiday<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> the Shelter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0amongst others. Unfortunately they were closed over Midsummer. I ended up having my first Helsinki Long Drink in Sk\u00f6ne<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> A long drink consists of: Finnish gin with grapefruit soda. What is not to love?
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\"IMG_5288\"
Sk\u00f6ne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday Evening<\/strong>
\nAfter a quick turnaround and a few extra layers, we were told to check out\u00a0Hernesaaren Ranta<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that evening as there was a Midsummer party on right by the sea. We rode down to the port where we enjoyed some Korean street food at the\u00a0Kimchi Wagon<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0– (\u20ac)<\/strong>. We made our way to the bar and just chilled out amongst the locals, enjoying our Hendricks & Tonic and watching the bonfire from a distance. It was a really laidback place to be and on a nice day, I recommend coming down earlier to make the most of the outdoor section.
\n\"19650157_10159016234315066_1134549911_o\"\"19619847_10159016235550066_1660016823_o\"\"19688235_10159016233680066_391977821_o\"\"19688340_10159016233685066_2012765853_o\"
\nSunday Morning<\/strong>
\nAfter another easy morning we made our way into the city on our bikes again. Definitely the easiest way to get around Helsinki. We visited the beautiful Cathedra<\/strong>l in Senate Square<\/strong>, wondered up to the Temppeliaukio church<\/strong> (church built into stone), stopped by the Orthodox Church<\/strong> down by the sea and eventually made our way to Stockmann department store<\/strong><\/a> as we had planned on having lunch at\u00a0Primero Eatery\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0-(\u20ac\u20ac) This urban little joint can be found on the 3rd floor of the shopping centre. Primero Eatery<\/strong> has just recently opened and it is such a quirky little caf\u00e9 with bright colours, interesting lighting and some delicious food choices. As the neon lights on the wall say ” Classy but hipster” and this is the perfect way to describe the place.<\/p>\n

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Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Senate Square<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Primero Eatery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\"IMG_5343\"\"IMG_5356\"\"IMG_5359\"\"IMG_5362\"<\/p>\n

Sunday Afternoon<\/strong>
\nWe enjoyed the sauna so much on Saturday, that we felt we had to go find another one to try out. We went to\u00a0L\u00f6yly<\/a> – (\u20ac\u20ac –\u00a0\u20ac\u20ac\u20ac)<\/strong> This is definitely a more exclusive, more beautiful location to enjoy a sauna.\u00a0L\u00f6yly <\/strong>is\u00a0an urban oasis occupying a stretch of beautiful Helsinki waterfront, there is a lovely terrace where you can enjoy a bite to eat and a drink on a Summer’s day. I recommend you try out the Smoke Sauna as it is the closest you can get to the traditional sauna. Please note<\/em><\/strong> that you may come out feeling a little lightheaded due to the smoke residue that is removed every morning.
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\nSunday Night<\/strong>
\nAfter another relaxing afternoon of saunas and jumping into the Baltic sea, we got dressed up for dinner at\u00a0<\/strong>Bro (br\u00fc)<\/strong><\/a> – (\u20ac\u20ac\u20ac)<\/strong> When we arrived to the restaurant, I was really impressed with the layout. It is situated right on the riverfront, tall glass windows allows the light to flood in and it really is quite a classy place. However, when I finally sat down and saw the menu, I was disappointed. Apparently on a Sunday evening they do not offer the \u00e0 la carte menu or their tasting menus but there was no information anywhere (website etc) which would have informed us. \u00a0As you can imagine, when you are looking forward to tasting some modern Finnish dishes and you are then presented with a Caesar salad, burgers and paninis for options, you are not thrilled. Nevertheless, there were only two possibilities, leave without any food (as restaurants stop serving at around 9pm!)<\/em><\/strong> or pick something and hope for the best. We noticed that there was one fish dish and one meat dish- I never had such an easy time selecting my meal!
\nIt may not have been the experience I was expecting, but the food was delicious and I would recommend you try the tasting menus on a different evening.
\n\"IMG_5385\"\"IMG_5388\"\"IMG_5392\"\"IMG_5395\"\"IMG_5401\"
\nMonday Morning<\/strong>
\nOur last day already! Midsummer was finally over and the population of Helsinki trippled over night. We simply wondered around the city, enjoying the morning hustle and bustle, it was a beautiful morning so we decided to tick off a few final items we wanted to do( Yes, mainly food related) before leaving the city in the afternoon.
\nWe went to Paulig Kulma<\/strong><\/a> – Coffee Shop – (\u20ac)<\/strong> \u00a0I saw this place earlier in the weekend but being Midsummer it wasn’t open until Monday. \u00a0The colours and decoration are right up my street with all the white and copper combined with the clean Scandinavian wooden design. They also serve AMAZING COFFEE! \u00a0It had been a very long time since I \u00a0had such a delicious dark roast double espresso.They also offer a wide range of other delicious treats, donuts, raw tarts, pastries etc. It is definitely a great place to recharge your batteries.
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\nEnjoy lunch at the Old Market Hall<\/strong><\/a> (Vanha Kauppahalli) \u00a0– Indoor market – (\u20ac –\u00a0\u20ac\u20ac\u20ac)<\/strong>This market hall dates back to the 1800s when they decided that due to hygiene reasons it would be better to host it indoors. There are dozens of stalls selling anything from Finnish reindeer to various types of salmon. I recommend you sample some of the salmon on display – I don’t think you will find fresher salmon elsewhere.
\n\"IMG_5432\"\"IMG_5435\"\"IMG_5436\"\"IMG_5449\"\"IMG_5452\"\"IMG_5454\"\"IMG_5459\"
\nEAT ICE CREAM! I had spent a whole weekend with no ice cream therefore when I saw Magnum Helsinki <\/strong><\/a>– OPEN UNTIL 13.08.2017\u00a0– (\u20ac)<\/strong> I knew I had to try it out. This was just for a bit of fun. It isn’t expensive and it creates pretty little Magnum ice creams. Worth checking out over the Summer.
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\nOther useful addresses provided by the lovely blogger, Anna Sofia the SylePlaza<\/a>
\nRestaurants – Dinner<\/strong>
\nRagu<\/strong> \u2013 fine dining
\nJuuri<\/strong> \u2013 Finnish food (use local ingredients of each season)
\nOlo<\/strong> \u2013 contemporary Scandinavian (one of the best in Helsinki)
\nNokka<\/strong> \u2013 fine dining in a nice setting.
\nSavoy<\/strong> \u2013 best restaurant in Helsinki with great views
\nRestaurants \u2013 Lunch<\/strong>
\nTeatteri<\/strong> \u2013 trendy place in the very center
\nLungi<\/strong> \u2013 corner bistro in a cool neighborhood \u2013 super casual
\nStory<\/strong> \u2013 really good food and in a cool place (Vanha Kauppahalli)
\nRoslund<\/strong> \u2013 really good burgers in an old market building
\nBrunch<\/strong>
\nHotel K\u00e4mp<\/strong> \u2013 luxury brunch
\nKlaus K<\/strong> \u2013 luxury brunch
\nSandro<\/strong> (in a hipster area)
\nStory<\/strong> (Kauppahalli or Kamp \/ two restaurants)
\nBoissons<\/strong>
\nLiberty or Death<\/strong> \u2013 popular bar
\nRusty Bar<\/strong> (upstairs of the restaurant Shelter)
\nGrotesk<\/strong> \u2013 cool small bar
\nA21<\/strong> \u2013 special cocktails
\nWhy join the navy when you can be a pirat<\/strong>e \u2013 a trendy place<\/p>\n

Saint-Jean \u00e0 Helsinki<\/h1>\n

Apr\u00e8s avoir visit\u00e9 l’Islande en 2015, je suis tomb\u00e9e amoureuse du Nord et j\u2019avais qu\u2019une chose en t\u00eate, partir \u00e0 l\u2019aventure des pays nordique<\/strong>. Helsinki est une merveilleuse destination pour un long weekend, surtout pendant la saison d’\u00e9t\u00e9 car vous pouvez profiter de cette \u00e9ternelle lumi\u00e8re du jour.
\n\"IMG_5251\"<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After having experienced Iceland, I have just wanted to keep on discovering Northern countries. \u00a0Helsinki is actually a fantastic short-break destination and especially over the Summer month’s you can make the most of your days due to the neverending daylight. This city is really the ideal size for a long weekend, not too big, yet …<\/p>\n

Helsinki<\/span> Lire la suite\u00a0\u00bb<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[42,27,45,46,47,48,6,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57],"class_list":["post-3831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-guide","tag-blogger","tag-city-guide","tag-citybreak","tag-destination","tag-europe","tag-finland","tag-food","tag-food-blogger","tag-food-guide","tag-getaway","tag-helsinki","tag-midsummer","tag-scandanavia","tag-shortbreak","tag-summer","tag-travel-blogger"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3831"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3831\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3831"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3831"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahungryblonde.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3831"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}