Beach and Angry Birds

Are you planning on heading for the beach with the family? A great place for the whole family and especially for kids is the beach at Lake Bodom.

Not only does this big lake in Espoo have a white sand beach and offer perfect swimming and paddling conditions. Also clean and newly rennovated changing rooms, showers and toilets are available and within easy reach. 

But the thing that will confince kids about this beach is the new big Angry Birds playground. All their loved Angry Birds characters are here together with lots of possibilities for climbing, sliding, jumping and more. The entrance is of course free.

Check it out!

Summer Thunderstorms

After hot temperatures for a long time we might now face some heavy summer thunderstorms for the upcoming two days.

Be prepared for quite some rain and don't forget to take an umbrella with you.

Save the Sea - Drink Water

The Baltic Sea is one of the most threatened marine ecosystems on the planet. It suffers from decades of human activity in and around the sea, like over-fishing, irresponsible shipping practices, physical exploitation and the pressures from agriculture and industry.

If you want to help save this unique marine ecosystem there is an easy way to do that now. Just buy DROPP Mineral Water. DROPP offers sustainable, Baltic Sea friendly spring water to consumers in Finland and donates 100% of its profits to support the rehabilitation of the Baltic Sea.

You can buy DROPP in many bars, restaurants, kiosks, cafes and even boats around Helsinki. Refresh yourself with a bottle of DROPP today and help save the Baltic Sea.

Birgitta - summer terrace by the sea

The great weather doesn't seem to stop. If you don't have any lunch or after work plans you should head to Hernesaari and visit the new cafe and restaurant Birgitta.

Located right next to the sand beach Birgitta is the perfect summer hangout. Sit down on the summer terrace, smell the salty sea air and watch the boats entering and leaving the harbor.

But it's not only the location that makes Birgitta a great place to be on a warm day. Their offering is as well. To keep a cool head get an iced latte, a cold lonkero or cider or one of their delicious homemade fruit juices. Getting hungry? Go either for some tasty pastry or check out what their food from the grill. A nice burger with potato wedges might fit well with your cold drinks.

Birgitta is open daily from 9:00 till 22:00. Between 11:00 and 14:30 they also serve lunch. Check it out and enjoy the wonderful summer day!

On the rocks

Do you have a favorite spot next to the sea around Helsinki? Maybe on one of the rocks overlooking the water?

Have a nice Sunday!

Rally at Hietalahti

In a few minutes the Neste Oil Rally Helsinki Battle beginns. What is special about this rally is that it takes place in the city. This is the perfect opportunity for you to follow a rally battle without having to travel anywhere.

Also the list of drivers is impressive. It will be a battle of today's rally stars against the legends such as Juha Kankkunen.

The event starts at 11:00 and lasts the whole day until 17:30. The entrance is of course for free. Check it out and have fun!

A beach weekend

This weekend awaits with hot summer temperatures again. The best thing to do is to spend the time at the beach and refresh in the cold water.

Around Helsinki you find lots of great beaches along the shoreline. And even though it has been quite cold during June the warm temperatures of the last days and weeks have warmed up the sea that much that swimming is possible without problems. Especially at beaches with shallow water like Lauttasaari's Kasinonranta the temperatures can be as high as 23 degrees and more. Or head to a lake in Espoo or Vantaa.

Check out the list of all the beaches in Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa and enjoy the weekend!

Banking gets easier for foreigners

Many foreigners in Finland complain about how though it is to get full banking services from Finnish banks. While Finns just need to show their driving license it can often be a pain for citicens of other countries to receive the same services such as online banking.

Luckily this will change now. Finland's Discrimination Tribunal has ruled that Finnish banks have to accept foreign ID documents. You can find more detailed information on the topic from Yle News or read the tribunal's official press release (in English).

This should make your next visit to the bank much more easy.

Töölö's exhibitionists

No, this post is not about people running around naked in town. Nor is the wonderful small café in Töölö with the peculiar name The Exhibistionists.

But it is a place you should pay a visit to. The Exhibistionists on Museokatu has room for just a few customers but is dedicated to making their stay as cozy and comfortable as possible. While listening to French music from the loudspeakers feel free to grab one of the books from the shelf and let your thoughts travel. The occasional sip on a cup of good, freshly brewed coffee makes that experience even better.

The Exhibtionists is also a good choice for a bite in the morning. They serve breakfast every day of the week and on the weekend also offer brunch. For breakfast you can just drop by any time. Make sure to make a reservation for the weekend brunch though. As mentioned the seats there are limited so they need to know how many people are coming.

Give it a try!

The blueberries are here

You can buy blueberries the whole year through in every supermarket. But now is the season when they grow in Finland. So keep your eyes open when you walk through the nature. You can find the plants pretty much everywhere. But to spot the first berries you have to train your eye a bit.

Finnish blueberries are much smaller than the huge ones you will get in the supermarket. But they are delicious and worth the effort. Give it a try and start picking! Good luck and enjoy!

Beach feeling at the ferris wheel

With the new Finnair SkyWheel another new attraction came to Helsinki: Allas. The terrace is located right next to the wheel and makes Katajanokka a more attractive place to visit.

This year Allas is a pop-up where containers function as café and ice cream parlor. The terrace itself offers several grass areas with comfortable wooden chairs to sit down and enjoy drinks and snacks. From here you have a great view over Kauppatori, the ships in the harbor and some small islands. Watch the ferries to Stockholm leave while having a cold beer, wine or cider.

You can already look forward to next year. During the fall and winter Allas will change into a permanent café and restaurant. Along with it a pool at the waterfront will be built. 

But for now enjoy the great beach club atmosphere at Allas (which btw means "pool" in Finnish) during the summer days. Allas is open daily from 9:00 to 24:00 and on Fridays and Saturdays even till 2:00.

Enjoy the summer!

What are you doing infront of the screen? Go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Have a great Sunday!

Lonna, the new island

This summer Helsinki opened a new island to the public. Lonna might be small but is a wonderful place to go on a sunny day. The former military island is still undergoing some mayor rennovation but most buildings and the rocks surounding the island.

To get to Lonna you need to take a boat from Kauppatori. The JT Line brings you there. You get a ticket from their small blue ticket office. You might be surprised that Lonna is not mentioned on any of the signs and timetable but their ferry going to Suomenlinna (not the from HSL) makes a stop at Lonna as well. Return tickets are 7 €.

On the island you can visit both the new cafe and restaurant that are residing in one of the old storrage buildings now. In the big yard you can also sit outside if you like. On the summer weekends they have quite often have parties in the yard with DJs and delicious bbq snacks.

But you don't have to visit them to enjoy Lonna. Head to the rocks facing Helsinki. This is just the perfect picnic place and it has an amazing view towards the city. Stay till the evening to see the sun slowly go down over the city.

Don't miss it!

Fog over Keilaniemi

This morning thick fog wobbled over Helsinki and Espoo and packed the Keilaniemi shore into a big white cloud. This is how it looked.

Have a nice day and a good start into the weekend!

The 24/7 supermarket

There are several supermarkets around Helsinki that are open till late at night, seven days a week. So far there hasn't been any though where you could really go any time.

But now there is one. Siwa was clever enough to open the first 24/7 supermarket. And it's not anywhere but located right in the city center on Esplanadi. So no matter what time you leave the bar, club or pub you can still by your groceries for the next days. A genius idea. Check it out!

Felt Design Pop-up

Tovi at Lasipalatsi is a space for pop up stores in the heart of Helsinki. This week's tenant is Dekorando with their Feel Felt products. Till Sunday you can get innovative and decorative Finnish design products made of felt here. 

You can find out more about the products and the company under dekorando.fi. The pop-up store is open on weekdays 11 - 19.00 and on the weekend 11 - 18.00.

Free outdoor pool

You would like to go somewhere swimming with the kids during those warm summer days? But the sea is still too cold?

Then head to Tapiola. Next to the Tapiola swimming hall you find two outdoor pools. And the best thing is that there is no entrance fee. The first, deeper pool has a diving platform, the second one is just for paddling.

There is also a life guard on duty to make sure everything is ok. Take a look!

Summer in Helsinki

Summer nights in Helsinki are just beautiful.

Have a great start into the week! ☆☆☆☆

Seurasaarenselkä in July

Temperatures over 20 degrees, sunshine and a blue sky. That is what July finally brought to Helsinki after a cold and rainy June.

To see how the view from Seurasaarenselkä changed during one year you can see the pictures of the previous months here.

Drinks at the Bock Terrace

Are you searching for a new summer terrace in the city to have a drink and also something nice to eat? Then look no further and check out the Bock Terrace of Street Gastro.

The amazing sandwiches of Street Gastro were mentioned here on HelsinkiIn before and are of course also available there. The back yard in the torikortteli offer much more though. Here you can sit down on one of the comfortable outdoor sofas or even jump into the hammock if you like.

Bock Terrace of course also has some good summer drinks on the menu. Appart from wine and beer you can also go for a delicious Aperol Spritz while enjoying the cozy athmosphere of the place.

On the weekend the Bock Terrace is open till midnight and has DJ music. Check it out!

Bassline Festival

Summertime is festival time in Helsinki. And the next one starts already today. The Bassline Festival in the heart of the city is all about urban culture and music.

Bassline is in its seventh year and stretches over the whole weekend from Friday till Sunday. The festival takes place in different locations throughout the city: Sinebrychoff park, Lasipalatsi square and Mbar terrace. The music ranges between Disco, Rap, Jazz and Soul. You can check out the lineup on their Facebook page.

Bassline has something for everyone. And the best thing is that the entire event is for free. So don't miss out on it and have an amazing weekend!

Wurst and more

Are you a fan of German sausage? It's rather tough to get a good Bratwurst or Currywurst here in Helsinki though. But luckily there is Maulito.

The Maulito food truck drives around town every day and offers lots of typical German street food specialities. Also German service is included at Maulito since the owner himself, who drives the truck around is from Germany.

To find out where you can find Maulito check out their website. You can also order the whole truck for your event.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Porvoo's sweet treasure

Up for some sweets? If you want to enjoy some really nice chocolates and candies and at the same time support local products then give Brunberg a try.

Brunberg Oy is a small sweet manufacturer from Porvoo, around 50 km east of Helsinki. The company has a 150 year old tradition and has a produces things such as truffles, Alku caramel fudges, jelly sweets, liquorice and of course the famous Brunger kisses. You can get their products in most supermarkets in and around Helsinki. You can also come to their outlets in Porvoo and combine the trip with a walk around the beautiful old Finnish town.

FYI Brunberg does not believe advertisement. They rather invest that money in their employees salleries and in improving their production.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Lunch on the sunny terrace

The weather is beautiful outside and you have to sit in the office? Then try to get at least some sunshine during your lunch break. If you are one of the many people working at Keilaniemi or Otaniemi you might want to try out Ravintola Keilalahden Ranta.

You get an amazing lunch buffet with a wide slection of salads, bread, meat and vegetarian dishes. Each day they have another fresh smoothie included in the buffet. All together for 10 €. Which might be much compared to other lunch places. But for what you get there, especially qualitywise it is a really good deal.

The best part about Keilalahden Ranta is the big sun terrace with seats in the sun or the shade. From there you have a great view over the Keilaniemi bay.

Check it out!

Movies in the yard

The weather is excellent. Time to spend your whole day outside. Movie theaters are something for rainy days, right?

Or you just combine those two and add a good glass of wine and maybe some delicious pastry. Then you get Kesäkino Engel. During the summer till late August Cafe Engel and Kino Engel turn their small yard into a summer cinema, combining the best those two places have to offer. Get your drink together with a small snack from the cafe and get comfortable in one of the chairs outside. Should it get to chilly then just grab one of the blankets.

The movies, like in Kino Engel, are rather alternative and mainly from Europe. If you don't speak Finnish then be sure to choose one where a language you understand is spoken. You can find their program and more information on the movies on their website.

Beautiful night sky

The night sky can be so beautiful during the Finnish summer. This picture was taken around 22:30.

Have a nice Sunday!

Discounts at Kodin 1

The old coffee mashine broke? You need new pillows or a better vacuum cleaner? Then head to Kodin 1 in Ruoholahti. They are about to close and have big discounts on many of their products.

You can save up to 50 % on some things. Might be worth to check it out if you need something. But don't spend too much time inside shopping. The weather today is beautiful and it would be a shame to miss out on that.

Drinks and coffee on the boat

The forecast for this weekend and the upcoming days looks really good. Seems like summer is finally arriving in Helsinki. Looks like the perfect weather to spend more time on the summer terrraces.

But what about rather sitting on the sun deck of an old steam boat to enjoy your drinks in the sunshine? At Nikolai II that's possible. The boat that was built in Helsinki in 1903 serves as a cafe and restaurant since the 1980s. After having served as a tourist cafe at Kauppatori for several years it's new owners moved it to Hietalahti. Now Nikolai II is more targeting towards locals.

And they have a lot to offer. On four decks you can sit either in or outside and can experience the athmosphere of the boat no matter how the weather is. They are both a cafe and bar. So stop by to have a good cup of coffee, a fresh squeezed fruit juice or some delicious pastry or come for a beer or wine in the evening.

Nikolai II is a great summer place to go. So check it out and have a nice weekend!

Newspapers' top stories in English

Are you interested to stay better informed on what the big Finnish newspapers are writing about? Well, luckily there is Yle News. They don't just have a daily news show in English but additionally also a great informative website.

Every morning the lead stories of Finnish newspapers are summarized in their daily papers overview. You can also follow Yle News on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates on what's happening in the country.

Check it out!

Pricy strawberries

It should be the high season of the strawberries. And indeed you can see berry stands everywhere as every year. The difference this time is that if you want Finnish strawberries which are normally always a bit better then the ones from Central Europe you have to be ready to pay a bit more then usual.

The reason for that is the weather. First the lack of snow and cold temperatures has damaged a huge amount of fields. After a good spring the cold summer has brought the farmers into trouble again. The few strawberries that made it nevertheless are now sold for a price of 5 to 7 euros as a result.

At the stands and supermarkets you can also get Swedish, Polish and German strawberries for a much lower price. But they are just not the same, at least according to the Finns.

Wheel in the sky

The Finnair SkyWheel is one of the new main attractions and charakteristic landmark of Helsinki. And a ride on it is definitely worth it.

For 12 € (9 € for children) you board one of the blue cabin that brings you around 40 meters up in the air. 

From up there you have the probably best view over the city and the harbour. And that is because best thing about the Skywheel is most likely its location. From the seaside in Katajanokka just behind Kauppatori you can see most of Helsinkis important sights like the Tuomiokirkko, Uspenski Cathedral, Torni, Esplanadi and more.

The cabin has a capacity of up to eight persons. Depending on the day you might even have one just for yourself though. 

If you want to enjoy real luxury while enjoying the view over the city then you should book the VIP cabine (the blax one). It includes a champagne welcoming and a longer ride of 25 instead of just 15 minutes. The VIP cabine is for a maximum of four people and costs 195 € per ride.