For more trust and tolerance

Yle Kioski did an amazing social experiment recently in Helsinki. In times where distrust among religions and cultures is growing more and more Muslims where invising and themselves being invited to hug and get hugged.

But see for yourself.

Enjoy those amazing videos and have a great weekend!

Kamppi Chapel of Silence in February

The Chapel of Silence is one of the newest landmarks of Helsinki. And it is located right in the heart of the city. This is how it looks here at the moment.

At the moment people are still wearing winter cloths and it is pretty grey. Let's see how the view changes thoughout the year.

Make a bargain at Kamppi

The Kampituspäivät have started. And that means lots of special deals in all shops at Kamppi Kaupakeskus. The variety of offers ranges from meal and snack deals, over cloths to event vouchers.

Have a look yourself on the Kamppi website. The Kampituspäivät will continue until Sunday.

Here comes the spring

Spring with its warm sunbeams seems to slowly arrive to Southern Finland. At least it looks like it and for the next two weeks the temperatures are not likely to fall below zero anymore.

Have a nice day!

Sell and buy Bitcoins

Have you heard of Bitcoins? It is an online payment system that you can make and obviously also loose money with by investing.

And you can do that pretty easily now. At Kamppi Kauppakeskus you can trade Bitcoins on the go on the small Sell and Buy Bitcoin terminal next to Memphis. 

So in case you were planning on trying it out anyway then you can give it a try there.

Visit Helsinki Blog

Want to read more interesting news and blogposts on Helsinki? Then you should also check out the blog of Visit Helsinki.

The Helsinki Tourist Board posts infos on great places, insider tips, hints and more regularly. Furthermore they also feature some of Helsinki's best bloggers. Don't miss out on the interview with recent guest blogger Kathrin Deter from Luminoucity.

Have fun discovering the Visit Helsinki Blog and of course stay tuned on daily post on the Finnish capital region here on HelsinkiIn as well :)

Spring is close

The last snow and ice is melting. The plus degrees during the last days as well as the first sunny days have cleared most streets and paths already. And it looks as if the temperatures won't drop much anymore.

Have a nice Sunday!

Gluten free street food

Gluten intolerane is unfortunately very common in Finland. That is why many restaurants and snack places offer at least selected dishes gluten free. Now a new street food place has opened in Kamppi Kauppakeskus that specialized on gluten free food. Making it easy for the once suffering from the intolerance to order anything without having to worry.

Glut0 offers topped focaccia , salads, sandwiches and their own pasta. You can have your food as take away or eat in the restaurant. Their menu is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

So check it out and enjoy!

Board game eldorado

Instead of heavy partying would you rathe be up for a relaxed evening at home this weekend? How about a round of board games with some friends or your family then?

And if you are still searching for the perfect game then go check out Lautapeli at Kamppi. The store on the 3rd floor has a big selection of board games both in Finnish and in English. You will definitely also find something for your taste. You can also buy their games online.

Check it out and have a great weekend!

Helicopter tour over Helsinki

During the NBE Helsinki 2015 some bloggers took adavantage of the beautiful sunny winter weather and went for a helicopter ride over the city. Here is a stunning video of the trip.

Have a nice day!

Come celebrate Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is coming. And as every year this is celebrated in Helsinki's city center on Lasiplatsinaukio. Step through the red gate and enter the small Chinese village built up here for this celebration. Here you find Chinese food, souvenirs and tourist information.

Make sure to visit the Lanterns of Terracotta Warriors just around the corner at Mannerheimintie.

Furthermore an afternoon filling program with music, dance, acrobatic, Kung Fu and more is awaiting visitors on the big stage.

The event starts today at 16:00 and ends with the big fireworks over Töölönlahti at 20:20.

Happy sleighing!

Today is Laskiainen. One could say it's the Finnish way of celebrating carneval. And it's a celebration especially for kids - and for students. 

Kaivopuisto is the place to be today. Students from all the universities around the city come here today to take advantage of the last snow and sleigh down the Ullanlinna hill. They also compete on who built the best and nicest looking sledge. It all starts today at 13.00 and officially ends at 17.00 (before the crowd moves on to continue celebrating in some clubs in the center).

If sleighing down the hill with a can of beer in your hand on a Tuesday afternoon is not what you had in mind for today then rather get a delicious Laskiais Pulla. The sweet pastry is filled with either jam or marzipan and topped with a lot of whipped cream.

Whatever you decide to do, have a great Laskiainen!

From Café Torpanranta to the Finnair Sky Wheel

Helsinki's public transfer is one of the best in the world. It's save and reliable. And it's also a great way to explore the city. One great route to see many different aeas of the city is tram number 4.

Starting from Café Torpanranta in Munkiniemi, one of the most beautiful places next to the sea, it takes you along the Aalto House, the Olympic Stadium all the way through the center to the Finnair Sky Wheel in the Southern Harbour.

Find out more about the sights along the route on HelsinkiThisWeek.

Sun breaking through

More and more sunny days are coming up now. And the sun doesn't just break through the clouds but also slowly starts breaking the ice. Some parts of the Helsinki shorline are already ice free again. At other places the sea is still covered with a thin layer. 

So don't try to walk on the ice anymore but rather enjoy the beautiful scenery from a save distance.

Have a great Sunday and don't forget that today is Restaurant Day!

Hyvää ystävänpäivää!

Today couples and lovers around the world celebrate Valentine's Day. But did you know that in Finland it's not mainly about love but all about friendship.

So it doesn't neccessarily have to be anything heart shaped to give away today. A card or a small present to the ones you care about fits perfect for Ystävänpäivä (Friendship Day).

Enjoy the day and have a great time with your friends and loved ones!

Real Italian pizza

Would you be up for a delicious handmade crispy stoneoven pizza with fresh ingredients from Italy? Then come to Fornitaly.

This tiny pizza backery is located in a former barn in Jollas quite a while away from the center. Here the guys from Fornitaly who are mainly Italian sell pizza straights from the oven to take away. But they are only open for a couple of hours each week.

You can get you Italian pizza Fridays from 16.00 - 20.00 and Saturdays between 13.00 and 19.00. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Helsinki - Tallinn by train?

The topic has been discussed for years already. Now it came up again. And indeed there seems to be a chance that within the next 15 to 20 years a train tunnel will be built that will connect Helsinki and Tallinn and make travelling much easier and faster between the two capitals.

What do you think about those plans? Are you looking forward to it already or do you rather think the nine to 13 billion Euros should rather be spent on something else?

Everything for coffee

Are you one of the many coffee enthusiasts living in Helsinki? Then you probably already know Kaffecentralen. If not, then you should definately go.

Kaffecentralen has pretty much everything you could ever need for making your own good coffee at home. From coffee filters, mashines and pans to real good grinded coffee.

But you can also have your ready made coffee right away. Kaffecentralen serves good coffees to have right there or to go.

Give it a try. You can find them in Helsinki in three different locations: Museokatu 9 in Etu-Töölö, Frederikinkatu 59 in Kamppi and in Korkeavuorenkatu 25 at Erottaja. Or find them online.

Three years HelsinkiIn

HelsinkiIn just turned three a few days ago. Yes, it's that long already. Time really flies.

Thanks to everyone that drops by here regularly, occasionally or maybe just came here for the first time!

Let's continue to discover this beautiful city together. HelsinkiIn is looking forward to more great events to go, places to visit and things to see and know.

Is the gloominess over?

According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute this winter has been the gloomiest in over three decades for many parts of the country. Some areas of Southern Finland have gotten as little as under four hours of sunshine during November and just over five hours in December.

There is a good chance though that the darkest days are over now. Last weekend (Friday and Sunday) brought lots of light to the capital area and the forecast for the upcoming days looks pretty good as well. This also means that it might get colder and windier again. So don't forget to dress up warm enough. But also don't leave your sunglasses at home.

Have a good start into the week!

New boat trends

Have you been thinking about buying your own boat for a while? Or would you just like to find out about the latest trends on the market? Then head to the Messukeskus for the Helsinki International Boat Show Vene/Båt.

Admission is 18 € for adults and 11 € for children and students. The boat show is still on for another week. So if you don't make it today, don't worry. You still have time till February 15.

Have a nice Sunday!

Red Bull Crashed Ice Championship 2015

With speeds of over 60 km/h six guys racing down a winded ice course with turns, banked corners and jumps on skates, that is Ice Cross Downhill. If you'd like to see that live and in action you should come to Serena in Espoo today.

There the Red Bull Crashed Ice Championships are held today. Watch the best ice cross skaters from around the world compete for the trophy. The finals start at 18.00. Doors open already at 15.00 and the entrance to the event is free. You just have to find your way to Serena. To find out how to get their and for more information on the event check out the Serena website.

Patchwork of ice sheets

Due to the relatively warm weather in combination with occasional minus temperatures the sea looks quite special these days. Instead of the usual thick layer of ice many small sheets of ice float on the water. Some have also frozen together again during some cold nights.

What do you think? Will the ice now melt away completely or will we still get some really cold days during February or even March?

Enjoy your tart

Today is February 5, Johan Ludvig Runeberg's birthday. And Finns celebrate that day with flying flag to honor their famous poet.

But even more important than the flags are the Runebergintorttut (Runeberg tarts). You can get them in almost every cafe as well as in supermarkets. Runeberg tarts are made from almonds, flavored with rum or arrack and decorated with raspberry jam in a sugar ring.

Don't forget to have one of those today to celebrate one of Finland's most important writers.

Connected underground

If you live in Helsinki you get used to having access to the internet basically everywhere. You can find an open wifi pretty much in every cafe, restaurant, shop or shoppingcenter.

But did you know that in Helsinki you also have free wifi access in the metro? All metros are equiped with wifi hotspots that are free to use for anyone. This way you can even easily use your laptop or tablet on your way to work or to the center.

Enjoy the ride and stay connected!

Eat with the firefighters

Are you searching for a real lunch gem? Then check out Pompier. It is well hidden in a backyard on Albertinkatu and extremely popular amongst locals.

The owners took over a 150 year old former firefighter club house and turned it into now one of the most original lunch restaurants in Helsinki. Grab some good home made Finnish food together with some delicious salads from the big buffet and sit down at one of the old wooden tables in the big canteen like room.

Pompier is definately wort the visit. And the food is great. The restaurant is open only on weekdays from 11 until 14:00. Be prepared to queue for a few minutes before getting in.

Catch your metro in time

The electronic sign at the metro station tell you that your metro will be there in just one minute. And you are probably wondering if it still makes sense to run for it. Well even if one minute sounds quite tight, you might have quite a good chance.

The reason is that the electronic signs at the entrance of Helsinki's metro stations don't show the same time as the ones downstairs. They still calculate in the time you need to get down the escalators. So don't hurry next time it looks as if you won't make it. If the metro is still announced at the entrance of the station you have a pretty good chance of still catching it.

Sunday sunshine

Yes, indeed. There is no sunshine today. But there has been some during the week. And here is a picture to remind you.

The good news is that the darkest time of the season is over and you'll get to see the sun now much more often.

Enjoy your Sunday!