Christmas trip to Tallinn

One of the best cities to go during the Christmas time is Tallinn. The beautiful old town with all its small lights, Christmas decoration and the smell of glöggi make it the perfect traveling destination for a short Christmas trip.

The highlight during this time of the year is the Christmas market on the old market square of the city. In the scenic setting many small huts surround the big Christmas tree. You find wonderful handicraft, keep the hunger away with delicious sweet and salty Christmas treats and warm up with a cup of hot mulled wine or glöggi.

And getting to Tallinn is fairly easy. Ferries from Eckerö Line, Tallink and Viking Line operate daily and for as low as 11 € for a return trip. The ferry lines also offer very affordable hotel packages for those who want to stay for more than just a day.

Have a nice trip!

Music and tasting

Today a late visit to the Hietalahden Kauppahalli might be a good idea. At 17:00 the first out of a series of several Musaa & Maistelua events will take place at the market hall.

At this special Saturday event its all about music and food. Taste declicious treats from the shops, restaurants, cafés and street food booths. To make the experience unique, We Love Helsinki invited some DJs to provide the venue with some suitable tunes. 

So have a snack, grab a drink, lean back and enjoy the evening! The event lasts until 22:00 and the entrance is free. Make sure to drop by!

Helsinki - the Christmas city

First of Advent is around the corner. Now Helsinki turns into a true Christmas city.

There are lots of fun and christmassy things to do around this time of the year. The guys from VisitHelsinki put together a nice selection of things you definitely should not miss here during the Christmas season.

Have a look yourself and get ready for the most wonderful time of the year! Have a nice weekend!

Escape Bodom

Have you ever played an escape room game? There are a couple of good ones here in the Helsinki region. Recently though a really cool new one has opened in Vallila.

Exit Room Helsinki sets you back into the year 1960 on a camping trip to lake Bodom. Does that ring a bell? Exactly, at that time the most mysterious and until today unsolved crime in Finnish history took place: the murder of Bodom.

Put together a team of fearless friends and solve the mystery around what happend 55 years ago. You have 66 minutes time. And during November and December all games are 20 € off.

Exit Room Helsinki will also open a second room soon. This one will actually be a whole appartment. And not anyone's but the president's himself. So stay tuned!

Check it out and enjoy the game!

Stockmann's Christmas window

The Christmas season was officially opened yesterday by the major of the city and Santa Claus. This also of course brings the traditional Stockmann Christmas window back as well.

At the corner of Keskuskatu and Aleksanterinkatu Stockmann has again set up a beautiful scenery with music. Kids love it but it is also a sight worth visiting for adults to get into the Christmas mood.

Drop by on your walk though the city and have a good start into the week!

Helsinki starts the Christmas season

Just in time for the start of the Christmas season in the city center of Helsinki the first snow came. The roofs and trees are covered by a white layer.

If you want to get into the Christmas mood then come to the opening of the Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street starting today at 14:00. The event starts at Senaatintori with a charity Christmas market. The major of the city and Santa Claus will arrive on a history tram and together switch on the Christmas lights.

Don't miss it and enjoy the white and Christmasy Sunday!

The challenges of finding a job in Finland

If you are an expat in this country you know how tough it can be on the job market. My good friend and fellow blogger Kathrin Deter wrote an excellent blog post on the situation for foreigners and gives valuable advise how to improve your chances for success nonetheless.

Read the whole post on her blog Luminoucity. What is your experience? Do you agree with her? Do you have other tips and suggestions? Post your thoughts and ideas on her page. 

Looking forward to your comments!

First signs of Christmas

A look around the city reveils that it is not long until christmas anymore. The big shopping centers Forum and Kamppi already took out the Christmas decoration.

The famous Christmas lights in Aleksanterinkatu are still to follow though. They will light up this Sunday in  the opening of the Aleksanterin Christmas Street. Don't miss it!

#‎NousSommesUnis‬

After the horrific attacks in Paris last Friday everywhere around the world the French colors were shown out of solidarity. Also Helsinki showed its support.

Our thoughts go out to all the victims of the terrorist attacks both in Paris and Beirut.

Red sky

Now the November as we know it in Helsinki has really started. The sun only comes out occasionally, it's wet and getting colder. The northern part of Finland already got the first snow. But from time to time, when the clouds move away during the evening hours, the sky glows in the most amazing colors.

Have a nice weekend despite the grey November weather. And let's hope for a few rays of sun in between.

Slush is live

Slush, the biggest startup event in the Nordics started and continues until tomorrow evening.

You are interested in what's going on there but didn't get a ticket? Well, then check out their website and follow the live stream of all key note presentations and panel discussions in real time.

Enjoy and have a fun Slush time!

Free museum entrance

Are you up for some art? Then come to the Sinebrychoff Museum of Art on Bulevardi just a few hundred meters away from the city center.

They have changing exhibitions on the ground floor and the basement. And apart from that their house museum on the first floor is open to anyone for free.

Have a look and enjoy!

Hyvää isänpäivä!

Today is Father's Day in Finland! Time to celebrate all those wonderful, loving and caring dads all over the country.

It's gonna be rainy and many shops are closed. So perfect conditions to spend a family day inside together or at least give your father a call.

The startups take over Helsinki

Slush, the biggest startup in Northern Europe is approaching fast. And the startup community is on fire. Around Slush countless events take place all around the city. And to most of them you don't need a Slush pass.

If you always wanted to dive a bit deeper into the startup scene this is your chance. During the weekend you can attend several hackathons in Helsinki where developers, developers, hardware specialists and companies come together to code, hack, network and have fun.

Check out all the events on the Slush website.

Have a nice and exciting weekend!

Helsinki's first time cafe

There is a new pop up cafe Hauskafe in Lasipalatsi that you really should try. It is Helsinki's first time café. The concept already exist in some other big European cities and now also came to the Finnish capital.

Instead of paying for what you order you pay for the amount of time you spend here now. When you enter you receive a card marked with your entrance time. Every hour costs 5 €. During the time you spend you can have as much delicious Johan & Nyström coffee, tea and cookies as you like. 

You can also play table football, board and cosole games, read books or use the meeting room. Some special cakes and sandwiches are charged extra but still for a rather reasonable price. You can also bring your own food or beverages if you like.

For now Hauskafe will be at this location until mid December. If things go well, the cafe will be established there permanently.

Give it a try!

Early sunsets

Today it is a late post for a change. Darkness comes early these days. But the setting sun also paints some beautiful colors all over the sky.

Have a good start into the week!