I would love to have been able to title this: first trip post-pandemic, but alas, we might never reach that status, right? (Get vaccinated if you can, please!)
Anyways, this is the third time I tried to plan this trip, and I guess the saying is true—third time’s a charm. I went to Finland and Estonia for 15 days, and before I continue, I would like to just say that it is completely possible to do a whole trip just in Finland and a whole trip just in Estonia—there is so much to see and do in each country that I slightly regret pairing them together like this! But the trip was fantastic in any case, and travel between the two is super easy.
I started in Helsinki, which has lots to see and do. The first day I did a type of walking tour, and the second day I went to museums. Some of the highlights include:
-the Cathedral and the Orthodox Cathedral. The Cathedral is located at the top of a bunch of stairs in a big plaza, and is an image you frequently see when reading about Helsinki; and the Orthodox Cathedral is just as imposing and beautiful.
-the Kamppi Chapel and the Stone Church, both modern churches with unique designs.
-the Atheneum, which has a wonderful collection of Finnish art, featuring lots of art of and by women (this was a welcome theme on this trip!)
-the National Museum, featuring the history of Finland up until the present day.
-the harbor and Old Market Hall, where I had a delicious lunch of salmon soup and traditional pastries.
And of course I can’t forget to mention the Central Library, designed a few years ago for Finland’s birthday as a present to the Finnish people—besides its stunning design, it is special because it was created specifically for the Finnish people and they are very proud of it.
Helsinki can be easily seen in a day or two depending on how you plan it, and could easily be extended to visit nearby islands or even a day trip to nearby cities such as Porvoo, Tampere, or Turku. Public transportation is easy to use in the city as well as between cities. I wish I had visited one of these other cities before going to the north, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
My next stop was Rovaniemi, some 800 kilometers (or 500 miles) to the north, just inside the Arctic Circle. I will say right up front, I did not see the Northern Lights, which was my goal, but there’s always next time… in Sweden or Iceland or Alaska 😉
My first two nights I stayed in one of the famous glass igloos—basically a little igloo-shaped cabin with glass walls and a glass ceiling, also featuring a Northern Lights alarm, which will wake you up if they happen to appear while you are sleeping. What I actually loved most about staying in the igloo was the profound silence. I only left the igloo for breakfast and then dinner (trying the local delicacy of reindeer, which, spoiler alert, tasted very similar to roast beef) and during the day drank tea, read books, and watched the rain drip down the glass surrounding me. It was very peaceful and restorative.
The other three nights I was there I spent in the city center, and each night I went ‘Northern Lights hunting’ which was really just paying a guide to drive you out into the country to try to catch a glimpse.
During the day I went to Santa Claus village, which is located right outside of the city and features reindeer, huskies, and of course a chance to meet Santa, and also to the city’s art and history museums. While the art museum was a touch too modern for my taste, the local history museum, known as the Arktikum, featured a really interesting exhibit focused on the history of the region (Lapland) and the various ethnic groups that call the region home. Rovaniemi has a cozy city center with a lovely café culture, several of which I tried out during my 5 days there.
Then it was off to Estonia. The most popular way to travel between Helsinki and Tallin is by ferry, but since I was in the north I flew to Tallin, and ended up taking the ferry on the way back.
Tallin has one of the most charming city centers I have ever seen, and UNESCO agrees—the whole historic center is on their list. The old walls still surround most of it, and there is a lot to see and do both within the walls and in the surrounding area. I bought the Tallin pass, which, at 42 euros for 48 hours (around $47), seemed a little steep in price, but I ended up saving around 70 euros by packing as much as possible into my first two days.
My first day, I stuck within the city center, hitting four museums, three churches, the castle ruins, two lookout points, and the town hall. Some of these things were free but along the way of the things that I used the pass for, and it made for a nice circular route through the old town.
Here’s the rundown:
-the Great Guild Hall, which houses the Estonian History Museum,
-the town hall, located in the main square,
-St. Nicholas’ Church and Art Museum,
-Liberty Square, which leads to the Kiek in de Kök Museum and Bastion Tunnels, a museum that offered nice views of the city, which were improved upon when I went to two different look out points (Kohtuotsa viewpoint and Patkuli viewing platform),
-the ruins of the Toompea Castle, where Parliament is now held,
-the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Mary’s Church, both really close to each other,
-the Vabamu Museum of German and Soviet Occupations (Estonia has only had freedom for around 30 years in all of
history), and finally,
-the Museum of Applied Art and Design, which featured beautiful weaving and any other type of art you can imagine.
This was quite a long day and I don’t really recommend it unless you’re trying to take advantage of the free pass like I was! And it was only possible because everything was more or less close together.
On my second full day, I used public transportation (free with the pass!) to go to some things located in the surrounding area, including:
-Kadriorg Palace, now a park and art museum,
-Mikkel Art Museum, right up the street from Kadriorg,
-the house of Peter the Great, now a museum featuring the time he spent in Tallin,
-the Kumu Art Museum of Estonia, featuring a multitude of artwork by and of women—it was truly lovely,
-the TV tower, offering wonderful views of the surrounding area,
-Marrjamäe Castle, now an Estonian history museum, and
-the ruins of the Pirita Convent, which was quite possibly my favorite thing that I saw (look at those the pictures!)
Most of these were quite far away from each other, so using the tram and bus system was essential.
I still had two more full days in Tallin. The third one I used as a slow/rest day. I took a walk down Katariina Käik, known for its cafés and artist workshops, and also down the main streets, went to the Banned Books Museum, featuring a collection of books banned around the world, divided by country, and also went to a couple of bookshops that had large English-language sections. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that knows me! The surprising part is that I only came home with four books, but that was due to space constraints, not desire on my part. The last thing I did was go to the hippy district, called Kalamaja, to see this beauty:
I was basically walking around in the pouring rain trying to find her, and once I accomplished that, I had some Korean food in a tiny mom-and-pop restaurant, and headed back to my Airbnb for the rest of the day, which, I should mention, had a Jacuzzi. If you should ever have the choice of booking an Airbnb with a Jacuzzi, please take it. It’s hands down the best way to relax after being out and about all day long!
On my last full day in Estonia, I took a day trip to Narva, which sits on the border between Estonia and Russia. In the picture you can see the Estonian fortress, which now holds the Narva Museum, on the left side of the river, and the Russian Ivangorod fortress on the right. The bridge that connects the cities offers the only walkable entry point from Russia to the European Union. The city of Narva is small but cute, with an art museum, two churches, and a very creepy system of tunnels mainly used to protect its citizens during wartime. I was the only person in the tunnels at the time of my visit and let’s just say it was a very quick one.
Going with the artistic theme of my trip, the Narva art museum had a lot of art by and of women on display, as well as fantastic explanations in English of everything (this was also a theme of my trip—so much information in English! It was almost overwhelming.)
After spending the day in Narva, I returned to Tallin for one last Jacuzzi soak and then traveled by ferry the next morning to Helsinki. My trip to Helsinki would not have been complete without visiting the famous Eckberg Café for some coffee and traditional Finnish pastries, and I spent my last night treating myself to a 4-star hotel on the waterfront.
And that’s it! My first trip since I went to Cabo Verde in January 2020. I hope to never pass this much time without traveling again ever in my life (lol) and in that spirit, I have only 26 days left until my next trip! Hear that? That’s the sound of me, sighing in contentment.