Real and real good Italian ice cream

Real Italian ice cream is treat usually only reserved for travels to the country itself. Lucky now it is also possible right here in Helsinki. And that is thanks to an Italian expat who made it his mission to bring the frozen delicacy to the Finnish capital.

At the Gelatteria Finland ice cream truck they use original Italian recipes to make the ice cream as creamy and tasty as it should be. Every morning the new batch for the day is freshly made.

Pistacchio , Marscarpone, Stracciatella, Coconut - every day the selection of flavors changes. And for affordable 3,90 € you can get two scoops in a proper waffle.

Gelatteria Finland is usually located at Säästöpankintie next to Ympyrätalo in Hakaniemi. But to be sure, check their Facebook page beforehand.

Enjoy and don't come too late. On a sunny day they run out of their delicious freight fairly fast.

Sunday island fun

Summer came back to Helsinki. At least a little. This Sunday gives the best oportunity to still enjoy one of those beautiful Finnish summer days.

How about a trip to an island for that? Today is Vartiosaari-päivä. On the island in the Eastern part of Helsinki a whole day of music, art, water and family activities and more awaits you. A free water shuttle from the main land operates the whole day through.

For more information check out the Facebook evnet.

Have a nice Sunday!

Sunday Salsa in the park

The summer nights in Helsinki are still long. And the weather today should be warm and sunny as well. How about ending the weekend by moving your hips to some cool salsa beats?

Sounds good? Then head to Hesperian puisto. Every Sunday during the summer a live band turns the amphitheater next to the opera into a salsa dance floor. The Oopperasalsat by Salsa Borealis start at 18:00 and is free to join for anyone who is up for some salsa moves.

Drop by and enjoy!

BBQ and music

Today is the second day of the Grillimaisteri tour on Narinkka. Apart from the main event, a grilling competition with prominent Finnish chefs in the jury there is much more happening today.

A great lineup of Finnish bands and singers is awaiting you with gigs from Roope Salminen ja Koirat, Sanni and many more. And don't worry about getting hungry when watching all that cooking. Throughout the day Lidl provides free grilled food like sausages and steaks for everyone. Be prepared to queue for a while though.

The event starts at noon and goes on until nine in the evening. Entrance is of course free. Check it out and have a nice Sunday!

Hyvää Juhannusta!

It is Juhannus again! The brightest time of the year. Are you somewhere in the countryside on a cozy summer cottage or rather celebrating with friends in the city? If you decided to stay in town check out the big midsummer party in Vuosaari.

But in any case, have a fantastic Juhannus weekend!

Helsinki's coolest sauna

After months of construction a new pearl on the Helsinki coast has opened a couple of weeks ago. Löyly, the new sauna and terrace in Hernesaari is worth a visit. Its builders spared no expense to make the place as nice as possible.

The philosophy behind Löyly is to have a sauna next to the sea that is open for everyone. For that reason the owners also decided against a VIP opening party with selected guests but just opened for public right away.

Apart from the sauna Löyly is also home to a beautiful new restaurant and bar overlooking the Baltic Sea. During the summer months visitors can take advantage of the spacious terrace and enjoy food and drinks in the sunshine. During the winter months a cozy fireplace in the middle of the restaurant and the sauna heat up the guests.

Helsinki Päivä

Tomorrow is June 12, Helsinki Day. And as every year the city's birthday is celebrated with a lot of activities around town.

The program is huge and spans the whole day starting at 8 in the morning, going on until 9 in the evening. Enjoy e.g. a free swim in one of Helsinki's public swimming pools, do design orienteering through the Helsinki Design District, join the fishing competition in Vuosaari, listen to one of the many concerts around the city or come to the dinner under the Helsinki sky on Esplanadi.

For more information and the whole program visit the official Helsinki Päivä website.

Helsinki's new island

Another part of the beautiful Helsinki archipelago has been opened to the public. Since mid May the Vallisaari island is accessible to anyone.

Just like Lonna is used to be a military island but was now turned into a recreational area. Vallisaari is located right next to Suomenlinna and has around the same size. It is way less crowded and due to being closed for decades has very wild nature. You can go for hikes through the woods or enjoy sitting next to the water.

So far Vallisaari only has one small cafe serving waffles. If you want to have anything else, you'll have to bring it along.

You get there with the JT line from Kauppatori that operates hourly and continues from Vallisaari to southern Suomenlinna. A return ticket costs 7 €.

So much to do over the weekend

This is a typical summer weekend in Helsinki. There are so many different events going on that it is even tough to decide what to do.

Helsinginkatu's cycling lane will be opened today between 12 and 3 with a big celebration with music and more.

Saturday is Siivouspäivä. Anyone can sell stuff they don't need anymore just outside on the street. Get rid of what you anyway don't use or keep your eyes open for some treasures that just resurfaced from someone's basement.

Up for some culture and ethnic food? Well, then head to the World Village Festival in Kaisaniemenpuisto and on Rautatientori. A whole weekend of program and food from around the world is awaiting you.

Also don't miss out on the Kumpula Village Party. It celebrates it's 25th anniversary and is Helsinki's oldest neighborhood festival. For more information on what to expect and how to get there check out their website.

Have a great weekend!

City bikes are coming back

Good news for all cycling enthusiasts - and even more those who don't have an own bike. Starting from May 2nd Helsinki will have a bike sharing system again.

You can then borrow yellow city bikes (called Alepa Fillari) at one of 50 stations around town. In the beginning around 500 bikes will be available. But until 2018 the number should be raised to 2000.

To borrow a bike you have to register to a season pass: 5 € per day/10 € per week/25€ for the whole season (until end of October). Once you purchased this pass you can borrow any bike at any time at any station and use it free of charge for the first 30 min. After that time extra charges apply. But let's be honest, who needs a bike in Helsinki for longer than 30 min?

To register to the service and find out more about prices, stations and other details, check out the City bike website.

Enjoy cycling and have a nice week!

Thank you August!

After a cold and cloudy June and July this August has been treating us pretty well and restored our faith in the Finnish summer. Let's hope for a warm September with a lot of sunny hours as well.

Have a good start into the week!

Fully equipped islands

Did you know that there are a couple of public islands in the Helsinki and Espoo archipelago? Apart from the ones you can reach by ferry there are also a couple of others that you can visit with a boat.

The amazing thing is that they are pretty well equipped for visitors. You will almost always find toilets, as well as a fireplace with pots and pans. And you will even find islands with a public, always heated sauna. And if you fancy, you can also bring your tent and stay over night.

Find an overview of the islands on Espoo's and Helsinki's websites.

Chill at the docks

Are you looking for another nice terrace in Helsinki to hang out with friends and enjoy a great view over the water and the city?

Then off with you to Ihana Kahvila. It is probably one of the most extraordinary places Helsinki has to offer. In midst the old industrial harbor area behind Suvilahti it is build right next to the water out of two big containers. Grab a cup-o-joe and sit down in one of the comfy bean bags. The view is great. The atmosphere is as well. And if the weather is good you probably don't even want to leave anymore.

Check it out and enjoy the summer! Make sure to check the directions before you go there from their website though!

A night full of art

One of the big highlights of every year's Helsingin Juhlaviikot is the legendary Night of the Arts. And today it takes place again.

If you didn't have any plans for tonight so far, now you do. Because the Night of the Arts is definitely something you shouldn't miss. A full night of dance, music, poetry, movies, theater, exhibitions and much much more is awaiting you. The events take place all around town and are all free of charge.

For an overview of what's going on tonight check out the Night of the Arts website. Have a great evening!

Art goes Kapakka

Helsingin Juhlaviikot has a lot to offer. It also brought Art goes Kapakka back to town. This culture city event brings art to the best restaurants, bars and cafes around town.

Experience exhibitions, music, fashion, design, theater plays and much much more in some of your favorite drink or food spots. The program is filled with exciting events every day and still goes on until this Sunday.

And the best thing: all events are free of charge. Check out the official website for more information and enjoy the August in Helsinki!

Ravintolapäivä against wasting food

Today is Ravintolapäivä again. Did you already pick your favorite spots and food stands to go to? As always you can find a list of everything there is at the official website.

Restaurant Day is always special. But this time the people from Froodly have taken the event as an oportunity to do something against wasting food. The food from supermarkets that would otherwise been thrown away the day later and handed them to cooks of the pop-up restaurants for free.

The otherwise wasted food now makes for all kinds of great meals. For more information on the project check out their blog and their website.

Helsinki Festival with 100 guitars

Today the Helsinki Juhlaviikot (Helsinki Festival) starts. And as one of the opening events 100 guitars will play metal together at Senaatintori today.

#100guitarsfromHEL is organized by Alexi Laiho, lead singer and guitarist from Children of Bodom who exclusively composed a song asked guitar players from around the world to send in a video of them playing it. The best 100 will perform at 18:00 on the Senate Square.

Everyone is welcome to watch and listen. The event is free. Don't miss it!

And of course also check out all the other events during Helsinki Juhlaviikot.

Flow is coming

The Flow Festival is close. This Friday one of the coolest festivals in Helsinki starts again. At Suvilahti everything is already under construction and you can again expect some awesome art installations, chill-out areas and decoration.

Flow is of course about music. This year you can look forward to acts such as Florence & The Machine, Major Lazer, The Pet Shop Boys, Beck and many more. But Flow is also about so much more. Hang out with friends and just suck in the amazing atmosphere and flair of this extraordinary event.

And don't forget to check out the food. Some of Helsinki's finest restaurants and street food trucks will be there.

You find the line-up of the whole weekend on the Flow website. Tickets are still available for Friday and Sunday as well as three day tickets. For details on prices and dates have a look at Lippupalvelu.

Kallio Block Party

Kallio is the place to be today. Because today is the Kallio Block Party. Starting from 14:00 the neighborhood turns into a giant party with lots of stuff to do, see, eat and hear.

Listen to live music from bands and DJs on several stages. Check out some of Helsinki's best street food. Or just walk around and enjoy the vibe of this anyway extraordinary area of town.

The official part of the party continues until 22:00. But it's Saturday and you are in Kallio. So expect the night to be long.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the party!

Party at the harbor

The weekend is here and it's time to make some plans for the next days if you don't have any so far. If you don't mind about the weather and still want to be outside to enjoy the bright summer nights then you should head to Allas this weekend.

The pop-up terrace right below the Finnair Skywheel is the ideal spot to hang out with a drink in your hand and a wonderful view over the sun slowly setting over the city. And Allas has more to offer. On most nights such as today and tomorrow DJs will take care of the music.

So give it a try if you dare and have a great weekend!