Navigate LUX with Spaceitup

On Thursday LUX Helsinki will start again. Around town impressive light installations with aw visitors again for four days again. The 9th LUX Helsinki features 15 exiting exhibits by artists from Finland and around the world.

And there is something special about this year's event. The location service Spaceitup has created a map that allows easy navigation along all light installation.

Just install the Android app and enter the LUX space. You find the app here. Be aware that Spaceitup is still in testing phase and might still have some bugs. The app, as well as LUX Helsinki itself is free.

Helsinki has a sky bar

It's another step towards becoming a word city. With the opening of the new Clarion Hotel in Länsisatama Helsinki got its first sky bar.

Sure there was always Ateljee at Torni, a wonderful place with an amazing view. But the atmosphere of a sky bar as you can find it in places like Bangkok, Shanghai or New York could not be found in the Finnish capital.

That changed now. With Sky Room a cocktail bar with a big city feeling opened its doors in mid October. From the low chairs and tables next to the giant windows visitors can experience a breathtaking view over the city skyline.

Besides the cocktails, which are quite out of the ordinary the some nice and hearty snacks are served up here on level 17 of the new hotel. The prices are in the higher price category. You obviously pay for the view as well. But it is worth it and I can highly recommend the visit to anyone.

Check it out and enjoy the amazing panorama!

The herring fishers are in town

It is the time of the year again where Vanha Satama at Kauppatori turns into a floating market. At the Silakka Markinat small and big boats from Åland come to Helsinki to sell their fresh fish, delicious Saaristoleipä bread and much much more. It is a century old tradition that started in the 1700s.

With the beginning of October the boats come to the Finnish capital and stay for a week. And it's worth to drop by. Step onto one of the big sailing ships for a warm salmon soup or get a little fish snack from one of the many small merchant boats and enjoy the fresh sea breeze.

The market is still on until Saturday. And the weather looks quite promising as well. So go and check it out!

The world's most public sauna

Have you been to Helsinki's only free sauna? It is called Sompasauna and is located in Sompasaari a few hundred meters away from the Kalasatama metro. Sompasauna is run by volunteers and hence completely free to use.

Timo Wilderness made an excellent video about the place. Check it out.


And come to Sompasauna as long as it is still in its location. And if you have an idea or suggestion where a new location for it could be in the next year and want to help rescue the world's most public sauna, leave a comment below or get in touch with the Sompasauna peopled directly through their website.

Night of the Arts

We are in the middle of the Helsinki Festival (Juhlaviikot), the biggest art festival in Finland and one of the best festivals in Helsinki. Until September 4 there are countless big and small events taking place around town.

One of the absolute highlights of Juhlaviikot is the legendary Night of the Arts which is on tonight. Tonight the city if filled with free arts performances, exhibitions, music, kids program and much, much more. Check out everything that happens on the map on their website.

Enjoy the Night of the Arts and the rest of Juhlaviikot and have a great time!

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!

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!

Finnish Stress Test

How are you feeling today? Not too bad hopefully after the amazing last days and weeks of sunshine and summer temperatures.

But still go ahead and take the new Finnish Stress Test from VisitFinland to find out for sure about your mood and what you can do to feel even better.

Winter is coming...in spring

Nono, don't worry, the cold time of the year is over. But Game of Thrones is in town. Today The Hall Of Faces open its doors on Narinkkatori. The exhibition on the successful fantasy TV show is free to enter and lets you dive into the world of Game of Thrones.

Put your picture in the hall of faces, sit on the iron throne and fight with "Needle", Ayra's sword.

The exhibition is in Helsinki from Wednesday until Sunday. So don't miss out and drop by.

Easter in Helsinki

The long Easter weekend has started. And there is lots to do in the city. Traditionally the weekend starts with the Via Crucis. Tonight at 21:30 the crucification will is reenacted with the Walk of the Cross from Kaisaniemi Park to Senaatintori.

And if you have time, drop by at the Helsinki Zoo as well. During the weekend it turns into an Easter island with a special program.  

Also good to know: This year many supermarkets stay open throughout the whole Easter time due to the new legislation on opening time. 

Have a wonderful Easter time!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

You are still at home? Off with you to the pub to celebrate the Irish St. Patrick's Day. There is a lot going on in town. Molly Malones, Woolshed, O'Malley's and all the other Irish pubs in town have something special going on tonight.

There will be live music, special offers, green and orange merchandise and of course lots of delicious stout.

Have a great night!

Sunny Sunday

The sun is out and it feels like spring. It is the perfect day for a walk around town or along the coast. And for those of you interested in some art today, you can still join today's Helsinki Art Work starting at 13:30.

Have a great Sunday!

Karaoke in the Restroom

Finns love karaoke. Even better if it takes place in an unusual place. Like e.g. in a bus or taxi. Or in a former public toilet.

The small pub Restroom in Eira makes exactly that possible. The place that used to fulfill peoples most urgent needs now is a cozy little bar that is famous for its karaoke evenings.

Drop by and give it a try. Have a nice weekend!

Winter holidays in Helsinki

This week schools are closed for Hiihtoloma (skiing holidays) in Helsinki. Many went up to the North for a few days of winter activities. But for those families that stayed in the city there are luckily also quite a few things to do.

VisitHelsinki has put together a list of special activities happening around town during the school free time. Among them are interesting workshops, cool spots events and other exciting events for kids and families.

Check them out on visithelsinki.fi and enjoy the hiihtoloma!

A pint at Kitty's

The weekend is here! Time to leave work and reward yourself for a hard week of work with a tasty pint of beer.

And how about enjoying it with friends in a cozy booth, dim light and a friendly bar atmosphere? Sounds good? Then head over to Kitty's Pub right in the city center.

At Kitty's they have everything you expect of a good English pub: a good selection of beers on tap, a decent whiskey collection and lots of cozy corners to enjoy your drink.

Give it a try and have a good start into the weekend!

Tapas time

The beauty of tapas is that they are the perfect food no matter how hungry you are. And luckily there are a few quite nice tapas place around in Helsinki.

One of them is Bar Teos in Töölö. Don't expect a fancy interior and outstanding design. But at Teos  you don't only get delicious but also really well priced tapas. It is up to you to select one of their tapas menus that include both hot and cold dishes or to create your own combination. You can of course also ask the waiter to substitute one of the menu dishes with something else.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Hauska laskiainen!

Today is Shrove Tuesday, or how they call it here in Finland Laskiainen. Did you already slide down the hill today at Kaivopuisto? Or did you skip that due to the rainy weather?

Well, in any case you shouldn't miss out on a delicious if also a little unhealthy laskiais pulla. The pastry with either jam or marzipan and loads of whipped cream can be bough at supermarkets, bakeries and cafes.

Enjoy and have a nice laskiainen!