My Baltic Explorer trip covered 7 cities in the Baltics, Poland and Germany over a period of 4 weeks. Despite staying at mostly mid-scale and upscale hotels, it was an inexpensive trip, compared to other European capitals! The Baltics turned out to be a great value destination, especially for family vacations! Similar to my ASEAN […]
Compared to many European capital cities, Helsinki is manageable in size and it’s surrounded by nature. Finland is covered to 70% by forest and if you are visiting Helsinki, a great way to get a glimpse of that is to take one of the sightseeing trips by boat! Within a few minutes of leaving the
Vapiano is a concept restaurant that started in Hamburg in 2002 and I had eaten previously at their first location “Hohen Bleichen”. I didn’t realize that hey had become an international franchise organization with restaurants in 29 countries since and was surprised to see one on the central train station square in Helsinki during my
Welcome to my first “Perfect Day” post to make the most out of the short time you might have in Helsinki. Visiting on a business trip or a cruise with only a few hours to spare – don’t worry, you can get the essence of Helsinki and decide whether you should come back to see
Helsinki is a compact city and with the beautiful setting on the Baltic Sea and the historic architecture, it’s ideal to explore by foot – at least in the summer time! I was fortunate enough to have gorgeous summer weather and walked all over town! Even if you only have a few hours to spend
I enjoy visiting museums when traveling – they tell a lot about the place you are visiting, not only by the exhibits but by the way the stories are told! Helsinki was the first stop on my Baltic Explorer trip, I had four days to explore and the city has has a lot of museums
As the first hotel of my Baltic Explorer trip, I scored the Holiday Inn Helsinki West Ruoholahti during IHG Reward Club’s PointBreaks for only 5,000 points per night (worth $35!). It was a little bit outside of downtown Helsinki and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a nice
When I’m traveling solo, like on my Baltic Explorer adventure, I sometimes pick a restaurant from Tripadvisor or guidebooks, but most of the time by walking around and finding one I like. The Cock, a self-described “eatery, rotisserie and bar”, was one of the latter. Two places I had looked up online were closed and
Probably the most popular tourist attraction, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and my personal favorite, the sea fortress Suomenlinna should be on the top of your list for a visit to Helsinki. Between the gorgeous setting on the islands, six museums and lots of cafes and restaurants, there should be something for everybody to enjoy
The Radisson Bu Plaza Helsinki was the second hotel of my Baltic Explorer trip and I was looking forward to staying at an upscale hotel in the center of Helsinki with all the sights in easy reach! I booked the hotel with points, using the (now expired) Bonus Award feature of the Club Carlson affiliated Club
After the ASEAN Explorer earlier this year, I planned a second major trip for this blog and this time I’m covering North-Eastern Europe and explore Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, in combination with a trip to home to Northern Germany! I have never been to the Baltics or Poland and am excited to see