Kyloe on 5/11/2008 at 20:21
...Around New Year's Eve?
I've decided to leave town for my 40th birthday and picked Helsinki because, well, flight times are ok and seats were widely available. (It's a free flight, comes with the job.) My girlfriend found us a discounted luxury suite and convinced the finnish tourism board to cough up two Helsinki cards (free bus rides and museum permits).
Any recommendations? Will there be anything open at all? I'll be there from 29th december through New Year's.
Vasquez on 5/11/2008 at 20:32
About a million drunken Finns.
David on 5/11/2008 at 21:16
Isn't the word "drunken" redundant when talking about Finns? :p
sh0ck3r on 6/11/2008 at 05:32
Quite a curious choice for New Year's...
Finns are one of the quietest groups in Europe
Jusal on 6/11/2008 at 08:26
Just a few bottles of beer can be enough to change that.
mol on 6/11/2008 at 18:02
Quote Posted by sh0ck3r
Quite a curious choice for New Year's...
Finns are one of the quietest groups in Europe
Yeah, "quiet" is exactly the first word that springs to mind about Finns during New Year....
Also Kyloe - depends on what you want to see, I guess. I guess at New Year's I'd just walk around, see what people do and where they gather, watch the fireworks, go to a nice restaurant (finding a seat could be a problem) etc. I'm not sure about how shops and other places are open at New Year's - might want to try checking out (
http://virtual.finland.fi/) for advice - there's something about Helsinki under (
http://virtual.finland.fi/Travel/) Travel.
You will find a lot of drunk Finns, no doubt about that. Helsinki is at its best during summers, when it's green, warm, and the sea is gorgeous. During the winter it can be a bit dreary. Of course, for a tourist, there's still plenty to see. Helsinki is quite accessible, easy to walk about and look around. The city center is quite compact, and public transportation is good.
For culture, there's tons to see, but again, don't know about opening hours during New Year's.
I'd just go with the crowd, go watch the fireworks, go and have a nice dinner somewhere, and see the city. There are museums ofc, modern and National, Opera, jazz clubs, night clubs, pubs, restaurants etc, like you'd find elsewhere, too.
Hope you'll enjoy your stay!
Kyloe on 6/11/2008 at 18:14
Thanks mol. I guess I'll just see then what's available when I'm there.
