Of the many lovely cities and towns that you can visit during a trip to Finland you will find the capital city of Helsinki to be a wonderful choice. Here you will find there are numerous sights to see and activities to try your hand at. You will be able to find the city of Helsinki in the southern part of Finland. The city is located on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and is situated close to the Baltic Sea as well. The city was founded in 1550 and since this period of time it has been considered as being the “Daughter of the Baltic”.

In 1812 the city was completely rebuilt by one of the Tsars of Russia to resemble a miniature St. Petersburg. Today you will find that Helsinki is an international city where you can find many of the modern amenities which makes a holiday aboard quite pleasurable along with a wealth of splendid places to visit. Besides coming to Helsinki to see the sights you will find this city also has a number of interesting festivals that you can enjoy.

If you choose to visit Helsinki between June 19 to June 25 you can see the Midsummer Festival which is called Juhannus. Another festival that you may enjoy seeing is that of the Vappu Festival. This festival is also known as Walpurgis Night. The Vappu Festival takes place during April 30 to May 1st. In addition to these you will find many different festivals to enjoy. There are a number of shops and restaurants where you will be able to savor some of the atmosphere and products as well as food of this great city.

Of the various places that you can visit while you are in Helsinki you may wish to visit Suomenlinna. This fortress is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fortress was built by the Swedish during the mid 1700s. It was built for the express purpose of defending the Swedish eastern flank. However when the Russians invaded Finland in 1808, the Swedish army which was by this time bankrupt and mostly unprepared for a war let alone a siege withdrew their forces from Finland. This allowed the Russians to stake a claim on Soumenlinna and then conquer the city of Helsinki.

The fortress is a good place for you to explore during your stay in Helsinki. Besides being able to marvel at the architecture of the fortress you can enjoy a picnic on the grounds, eat in one of the many restaurants and cafes which are housed in the fortress today or even take the time to visit the museum or the theatre here and relax for a while. Once you have explored this fortress and marveled at the spectacular sights to be seen you may wish to see some of the other Helsinki sights.

These sights that you will have a chance of seeing in Helsinki are the Church in the Rock, a statue of the Russian Czar Alexander II who was a liberal leader, the Heureka Science Centre, the Sibelius Monument and the Olympic Tower among others. As you look at all of these sights you will be amazed and enchanted by your holiday in this magnificent city. These sights are just a few of the places that you can visit when you come to Helsinki. So the next time you are planning on a holiday in Finland make sure that you choose Helsinki as your prime destination point.

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Category: Travel
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