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A Weekend in Helsinki Travel Diary

09/04/2020 7 Comments

I can’t believe that it was over a year ago that I spent a weekend in Helsinki, Finland. In a lot of ways, it seems like it was yesterday. It also seems like a pre-COVID, mask-on era was eons ago.

Over this past year, I’ve written about snippets of my time in Finland. You may recall posts about the amazing sauna or the hostel that played nature sounds in the bathroom (no joke). However I never got around to re-caping all that we did, ate and saw in Helsinki … until now.

A Weekend in Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital of Finland, a Scandinavian European country located between Russia and Sweden. Since the overall population of Finland is rather small (around 5.5 million), Helsinki is not the biggest capital city in the world. I felt like it was the perfect size for a weekend escape.

When we landed, we immediately found a train that went from the airport to the center of the city. From there, we were able to take the light rail to our hostel. Helsinki in general is a very accessible city.

One of the first things you will want to do is get the Helsinki Card. It gives you free public transport and free or discounted entry to all sorts of different attractions. When you look at all that you get with it, it’s almost a no-brainer.

Where we stayed

So countries like Finland get the reputation for being a bit more expensive than say Spain or Italy. There is definitely a lot of truth to that. However we ended up staying in a hostel during our stay. One night can be as cheap as 19€ and all rooms are private (no sharing). In fact, you can read all about our experience with Eurohostel Helsinki here: The Best Hostel in Helsinki City Centre.

One of my favorite perks about the hostel was the free sauna. All hostel guests got free access to the sauna in the mornings. Saunas are a big part of Finnish culture, but they can be expensive to visit. I love that budget travelers can still experience the wonders of the sauna experience when they stay at Eurohostel Helsinki.

In addition to the sauna, the hostel was super accessible by public transport. The light rail passes right by it. All rooms are private with a shared communal bathroom.

Helsinki by Boat

When visiting Helsinki, you have to explore by boat a little bit. Our Helsinki Card gave us a free canal route cruise. This would normally cost 25€. You get to see the beauty of Helsinki and its shorelines.

I would definitely recommend bringing a jacket because it gets a little bit windy. I didn’t since I was there in June and I regretted it a little.

The sauna experience

As I mentioned above, a weekend in Helsinki isn’t complete without visiting a sauna. In addition to relaxing in our hostel’s sauna, we also spent an afternoon at Löyly, an amazing sauna right next to the ocean. Sessions here cost 19€/person.

The experience was amazing. After sitting in the sauna for a bit, you would go jump into the baltic to cool off. I did this in June, so that plunge wasn’t that bad. However can you imagine doing that in the winter? I couldn’t, but that is what Finnish people traditionally do.

You can read all about our experience at Löyly here: A Dive into the Baltic: Experiencing a Finnish Sauna.

Dining out

We definitely enjoyed a nice dinner out. Savotta Restaurant is just across the street from Senate Square. Everything about this meal was delicious. I wasn’t drinking at the time, so they made me a very nice virgin fruity drink.

A stew with lamb, pork and other delicious vegetables. It was cooked for hours.

The Helsinki Museum

We ended up having a few hours to spare before dinner, so we decided to explore the Helsinki City Museum. This museum is free of charge, so it’s a great thing to do if you are on a budget. It was interesting to learn all about the history of the city.

General Helsinki advice

I started off titling this section “General Finland advice” but then thought “I’ve only been to Helsinki thus far, so that’s not fair to the rest of the country. So this is more my advice for anyone spending some time in Helsinki. Here are a few pointers for spending a weekend in Helsinki:

Come in the summer if possible. The only inconvenience is the late sunset and early sunrise (The main picture of this post was shot around 11 p.m.). Aside from that, the weather is perfect!
Make sure to experience a sauna
Buy a Helsinki Card!
Flights within Europe can be cheap. I always use skyscanner to find the best deals!
People think that Helsinki is expensive. It definitely can be! However it is also possible to do Helsinki on a budget by staying in a hostel and doing low-cost or free things.

Have you been to Helsinki before?

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collaboration, Spain, travel

A Spanish Winery you need to visit

07/21/2020 No Comments

Living in Spain without visiting a classic Spanish winery would simply be foolish. It would be even more foolish when living in La Rioja, the capital of Spanish wine country!

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of spending my morning touring Gomez Cruzado, the oldest winery in Haro, a small town in the La Rioja region of Northern Spain. Haro, in fact, is the capitol of the wine region. Don’t get it confused with Logroño! It is true that Logroño is the governmental capitol of the autonomous community La Rioja. However El Rioja is the wine region that also includes some of neighboring País Vasco. Haro is the capitol of El Rioja, the wine-making region. Basically if you come to La Rioja to experience the wine, you have to come to Haro!

collaboration, hostel/hotel review, Spain, travel

A Barcelona Hostel You Will Love

05/22/2020 8 Comments

When traveling to a big city like Barcelona, you want where you stay to be comfortable. After hours of walking around, the perfect Barcelona hostel has space for you to kick up your feet. From the dorm beds to lobby to the second floor common area where nightly movie nights are held, Unite Hostel was one of the most comfortable hostels I’ve ever stayed at.

Several months ago before the full Corona Virus outbreak, I went to Barcelona with Alex from East Coast Contessa. While I had been to Barcelona a few times before, I knew there were things I still hadn’t seen. Plus it’s always fun to revisit places with new people.

collaboration, Spain, travel

Exploring a Family-Owned Winery in La Rioja

04/12/2020 16 Comments

Several months ago before the big quarantine, I was driving through the countryside of La Rioja with my boyfriend (I live in La Rioja). We were discussing all the wine in La Rioja since this region is quite well-known for what it can ferment. He said there are potentially 1,000 wineries in this tiny region, from the family-owned winery in La Rioja to larger-scale operations.

It’s amazing to me that so much wine can fit in such a small region. The overachiever in me thought “1,000? I’ve only been to like 5-6! I need to get to work!” While actually visiting 1,000 wineries is nearly impossible, visiting more than one is worth your time as no two wineries are identical.

collaboration, Spain, travel

The Cutest Hostel in Haro, Spain

02/21/2020 3 Comments

My weekend travels don’t always have to involve a flight to a different country. In fact last weekend, I escaped to the cutest hostel in Haro. Instead of having to find my way through the airport and catch a flight, I simply met my friend Alex at the Logroño bus station and we caught the next bus to Haro.

Unless you’re from Spain, live in Spain, have traveled throughout Spain or simply know a lot about wine, you’ve probably never heard of Haro. That’s what I love about this blog. Just as much as I love writing about my travels to places like London and Madrid, I also love tell you all about the lesser-known towns of Spain with just as much charm as the places that draw in more tourism.

collaboration, Spain, travel

Visiting a Classic La Rioja Winery

02/19/2020 5 Comments

One of the best things about where I live is the wine. The autonomous region of La Rioja is filled with wineries. Since I moved to the region a year and a half ago, I’ve only visited a few of them. So last weekend I decided to change that and visit a classic La Rioja winery: Muga.

Muga might be one of the more well-known wine brands of the region. In fact, they’ve been featured in publications such as Vogue. However the impression I was left with after my visit was how much care they take with every little detail. Everything from how they make their wine down to how we were treated by their staff was simply excellent.

collaboration, travel, United Kingdom

Stonehenge Day Trip from London

02/14/2020 3 Comments

Some experiences are a little too good to be true. That’s how I felt when I took a Stonehenge day trip back at the beginning of the month. I simply could not believe that I was seeing it in-person.

In fact, that day also included stops at the Windsor Castle and Bath. For a girl who always seems to end up in London at least once a year, it was good to explore a bit more of UK this time around.

collaboration, Hungary, travel

The Cutest Rooftop Bar in Budapest

01/22/2020 5 Comments

I’ll admit that I look for rooftop bars when I travel. When the weather is right, there’s nothing like enjoying a drink with a lovely view beside you. Last fall, I found the cutest rooftop bar in Budapest and I have to share it with you!

First of all, this bar couldn’t be in a better spot! It sits above the Aria Hotel right in the center of Budapest. So if you’re looking for a place to stay in comfort, look no further!

auxiliar life, collaboration, travel

Four Expat Challenges and How to Overcome Them

01/12/2020 5 Comments

Whether you have secured the job of your dreams in a location you have always wanted to live, or are moving abroad for more practical reasons, working as an expat is an exciting prospect. There is so much to do in the run up to the move and when you first arrive, it can be some time before you realize moving to another country can bring its own set of challenges.

An important thing to remember is you are not alone, many of these challenges are also encountered by the wider expat community. That is why Allianz Care has some actions you can take to help deal with the most common problems of expat life.

collaboration, Czech Republic, travel

Food in Prague: What You Have to Try

12/29/2019 2 Comments

Traveling to a new place can feel overwhelming. You only have a few days to soak up as much as you can. For me, the food aspect can be daunting. How can I eat all the food in Prague in just a few days? Where do I even start? Which restaurants are worth my time and which ones are better to be skipped?

This is where Eating Europe comes in! They take all the leg work out of having an absolutely amazing culinary experience in Prague. This past fall when Alex from East Coast Contessa and I spent a few days in Prague, we were graciously invited to experience one of their food tours.