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Helsinki, Finland's beautiful and charming capital is a lovely place and well worth visiting as a city break in its own right or as part of a Baltic Tour.
Over the water from Tallinn
As Helsinki is only an hour or so by hydrofoil from Tallinn, its a great idea to twin these cities together. Spending two nights in each, as both are very different and compliment each other well.
Helsinki was actually build to rival Tallinn as a Port in the gulf of Finland.
One aspect of Helsinki that the Finnish are very proud of is its reputation for cutting edge design. There is a whole area called the Design District. Here up and coming fashion designers sell seriously hip outfits, furniture shops offer designs that are copied through out the world and there are some glorious pottery and kitchen ware.
The city has an elegant yet cool feel, offering quality accommodation and some really excellent restaurants.
The city is wonderful both in the winter and summer. As there are so many lakes, in the winter the outskirts of the city turn into a winter wonderland. With pretty wooden houses on the edge of lakes covered in snow, and people ice fishing and ice skating. In the summer there are lush green parks where people gather at the weekends to swim, relax and enjoy the glorious nature. Its difficult to believe that you are right near a city!
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