Itinerary in Helsinki,Tallin,Riga

Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga tour

Helsinki – The quiet power of the north

Helsinki is a city that will delight you at first sight with its order and tranquility. The capital of Finland has a total population of around 1,249,820 inhabitants. It is a city with wide streets, cycle paths and large parks, a city worth visiting.

Our first contact with the city was with the Temppeliaukio church, a very special church actually built inside the rock.

This Church is a Lutheran church in the Toolo neighborhood of Helsinki. It was designed by the architects and brothers Timo and Tuomo Suolainen and opened in 1969. Because it is built directly on solid rock, it is also known as the Rock Church and the Stone Church. The church is often used as a concert venue due to its excellent acoustics.

The Helsinki Cathedral is a jewel for the city and dominates an imposing height. A little further there are plenty of shops where you can enjoy a beer or a coffee.

A large and imposing church, orthodox, the creation of the Russians is also the Uspenski church. I would definitely recommend visiting this church as it is a large different building both inside and outside.

Kiasma, inaugurated in 1998, is the city's modern art museum very close to the area.

Also in the same area is the Central library of the city. The modern architecture of this building will delight you. The entrance is free and you can spend a lot of time there alone or with small children as there are many corners with toys or books to keep them occupied.

The open market (old market hall) of the city, which is located near the port, is beautiful. There you will see various household items, jewelry, personal items and also very tasty snacks to eat. Fish, paella with seafood, sandwiches with fish and other types of snacks. Just watch out for the seagulls in the area that might grab your food while you're carelessly enjoying it.

The National Museum of the city is worth a visit but unfortunately when we were in the city it was under construction so we could not visit it.

Also a passage through the Kamppi Chapel is worth it to light a candle and to see its special ship-like shape.

Finally we made a stop in the KAIVOPUISTO area where we sat for a coffee at the very beautiful Ursula café and enjoyed our walk in the wider area where there is also a wonderful park.

The next day found us on the island opposite Helsinki in Suomellina, a beautiful island with castle towns, museums, parks but also very nice places where you can enjoy a swim in the sea if you visit in summer.

On the island we visited the war museum which is spread over three buildings and you can learn many things about the war methods of the second world war. Just outside it is also a real submarine of that era and you can go inside and see all its details.

The Castle of this island is located in the same area. It was built in the second half of the 18th century on a group of six islands at the entrance to Helsinki harbour. It is a representative sample of military architecture of its time. Suomelina Castle was created for the defense of the Swedes against the Russian Empire and today it is a popular tourist destination, while in 1991 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In general, you can spend a whole day on this island as it has many remarkable places to explore.

Tallinn - the medieval

We spent the next two days in Tallinn, a jewel city of northern Europe. We took the ship from the port of Helsinki and in two hours or so we were in Tallinn. This route is magical as you can enjoy the sea while drinking a coffee on deck. You can still tour the ship shopping at the supermarket, listening to live band music, playing golf on the well landscaped grounds and so much more it has to offer.

Arriving in Tallinn we settled in our room which was very central and started the walks.

First stop at the city walls and the historic city center. The best way to get to know a city is to walk it. Start your tour from Town Hall Square, where you will see the Gothic Town Hall from the 13th century. Then you will reach the medieval Old Town, which is included in the list of UNESCO monuments. A little further you will find and visit the oldest pharmacy in Europe from 1422. It is really impressive and you will gain a lot of new knowledge about medicines and their packaging many years ago.

In Tallinn, you will also have the opportunity to wander around the Toompea Hill, on which is the eponymous Castle, a trademark of the city. The old town is truly a jewel and you will feel like you are part of a fairy tale.

Take a walk up the hill and enjoy fairytale Tallinn from above. In this old aristocratic quarter, the Russian temple also dominates and today it also houses the parliament. It's truly magical.

Equally impressive is the visit to the Kadriorg Palace and Kadriorg park. The palace dates back to 1718 and is the summer residence of the Russian Tsar. Inside the palace you can also see the Estonian art museum. What impresses the most are the palace gardens, the flowers, their formations and the Japanese garden with the lake.

A must-see, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the Old Town of Tallinn, Estonia was built in typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the time when the country was part of the Russian Empire. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is the largest and most important Orthodox domed cathedral in Tallinn.

Don't miss going up to the Fat Margaret Tower Café for a panoramic view of the city. There you will also find the maritime museum and learn new things about the maritime life of the inhabitants of this city.

For shopping you can visit the Balti Jaam Market where you can find everything while the second floor has clothes, accessories and antiques.

It also has a zoo where one can spend the day.

Tallinn is a city that will enchant you with its medieval beauty.

Riga - The hidden beauty of the Baltic

Riga is the city we traveled to next from Tallinn. We took the bus from the station and in about four hours we arrived in Riga. The buses are state-of-the-art and we didn't realize when we arrived (there is also a coffee shop inside the bus!)

Our first stop at a central city accommodation and getting to know Riga. The squares with the impressive buildings, the cobbled streets, the beautiful tower houses make up a unique scenery.

This very beautiful city is built at the point where the Daugava River flows into the Baltic Sea. It is a capital that responds to the picturesqueness of Tallinn and was declared by UNESCO as the best preserved Art Nouveau city in Europe. In this city it is worth admiring the National Opera near the monument of freedom, located between two semi-circular parks.

It is also worth taking a walk in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco neighborhoods and being impressed by the very impressive buildings in the area. 

We then visited Town Hall Square with the exquisite House of Blackheads and the impressive Church of Saint Peter.

For markets and shopping, we visited the Riga central market, where you can have coffee or lunch.

Do not miss a passage through the city's National Library, it is a real jewel and you will be impressed by its architecture.

In addition, the Ethnographic open-air museum is worth a visit to get a picture of life and everyday life in earlier times. With authentic transports and representations of houses and workplaces in the Baltic Sea, it will pique your interest.

Finally, you will definitely have a drink at the Sky bar on the top floor where you will admire the entire city from above.

This trek will fascinate you with its medieval but also modern beauty, it is easy to move from one city to another, while at the same time it is a relatively economical trek.