Helsinki is the modern Nordic capital of Finland where Baltic seaside calm meets sleek Scandinavian design. Our visit here was mostly a coach tour showing us the cities highlights.
The statue is of Paavo Nurmi, Finland’s legendary long‑distance runner known as the “Flying Finn”. Active in the 1920s, Paavo Nurmi won nine Olympic gold medals and set 22 official world records.
We visited the Sibelius Monument, which is a tribute to
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, set in a quiet park near the sea in Töölö. It consists of over 600 hollow steel pipes
clustered like an abstract wave or forest, capturing the spirit of Sibelius’s
music and Finland’s northern landscapes.
Beside it stands a realistic bronze portrait of the composer.
The Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Church), one of Helsinki’s
most distinctive landmarks, was carved directly into solid natural bedrock in
the 1960s. Its circular interior, rough
stone walls and copper domed roof create a cave like acoustic space that’s used
for concerts as well as worship. The
church, filled with natural light from the skylight ring, blends modern
architecture with Finnish geology.
The bronze statue of Tsar Alexander II, standing at the
centre of Senate Square was unveiled in 1894.
The statue shows the emperor elevated on a tall pedestal surrounded by
allegorical figures representing law, culture, peace and light. The monument reflects a period when Finland
enjoyed autonomy within the Russian Empire.
The white Lutheran Cathedral above Senate Square is
Helsinki Cathedral.
Sailing out of Helsinki we had a good view of Finland’s
longest and tallest bridge, the Kruunuvuorensilta, which dominates the Helsinki
skyline. It opened in April 2026 and is unusual
because it is built exclusively for trams, pedestrians, and cyclists with no
car traffic.
Several inhabited islands with houses sit right off
Helsinki’s coastline. These islands are
typically connected to mainland utilities by subsea cables and underwater pipes
or have robust standalone systems.
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