In case it's helpful to others planning a trip to the Baltics, I'm going to share my notes on highlights of our trip to Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, and Helsinki in May 2025. I'm going to have to break this up into parts to meet the Travel Forum character limit. We loved the Baltics and believe it's truly a hidden gem of Europe! Here goes ...
HELSINKI
We only had one full day before our flight home, so our itinerary was tight and light.
Our accommodations:
Bob W Koti Katajanokka
4 Kruunuvuorenkatu, Katajanokka, 00160 Helsinki, Finland
Just a short walk from the ferry and an easy walk or train to the heart of the city.
Public walking tour we took, that I would recommend:
A Finntastic Walking Tour in Helsinki," 2-hr, 15-min group tour.
https://www.viator.com/tours/Helsinki/Free-Walking-Tour-in-Helsinki-Tip-based/d803-350340P1?medium=social-share-copy
We opted to just join a public tour in Helsinki instead of doing a private tour. We really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I’d recommend it!
Our favorite sites:
Helsinki Central Library Oodi. Töölönlahdenkatu 4, 00100 Helsinki, Finland. Our walking tour ended here and we took some time to just explore this massive, incredible library. It is something to see with so many ways for people to come and do so many things (cook, play music, sew, play games, use a 3D printer, and so much more … and of course, read a book).https://maps.app.goo.gl/kwQF4R3HcwQc1mvh8
Suomenlinna. 00190 Helsinki, Finland. A large island accessible by regular ferries (short ride). You can easily spend several hours walking the paths to view the remains of the old fort and just enjoy the gorgeous views. https://maps.app.goo.gl/eYHUm81mNoW6rzMh9
We hopped on the train that circles the city and just looked out the window to get a feeling for Helsinki. That was fun. Rick Steves says what train to take in his book but I cannot remember the specifics and don’t see it in my notes. At one point we hopped off to walk up and see the Olympic rings at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Then we walked through a park to get back to the train and there were some folks hanging out in that park that looked like they weren’t up to anything good. Not sure about that area, so we just hightailed it back onto the train.
We never did have time to get to a sauna, which was a miss. Next time!!
To be honest, we didn’t have any memorable meals in Helsinki. I’d chalk that up to not having enough time to seek them out and prioritizing sightseeing over restaurants. Next time for that, as well!!
We took the train to the Helsinki airport and that was a breeze.