The broad green expanse of Esplanadi park lies between Helsinki’s two central boulevards, its lawns framed by façades from several architectural periods. At the end nearest the harbor and the old Market Square, a fountain guarded by stone sea lions plays beneath the figure of a beautiful woman: Havis Amanda, the daughter of the Baltic. Given the Scandinavian climate, she is notably underdressed — in fact, she is nude. Each April 30, university students place a celebratory cap on Amanda’s head as part of graduation and springtime festivities. In preparation for May Day, she is ceremonially washed and scrubbed while thousands look on — a public ritual that fits a culture that treats the sauna as part art form, part sacred practice.
In Finland, private saunas remain common in homes, but public saunas are an important part of social life. For my husband, James, and me, a sauna is where our visit begins. After checking in at the grand Hotel Kämp on Esplanadi, we walk to the tram and ride to Arla, the city’s oldest traditional wood-fired public sauna. Entering through a short tunnel decorated with colorful murals, we find a small, unpretentious interior. An attendant hands us towels and bundles of birch branches, explaining that men and women have separate areas and that a communal outdoor courtyard links the wood-heated rooms. The ritual is straightforward: strip, shower, enter the hot room, place your towel beneath you and relax.
In my section of the sauna there is one other woman, her birch bunch resting beside her. After about fifteen minutes she leans toward me and speaks in soft Finnish. She quickly switches to English and asks me to beat her with her branches — a gesture she calls polite. Though it surprises me to receive such a request from a stranger, I recognize the practice from Russian banya sessions: light, invigorating strikes that cleanse the skin and stimulate circulation. I dip the birches in a bucket of water and give firm swats to her back and shoulders. Before long I am on the receiving end of the same brisk, slap-like treatment.
For the next hour and a half James and I alternate between the heated interior and the small outdoor courtyard, where the telltale birch streaks mark our skin. Wrapped in towels, we sip cool water and let our temperatures normalize. That night I sleep deeply, dreaming of a sea glazed in snow.
The next morning we take the tram to Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, located on a small island just outside the city. Historic houses, a wooden church and other structures have been relocated here from around Finland; interpreters in period clothing demonstrate customs and crafts spanning four centuries. There is a fairy-tale quality to the island that enchants us and lingers through dinner.
In Finland’s epic The Kalevala, the bear — or karhu — is a powerful, revered figure. Bears were never addressed by their true name, instead called by poetic epithets like “honey-paw” or “forest-apple.” At dinner that evening at Restaurant Savotta, the restaurant presents a local bear salami, which we jokingly refer to as “salami” for its preparation. Savotta’s low-beamed interior feels slightly kitschy and very romantic; beneath the street, wooden tables and rustic decor set the tone. We begin with sima, a fermented mead flavored with honey and currant, then taste the bear salami followed by poro, or reindeer, as a main course.
Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall © Visit Helsinki/ Mari Hohtari
The next morning James takes a ferry to Korkeasaari, a small island zoo where snow leopards, sea eagles and bears live in settings that suit their coats and temperaments. I head to Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall, a historic facility that opened in 1928. The building follows a gender-specific schedule and features a long pool surrounded by balconies and curtained alcoves. Each alcove holds a narrow cot and a place to change and rest between laps or sauna sessions. I steam briefly, then swim slow laps naked in the cool water; the chill as I slip beneath the surface makes me shiver, but I am determined to embrace sisu, the Finnish ideal of grit and resilience.
After more sauna time and a few additional laps, I order lunch and have it delivered to a small rail-side table outside my alcove, overlooking the pool. An attendant brings a thick slice of sweet brown bread topped with melted goat cheese, a salad and a tall cup of hot black tea, telling me the bread was baked in a nearby lighthouse and arrived fresh that morning. Enchanted, I stroll a few blocks toward the train station to meet James at the Ateneum, the Finnish National Gallery.
Ateneum © Visit Helsinki/ Comma Image Oy
At the Ateneum we pause before Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Kullervo Sets off to Battle, a painting drawn from The Kalevala. The canvas shows a lone hero on a white horse, golden hair streaming from beneath a red cap as he rides through a snowy, starry landscape, accompanied by a wolf and blowing a large golden horn. Later, pleasantly tired, we walk to the harbor to bid the Baltic good night and return to the hotel for a small nightcap. Over glasses of cloudberry liqueur we muse about the hero’s solemn expression and conclude, half-joking, that both painter and subject might simply have needed a sauna.
Helsinki Info to Go
Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL) is about a 30-minute drive from the city center. There is no direct train to the airport; taxis cost roughly $65. Regular bus services operate from outside the arrivals area: the Finnair City Bus runs to Central Railway Station, Bus 615 serves Kamppi Bus Station during the day and Bus 620 provides overnight service to the city center. Within Helsinki, an efficient public-transport network includes trams, buses, ferries and trains; an adult day ticket offers unlimited travel and is an affordable option for visitors.
Where to Stay in Helsinki
Hotel Haven A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Hotel Haven offers 77 rooms with downtown luxury and walking access to the harbor, shopping and central sights. Unioninkatu 17
Hotel Kämp This historic, recently refurbished property faces the central city park and is close to the ferry landing and premier shops. Both hotel restaurants are led by Michelin-starred culinary direction. Pohjoisesplanadi 29
Klaus K Hotel A centrally located boutique design hotel whose rooms draw inspiration from themes in The Kalevala, exploring mysticism, passion and desire. Bulevardi 2-4
Restaurants in Helsinki
Café Köket A friendly café offering a buffet of Finnish specialties, from pickled herring and salmon to yogurts and Karelian pastries made of rye dough with rice filling. Market Square / Aleksanterinkatu 16-18
Olo Restaurant & Bar If you choose one memorable meal in Helsinki, consider this Michelin-starred restaurant. Its forest-inspired interior and daily-changing menus make reservations for dinner advisable. Kasarmikatu 44
Restaurant Savotta Located below street level, Savotta’s historic interior evokes Scandinavian tales and serves authentic Finnish fare including reindeer, bear and salmon. Aleksanterinkatu 22 by Senate Square