2023 Helsinki Travel Guide

Author : Charles Davis
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781530109579
Total Pages : 34 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (95 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Helsinki Travel Guide written by Charles Davis and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-02-18 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Helsinki is the capital of Finland. Founded in 1550, the "Daughter of the Baltic" has been the Finnish capital since 1812, when it was rebuilt by the tsars of Russia along the lines of a miniature St. Petersburg, a role it has played in many a Cold War movie. Today, Helsinki pulls off the trick of being something of an international metropolis while still retaining a small-town feel. The best time to visit is in summer, when Finns peel off their overcoats and flock to outdoor bars and cafes to enjoy the sunshine. Helsinki is among the world's northernmost capitals and the lengthy winter, from October all the way up to April, is dark and chilly. Winter temperatures average -5 C, but the wind chill and humidity makes it feel even colder and the mercury can plunge below -20 C on a particularly cold day. In general snow falls only intermittently and often melts into gray slush. However lake-effect snowfalls dropping copious amounts of snow during a few hours (and messing up the traffic) is not unheard of in the early winter. Since the Helsinki peninsula juts into the sea, there is often a cold sea wind, and the climate is more maritime than inland, with snow and -5 C replaced by slush, sleet and 0 C. This is especially apparent in November and December. The spring brings clear skies but the temperature doesn't increase as fast as the sunshine hours; even in April you may experience sub-zero nights. The summer is often pleasant. Temperatures are usually around 20 C and July and August afternoons often see temperatures above 25 C. Parks burst into green, sunbathers dot the city's beaches and restaurants and bars deploy their terraces and patios, making the streetscape look more Central European for a couple of months. The city is officially bilingual, with an 86% Finnish-speaking majority and a visible 6% Swedish-speaking minority. Many in the Finnish-speaking majority only know the basics of Swedish, which they learned in school, while some speak it fluently. The majority of Finnish-speaking people are much more comfortable with speaking English than Swedish, and especially the younger generations usually speak very good English. Although locals will appreciate an effort to say a few words in Finnish, they know very well how difficult Finnish is and will readily switch to English - many people also like the chance to practice their English. Finnish letters are always pronounced the same way, regardless of context (unlike e.g. English "a" in "car" and "hat"), with letters doubled for long sounds. Word stress is always on the first syllable. This makes it easy to learn how words should be pronounced, while actually pronouncing them correctly may be quite difficult. Street signs and most other signs are usually in both Finnish and Swedish. The Finnish and Swedish names for different streets and areas in Helsinki may differ significantly, for example Suomenlinna/Sveaborg for the fortress or Pasila/Bole for one of the train stations. Helsinki travel guide Helsinki guide Helsinki guide book Helsinki travel book travel guide Helsinki"