Helsinki

Cool, calm and collected Helsinki draws travellers with the promise of a laid-back metropolitan experience complete with a pervasive café culture, concealed beneath a grand architectural veneer that’s informed by the historic influences of Russian Tsardom and Swedish imperialism alike. What’s more, the city is set over a series of fragmented landmasses that jut their way out dramatically into the cold swells of the northern Baltic, making it one of Europe’s most attractive maritime capitals. Be certain to start your travels here by quizzing your Helsinki tour guide about the major must see sights of the downtown, starting by checking off the sprawling Senate Square, the iconic Lutheran Cathedral and glorious Uspenski Church of Kruununhaka, before moving out to case the pretty parks of Tähtitorninvuoren, the chiselled Rock Church, or the UNESCO-attested districts that bulge from the banks of Suomenlinna—one of the most breath-taking island fortresses in the world. And once the sightseeing’s over, it’s time to get local, stripping off for a classic Finnish sauna session, or chartering a boat to take you around the craggy coves and bubbling summertime beaches of Hietaniemi. Or maybe you’d prefer a dose of culture at the National Museum of Finland or the Heureka Science Centre, washed down with a potent swig of chilly vodka at the Arctic Icebar on Yliopistonkatu?