Sailing the seas! This ship is awesome! I took it to get from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia and back…read moreagain. They have two departures daily. It's a two and a half hour ride from one port to the next. The ship is mainly composed of vehicular traffic, with several decks of cars and trucks. But the top 5 floors of the ship or so are for passengers! On board, you'll find duty free shopping, bars, nightclubs, slot machines, performances, and plenty of restaurants. I had the seafood buffet while riding from Tallinn to Finland, and I gotta say- I highly recommend it. They served up several types of fish, caviar, pate, bacon & eggs, franks & beans, and everything else you could ever imagine for a Scandinavian breakfast. The entertainment on board was nice- live bands, singing American songs in English. We found the chairs comfortable, with plenty of space to stretch out. The view from the sun deck was expansive, with great views of the Bay of Finland. It was cold out when I went, and the ship burst through solid ice. The crew was nice-Be sure to meet the Viking Cat! They were accommodating and pleasant through the voyage. The voyage price was quite reasonable, and I felt safe on board the ship. The ship was quite clean and well picked up. They offer a luggage room that is locked up during the duration of the journey, so you can stash your large bags and explore the ship.

This is the ferry terminal where the various boats go on the overnight trips from Helsinki to…read moreTallinn. We had heard it was commonplace for people from Finland to go over for several hours of more affordable shopping then ride right back the next day. We used the Tallink ship as an actual mode of transportation to our next stop on the trip. The street care stops right outside and the terminal was relatively nice. Kinda crowded at the beginning but not so bad once you made it on the boat. Staff was helpful. Beer and snacks were expensive; our last taste of Finland price before finding out how incredibly cheap it was to be in Estonia. Views of the city and harbor from the upper deck of the boat were great.

Have you ever wondered what riding in a toy boat on the open seas might feel like? What about…read moresitting on a stranger's lap or queuing up for an Irish coffee and a pack of cigarettes even though you're not a smoker just because you think maybe you'd like to take it up before you drown? Well...Linda Line in foul weather is just the mode of transport you've been looking for! Kidding! (kind of). I've taken Linda Line so many times - obviously I like it. In good weather, the speed and price can't be beat. Don't get me wrong, I love a good old rollicking ride on Eckero or Tallink, but with a toddler in tow (Omg! I'm a mom! I have a lump of noise covered in dirt on my hands and his offspring, too!) and a husband I can barely understand half the time, 1.5 hours is about all I can take in a confined space on a large body of water. Take the game "20 questions", multiply it by 11.9 and you have the sum of 1.5 hours of being Me. If you have a kid or a short temper, Go VIP or Comfort Class over Tourist. If you are 18-22 and stay in hostels/ are backpacking around (I don't judge - I've been there and Tourist Class would have seemed like a night at the Ritz) tourist is a good, cheap way to go. Upgrading to Comfort/VIP class is only 15e more expensive per adult and 5e more for kids. If you have Tourist Class tickets but take a massive enough stroller/pram, they will have little choice but to send you to Comfort Class, so it could be ok to chance it in that case and hope for the best. In VIP/Comfort Class, you'll board first and it will happen in an orderly fashion. In Tourist, you will board in a long ass line and you'll wish you'd arrived earlier, so you didn't have to take those seats in between the singletons who don't want to sit next to other singletons but also don't give a shit that there are groups of people/families who may wish to sit together. Just ask those people to move. Don't expect miracles, though - these people don't care about you. Then pray your kid pukes so you can really drive home the point that if daddy had been sitting in that seat, poor Singleton wouldn't be covered head to toe in little Tommy or Janie's breakfast. The Linda Line is clean, Comfort Class or VIP is really spacious and comfortable and the service is table side so you don't even have to get up. There is better food and sometimes it's free. So is alcohol. You're (I'm) going to need that. Even Tourist Class is ok considering the brevity of the trip. The boat really can get knocked around pretty good so take some dramamine before you go. The alcohol shop is well-stocked considering it's the size of a NYC closet and carries chocolates and booze for dirt cheap. The food, drink, and cigarettes are also super crazy inexpensive and not bad at all. Lunch in the upper classes is actually Price:Quality very good. Bottom line: Get to Tallinn fast. Take Linda Line. Don't be cheap: upgrade a bit for a better experience. Or don't and take someone you really like being close to. Just make sure to brush your teeth and take breath mints because you will be REALLY CLOSE. Leaving on a Friday vs. a Saturday = a 30 euro different. So try to leave a day early or travel mid-week. Highly recommended in the areas of cleanliness, service, speed, and comfort. Prices are competitive with Eckero and Tallink, depending on the day. Bon Voyage! PS- they weren't even assholes about my son projectile vomiting all over their (very) clean seats in VIP section recently. They probably talked mad trash about us after we left. But they were very efficient and business-like about the whole situation while it was happening. And happening again. And again. And then during the clean-up phase. Thanks again! See you next week, Linda!

My trips to and from Tallinn were both on time, easy to find in both cities and were comfortable in…read moretourist class.

The capital area has lots of beautiful islands. Many of them are private but some are open to the…read morepublic. One of them that it definitely worth a daytrip is Iso Vasikkasaari on the coast of Espoo. Several times a day a ferry leaves from Otaniemi, Haukilahti and Matinkylä to bring visitors to the island. For the timetable click here. Adults pay 5 € for a return ticket, children just 2€. Especially on weekends and when the weather is good the ferries are normally full. So try to get on board before Matinkylä. Luckily the island is big enough to never give you the feeling of being overcrowded. There are nice smaller and bigger beaches and several idyllic places along the water and further inside on the island. On the South-Western side the sailing boats at the wooden pier give you the feeling of being somewhere at the Mediterranean Sea rather than in Finland. Closer to the harbor you find a cozy restaurant serving meat and fish dishes. You can of course also just enjoy a cold drink in the shade.

Even when the rhododendron is not blooming the Rhododendron Park (Alppiruusupuisto) in Haaga is a…read moreperfect destination for a nice weekend walk. The park was founded and still functions as a plant breeding experimental site of the University of Helsinki. Simultaneously the eight-hectare area is a park open to the public. The first rhododendrons have been planted here in 1975. Meanwhile several different species grow some of which were created on this site and are internationally well known to handle temperatures of up to -40 degrees. Many paths and duckboards as well as some look-outs make it possible to explore most parts of the park in a comfortable way and are also accessible for wheelchair-users without problems. Have a wonderful walk!

Great landmark of the city. Took the train from the airport to the city and it is located right in…read morethe downtown. Easy and clean station. Spacious and very well architecturally. Walking distances to hotels, places in downtown. Wishing the station, plenty of quick bite/drink places as well as sit down dinning. Also there are stores and shops too. This is the main station so plenty of destinations to choose. For me, easy place to go and get to. Enjoyed it a lot.

Came into the Helsinki main train station the other week and it was a quick and easy experience…read more The train took me directly from HEL directly into town in ~40 minutes with numerous stops. There are a few eateries inside the main train station. The metro is a couple blocks away and the tram is merely outside the front doors.

I arrived at Vantaa Airport to be welcomed by beaming ladies from the US-Finland Fulbright…read moreWelcoming Committee, thank you Tarja. We were dropped at Hotel Scandic Paasi which was near the train station and surrounded by lush trees and nearby markets and restaurants. The Hotel is a 3/4 star rated and they had wines and crackers at the table, as we entered a dimly lit and small welcome and check in counter. I was assigned at the second floor and to my surprise, I had a huge bathtub and while we are saving water in California, they seem to have plenty in Finland. After all, they shared that they're surrounded by lakes and rivers, located all over the country. The room was well decorated, sheets smelled really great and the room was perfectly prepared. Knowing that we have two hours of free time, I filled the bathtub and soaked like a king, the water was perfectly warm and all the elements of a well- supplied bathroom was present. Yay! The hotel didn't serve breakfast so we have to meet at a nearby restaurant or order a special from their canteen. However, wine was readily available at their wine room? So, if you happen to visit Finland on a business or to do research, Hotel Scandic would be a perfect abode for a few nights. I assure you, the water is plenty, staff were absolutely Finnish-pectful and nice. Kiitos (Thank you in Finnish)!

While I could not see any fault with the service received at Scandic Paasi, I just thought he…read moreentire hotel was charmless and cold: yes, they were trying to make it interesting by putting a playful theme/spin onto it, but to me that made it look more cheaply and boring. (I was face-timing with my other half in the evening and I gave a tour of my hotel room. His comment was: "Eew...this is worth team IKEA." It's an ok place and the price is also quite reasonable; the wifi is strong; the shower water heats up quickly; and the bed is comfortable. But that's already it...I have nothing else to add to it...boring.

This ferry travels from Helsinki to Suomenlinna and back. It's not a very far ride, but it's a nice…read moreview while you take your short trip. It holds many people. I would get there 5-10 minutes beforehand to ensure your spot. Suomenlinna is worth a visit! I purchased a Helsinki card and the ferry transportation was included.