This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Everything they say about the Finnish capital is true. Public transportation is so easy to access in Helsinki that many residents do not own a car. The Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) certification program pushes tourism businesses to adopt even more responsible practices. By setting the goal of reaching first position in the GDS-Index, where it currently ranks fourth, the city has made sustainable development its main focus. Welcome to the capital of the “happiest country in the world”, where everything is in place for the well-being of residents and visitors alike.
Our journey begins at the place where, for a century, employees of the Railway Company opened the door to their office in the Art Nouveau building by Eliel Saarinen. A stone’s throw from the station where the legendary Trans-Siberian until the recent border closures, the former headquarters of the Finnish railway company built in 1909 now welcomes travelers from all over the world in the 491 rooms of the Scandic Grand Central hotel. Several elements of Saarinen’s design were preserved during the building’s conversion, such as the rows of office doors, which are now decorative. “It’s a listed building, so all the renovation work was done in conjunction with the Finnish Heritage Agency,” explains Johanna Uimonen, communications manager at the establishment.
In front of the station, the giant statues of L‘stone man de Saarinen surveys the visitors. When I ask tour guide Kristina Kajaani-Kurki if Finns fear being the next prey of the neighboring bear, with which Finland shares a 1,340 km land border, she responds without batting an eyelid: “It happened to us several times of being invaded, then we know it’s possible. » All these years in the wake of other powers have left their mark. Learning Swedish is still on the school curriculum. On the station departure board, the names of cities are displayed in Finnish and Swedish. In several businesses and tourist sites, English is added to the translations of signs and labels.
An ode to the arts and the spirit of sharing
A few minutes’ walk from the central station, at Kansalaistori Square, a more modern building catches the eye. Oodi is not just a library: it is also a creative space on three floors where all dreams seem possible. Citizens of the city can not only borrow books, but also musical instruments and even tools to do different jobs around the house. Small rooms for playing video games are available free of charge upon reservation, as well as editing rooms, recording studios, sewing machines, 3D printers, play areas for children… “ Oodi means ode, like a poem,” explains Heidi Johansson, communications manager of Helsinki Partners, in impeccable French. There we come across robots that bring books to the right floors and a happy mix of residents and tourists.
Saunas and men
Any visit to Finland must of course include at least one sauna visit. “There are five million people in Finland and we have three million saunas, almost one per home,” says Kristina Kajaani-Kurki. Inaugurated in 2016, Löyly, in the south of the peninsula, welcomes a young and sometimes noisy clientele. Also popular for its terrace and restaurant, the site found itself on the list of the best places in the world established by the magazine Time for the first time in 2018. Nothing like a dip in the Baltic Sea to recharge your batteries!
On Lammassaari Island, biologist, gatherer and herbalist Anna Nyman introduces visitors to native plants, basket in hand. A true haven of peace where hikers and ornithologists meet, the Viikki-Vanhankaupunginlahti nature reserve has around 3.5 km of accessible trails.
Nature also comes on the plate. The zero-waste restaurant Nolla – its name actually means “zero” in Finnish – is one of the leaders in sustainable gastronomy. You can enjoy local and inspired cuisine that has nothing to envy of the great restaurants of neighboring capitals. The most beautiful ? You can then opt for the bike, the tram or the electric scooter to return peacefully to the hotel.
One of the city’s main challenges at the moment is convincing visitors to extend their stay in the capital. What if all the efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 put off potential visitors? “We want to be the best [en matière de durabilité], says Jukka Punamäki, senior tourism advisor at the City of Helsinki. We are a small destination. We want to attract people who care. We don’t need others. »
Part of the costs of this trip were paid by Helsinki Partners. The plane tickets were offered by KLM.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.