After a wonderful experience at Löyly, we wanted to explore more of Helsinki on our last evening in the city. In search of a delicious dinner and to tick off some of the main attractions of the city, we first went to the Design Museum. Afterwards, we wandered around the city, past some of the famous buildings and the Allas Sea Pool. We then went for a divine dinner at the iconic Kappeli restaurant for some classic Finnish food, which was delicious. Follow me as I show you how we chose to spend an evening in Helsinki.
Design Museum, Helsinki
Walking back into the city from the beautiful sunset at Löyly, the temperature began to drop somewhat. We grabbed a couple of hot drinks from an espresso bar, and thought about how to use our time before dinner.
Helsinki’s Design Museum is devoted solely to the display of Finnish and foreign design. This ranges from virtually anything – industrial design and fashion design, to graphic design. Located in Kaartinkaupunki, it’s worth a look round. I’ve always admired Scandinavian design, and so I was keen to go and see the exhibitions on our evening in Helsinki.
We discovered one of the largest collections of shoes made by Finnish sports brand Karhu Sports. They sold their iconic three stripe trademark to Adidas for approximately €1,600 and two bottles of whiskey. Look how iconic the three stripes are nowadays.
We also explored some impressive Finnish interior design. From the art of the chair to an extensive range of rugs, we discovered a lot about Finland. Do you like this large glass sculpture?
We moved on through the Design Museum to discover industrial design. There are some cool murals and neon signs that are worth checking out. Overall, I’d recommend hitting up the Design Museum if you’re around.
Exploring Helsinki, Finland
What’s an evening in Helsinki without some delicious food? Working up quite the appetite, we went for a short wander around Helsinki before heading down towards the Helsinki Christmas market. Our first stop – and not far from the Design Museum – was the Ursa Observatory on Observatory Hill.
Offering one of the best viewpoints of Helsinki, Observatory Hill is well worth climbing. It’s the first municipal park, dating back to the early 1900s, and has excellent views to the sea and across Helsinki. We climbed down to walk around the South Harbour of Port Helsinki.
There were some beautiful buildings around the harbour, draped in festive decorations. I love the architecture and design of Helsinki Market Hall in particular. Grabbing some mulled wine from the Helsinki Christmas Market, we went for a walk.
We walked around to the other side of the South Harbour to the Allas Sea Pool. Open year round, there are three swimming pools at Allas Sea Pool, all located on a floating deck on top of the sea. There’s a sea water pool, a warm water pool, and a kid’s pool for anyone who wants to swim. Completely run off renewable energy, the pools are pumped from further away in the sea. Swim in the winter if you dare!
We also discovered the impressive Uspenski Cathedral up close. Finished in 1868 in Katajanokka, Uspenski Cathedral is the largest orthodox church in all of Western Europe. It gains its iconic look from the golden cupolas and red brick facade, signifying the Russian impact on Finnish history.
We walked back around just in time for dinner. Introducing Kappeli!
Dinner at Kappeli, Helsinki
One of the highlights of our evening in Helsinki was dinner at Kappeli. Dating back over 150 years, Kappeli’s dining room offers incredible food and views.
Finland’s famous poet Eino Leino had his very own table at Kappeli, of which it remains in honour to this day. Located in Helsinki’s beautiful Esplanade Park, the restaurant is in a glass conservatory.
We took our reserved seats in the Chapel dining hall, with views across to Helsinki’s Market Square. In the morning, you’ll find a cafe with coffee and croissants, soup for lunch, and some delicious meals in the evening. We sat down for some starters and mains.
I went for a fish selection, with ice cellar salmon, prawn mousseline, lemon-marinated Baltic herring, whitefish roe, black salsify cream ,and
black salsify seasoned with balsamic vinegar. It was absolutely delicious.
Sipping red wine, Harry chose instead the classic salmon soup. A Finnish staple, it was absolutely beautiful. Creamy with the freshest fish fillet. Served with toasted malt bread, it didn’t hang along for long.
For our mains, we picked different dishes once again so we could try each other’s. Harry picked the beef fillet pepper steak and almond potato croquette, served with a creamy pepper sauce and crispy beef brisket.
It was tasty, but I picked the winning dish in this round. Although it may just be a salmon fillet, it was wonderful. Served in the most delicious crayfish sauce, I had a lightly smoked Atlantic salmon, with almond potato puree, capers, and shallots. Just look at the crispy salmon skin.
An absolutely divine meal, I highly recommend taking a trip to Kappali during your stay in Helsinki. We left the restaurant to wander around the festive city, along the Christmas lights.
We got some Lime scooters home and took in the last of the city at night – a perfect end to an evening in Helsinki. With a flight to catch the next day, we were determined to make the most of our last moments in Helsinki.
How would you spend an evening in Helsinki? What are your favourite things to do in the Finnish capital? Let me know in the comments below.
