Visa-Free Cruise to St. Petersburg

Let’s face it; no one enjoys the logistical barriers that bog down vacations; who really wants to spend time waiting in line for a visa? With the increasingly popular visa-free cruises from Five Stars of Scandinavia Inc., that inconvenience can be easily avoided. Traveling between the exciting cities of Helsinki … Read more

Train from St. Petersburg to Helsinki

You’re speeding by frozen lakes, snowcapped mountains and frosty evergreen forests on your journey to the White City of the North- if your thoughts immediately jumped to Game of Thrones, a) you would be mistaken, and b) consider yourself a total nerd. Fortunately, there’s a better way to traverse the … Read more

Ice Hockey World Championship

  It’s the biggest annual winter sports event worldwide – nope, not indoor soccer. From May 4-20, the 2012 IIHF World Championship will be held in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden, where the world’s top teams will compete for the highest title in hockey. This year, the IIHF will debut … Read more

The Magic of Marimekko

  If you’ve ever traveled to Finland more than likely you’ve shopped, seen, or heard of Marimekko. Admired by fashion lovers and interior decorators alike, the company designs and manufactures high-quality clothing, textiles, tableware, and a bunch of cool accessories. Known for its strikingly inventive patterns and clever use of … Read more

Helsinki Week

  Each year, summer in Finland is heralded in by the celebration of the capital city’s founding in 1550. Helsinki Day, which over the years has burgeoned into a weeklong outdoor festival, invites travelers from all over the world to engage in picnics, concerts, theatre and street shows. Since 1959, … Read more

Chez Dominique Helsinki

Chez Dominique A two star Michelin rating is a big deal in any country but in Finland it’s even bigger. It’s understandable that thoughts run toward France and the UK as far as award-winning cuisine, but who knew that Finland had ante-d up? I found out when I stepped foot … Read more

Finland’s Culture Club

[wide][/wide] Finland has an air of mystique. Situated in the northern reaches of Europe as part of the Nordic region, a quarter of its territory is north of the Arctic Circle and further north you’re bound for Norway. It has a heavy Baltic influence thanks to Estonia to the south, … Read more

Feasting in Finland

  It’s not Your Momma’s Cuisine! Wild reindeer terrine with tart lingonberry jam. Earthy trumpet chanterelles in a wine reduction sauce over seasoned trout. Crispy buckwheat blinis with Russian pickles, honey and sour cream. It’s enough to give any culinary enthusiast warm and fuzzy goose bumps. Yet that’s what makes … Read more

Helsinki Festival 2012

Midsummer in the heart of Finland – pop, world music, dance, theatre, cinema & exhibitions

Helsinki Samba Carnaval

Are you ready for some samba, you know, colorful costumes and feathers in every color of the rainbow?  No, I’m not talking about heading to Brazil, that’s way too predictable. Everyone knows that Brazilians are experts at the samba – skimpily clad dancers and lots of hip swaying – but … Read more

Helsinki: World Design, 2012

If you’re thinking of passing on Helsinki this winter as out of the way and too cold, you’re definitely not keeping your New Year’s resolution to be a more trend-setting traveler. In fact, you’re falling way behind the curve. Finland’s capital has been a design hothouse for longer than most … Read more

Sibafest 2012

Finland is alive with the sound of music, and with quite a variety of music to boot: opera, classical, rock, folk, jazz … you name it, Finland’s jamming out to it this week during its biannual Sibafest. It is an incredible event in Finland, showcasing not only some of its … Read more