Helsinki calling

Not many Irish people think of Helsinki for a weekend away. But you might feel strangely at home there, writes John S Doyle

WHEN MY daughter told friends that her mother and I were going to Finland they asked why; did we have relations there?

It's a fair point. You don't hear many Irish people talking about their Helsinki weekend break. And, curiously, their question turned out to be apt in another way, too. We found as we wandered about that a lot of people looked strangely familiar. We both have a rough distinctiveness, a certain melancholy cast to the features. Whether it's the DNA or the northern gloom, we feel at home in Helsinki.

There's enough to keep anyone amused for a good week here. There's plenty to see, indoors and out, the food is exotic and hearty, there are great shops, and the temperature at this time of year gives you an excuse to lap up the excellent beer and Koskenkorva Viina, a state-distilled spirit.

Walking is the best way to get about, combined with a three-day, €12 ticket that covers trams, buses and the ferry to Suomenlinna, a fortress island 15 minutes away.

Helsinki is laid out on a grid, along wide avenues and boulevards, and is surrounded by water: large steamships dock in the centre. It is an extraordinary experience in this flat city to walk down Esplanadi, through the ornamental park in the middle, or on either side by the wonderful design shops, and come to the market square at the end where they sell reindeer skins and fresh salmon, and suddenly see the bow of a ship looming over you.

The air is cold (about zero degrees when we were there, last month), but without wind this is not as cold as it sounds. Fur hats and down jackets might get you mistaken for Russians, but they do the job, and long underwear is not a bad idea, either. The cold, in small doses, is exhilarating. Indoors, thanks to treble glazing, the temperature everywhere is toasty.

It's a handsome city, with much Jugendstil decoration of buildings and carved lettering on facades. There are some fine modern buildings, notably by Alvar Aalto, one of the great architects of the 20th century.

The Finns are not as new to prosperity as we Irish are, but they score much better on how equally their income is distributed, and this may explain the lack of ostentation in the houses, even in the best suburbs.

It would also explain why they spend money on the public domain. The footpaths of Helsinki are paved in pink and blue granite and maintained in good order. There are no holes in the roads. Congestion doesn't seem to be a problem; trams and buses are everywhere.

And you feel safe in the city; it is one of the few capitals where a woman (she said) would be happy to walk around on her own, even at night.

Although the Finns are fond of a drop, there is no public sign of the associated heartiness and gurrierism you can get elsewhere.

We found that people tended to leave you alone but were friendly and open if you approached them - and they spoke such good English that you needed to explore the complicated Finno-Ugric language, full of double Ks and double Us and lengthy suffixes, no further than to say kiitos, or thank you.

5 places to sleep

Hostel Suomenlinna. A 15-minute ferry ride from the centre; open all year. Most romantic in the snows and mists of winter, at which time you will most likely have this Unesco World Heritage site to yourself. €25-€50. www.leirikoulut.com.

Domin. Well-appointed and spacious apartments to rent; a good idea if you like a bit more space and don't want to eat out every night. Minimum stay four nights. About €85. www.dominrental.com.

Finn. Comfortable, basic and very central hotel, on the sixth floor, looking across at the Torni (see below) and next door to a famous sauna and pool. €85. Kalevankatu 3B. www.hotellifinn.fi.

Sokos Torni. This imposing art deco and Jugendstil hotel was Helsinki's first skyscraper when it was built, in the 1920s, and it is still a landmark. €200, but weekends can be cheaper. Yrjonkatu 26. www.sokoshotels.fi.

Kämp. Helsinki's most luxurious hotel, on its best street. It has been in business since 1887. The composer Sibelius was a regular guest. Pohjoisesplanadi 29. Double rooms from €178. www.hotelkamp.fi.

5 places to eat

Kosmos. A favourite with artists and writers, this high-ceilinged room, on the go since 1924, is reminiscent of Soviet times with its heroic murals. Try classic Finnish dishes such as fillet of reindeer, pancakes with strawberry and gooseberry jam, and cloudberry Vacherin. Kalevankatu 3. www.ravintolaopas.net/kosmos.

Stockmann. Landmark department store under whose clock people have been meeting since the 1930s. Its fantastic, and justly crowded, delicatessen is the place to buy food if you're renting an apartment (try the fish pie, meatballs, herring and bacon pasties, potatoes in garlic. . .). Aleksanderinkatu 52B. www.stockmann.fi.

Lasipalatsi. Another landmark from the 1930s is the so-called Ice Palace. Its two storeys house an independent cinema, multimedia outfits, a bookshop, an internet cafe and a good restaurant from which to watch the world go by on the main street. Mannerheimintie. www.ravintolaopas.net/ravintolalasipalatsi.

Bellevue. One of the oldest, and most expensive, Russian restaurants in Helsinki. Try vorschmack, the favourite dish of Marshal Mannerheim, a wartime hero: mash of lamb, beef, onions, salt herrings, anchovies, garlic and pepper served with sour cream, baked potatoes, beer and schnapps. Rahapajankatu 3. www.ravintolaopas.net/bellevue.

Fazer. A Helsinki institution, this smart French-Russian cafe- restaurant serves dainty open sandwiches, such as roast beef and cream cheese on rye bread, and delicious pastries. On a pedestrian street beside a small cinema. Kluuvikatu 3. www.fazergroup.com.

5 places to go

Finlandia Hall. The home of the Helsinki Philharmonic was one of the final buildings designed by Alvar Aalto. The main auditorium holds 1,750. Wonderful acoustics and generous circulation space. Mannerheimintie. www.finlandiatalo.fi.

Suomenlinna. In 1748 the Swedes built this fort, which spreads over footbridge-linked islands. (See places to stay.)

Open-air park. A collection of vernacular buildings, mostly wooden houses, taken from all parts of Finland and transplanted to the birch and pine woods on this small island, which also has Helsinki City Art Museum. Tram 4 north to Seurasaari.

Alvar Aalto's house. Aalto said that "architecture cannot save the world, but it can set a good example". The beautiful and modest house he built himself in 1936, and lived in until his death, in 1976, is open to visitors. Tram 4 north to Munkkiniemi.

National Museum. Across the road from the Finlandia Hall, this is well worth a visit, especially for prehistoric exhibits such as the magical clay objects resembling bear or beaver paws, from the Aland Islands, and the runner sledge from 4000BC. www.nba.fi.

Cool coffee break

Cafe Ekberg. The cakes here are worth hopping off the 3T tram for. A small cafe that must have looked much the same when it opened, in 1852; a real treat. Bulevardi 9. www.cafeekberg.fi.

What to avoid

Instead of buying a guidebook, wait until you get to the tourist office on Esplanadi, which has an array of good leaflets and maps.

Hot spot

Zetor. Named after the Czech make of agricultural machinery, this American country-style bar features an eponymous tractor as part of the decor, and hard rock music and meatballs for visiting cowboys. www.ravintolazetor.fi.

Shops

Finnish design is superb, and you could spend a week looking at what Helsinki has to offer. Design District Helsinki covers 25 streets and has 170 members. Design Forum offers a good taste of contemporary work; Erottajankatu 7. Also try Littala, a beautiful shop of a long-established company selling mostly glass and ceramics.

A good night out

Start with a drink in Kappeli, a refined bar in the Esplanadi park. Have an early dinner at Kosmos (see places to eat). Try and book a concert at Finlandia Hall with two choirs, three soloists and an augmented orchestra (including organ) performing Rachmaninov's The Bells. End with a drink in the bar at the top of Hotel Torni (see above), one of the highest points in Helsinki.

What to read

Any of Tove Jansson's Moomin books, children's classics to be enjoyed by anyone.

Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) and SAS (www.flysas. com) fly direct to Helsinki. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Tampere, a little under two hours north of Helsinki by train.