Medieval Tallinn Old Town in Winter, Estonia

Last week I travelled to Tallinn for a relaxing weekend break away from all the hustle and bustle at home and long hours at work. It was a much-needed getaway and I was happy to be back in the city after a long while.

Best of Lux Helsinki Light Festival 2018

Lights are on in Helsinki! What a feeling! So far the winter in Helsinki has been extremely dark and rainy with zero snow and zero sunshine. This is the reason why we got so excited earlier today when the Lux Helsinki Light Festival shedded new light on the Finnish capital city.The playground for Lux Helsinki Light Festival this year is the impressive Helsinki city centre district of Kaartinkaupunki, where the streets, squares and

Sensational Shades of Snow in Finland

Last week I shared some of my favourite snowy postcards from the white winter wonderland of Finland with you. Having spent lots of time enjoying the fresh winter outdoors and observing the snowy nature around me I have realised that our snowy winter is not only white but it is many other colours too.Wintry landscapes are so white and light, even on a cloudy day.

Snowy Postcards from White Winter Wonderland of Finland

Winter, snow and freezing cold temperatures – we have it all in Finland! But to be honest, this winter has been a kind of strange when it comes to weather. At least here in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Temperatures continually fluctuate above and below zero meaning that it is either too “warm” with the snow melting or it is way too freezing cold with arctic winds.Currently we do have a thin white covering of snow in Helsinki but it seems to come and go. Lots of grey misty winter days with rain. But luckily also some pretty glorious sunny days when it totally feels like a true white winter wonderland!

Soaking up Christmas Spirit at Helsinki Christmas Markets, Finland

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Helsinki! The city centre is beautifully illuminated with seasonal lights and Christmas Markets opened their doors on the weekend.Already a couple of weeks ago I took a head start to the Christmas season exploring Copenhagen’s atmospheric Christmas Markets and admiring Copenhagen’s festive city lights and decorations. So I was getting a bit anxious waiting for

Winter in Helsinki: Guide to Frosty Fairytales in White Winter Wonderland

Winter in Helsinki, Finland – YES, it does get cold! But: Finns do not suffer and survive winter, they live and enjoy it. Even if the thermometer reads -29° C, it does not feel as cold as you might think. This is due to the dry continental winter climate that does not feel as cold as the damp cold winter weather of Central Europe for example. Besides, Finnish people are used to the cold winter weather, so life and all things run more than smoothly.

For some travellers winter visits to Finland might be totally out of question because of the cold. However, if you are brave enough to encounter the crispy winter weather, you will most likely have an experience of a lifetime and surely you will

Lux Helsinki Lights Up the Dark Polar Nights

In January nights in Finland can feel endlessly long as we only have 6 hours of daylight. Luckily we have a tiny bit of white snow in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, too so it is not completely dark. However more light is needed to cheer people up during the darkest time of the year. And we did get some more light into the city as the Lux Helsinki Light Festival started a couple of days ago.

During 5 days (6–10 Jan 2016, 5–10 pm) the annual Lux Helsinki Light Festival illuminates Helsinki city centre with luminous artwork by talented artists from around the world. I have visited Lux Helsinki Light Festival each year but this time I was more impressed than ever. Most of the installations were very creative and full of clever ideas.

Christmas Twinkle and Festive Helsinki City Lights, Finland

Holiday decorations and Christmas lights are currently truly at their best as Christmas is only a few weeks away. As we do not have any snow in Helsinki yet, the seasonal lights and decorations do bring plenty of sparkle and glow into our grey winter darkness.

This the darkest time of the year in Finland as we have very little day light, only less than 6 hours a day: in Helsinki the sun rises at  9.14 am and sets already at 3.12 pm. No sunshine, just cloudy and rainy. Even if the weather is cold, dark, windy and wet I decided to venture out in search of Christmas spirit and illumination in Helsinki city centre.

Christmas season in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, traditionally begins in late November when the festive holiday lights are switched on along the Christmas Street of Aleksanterinkatu, the main shopping street in the heart of the city.