The Cultured Traveller - Fourth Anniversary Edition, September-November 2018 Issue 23

keepsake, be it an exquisite piece of silver jewellery, hand-knitted winter woollies or Christmas tree decorations. Here you can haggle over genuine reindeer furs and sample no nonsense, strong Finnish coffee.

Continue along the harbour and you will soon reach Helsinki’s 40-metre SkyWheel, which offers panoramic views over the city, sea and the surrounding islands (www.skywheel.fi/en). A novel way to ride this Ferris wheel is to book the SkySauna - the only one of its kind in the world. Being game to try anything once, The Cultured Traveller gave it a whirl: the idea is to stay in the heated wood-lined carriage for several rotations, before relaxing in a massaging hot tub in your own private lounge on terra firma (www.skysauna.fi/ en/). Next door is Allas Sea Pool, featuring a seawater pool and a warm water pool as well as saunas (www. allasseapool.fi/en). Heading away from the water for a moment, another of the city’s popular attractions is Linnanmäki amusement park. Located 20 minutes north of the centre, the park features a great selection of rides for thrill-seekers, including seven rollercoasters, three tower rides, and a classic river rapids ride. Don’t miss riding the original 1951 wooden rollercoaster, which was one of the first permanent rides to be built in the park (www.linnanmaki.fi/en/).

Returning to South Harbour, take a ride of a different kind on a ferry or pleasure cruise to one of Helsinki’s numerous islands – the long coastline has more than 300, many of which are accessible for recreational use. As well as the UNESCO world heritage site and former fortress of Suomenlinna, there are plenty of smaller islands that feature sea-view restaurants and saunas. The Cultured Traveller’s evening ferry ride to Lonna Island was an idyllic experience, and we dined al fresco on local seafood and in-season vegetables under a magical blue and pink sky. Though we were content just to sit and enjoy the serenity after our meal, there were deluxe sauna facilities mere metres away, if we were so inclined (www.lonna.fi/en).

To further explore the serene waters around Helsinki, the 1½-hour sightseeing cruise operated by CityTour is highly recommended. The spacious, modern boat complete with restaurant and bar journeys around Suomenlinna and along the picturesque harbour front, past formidable looking icebreakers, traditional sailing ships and international cruise liners. A combined boat and bus hop-on hop-off ticket costs EUR35 for a day (www.citytour.fi). ► Sep-Nov 2018 The Cultured Traveller 65