ABOUT HELSINKI

Helsinki may seem provincial compared to the other sprawling Scandinavian capitals (its only 'skyscraper' is just 12 stories high), but this small city is surprisingly cosmopolitan. The Finnish capital boasts a highly educated, cultured and affluent populace. Its streets are filled with
coffee-guzzling, mobile phone wielding go-getters. The technology boom and the presence of a prestigious university make a young city with an active nightlife. Helsinki also enjoys an impressive selection of cultural institutions, from a brand new opera house to a cutting-edge contemporary art museum.

Helsinki has a larger foreign population compared to the rest of the country, and the Swedish and Russian influence on the area is evident in its architecture, cuisine and language. With a milder climate than most of Finland and a spirited maritime character, Helsinki is a lively city whose people are generally friendly, if not immediately gregarious. Clean, green (over one-quarter of the city is covered by parks) and sophisticated, Helsinki is a delight for outdoors and travellers alike.

Helsinki offers visitors many alternative cultural activities ranging from an evening at the Finnish National Opera to a visit to Kiasma, the Museum of Contemporary Art. The best-known modern Finnish architect is Alvar Aalto, whose works in Helsinki include the Social Insurance Institution Building, the Academic Bookstore, the House of Culture and Finlandia Hall. The new Opera House by the architects Hyvämäki, Karhunen and Parkkinen was opened in 1993, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by architect Stephen Holl, was opened in 1998.

LINKS
Website of the European Federation of
Neurological Societies

http://www.efns.org

Helsinki & Finland

Weather and climate
Lonely Planet: Finland