Helsinki offers cozy atmosphere, a lively music scene, fine restaurants with talented chefs - and, of course, Finnish design.

This compact mini-metropolis with 560,000 inhabitants and no skyscrapers has everything within walking distance.

A good starting point for your Helsinki adventure on foot is the statue of three blacksmiths (Kolmen Sepän Patsas) in front of the Stockmann department store. It is the very center of the downtown area - whether you want to visit an art museum (contemporary art at Kiasma; Finnish classics at Ateneum), learn about Finnish design (Design Museum; Design Forum Finland), go shopping (Alvar Aalto's classics at Artek; Maija Isola's prints at Marimekko; glassware by Kaj Franck, Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva, and the younger generation's designer comet Harri Koskinen at the Iittala shop), or taste the new culinary delights by bold young chefs (Jarmo Vähä-Savo at G.W. Sundmans, Markus Aremo at George, Hans Välimäki at Chez Dominique - to name but a few). In the evening, the vibrant nightlife scene is only a few blocks away. Go bar-hopping and clubbing, the places are open to everyone - the gay club DTM (Don't Tell Mama), one of the best spots for dancing in the city, is also favored by straights.

If you happened to miss what you were looking for in the center, you don't have to worry about getting hopelessly lost for hours. You will soon meet the sea almost in any direction and will gently be guided to turn back. Unless, that is, you suddenly decide to go on with your adventure, hop on a ferry and visit the nearby islands: historically interesting Suomenlinna fortress island, the picnic island Pihlajasaari, or the Korkeasaari zoo island.