Is This Nordic City the Next Capital of Cool?

Finland celebrates the 100th anniversary of its independence this year (from Russia, after being part of Sweden for about 500 years before that, in case you skipped that history lesson). The country—ever more on travel and social science radars thanks to its crazy-good education system, world-renowned design, cloudberry cakes, and spot in the top five happiest countries in the world—is planning a series of celebratory events throughout the year. These are in addition to annual hot happenings like Slush, the startup networking event that has been described as “Burning Man meets TED.” In honor of the centennial, Vogue asked some of Helsinki’s top tastemakers to share their favorite places in the Finnish capital, from classic cafés, to modern restaurants, to traditional saunas.

According to Ofer Amir and Galith Nadbornik, bloggers Hungry in Helsinki

“BasBas is a rather young restaurant that merges trendy creative dishes with bohemian atmosphere and vintage design. The place is open four days a week, and reservations should be made ahead. They also just opened a wine bar downstairs. Muru is located in the heart of Helsinki. The menu changes all the time, according to seasons and mood. You will be asked what you don’t like, and the chef will use his imagination and creativity. Mat is a brunch and lunch place owned by a Swedish lady who’s putting her heart into it. The fresh bread, bakery, and desserts are heavenly. Löyly is a very Scandinavian, must-see place that mixes restaurant, bar, and sauna. It has a huge deck with a beautiful sea view. The food is not the main thing here. It’s about enjoying the architecture, view, and sauna. The ultimate time to visit is late spring and in the summer. Farang is located in the beautiful area of Töölö. It’s an Asian-Finnish fusion restaurant with great food and nice interior design. Bar Favela is a colorful bar, and all the furniture is from flea markets. Their beef sandwich is so far the best we have tasted in Finland. The best fast food in Finland is found at Fafa’s, which does burgers and vegetarian and vegan fare like falafel and hummus. Hummus is one of the most popular dishes in Helsinki!

“Café Ekberg is a traditional café, established in 1852 and known for its classic breakfast and wonderful pastries. It’s located in the center in beautiful Bulevardi Street. Cafe Cardemumma is located in the area of Kallio and has a nice variety of Finnish classics. Lovely ladies bake everything in their kitchen and create a feeling of home. They have a fantastic meringue whipped cream cake with Finnish berries. Cafe Engel is in an old building with a facade designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel. The location is quite amazing, just in front of Senate Square.”

According to Maarit Heikkilä, public relations chief at Marimekko

“I just love going to sauna year-around. It’s been part of my life since childhood. It’s my meditation. It’s also quality time with my family and friends. Kotiharjun sauna is a favorite because of its history, authenticity, spirit, and prime location in the cool Kallio district; Kulttuurisauna is run by a Japanese-Finnish architect couple, Nene Tsuboi and Tuomas Toivonen, and is so tranquil. Allas Sea Pool has a great location, right in the middle of everything, next to the famous Market Square, where you dip into seawater pools and admire the breathtaking silhouettes of many different types of architecture—Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance, Art Nouveau, National Romanticism, Nordic Classicism, Functionalism, and Modernism.”

According to Esa Vesmanen, interior architect and founder of Pure Design

“A walk I like is one that you can start at Cafe Regatta, a strange café in a small wooden hut where the second cup of coffee is free. No, actually, they pay you 5 cents if you have a refill and linger! The pastry is fabulous and the service is the best in Helsinki. No wonder it’s always full. From Regatta, you can walk toward Seurasaari island, and stop and visit local farmers. Seurasaari is an open-air museum with old Finnish wooden architecture, plus it’s near a lot of cafés like Villa Angelica. It’s a beautiful 2.5-kilometer seaside walk, and you can spot the prime minister’s residence or you might see the president out walking his Boston terrier, Lennu. I go sailing in the summer and winter to Suomenlinna and Vallisaari, a gorgeous nature destination that opened to the public in the spring of 2016; it can be reached by water-bus from the Helsinki Market Square from May until September.”