CYCLING
Slowing down in Helsinki
Ride a single-speed Finnish Jopo bike on a tour that ticks off art nouveau architecture, outlying islands, parks and forests in Finland’s outdoorsy capital
The Finns are well known for their love of the great outdoors. Every season provides an excuse to get out and enjoy nature as if for the first time, from snowshoeing through the woods in winter to jumping into a lake under the midnight sun in high summer — and visitors to Helsinki will soon learn that this enthusiasm for outdoor living permeates city life, too. The Finnish capital has around 1,000 miles of
cycle paths, which sweep through neighbourhoods lined with grand 19th-century townhouses, trace a shoreline dotted with islands and head out to parks and forests. The best way to explore, and to grasp something
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Hot air balloons at sunrise over Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol; aerial view of Kaivopuisto park, Helsinki; cycling the cobbled streets around the Roman Forum in Italy’s ancient capital
PREVIOUS PAGE: Cycling around the docks that border Kaivopuisto park in Helsinki
of the Finns’ obsession with enjoying their environment, is to spend a few hours in the saddle with Helsinki Bike Tours. Guests are given locally made, single-speed Jopo bikes to ride, perfect for meandering along the peaceful cycle paths. Founder and guide Riku Nurminen provides a thorough and entertaining grounding in Finnish society while leading cyclists through his city, covering subjects as diverse as politics, history, food and family life, and even touching on the development of the Angry Birds app and the Finns’ love of heavy metal.
From the compact centre, the tour heads out
to one of the city’s many waterfront playgrounds. Pausing in the beautiful, undulating park of Kaivopuisto, it’s easy to get distracted staring at all the sailing boats zipping across the bay. From here, it’s a short hop to the district of Eira and a street packed with colourful, art nouveau buildings (there are more than 600 of this style in Helsinki). There are plenty of other examples of standout
architecture to discover on the tour, including Oodi, a public library that looks like a giant, sweeping, wooden wing, and Finlandia Hall, a concert venue designed by Alvar Aalto, Finland’s most lauded architect. No introduction to Helsinki would be
complete without a visit to a market hall, and Hakaniemi is the one on the agenda here. Popular with locals, it sprawls over two floors and is a superb place to try a range of Finnish specialities — there are stalls selling smoked fish, pastries, locally roasted coffee, berries and cured reindeer meat, among other treats that you can pick up for post-cycling snacking.
heltours.com
myhelsinki.fi
National Geographic Traveller – European Cities Collection 21
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