I visited Helsinki in 2022, including the island of Suomenlinna, having passed through Kotka on the way from Russia.

Finnish Cities

• Helsinki – 6/10 (2022)
• Kotka – 4/10 (2022)

There’s not much to say. Highly insular, as per stereotypes. Highly functional, from city planning to having built multiple submarines in WW2 as a small country predominantly threatened by land (I visited the Vesikko). Glum and rainy when I was there. Some nice Tsarist-era architecture, and some of the “rocky” designs from the Temppeliaukio church to their Parliament building have a granitic, bunker-like vibe.

Nice enough to visit for a few days but have scant interest beyond that, at least in the cities (the Finnish lakes and winter Lapland might be another matter).