Helsinki served as my transit hub between Rovaniemi and the rest of the Nordic cities. There was no other way. Whether by plane or train, you would always end up in Helsinki, Finland. After ringing in the New Year in Stockholm with my family, we flew to Helsinki to catch the Santa Claus night train to Finnish Lapland.
We arrived in the beautiful Helsinki Airport late afternoon and took the train to Central Station, which was a pretty long ride if you ask me. It took approximately 40-50 minutes, but the train itself is one of the nicest trains I have been on so it was a pleasant ride. You can conveniently purchase tickets from the self-serve machines located on the train platforms. We had a few more hours to spare once we got there, so we walked around looking for a good restaurant to have a decent meal before getting stuck in the train for twelve hours!
It wasn’t until after we returned to Helsinki that we were able to really explore the city. After another twelve grueling hours of train ride from Rovaniemi, we returned to Central Station early morning this time around. I remembered how cold it was during that day. The sun hasn’t even risen when we got there. Sunrise was around 8:00 am and a lot of the shops were still closed. However, Helsinki was not what I imagined it to be. I didn’t have any expectations, but I wasn’t expecting it to give me that big city shopping district vibe.
Jen is a Chicago-based traveler and creative. She is a full-time development & communications executive specializing in non-profit organizations. Originally from the East Coast, she created The Jetsetter as a place to share her travel stories and photos with friends and family. Now, it is a place for adventurers and dreamers. Its purpose is to inspire and encourage busy professionals to see the world and achieve a better work-life balance.