This year we are mixing it up and instead of going home for the holidays we decided to take the opportunity to visit some of the Christmas markets in the Baltics.
I saw a blog about this trip ages ago on Pinterest and it has been on my list ever since! We flew from Amsterdam to Helsinki and then are headed south, with 3 total stops of the trip!
My first impression of Helsinki is that it feels a bit like Minnesota. Maybe it is the snow, but there were just some really nice vibes. It was a lovely city to visit!
One of the highlights of course to mention is the sauna culture. Going to the sauna is immensely popular in Finland with 2 million saunas in the country or 1 sauna for every 2.5 people.
We tried the Allas Sea Pools sauna on our first day. They had 4 different saunas and an outside pool right on the water where you could cool off outside in between. We arrived there at 3:30pm, but with such an early sunset it looks so much later in the pictures!
The second sauna we visited is Loyly which we booked in advance as reservations can fill up more quickly as it is smaller. This was lovely right on the sea and felt very luxurious. We did some polar plunges in between sauna sessions and it was so much fun. I was a bit nervous at first, but I think by the end we both did 3 polar dips! They also had a lovely fireplace inside and a restaurant with these stunning views off the water. I heard some other Americans say while we were there, “this wasn’t on my bucket list, but now that I have done it, I would say it should be on people’s list.” I agree- such a fun experience!
Between our sauna visits we checked out the Helsinki Christmas markets. It was so lovely with a very cozy vibe. Enjoy some of the pictures below. I would say two highlights were these apple donuts and the children sliding down the stairs (video attached). I have been craving fall apple donuts in Minnesota since our first fall in Europe and these really scratched the itch ☺️
Helsinki really was saunas and Christmas markets with a few activities between. For example we loved this cute bakery called Regata, the department store Stockmann’s had gorgeous windows, and the lights around town were also very Christmas-y.
Then, we took the 2 hour ferry to our next stop of Tallinn, Estonia! It was actually so fun and felt a bit like being on a cruise ship. It was massive with so many restaurants and places to relax. they had gaming stations, tons of shopping, gambling and more!
Stay tuned for my next post all about Tallinn!
❤️Melanie
Smiles from Miles Away 