To alternate between visits of traditional places, Nordic decorations, Scandinavian design and shopping mode, overview of our 12 good addresses:

• 1 / The market

It's a must-have for a simple craft: mittens in reversed skin, woolen socks knitted by grandmothers ... Or, quite simply, fruits and vegetables to nibble standing: raw peas, strawberries, blueberries, berries. The fishermen also sell the morning salmon from their boat.

Kauppatori.

• 2 / The chapel of silence

Silence is indeed what triggers the entrance into this small chapel all light wood, bathed in a soft light and open to the public in 2012. Among the palpitations of the city, it offers an escape aesthetic or a moment of meditation , possibly accompanied by Nanna, the pastor, who works alongside social workers.

Chapel of Kamppi, Simonkatu, 7.

© Marianne Mairesse

• 3 / The islands around

The Helsinki archipelago is made up of hundreds of small islands, accessible by shuttles from the Kauppatori market or along the harbor. Suomenlinna is an ancient fortress where
fun to go picnicking on lawn and rock parks, accessible until 2 am in the summer. Seurasaari, known as "the squirrel island", offers a stroll through time: besides these animals that approach without fear, one can visit buildings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Pihlajasaari, with its miniplage, evokes a bathing and summer atmosphere.

• 4 / Karhu

Bear sports brand ("karhu" in Finnish) - famous for its sneakers that dominated the 1952 Olympics, with fifteen gold medals (including those of the Czechoslovak Emil Zátopek)
-, today it represents models as sport as fashion, with the pleasure of being still a confidential reference.

Mannerheimintie 22-24.

© Marianne Mairesse

• 5 / Marimekko

If only one garment from Finland was to be brought back, it would be a Marimekko sailor. Founded in 1951, the house mixes reissues of its print from the 60s and 70s with creations of young people
Finnish designers. We can also crack for cloth wallets, linen, tote bags or clothes for children.

Mikonkatu 1.

• 6 / The Huvila Coffee

Not far from the Kiasma Museum, Markku and his son Jonas offer coffees and pastries, including the popular "korvapuusti", cinnamon and cardamom buns in Finland. You can find them in the supermarkets and cafes of the city, but you have to run here to taste the best.

Mannerheimintie 13.

© Marianne Mairesse

• 7 / Artek

Co-founded by Alvar Aalto, this gallery welcomed works by Calder and Fernand Léger in 1936, before becoming specialized in design. It is the place to buy furniture or lamps typical of northern aesthetics, from Aalto stools in birch to Tapio Tapiovaara's armchairs.

Keskuskatu, 1B.

• 8 / The Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma

One of the finest museum staircases, a white place (with ceiling lights like ice cubes) where exhibitions honor both contemporary art and photography (especially the school of Helsinki and its poetic roughness). To discover the fundamentals of Finnish art, you can also visit the Ateneum Museum, where one is seized by the work of symbolist Hugo Simberg (and his wounded Angel).

Mannerheiminaukio, 2.

© Marianne Mairesse

• 9 / The Regatta Café

At the edge of the water, this red chalet offers cafés, drinks and snacks, but also a wood fire to grill your own sausages. A convivial, friendly and simple place, with swings and a clear view on the bay of Seurasaarenselkä.

Merikannontie, 8.

• 10 / The sauna Löyly

Sauna is an integral part of Finnish life - 3 million saunas for 5.3 million inhabitants - and this one, opened in 2016, is an experience to live: to spend tens of minutes in a heated room wood fire, sweat, relax, and then plunge headlong into the icy sea, through direct access. It is introspective or joyful in group, with beers possible according to custom. Reservation required.

Hernesaarenranta, 4.

• 11 / The restaurant Sea Horse

A 1930 fresco representing a hippocampus embraces this restaurant which is an institution in Helsinki. A way of knowing its typical dishes: meatballs with sauce and cranberries, fish fries, salmon soup ...

Kapteeninkatu, 11.

• 12 / iittala

Design in Finland is present in homes and public places. Iittala proposes the tableware of the designers of the country: the vases of Alvar Aalto, the glasses and plates of Tapio Wirkkala,
Oiva Toikka blown glass birds, Timo Sarpaneva's Festivo candle holders, etc. An aesthetic of light and clarity.

Pohjoisesplanadi, 23.

(*) Program of festivities on suomifinland100.fi. Flights Paris / Helsinki by Finnair. Hotels in Klaus K (klauskhotel.com), Fabian (hotelfabian.com) or Glo (glohotels.fi).