Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finnish National Theater/Train Station:
After the Mikonkatu stop, you'll pass
a big square. Fronting it is Finland's granite National Theater, in Art Nouveau style. The
statue in the square honors Aleksis Kivi, the father of Finnish literature, who in 1870 wrote
The Seven Brothers
, the first great novel in Finnish. The mid-19th century was a period
of national awakening. By elevating the language to high culture, Kivi helped inspire his
countrymen to stand strong and proud during a period of attempted “Russification.” On the
left is the
Ateneum,
Finland's national art gallery. From there (on the right), you'll pass the
striking train station—with its iconic countrymen stoically holding their lamps—designed
by the great Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen.
Shopping and Entertainment District:
Crossing the busy Mannerheimintie
boulevard, you'll pass the Kamppi mall (tram and Metro stop: Kamppi, with bus station in
basement). The adjacent Tennis Palace is a cultural zone with galleries and movie theaters.
School of Economics and Trendy Apartments:
After passing the yellow brick
buildings of the School of Economics (on your left, note facade—Kauppakorkeakoulut
stop), you'll enter a neighborhood with lots of desirable 1920s-era apartments. Young
couples start out here, move to the suburbs when they have their kids, and return as empty-
nesters. The Temppeliaukio Church (a.k.a. “Church in the Rock”), while out of sight, is just
a block uphill from the next stop (Sammonkatu).
Finnish National Opera House:
Built in 1993, the National Opera House is the
white, sterile, shower-tile building on the right (tram stop: Ooppera). The next stop (Töölön
halli) is a short walk from the Sibelius Monument and its pretty park (detour along a street
called Sibeliuksenkatu).
Sports Complex:
A statue honors long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi (early 20th-
century Finn who won a slew of Olympic gold medals, on left). The white building with the
skinny tower (in the distance on the right) marks the Olympic Stadium, used for the sum-
mer games in 1952. After the Aurorankatu stop, you'll see skateboarders enjoying a park
of their own (on the right). At the next stop, Eläintarha, the tram may pause as it changes
to become #3 (stay seated).
Classic Amusement Park: Linnanmäki,
Helsinki's low-end, Tivoli-like amuse-
ment park is by far the most-visited sight in town (on the right, free admission to park but
rides cost €4-6, open daily until late, tram stop: Alppila,
www.linnanmaki.fi
)
. Roller-coast-
er nuts enjoy its classics from the 1950s.
Working-Class District:
Next you'll enter an old working-class neighborhood. Its
soccer fields (on your left) are frozen into ice rinks for hockey in the winter. You'll pass
the striking granite
Kallio Church
(Art Nouveau, on your right) and
Hakaniemi
square,
with a big indoor/outdoor market (on your left). Crossing a saltwater inlet, you'll pass Hel-
sinki's
Botanical Gardens
(on the right), and then head back toward the town center. As
you return to the train station with its buff lamp-holders, you've completed the larger, top
loop of the figure-eight.
The
Three Blacksmiths
Statue:
After turning left on big, busy Mannerheimintie,
you'll pass the most famous statue in town, the
Three Blacksmiths
(on your left), which
