News

Finland's capital Helsinki welcomed an unprecedented number of visitors last year, as 2.7m people stayed in hotels, hostels and guest houses, two-thirds of those visitors from overseas.

German tourists were the most eager to see Helsinki, demoting British visitors, who had long occupied the top spot among sight-seers, to second place.

For Russians, the third-largest visitor group, the Baltic state, a former member of the Soviet Union, is one of the most civilized and charming parts of the 'near-abroad'.

But for British travellers, the capital is an excellent springboard for a country stay in a private cottage in the neighbouring Uusimaa region, or a Baltic cruise.

The open vistas of Helsinki's surrounding lakes, forests and national parks represent the perfect antidote to everyday stress, while a cruise allows tourists to take in Europe's upper northern borderlands.

Meanwhile, the city's cultural profile is set to soar next month when Helsinki hosts the Eurovision Song Contest on May 12th, after Lordi's runaway victory last year with their Ork-inspired Hard Rock Hallelujah.

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