For the eighth year in a row, Finland has been crowned the world’s happiest nation. It’s also a great place to visit, even if you aren’t among its happy citizens.
Part of what makes Finns so happy is their access to nature — something they want to provide to visitors and preserve through sustainability initiatives and ecotourism.
Allas Pool
After arriving and settling into the hotel, I visited Allas Pool. This waterfront location offers much more than just a pool, though it does have several of those.
Suomenlinna
After breakfast at the hotel, I caught the ferry to nearby Suomenlinna, which covers several islands near Helsinki. Because people still live on the islands, the ferry is part of the public transportation system.
Helsinki Central Library Oodi
Visiting a library didn’t sound that interesting at first, but hearing the story of its creation made me curious. The city asked people what they wanted in a public, free-use space, and the result was much more than a basic library.
Tampere Hall
My day started, once again, with a great hotel breakfast before heading to Tampere Hall. Carbon-neutral since 2019, this building has numerous meeting facilities, cafes, and restaurants.