For the past five years, The World Happiness Report singled out Finland as the happiest country on the planet; and recently, in the prestigious NUMBEO Quality of Life European City Index, Finland’s capital city, Helsinki, received a ranking of 14th-best city out of 267 European cities chosen for their quality of life. All of Helsinki’s neighborhoods are safe and filled with lovely food and drink venues; interesting boutique shops; and lots of walking, running and biking trails to suit the Finns’ love of year-round exercise, from warm summer days to the snowy months of winter.

Many neighborhoods lie within proximity of downtown Helsinki. A short tram ride takes you from the city center to Kallio, known for its bohemian atmosphere, while Suomenlinna, a small island neighborhood of about 800 residents, still manages to support a hospital, library, school and regular ferry service to the mainland.

One of the nicest neighborhoods close to downtown Helsinki is Töölö (pronounced too-low), large enough to contain two sections: Taka and Etu-Töölö. Töölö contains several important buildings, including Parliament House (in Etu-Töölö), and tourist sites such as Temppeliaukio Church (also called Rock Church), known for its unique location carved into solid rock. Visitors also enjoy Töölö’s architecture, from historical wooden homes and farmhouses to the wonderful modernist architecture designed by Finland’s Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), especially in the Töölönlahti Bay area. Outi Pulkkinen, like many residents who grew up in Töölö, considers her neighborhood the best place to live in Helsinki.

Helsinki City Museum © Jussi Hellsten for City of Helsinki

“The seashore was close to my house and just a few blocks from Mannerheimintie, the main road to downtown Helsinki,” said
Pulkkinen. “There is also the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, a public park for kids and adults to walk, run or swim. Another good swimming spot is Hietaniemen Uimarant, a small beach close to Cafe Regatta, a café built in 1887 on Töölönlahti Bay with the best coffee, hot chocolate and cinnamon buns. I love walking from the café to Sibelius Park with its monument dedicated to Jean Sibelius, Finland’s most famous composer.”

Visitors to Töölö who want to keep up with the energetic Finns will find several branches of the gym chain Forever Töölö as well as numerous cycling routes in central Helsinki and Töölö. Fitness aficionados will appreciate the deluxe Crowne Plaza Helsinki, an IHG Hotel, located in Töölö at 50 Mannerheimintie. A standard king room for two people in April starts at $165 per night and includes breakfastas well as the use of the gym, swimming pool and sauna in the ground-floor Forever Töölö Fitness Club.