The Helsinki, Finland Experience 🇫🇮 | Solo Travel Vlog

[@joona2000]

As a citizen of Helsinki I can say this is one of the best Helsinki videos I've seen. Thank you for visiting us! It's a bit different now when it's 27°C (80,6°F) and only sunshine days on end.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks so much, this is a truly great compliment! I will definitely have to return one day in the summer. I was in Oslo, Norway this time last summer and it was quite warm, and I was determined to see some Nordic snow this time around

[@moonliteX]

love the concept of the senses

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks! As recently as five years ago, I had never left the southeastern United States, and I wanted nothing more than to know what it truly felt like to experience the incredible cities and natural wonders I had grown up seeing in books and on screen - thus the idea for this channel was born!

[@CommonMedia-sj7tc]

You rocked it bro. Love from india🇮🇳

[@asenseoftravel]

I appreciate it!

[@InMyHead1996]

Wow! This is awesome Mike!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! This was probably the vlog I was the most excited to share this year. Helsinki was amazing

[@Earth098]

This is the first time I saw a travel video going to this much details on the full experience, including smells, sounds, thermal sensations, etc. Keep up the quality work.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you so much!

[@judyfehrenbacher8925]

What a beautiful and peaceful place to visit!

[@asenseoftravel]

Yes it was!

[@WorldTrotterHereandBeyond]

wow amazing place! I can't wait to visit this!

[@asenseoftravel]

It's wonderful indeed! Especially during a snowstorm.

[@christinedowney]

I visited May 1..it was lovely and warm! What a difference a couple of weeks makes!

[@asenseoftravel]

Truly! I was in Oslo around the same time last year and it was warm and sunny as well. I just lucked out with the April snowstorm I guess!

[@adrielneely7543]

Just stumbled upon your KZbin page by accident! Really good stuff! Safe travels!!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! Happy to have ya here!

[@doughezlep7602]

I first came across your vlog yesterday with your Oslo episode. So, I have decided to stay in the "neighborhood" so to speak with the Helsinki vlog. Keep up the good work!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed both! I found a lot of similarities between Oslo and Helsinki funnily enough

[@Fortuna88828]

Thank you for appreciating Helsinki during the cold days! ❤ This is definitely one of the best videos of our home town. During the summer you would have experienced the intense smell of trees, grass and flowers while sensing the warm breeze on your face as you are cycling through the city at midnight witnessing a beautiful twilight near sunset and listening to the birds' nocturnal concerto.

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you for this comment! That sounds like the perfect summer night

[@AkiraAmatsuji]

Finland:) Thank you for the awesome videos as always!

[@asenseoftravel]

And thank you for watching them!

[@FullFinnoy]

Your solo adventure in Helsinki sounds incredible! The way you’re exploring the city’s sensory experiences and hidden gems makes me want to visit immediately. Thanks for sharing such a detailed and immersive guide to Finland’s winter wonderland. Looking forward to more of your travel insights! Subscribed!

[@asenseoftravel]

It was an amazing experience. It really felt like the "Great White North" - nothing quite like sitting in a steaming hot Finnish sauna while watching a blizzard. Thanks for subscribing! 😊

[@Giahomemadeproductions]

Awesome video, pal! Loved your narrative. It’s so informative and helpful for any person. I will be visiting the city at the beginning of July. You got a new subscriber!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! I imagine you'll have a much different experience than mine weather-wise haha.

[@bobalanadventures2024]

Enjoyed your video. We were in Helsinki yesterday and loved it.

[@asenseoftravel]

Hopefully the weather was a little better than it was in April!

[@Kuuj12]

Loved this❤️🇫🇮

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you!!

[@MIA_DaDe]

Love your channel and your detailed ( all senses perspective) on the cities you’ve visited. I’ve been to a few that you’ve posted videos about and I’m kicking myself wishing I’d seen your videos prior to my travels. lol fortunately I’m going to Helsinki this fall so thanks for the preview!

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! Which ones have you been to?

[@MIA_DaDe]

@@asenseoftravel Most of the usual Western European... London, Paris, all over Spain, Denmark, Sweden (not Norway or Fin. yet).. , Italy....Germany, Netherlands...still so much more to see though.. Central / Eastern Europe!

[@asenseoftravel]

Safe travels! I found a lot of similarities between Norway and Finland in terms of the overall vibe, so I'm sure you'll enjoy them - I also can't recommend Prague enough

[@eleannaanakefalou4241]

Came across this channel today and it has made up my day! I have never seen scents and sounds described like that on a vlog! Keep up the good work! It is a truly immersive experience! Can't wait to visit Helsinki and Talinn in 2025 😊

[@asenseoftravel]

Thanks so much! I have a lot of adventures to share in the near future that I hope you'll enjoy :) enjoy your visits next year!

[@ethanwarren8977]

i really like your scents and sounds format

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! Watching travel videos, I always wanted to really imagine myself in those places, and so my goal is to capture all of the ambient sensations to help people do the same

[@tanjanikola9489]

The round architecture at 17:29 is actually a beautiful chapel where you can go and find some peace and calm before rushing home after work. People pop in for a few minutes (it is a Christian chapel, but really meant for everyone).

[@asenseoftravel]

I really wanted to pop inside but every time I was nearby it was closed :(

[@GeekChicLife]

I am currently exploring Helsinki. Nice video

[@asenseoftravel]

Thank you! I’m sure the weather is a bit nicer this time of year - although I do love the snow ❄️

[@tanjanikola9489]

Lonkero was actually developed for the Helsinki Olympics in 1952 by Hartwall. It seems that now other companies can make it as well in a variety of flavours. There is also the non-alcoholic version.

[@asenseoftravel]

Oh interesting! I didn't realize it was such a new invention. I had way too many haha. Lonkero is delicious. Is it normal to drink with ice, even in the winter?

[@nannacat3]

Cool 🎉😊

[@asenseoftravel]

Very! ☃️

[@Skege1000]

It's actually rice pudding in the karjalanpiirakka and egg-butter on top. Usually the ketchup goes in the meatpie

[@asenseoftravel]

Oh interesting! That would not have been my first guess. Those things were delicious

[@Skege1000]

@@asenseoftravel you can get them with potatomash too. Karelian pies are sometimes called rice pies

[@hextatik_sound]

@14:25 Sorry but there's no Castle Of Finland in Suomenlinna. There's no Castle Of Finland at all. No castles in Helsinki. The most well known castles in Finland are Turun linna, Olavinlinna, Hämeen linna and Kastelhoms slott.

[@asenseoftravel]

Interesting! All of signage on the island referenced the "Castle of Finland" so that's what I was going off of

[@hextatik_sound]

@@asenseoftravel Suomenlinna (Viapori, Sveaborg) is fortress. After Sweden lost Russo-Swedish War 1743 they started to build Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) in 1708 for strenghtening Finland's defens. At the beginning of Finnish War between Sweden and Russia in 1809, Russia conquered Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) and when Russia won the war in the same year, Russia continued to build Suomenlinna for their own purposes. There was never a castle, just a fortress. Maybe the name Suomenlinna is translated "Castle of Finland" (I don't remember the signs, I haven't been there for awhile) but it really isn't a castle. I think that translation is misleading and it should be "The fortress of Finland".

[@holoholopainen1627]

​@@hextatik_soundWhat IS The difference - between a Castle and a Fortress ?

[@ruupeni]

You should be here now! It´s like very hot. Nice vid!

[@asenseoftravel]

Oh I bet! I was in Oslo around this time last year and I was shocked by how warm it was

[@ruupeni]

@Austrian_Painters_TopGuy Yeah....bit too much.

[@toinenosoite3173]

A great video! Just a tiny point: Aleksanterinkatu is neither the main nor the longest street in Helsinki. PS. Why do you think that the sound of the city is what you find in the city centre? That is just a tiny bit of it.

[@asenseoftravel]

That's a fair question! I'm sure I'd have a much broader view of the city if I had been able to spend more time there

[@yohanbeck8172]

@@asenseoftravel The longest street in Helsinki is the Mannerheim road. And it is also the longest street inside a city in all of Europe :)

[@I.am_wizzy]

Your video’s so amazing bro and makes me wanting to visit there on my next vacation… how much do you think I should budget to have a nice time in Finland 😭🇫🇮✨

[@asenseoftravel]

You should definitely go! Without including my airfare, I spent probably $800 USD in total, so it's very doable if you're on a budget

[@ArchieArpeggio]

Little bit gloomy there at that time of the year. Summertime everything just looks so much better. I haven´t visited Helsinki since 2000. It seems more calm than what the city were at 90s and 2000. At that time there were people everywhere and for me as small city recident that was way too crowded place. Maybe i should make new visit there now 24 years later. I live now in the city of Tampere here in Finland. I have always liked Tampere more than Helsinki. Some KZbinrs/travellers that has camed to Tampere have been amazed from the city and have liked more than Helsinki. Can´t deny that.

[@asenseoftravel]

I'll have to check out Tampere next time I make it to Finland! I always go for the capitals during my first visit to a country, just because that tends to be the "epicenter" of said country, but it's the smaller towns that hold the most charm and soul

[@S10nTh3Gr8]

@@asenseoftravelyou should try musta makkara

[@mikasaviranta7890]

Thanks for visiting! You're also very cute! ♥

[@doughezlep7602]

I just views your short food video on Finland. This is another reason I have paid deposits for 2025 travel to Continental Europe, beginning with the Glacier Express in Switzerland, a Rhine River cruise that ends in Amsterdam, and then continuing into Scandinavia and Helsinki. This will be about a month in June and July 02025. So, thank you again for the visual and audio stimulation to get on with my travels.

[@asenseoftravel]

That sounds like an amazing trip!

[@doughezlep7602]

@@asenseoftravel I'm trying to get to as many bucket list places as i can and I so appreciate the motivation that all your videos provide. Thank you. I'm going solo and it will be for about a month.

[@Viikkinu]

Helsinki is actually huge if u count the metropolian area. From otherside to other its actually big. Most of the city is just behind the treelines so u cant see it from center

[@asenseoftravel]

I understand that for sure! I usually do go by metro areas (I live in Washington, DC which has less than a million people, but the metro area has over 6 million so I know what you mean) but I did appreciate how remote and manageable Helsinki by itself felt

[@DallasFreemanVO]

Let it snowwwwwww bro

[@asenseoftravel]

I wouldn't have had it any other way!

[@Pahakyy]

Living in Hki. April can be anything weather-wise. Mid-late May onwards can still be anything from 15C to 30+C. The blushing-of-green -time is the best at mid-Juneish onward. That's when the nature comes alive. So, so much more to see than touristy places in the center. I wish tourists would get this. But they/you never do.

[@asenseoftravel]

I understand the feeling. I wish I could have spent a month in Helsinki, I know I only scratched the surface of everything there is to experience.

[@Pahakyy]

@@asenseoftravel Always more to see and experience.

[@slawekwojtowicz]

Nice one! When are you going to Poland?

[@asenseoftravel]

Hopefully soon! It's definitely on the bucket list. I spent some time in Lithuania earlier this year and it made me super intrigued to visit Poland as soon as I can!

[@mehulmz]

What were your days of visit?

[@asenseoftravel]

I was there in early April!

[@mehulmz]

@@asenseoftravel good… expecting the same this November

[@KalleKilponen]

Can't help but to chuckle a bit at calling the center of Helsinki "the old town" as Helsinki is a relatively new city in general. (At least compared to the old towns in many other capitals in the area.) Oh and btw, just to clarify, "Centrum" is not a name for "the old town" it's just "Center" in Swedish.

[@asenseoftravel]

Good to know on "Centrum!" I understand that sentiment for sure. Here in the US, 100 years old is considered antique. Most of our "historic downtowns" were built out in the 1900s.

[@S10nTh3Gr8]

spring sucks here in finland

[@holoholopainen1627]

You must LIKE The Sun ?

[@holoholopainen1627]

Well Done & Nice Video ! Have You ever heard of music by DARUDE - SANDSTORM - filmed at DOWNTOWN ? There are many that come with their ferris from Stockholm Sweden or Tallinn Estonia - as they do regonize the The White Church by The Senate Square ! As soon as You watch IT - You see how everything looks at summer time !

[@asenseoftravel]

I know Sandstorm well, as it is the hype song for the University of South Carolina! I didn't realize that the music video was filmed in Helsinki though, that's awesome.

[@soiggeofficial]

Centrum is the Swedish word for city centre, keskusta in Finnish 😁

[@asenseoftravel]

I kept seeing "Centrum" on the signs, so this is good to know!

[@soiggeofficial]

@@asenseoftravel yeah almost all the signs are both in Finnish and Swedish in Southern part of Finland, since Swedish is our second official language

[@holoholopainen1627]

We do also call IT DOWNTOWN !

[@ellu...]

🤍✨️

[@S10nTh3Gr8]

we call lohi keitto just fish soup

[@asenseoftravel]

Makes sense, I'm guessing you can make it with far more than just salmon

[@Xerdoz]

The coldest country in the World. Well Iceland has crap weather the whole year round but everyo other country is closer to the Equator.

[@asenseoftravel]

I personally prefer the cold over the heat! You can always add layers but you can only take so many off lol

[@hanhiofficial7037]

You take lot of time editing perhaps, now it's like +26c

[@asenseoftravel]

My trip to Helsinki was in April, yes!

[@tanjanikola9489]

@@asenseoftravel And the weather changed literally in a day or so to be really warm and sunny!

[@holoholopainen1627]

I am watching this - on The shortest Day of The Year ! ONLY 6 months to Mid Summer - We call JUHANNUS !

[@123benny4]

There are obviously different cultural stories in regards to Santa Clause but we here in North American say he's in the North Pole which is in Canada. I'm sure there is a Finnish version, a German version, a British version, and a Dutch version of the Christmas folklore.

[@asenseoftravel]

True! From what I understand the Santa Clause legend itself originated in Finland

[@holoholopainen1627]

You mean FINNISH VERSION ? We havent even seen The FINISHED VERSION - of Xamas yet !

[@123benny4]

@@holoholopainen1627 Thanks for catching that typo.

[@123benny4]

@@holoholopainen1627 of XMAS! ;-)