We get asked quite a lot about how we plan for our travels. To be honest, it’s always a bit of a whirlwind. We’re usually only visiting somewhere for a short time, and we try to cram as many cute cafes and shops in as we can. Our recent cruise is a great example of getting to mark a lot of places off our bucket list in only a few days. This means getting a little creative, somewhat highly caffeinated, and utilizing Uber like it’s going out of style!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the chill stroll of finding charming places along the way, but when you only have a few hours in each port, getting around places on your list as quickly as possible is a must. Hence, Uber all the way! Plus I feel safer using a system I’m already familiar with using often back home, plus not handling cash/different currency in another country is a double bonus!
While I won’t dive into our entire cruise recap just yet, I thought I’d give you a quick guide to the best shops and sweets in Helsinki until we get back to town to dive into the whole hoorah…
I’m pretty sure I could have spent hours in the Costco concept store! It was a pom pom lover’s heaven and Jared had to literally drag me out of there so we could see the rest of the shops. I did, however, buy approximately five colors of pom poms to interchange with my hat first, because #priorities.
Karl Fazer Cafe – the cutest for edible gifts and licorice! Right near World of Tre, too.
Sweet Story
Chjoko – prettiest little chocolates and macarons ever
Roots Helsinki – Helsinki doesn’t have a true red light district, but this neighborhood is about as close as it comes! That said, this is the perfect cafe for vegan lunch, a green juice, smoothie bowl, or organic cake.
The Cock – for cocktails and dessert
Roobertin Herkku
Globe Hotel and Bar – the hotel restaurant is really precious
Picnic for a quick lunch and dessert in the design district
Lokal – literally wanted everything!
Stockmann – dept store with finnish design, and a little bit of everything if you want to see a lot in one shop
Aarikka – for jewelry and knick knacks
Artek – modern design with housewares, knick knacks, and right next to Stockmann
Marimekko Outlet – there’s one in the market in the city center
Nudge – cute gift shop with clothing and bags and a cafe inside
Costo Concept Store – a build your own Pom Pom hat store! The Pom poms are interchangeable and only 5 euros each so you can mix and match as many as you want
Design district in general
R/H Studio – small local clothing store
Formverk – a home goods shop in design district
I think it goes without saying that almost everything was a photo op — the design here is amazing, friends! It was tough to narrow down to the best shops and sweets in Helsinki. Is there anywhere we missed? Anywhere you’re now dying to go?!
Do you all have any tricks for planning your trips out? I’m thinking of doing a whole post on how we break down mapping out our wishlists for places, what do you think?!
A big thanks to our friends at Uber for partnering with us on this post! Sugar & Cloth is donating 5% of all sponsored campaigns to charity, which you can read about right here!
Heading to Helsinki in three weeks and can’t wait to check some of these places out!! Thanks!!
I think YES!! I would LOVE for you to do a post on how you break down mapping out your wishlists for places you travel to!
Hoping to share something like this soon.. keep an eye out :)