Finland is famous for the northern lights, its high happiness rankings, saunas, and thousands of lakes. Helsinki adds history, design, and the Baltic Sea to that list. The story begins in 1550, when King Gustav I of Sweden founded a trading town that would become Finland's capital in 1812. Today, a walk through the city can take you from Senate Square and the white-domed Helsinki Cathedral to the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible by ferry.

Over 70% of Helsinki's 265-square-mile area is water. The city stretches across more than 300 islands, giving residents easy access to parks, forests, and the shoreline. Visiting in autumn? You're in luck. The surrounding forests offer bilberries, lingonberries, and mushrooms that people can forage under Finland's Everyman's Right. If you work up an appetite, try karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pies), creamy salmon soup, or a warm cinnamon bun with coffee. Watch out for the trams and cyclists. And if someone lends a hand, 'kiitos'—thank you—goes a long way.