Second day in Helsinki - Day Trip to Porvoo via OmniBus

On the agenda for my second full day in Helsinki was a day trip to Porvoo. Why Porvoo? Why NOT Porvoo? Some googling will tell you it's Finland's second oldest city, has a population of ~50,000, and it's just about 1 hour away from central Helsinki, aka, easy, comfortable day trip distance. Image searching will show you that it's a beautiful little place with impossibly quaint and colorful wooden houses (note: that's just part of the city, but yes, it's very cool to walk around; more in a future post). It offers some nice shopping and a variety of cafes and restaurants. My take away after visiting is that it is a lovely place to live full time, perhaps an even nicer place to have as your occassional getaway if you're a Helsinki family of means, or, a great day trip that is 100% worth the time if you're spending multiple days in Helsinki like I was. The city has a handy little website for those considering a visit. But again, more on that in the next post. This one is about making the journey to Porvoo via OmniBus, which was quite simple and pleasant all in all.

My bus was leaving at 10:05 and I wanted to build in time to find the right platform, etc., so I was out waiting for the #10 tram nice and early.

The bus leaves from Kammpi station, which, like I saw in my not-so-smooth arrival day transit experience through Mall of Tripla / Pasila station, is a combo shopping/commercial center and transit hub.

Found my way to bus slot 3 --- what do you call bus departure points? not a platform like trains ... whatever, I found it --- and got into my seat. You can choose your seats on the OmniBus website. Very handy little rundown of the different sections and their relative benefits. I paid the extra charge to be in the upper deck front row. I wanted the view. Round trip ticket was about 24 euro.

And we were off and running. Grey skies but still interesting and no regrets paying for my premium seat.

Maybe I'm easily pleased, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I'm a sucker for the fall foilage. It's not something we have in la CDMX so I appreciate it when I experience it.

Once out on the highway we could have been anywhere. Like driving on route 24 somewhere in southeastern Massachusetts.

Snapped some pics of the arrival into downtown Porvoo.

Also captured some shots of the bus 'terminal'. Fairly generic parking lot surrounded by somewhat generic retail, but it turned out to be a good jumping off point to explore what there is to explore in Porvoo. I did not sample the "GOD DAG PERFECT COFFEE" kiosk. But in retrospect, if it was anything like the quality hot chocolate I pulled out of a similar kiosk in Tallinn a few days later, it would not have been a mistake to buy one. I'd be inclined to trust vending machine coffee during future Finland visits.

Net: smooth journey to Porvoo with Omnibus. Also, it was deliciously quiet. Like the quiet car of a commuter rail train. Only people actually abide the quiet. Recommend, 10/10. One note - limited english from the bus drivers I interacted with. Did not impact me given I had no issues with my ticket or anything. But be prepared to break out the translation app if you need to communicate anything beyond simple ticket transaction details.

Next post(s) will hit more on what I did with my 4 hours in Porvoo.

I went to a soccer game! Finland v Lithuania, Oct 9 2025 (Helsinki Olympic Stadium)

After a pretty full day (see previous posts) I was really looking forward to the evening's scheduled activity: Finland vs Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier at Helsinki Olympic Stadium. (Yes, Finland hosted a summer Olympics. Also, check out the wikipedia entry at that previous link - some nice concerts back in the 90s ... Dire Straits & Was (Not Was)!) I learned about the match through MyHelsinki.com, which is a fantastic resource for planning things to do during your visit to Helsinki. Tickets were pretty reasonable. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out where to sit. This site was semi helpful, combined with some stadium schematics I found online. I wanted a decent seat, but did not need to splash for the best seat in the house. Wound up spending 70euro for E5, Row 10, Seat 101. Anyway, I was going to the game and looking forward to it.

The journey over was pretty straightforward. Took tram 10 all the way to Oopera and then walked to the stadium. Some supporters wearing the blue and white Suomi scarves. Felt like a family outing vibe. Not quite like taking the red line up to Wrigley. Though I arrived a bit early, so maybe it ramped up on the following trams that arrived closer to kickoff. Scene I rolled up on was pretty chill. Food truck was quiet.

You traverse a little green area before getting to the parking & pre-game area.

Outside the stadium was a nice vibe. Very orderly, calm, no crazy chants. Some interactive set ups for kids to take shots on goal. Obligatory food truck. The merch tents were modest but offered a nice variety of gear. Wound up doing what I usually do: bought a shirt in the wrong size that will end up in Judy's closet. Cool looking shirt, though.

Time to enter. The Jerry-dome in Dallas it ain't. But I love this kind of place. Minimalist. Old school. I was feeling seen in Finland.

Found my seat to be satisfactory and took in some of the pre-game ceremony.

Snapped a couple of pics at the kick and for some set plays.

The first half ended with Finland down 1-0 and not looking too inspired. The experience was pretty good overall. It hadn't rained and wasn't too cold, so that was big. But there was a pretty hyper 9-year old sitting behind me and he must have kicked my seat 15 times in 45 minutes. I gave some thought to trying to find another seat and another perspective for the second half, but ultimately decided to just bail. It had been a long day and I wanted to eat something besides stadium food for dinner. So I left. I did capture an unexpected use of Kool & The Gang's 'Celebration' to start the halftime break.


Finns don't get cheated on the halftime / intermission beers. Witnessed something similar at the hockey game I went to Saturday night (future post).

For some reason I decided to scoot back to the apartment rather than take the tram. I think I exited on a far side of the stadium away from the tram and when I saw some scooters there for the riding I said why not. In my experience, scooting is a bit easier when you're just kind of wandering or generally exploring. Trying to navigate to a specific spot a few miles away in the dark is not as much fun. Scoot. Stop. Check google maps. Scoot. Stop. Check google maps. But I saw another slice of the city that I otherwise would not have covered. My route was the dark blue line in the image below. Eventually I made it home, then popped out to K-Market for some prepared meal thing to enjoy in my cozy and warm apartment.

Oh, and I later learned that Finland scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half, going on to win 2-1. They won't qualify directly from their group (Netherlands and Poland have those spots sewn up). But they will be in the playoffs for a final qualifying spot.

Assorted slices from my first afternoon in Helsinki

After my morning exploration and navigating the move from hotel to apartment I had maybe 4-5 hours before heading to the Finland v Lithuania soccer game at 7p (next post coming on that). I was going to test a walking tour of the center from 2-4. Before and after that were open. The pictures and notes below are a bit of a grab bag of thoughts and observations from that afternoon of walking around.

Starting with the area right around my apartment in the Ullanlinna area of the city. It was really nice. Residential, but with a number of small boutiques, shops, and cafes. I pinned a number of them to try if / when I can get back here with Judy. These few pics provide a sense of the vibe.

(Perhaps the best toaster merchandising I've ever seen)

Moving along, I grabbed a few more pics of another area that captivated me, which is around that Erottaja tram stop. This area is also a short walk to the Esplanadi, so the hotels in that stretch along Bulevardi really are where you want to be, in my opinion.

Dipped through the commerical center, behind Stockmann and along Aleksanterinkatu. Brought to mind memories of State St. and the old Marshall Fields in Chicago. Maybe it was the grey skies that really brought the Chicago vibes home.

Made my way over the the Esplanadi. Very pleasant place for a walk.

(Would love to swing by this place when it's open during warmer weather and pay whatever they are charging for a Salmiakki.)

Continued on toward the walking tour's meeting point. Got my first glimpse of the Helsinki Cathedral. Followed shortly thereafter by a shot I liked with the City bikes all lined up in front.

Also stumbled upon this Okra shop which has great reviews and cool stuff. Check it out if you're nearby.

Then a few pics from the walking tour (which was okay, not great).
Senate Square

National Library of Finland

Havis Amanda (which apparently was scandalous when first unveiled)

And the statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg (Google him - I don't remember his significance, but he's got a statue in the middle of the Esplanadi, so probably a big deal).

The best stop on the tour was the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. It was on my list to visit anyway, but the guided tour and explanation of all that is possible there was helpful. Did not take any pics inside as the guide explained that the Finns don't love being in pictures (my people!). But the area around it is beautiful.

On my way back to the apartment I took a quick spin along Iso Roobertinkatu, which is one of the main axis of the Design District. Over the next few days I was here multiple times because it was the closest K-Market location.

All in all a good orientation afternoon covering a fair bit of ground. Now time for a brief rest before heading off to the soccer game.