Helsinki Pocket Guide introduces this cosmopolitan capital known for its sense of style, design and rich cultural life. Helsinki's avenues are lined with buildings echoing centuries of architectural excellence, from Gothic through to art deco and cutting-edge contemporary. Surrounded with crisp, unpolluted air and the bright blue Baltic waters, the invigorating outdoors beckons in Helsinki.

Helsinki's highlights include: numerous festivals and fairs, like the May Day Carnival, October Herring Festival, the Helsinki City Marathon, annual samba carnival and the midsummer festival; some of the world's finest orchestras and choirs, rock concerts, film festivals, the Finnish National Opera and Ballet performances; the bustling Market Square is the central meeting point of the city; Senate Square is dominated by the city's main landmark, the Lutheran Cathedral, designed by Carl Ludwig Engel and consecrated in 1852. Direct flights are available from 45 UK and Ireland airports.