Helsinki is one of the most vibrant and prosperous cities in the world with very high standards of living. With all its bays, inlets and shore islands, Helsinki is almost surrounded by water. The city grew up around a natural harbor overlooking the Gulf of Finland.

Helsinki’s offerings are seen best in summer, when the sidewalk cafes and the waterside markets are thronged by handsome, hardy people basking in the glow of plentiful daylight. As well as during this time visitors and residents gather on the steps of Senate Square to soak in the evening.There is summer sunlight in Helsinki 20 hours a day.

Helsinki may be the world’s second most northerly capital city, after Reykjavik, and it may be lapped by the Baltic, but it can feel almost Mediterranean on a fine August day, with soft, golden light bathing the pastel-colored Italianate buildings around Senate Square, a legacy from Russian rule in the 19th century, and ferries, cruise ships and trawlers filling in a lively marine backdrop.