48 Hours: Helsinki

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Get your bearings Helsinki lies on Finland's south coast, hard against the Gulf of Finland – the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. Water is key to its appeal: while the hub of the city sits on terra firma, the landmass is laced with lakes and channels – and several of Helsinki's big sights perch on islands just off-shore, notably the 18th-century sea fortress of Suomenlinna. But the city's softer side quickly takes over in the form of the Esplanadi – a manicured walkway that offers hints of Paris as it flows uphill – part Jardin des Tuileries in its leafy café culture, part Champs Elysées in the two chic avenues that flank it. Finland's National Gallery, Ateneum, at Kaivokatu 2, houses the titans of Finnish art – Akseli-Gallen Kallela, Helene Schjerfbeck – plus pieces by Van Gogh and Gauguin.