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So for the first time in my life, I'm old enough and financially secure enough to actually go on a vacation. Not a vacation that would please the likes of my mother or sister, who prefer to roast themselves on some resort in Mexico, wasted, being attended to by English-speaking slaves (not really my cup of tea), but a vacation none the less.
To be fair, I did once go on a family vacation to London, and we did all the hyper-structured, scheduled days from 7am-9pm, tourist-y things that I've come to associate with tourism. We took pictures in all the famous places, such as the ol gathering of big rocks, went on that giant ferris wheel, looked at the fluffy hat guards and so on and so forth (I'm being deliberately facetious, of course). The only thing I really recall being really amazed by was entering the Salisbury cathedral while there was some sort of choir singing. That was enjoyable.
Now I'm more or less an adult, and after a good year out of school, siphoning off disgusting amounts of oil & gas money industry as an IT consultant, I am finally in a position to do something interesting.
So - here's the scoop: My girlfriend and I want to go to Europe to meander about and relax over the christmas break (she's in law school so this is the only real break in her schedule). Both of us are totally opposed to traditional touristismivity, and want to go see something new. The upside is that she is Parisian, and her whole family lives in Paris, so the latter half of our vacation over new years will be downtown in Paris (as her ancient grandmother owns a flat literally downtown), where we can stay for free. My plan is of course to gorge myself on foie gras, cheese, and real bread.
So, my question to you, fine denizens of the world, is this: between Helsinki and Copenhagen, where do you think would be more interesting, unusual, and fun to visit over xmas? Keep in mind that standing in lines to take pictures of plaques or w/e is not really a priority. I'm interested in music/cultural events, eating some cool stuff, hanging out/drinking with locals, and maybe checking out a few landmarks (just so people don't give me a hard time, mostly). Both locations seem really awesome, with unique culture, cuisine, and things to do during the winter, so it's not a clear cut decision. Copenhagen would be slightly cheaper, of course. Finland has the advantage of being close to Russia, and my heritage is Russian (2nd generation immigrant), so I would enjoy that aspect.
What are your thoughts?
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The food scene and cuisine in Copenhagen is better honestly.
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I really don't know much about either place, but assuming you've got the time and the money, why not find some more budgety hotels/hostels with those cheap single rooms and split your time between both?
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Copenhagen 99% of the time, sorry finns, but the danish people are more extrovert and fun, the cultural world of copenhagen is 50x helsinki.
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Copenhagen is amazing during Xmas too. To me, the choice is easy.
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I love Copenhagen Usually great concerts, really good food and a great city to explore
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Copenhagen and denmark by a long shot.
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On July 30 2013 13:56 QuanticHawk wrote:
I really don't know much about either place, but assuming you've got the time and the money, why not find some more budgety hotels/hostels with those cheap single rooms and split your time between both?
Have you ever seen the movie Hostel?
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There are lots of great sites, especially around christmas in Copenhagen.
Edit: Copenhagen might be cheaper to travel to, but should be more expensive to live/eat in.
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On July 30 2013 20:03 MtlGuitarist97 wrote:Show nested quote +On July 30 2013 13:56 QuanticHawk wrote:
I really don't know much about either place, but assuming you've got the time and the money, why not find some more budgety hotels/hostels with those cheap single rooms and split your time between both? Have you ever seen the movie Hostel?
lol if you do some research you are fine
but as far as hostels, i am not talking bunk set up. a lot of hostels have single or double bed rooms. in palermo i stayed in a place with a giant ass bed and a balcony. only a few bucks more than the general room per night, and still way less than hotels
again, depends on what your gf and you are trying to do though. obviously this doesnt work if you're trying to 5 star it the whole way.
Now i gotta go look up what finnish food is...
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I don't think you should count on Copenhagen being cheaper than Helsinki. Airplane ticket might be a bit cheaper, but costs of living in Copenhagen are quite high.
That being said, I can definitely recommend Copenhagen. It's a great city (I live there myself) Can't comment on Helsinki as I've never been there.
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I've been to both cities, and they are both very nice. Once I took a ferry from Helsinki to Estonia which was nice (it has a lot of old fashioned cobblestone streets and buildings) but it's still not in the best economic shape so you have to be careful about getting ripped off (my phone got stolen there).
From what I remember, Copenhagen looked like a more lively city with more parties and events going on so you'll probably want to check beforehand if you're interested in seeing any concerts or stuff like that.
And I don't know why you didn't mention it but Stockholm is also extremely beautiful. In my opinion it has the best mix of nightlife/food/events and sightseeing in Scandinavia, so it's worth considering unless you have a specific reason you'd rather not go there.
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Estonia is a lot fun like Erik said but if your picking between Helsinki and Copenhagen. At least TLers got that right. Copenhagen all the way!
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Thanks so much for all the feedback guys. I'm thinking Copenhagen might be the way to go
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I really wouldn't wan't to visit Finland during winter unless you're going to Lapland to ski etc.
I'm finnish and i would recommend Copenhagen
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2774 Posts
I'd recommend visiting Helsinki during summer if ever, it's not really the town to visit during winter to be honest.
To be fair I don't really like it to begin with in the first place so eh..
Copenhagen is indeed the way to go, that's what I would do if I were you at least.
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On July 31 2013 09:52 Daray wrote:I really wouldn't wan't to visit Finland during winter unless you're going to Lapland to ski etc. I'm finnish and i would recommend Copenhagen
This is my thoughts, too. Don't come to Finland in the winter unless you want to do winter stuff :p
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/irKznHS.jpg)
