Brew festivals and ethical cafes: Why coffee-lovers should head to Helsinki this year
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Coffee-loving travellers might have destinations like Vienna and Melbourne on their must-visit list - but what about Finland?
The Nordic nation is home to some of the most prolific caffeine drinkers in the world, and now Helsinki is positioning itself as a new brew capital.
An increasingly diverse coffee culture has taken root in the Finnish capital city over the last decade, with small roasteries, transparent sourcing and modish cafés.
And this weekend, the Helsinki Coffee Festival, the leading event of its kind in the Nordics, celebrates its 10th anniversary.
Related
Coolcations: Why more people are flocking to destinations in Norway, Finland and Iceland this summer
Finland is a country of coffee fiends
For Finns, coffee is more than just a warming and energising drink - it's a social glue and a growing subculture.
Finland
has long held the global record for coffee consumption, with Finns drinking an average of around four cups a day.
For decades, this devotion centred around light-roasted filter coffee, served black and often brewed by the pot.
But in recent years, roasteries and cafés have been growing more experimental.
Where are the best places to drink coffee in Helsinki?
Visitors should start their coffee education at the city's classic coffee houses.
The oldest café, Ekberg (founded in 1852), Fazer Café, Strindberg, and Café Engel are still going strong, beloved for their unique history and atmosphere.
Café Engel turned 36 in April and has become a Helsinki institution.
'We are happy to notice that Engel attracts people of all ages - sometimes even four generations at once,' says the owner, Harri Sjöberg.
'Our all-time favourites are the all-day breakfasts enjoyed with
coffee
from the local Kaffa Roastery.'
Related
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Green and clean: Chasing the perfect brew in Helsinki
In recent years, progressive roasteries and cafés have been popping up around the country, where travellers can indulge in eco-friendly brews.
Since opening in 2007, Svante Hampf, founder of Helsinki-based speciality roaster Kaffa Roastery, has seen the city's coffee scene evolve.
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'The price tag no longer defines the value of coffee - consumers value transparency and sustainability,' he says.
'Fortunately, quality and
sustainability
often go hand in hand. When coffee is of high quality, its production chain is often built on a sustainable foundation as well."
Kaffa Roastery operates its flagship café and micro roastery in the Punavuori district - with glass walls for literal and metaphorical transparency.
Coffee roasters Svante Hampf (L) and Lauri Pipinen (R).
Osmo Puuperä / Pekka Rousi, Rousi Visions
Over 50 independent roasteries now operate across Finland, many of them in the capital region.
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Cafés like Päiväkahvibaari, La Torrefazione and Rams Roasters have become go-to places for Helsinkians and visitors alike.
Good Life Coffee, which opened its roastery in 2014 and was named the best roaster in the Nordics at the Nordic Coffee Fest in 2024, is another name at the forefront of the movement.
It no longer operates its own café but supplies coffee to some of
Helsinki'
s favourite spots, such as the hip Sävy in Kallio, with its exposed brick walls, vintage furniture and chandeliers.
Co-founder Lauri Pipinen says the roastery's goal is to offer an alternative to mainstream coffee.
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'Our aim is to highlight coffee's origin more clearly - where it comes from and who has grown it. Coffee is rooted deeply in our culture, but still, many people know little about it,' he says, noting that it's nice to operate in a country that appreciates its coffee - and is getting more and more curious about it.
Related
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Want to eat your way round Europe? 7 of the best foodie trips for endless pasta, tapas and wine
Visit the Nordic's biggest coffee festival
The city's burgeoning coffee culture takes centre stage at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Held at Kaapelitehdas from 25-27 April 2025, the festival is the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, bringing together coffee lovers, roasters and baristas.
Visitors can taste coffee from both small and larger roasters, test coffee equipment, learn different ways to brew coffee at home and discover new flavours.
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"The pandemic years had a clear impact on
coffee culture
- people began investing more in making coffee at home and experimenting with new equipment and brewing methods,' says the festival's co-founder, Maija Kestilä.
'At the same time, ecological and ethical considerations have become increasingly important, with more and more people wanting to know the origin of their coffee and opting for responsibly produced beans."
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Euronews
26-04-2025
- Euronews
Brew festivals and ethical cafes: Why coffee-lovers should head to Helsinki this year
ADVERTISEMENT Coffee-loving travellers might have destinations like Vienna and Melbourne on their must-visit list - but what about Finland? The Nordic nation is home to some of the most prolific caffeine drinkers in the world, and now Helsinki is positioning itself as a new brew capital. An increasingly diverse coffee culture has taken root in the Finnish capital city over the last decade, with small roasteries, transparent sourcing and modish cafés. And this weekend, the Helsinki Coffee Festival, the leading event of its kind in the Nordics, celebrates its 10th anniversary. Related Coolcations: Why more people are flocking to destinations in Norway, Finland and Iceland this summer Finland is a country of coffee fiends For Finns, coffee is more than just a warming and energising drink - it's a social glue and a growing subculture. Finland has long held the global record for coffee consumption, with Finns drinking an average of around four cups a day. For decades, this devotion centred around light-roasted filter coffee, served black and often brewed by the pot. But in recent years, roasteries and cafés have been growing more experimental. Where are the best places to drink coffee in Helsinki? Visitors should start their coffee education at the city's classic coffee houses. The oldest café, Ekberg (founded in 1852), Fazer Café, Strindberg, and Café Engel are still going strong, beloved for their unique history and atmosphere. Café Engel turned 36 in April and has become a Helsinki institution. 'We are happy to notice that Engel attracts people of all ages - sometimes even four generations at once,' says the owner, Harri Sjöberg. 'Our all-time favourites are the all-day breakfasts enjoyed with coffee from the local Kaffa Roastery.' Related Could the world's happiest country be the perfect place for your next holiday? Green and clean: Chasing the perfect brew in Helsinki In recent years, progressive roasteries and cafés have been popping up around the country, where travellers can indulge in eco-friendly brews. Since opening in 2007, Svante Hampf, founder of Helsinki-based speciality roaster Kaffa Roastery, has seen the city's coffee scene evolve. ADVERTISEMENT 'The price tag no longer defines the value of coffee - consumers value transparency and sustainability,' he says. 'Fortunately, quality and sustainability often go hand in hand. When coffee is of high quality, its production chain is often built on a sustainable foundation as well." Kaffa Roastery operates its flagship café and micro roastery in the Punavuori district - with glass walls for literal and metaphorical transparency. Coffee roasters Svante Hampf (L) and Lauri Pipinen (R). Osmo Puuperä / Pekka Rousi, Rousi Visions Over 50 independent roasteries now operate across Finland, many of them in the capital region. ADVERTISEMENT Cafés like Päiväkahvibaari, La Torrefazione and Rams Roasters have become go-to places for Helsinkians and visitors alike. Good Life Coffee, which opened its roastery in 2014 and was named the best roaster in the Nordics at the Nordic Coffee Fest in 2024, is another name at the forefront of the movement. It no longer operates its own café but supplies coffee to some of Helsinki' s favourite spots, such as the hip Sävy in Kallio, with its exposed brick walls, vintage furniture and chandeliers. Co-founder Lauri Pipinen says the roastery's goal is to offer an alternative to mainstream coffee. ADVERTISEMENT 'Our aim is to highlight coffee's origin more clearly - where it comes from and who has grown it. Coffee is rooted deeply in our culture, but still, many people know little about it,' he says, noting that it's nice to operate in a country that appreciates its coffee - and is getting more and more curious about it. Related Golden mosaics and giant frescoes: 4 art-filled churches to visit in Europe this year Want to eat your way round Europe? 7 of the best foodie trips for endless pasta, tapas and wine Visit the Nordic's biggest coffee festival The city's burgeoning coffee culture takes centre stage at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Held at Kaapelitehdas from 25-27 April 2025, the festival is the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, bringing together coffee lovers, roasters and baristas. Visitors can taste coffee from both small and larger roasters, test coffee equipment, learn different ways to brew coffee at home and discover new flavours. ADVERTISEMENT "The pandemic years had a clear impact on coffee culture - people began investing more in making coffee at home and experimenting with new equipment and brewing methods,' says the festival's co-founder, Maija Kestilä. 'At the same time, ecological and ethical considerations have become increasingly important, with more and more people wanting to know the origin of their coffee and opting for responsibly produced beans."
Euronews
21-04-2025
- Euronews
Coolcations: Why more people are flocking to destinations in Norway, Finland and Iceland this summer
ADVERTISEMENT Coolcations are growing in popularity as holidaymakers increasingly attempt to escape the soaring temperatures and crowds in major summer destinations such as Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Rising incidents of extreme weather, including heat waves and wildfires in these Southern European destinations, have only served to bolster this trend. Recent analysis by Virtuoso, a global network of luxury and experiential travel agencies, reported a 44 per cent increase in travel to cooler destinations like Canada, Finland and Iceland in 2024. Travel perks provider Dragon Pass experienced more than a 100 per cent increase in bookings for Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the last year, with another 30 per cent growth expected for this year. James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, says that the company carries more than 40,000 people in Iceland. 'So you see exactly the same potential to do that across the countries here in Scandinavia,' he adds. 'We know there's real big demand for our style of travel here.' Related Is Norway introducing a visitor tax? Here's all we know about its proposal to tackle overtourism Set-jetting in Sicily: Where to find the lavish filming locations of Netflix's The Leopard Cooler destinations such as the Nordics, Canada and Scotland offer not only breathtaking scenery and a host of exciting outdoor and adventure activities but also champion sustainable tourism. Immersive experiences such as glacial dips, fjord hikes and midnight sun adventures make these holiday spots stand out even more. But will coolcations continue to be in demand this summer? Why are travellers choosing Nordic coolcations this summer? One of the biggest reasons for this shift towards Nordic destinations is the desire to escape from soaring temperatures and heat waves in Southern Europe. 'We have seen this multiple times for travellers who specifically went to Svalbard mid-summer to experience ice, glaciers and cool temperatures whilst the rest of southern Europe was in a heat wave,' says Andy Marsh, founder of Polar Escapes. Several Nordic regions and activities are much more accessible during the summer months, while offering a different range of spectacular landscapes, abundant wildlife and thrilling outdoor adventures from wintertime. Aldeyjarfoss Cascade in Iceland. Pixabay Longer daylight hours, sometimes up to 24 hours, mean that travellers get the most out of their trip, too. 'In Iceland, it can be extremely challenging to visit the remote, surreal landscapes of the far north like Lake Myvatn in winter months (as well as early spring and late fall),' Robert Miller, product manager at Goway Travel, points out. 'Want to snorkel between tectonic plates? Best to do so in the summer (yes, you'll still find it chilly, but not bone-chilling!).' ADVERTISEMENT Nordic coolcations also provide a sense of escapism, offering travellers the chance to venture off the beaten path, especially with increasing protests and measures against over tourism in Southern Europe. These places offer travellers the opportunity for more meaningful experiences through deeper connections with locals, which are harder to do in other overcrowded destinations. Related Give back while you travel: Fiji's 'Loloma Hour' invites visitors to help protect paradise Volunteering with wildlife on holiday? Here are some 'green flags' to look out for 'In the travel space, it's all about more connection than it's about trying to raise walls and create differences between people. And what we see during these geopolitically divided times is that people are looking for experiences where they can have connection and they can have community and they can step away from some of the isolation and the concerns they experience through social media,' says Thornton. Andrew Harrison-Chinn, the CMO of Dragon Pass, highlights that coolcations often support more mindful travel . ADVERTISEMENT 'Travellers are opting for trips that align with their values. Nordic destinations offer something increasingly valuable to modern travellers: space, serenity, and sustainability,' he adds. Stunning fjords in Bergen, Norway. Pexels 'In recent years, we've seen growing interest in travel that fosters a deeper connection with nature and prioritises personal wellbeing. From the origins of the Finnish sauna to trekking Norway's fjords, more travellers are turning to Scandinavia to embrace lagom (balance) and hygge (well-being).' Nordic destinations also focus on sustainability, with well-developed networks of green travel infrastructure, including electric public transport and eco-certified lodging. They can be incredibly family-friendly as well, with public transport being completely pushchair accessible, an abundance of playgrounds and parks, and easy-to-find changing tables. ADVERTISEMENT Upcoming destinations for coolcations this summer include Greenland, according to Marsh, who says it is the 'perfect place for a coolcation'. 'Picture icebergs the size of tower blocks, fjords that stretch on for an eternity, and pure wilderness in one of the least densely populated places on the planet.' Could the rise of coolcations cause overtourism in Nordic destinations? With the shift in tourism towards cooler destinations, concerns about potential overtourism in Nordic destinations are cropping up. Surging tourism could put more pressure on cities such as Reykjavik and Bergen, which are not as well-equipped to handle high-volume summer tourism as alternatives like Mykonos or Rome. 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Euronews
09-04-2025
- Euronews
Norway is building the world's longest and deepest subsea road beneath its fjords
ADVERTISEMENT Norway is building the world's longest and deepest underwater tunnel, one of Europe's most ambitious engineering projects which is hoped will boost the country's transport links and infrastructure. Running under the country's fjords, the record-breaking Rogaland fixed link - or Rogfast - will be about 26.7 km long and 390 m at the deepest point under the sea. Once completed in 2033, the tunnel link will reduce the travelling time between two of Norway's largest cities, Stavanger and Bergen, by 40 minutes. The Rogfast project, whose construction is nearing the halfway point, is part of the main European E39 highway, which runs along the west coast of the Nordic country. Linking cities like Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen, it will also replace ferry crossings and make travel smoother, according to the Norwegian roads authority which is behind the project. "Stavanger is the fourth-largest city in Norway, and Bergen is the second largest, so we hope that it's possible that this project will be able to reduce travelling time for workers as well when they are travelling to either Stavanger or Bergen on a daily basis," Oddvar Kaarmo, project manager of the Rogfast project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Euronews Next. An island roundabout One of the key design features of the new subsea highway is around the midway point where a spur connects the island of Kvitsøy, Norway's smallest municipality, to the main tunnel in the rock beneath it. The Rogfast tunnel will feature two lanes of traffic in each direction. Under Kvitsøy, the lanes meet via two roundabouts that are being built 260 m below sea level. "We have produced roundabouts in the tunnels before. But this might be one of the earliest constructions where we have this cross-section area with two roundabouts in the tunnel. As far as I know, I haven't seen two roundabouts in a cross-section area in a tunnel before," Kaarmo said. The two roundabouts under the island will allow traffic to flow even when one of the lanes is closed. "If something happens and we have to shut down a part of the tunnel, we can still run the tunnel by using one pipeline and traffic in each direction in one pipeline," he added. The twin tube structure is also a safety measure. "If a lorry or a truck [catches] fire in front of you and you are not able to turn around and drive out, you can just seek these green doors with exit signs… and you will be able to walk to the other pipeline of the tunnel. And we have this camera system that [allows us to] know exactly where you are. And we can pick you up and take you out of the tunnels," Kaarmo told Euronews Next. Norway's tunnel building finesse The Rogfast project, which is being built in parts at a cost of 25 billion Norwegian Krone (€2 billion), is currently half completed after ground was broken in 2018. "In the north side, about 65 per cent of the tunnel is produced and then it's just the production of the tunnel like the drilling and blasting. And at the south end at Randaberg, it's about 45 percent [complete]," Kaarmo said. ADVERTISEMENT Unlike the Fehmarn belt fixed link currently under construction between Germany and Denmark that uses modular building method, Rogfast is being blasted and drilled straight through solid bedrock, a method Norway uses to ensure stability and durability under water pressure. "You are travelling through solid rock. We have this distance between the roof in the tunnel to the bottom to the sea. Our regulations demand 50 m. So you're travelling at the sea bottom. We have subsea road tunnels which have that construction. And the new tunnel between Germany and Denmark, there they are laying down cases and put the cases together and they do not go under the bottom like we do in Norway," Kaamor said. "In Norway, we produce tunnels quite cheap, if you compare it to a bridge for instance. And we have about 40 subsea road tunnels in Norway, and we are familiar with the construction. So normally it's easier and cheaper to build a subsea road tunnel than a bridge to the same island," he added. The Rogfast fixed link is scheduled to be completed by summer 2033. ADVERTISEMENT "It will help the producer of seafood production to reach the market in a better way without ferries," Kaarmo said. "It will see working travellers, industry, and probably also tourism. Because the west coast of Norway is a part of Norway that tourists often seek. For instance, Bergen. We have lots of tourists in Bergen. And when we have this road project which will allow us to travel to Bergen in a shorter time, most likely, the tourists will also get eyes for this part of Norway even more than today," he noted. The Norwegian roads authority estimates 13,000 journeys will be every day for the new tunnel by 2053. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above. ADVERTISEMENT
