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The Irish Sun

I visited European wellness haven with gorgeous nature parks, huge theme park and foraging walk just 3 hours from Dublin

WHAT'S the first thing you think of on mention of a family trip to Finland? Snow and Santa, right? Well forget Santa and snowball fights, this trip was all about saunas, Advertisement 5 Fiona travelled to Helsinki with husband James and daughters Lily, 7, and Rosie, 4 Credit: Collect image through journalist 5 The SkyWheel in central Helsinki Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 Linnanmäki, which boasts over 40 rides, is Finland's oldest and most popular amusement park Credit: Getty Images - Getty From gorgeous nature parks and sea views to daily saunas and tasty fare, you begin to see why the Finns are so happy. Flying with Finnair operates up to ten flights a week from Dublin to Our journey began with a 9.45am departure from Advertisement READ MORE IN TRAVEL After our three-hour flight, it was to the Scandic Park Helsinki The hotel has a playroom right by the On the first day we met with our guide Karin, and off we trotted to the impressive Helsinki Central Library Oodi, a modern architectural marvel. More than a library, Oodi offers visitors creative resources and a space to engage with the city's diverse urban life. For the girls there were several playgrounds around the library which is also close to the picturesque Töölö Lake. Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Another highlight of the trip was a foraging walk on Seurasaari island. Guided by Anna Nyman - a biologist, forager and herbalist - she showed us a world of wild edible plants and herbs. FINLAND'S OLDEST AMUSEMENT PARK We nibbled on heart's-ease pansies, ground elder, and wood sorrel. Rosie particularly liked the flowers of the blueberry plant. Then, in contrast to the relaxing morning spent being at one with nature, we set off to do something a bit more high-octane. Advertisement Linnanmäki, which boasts over 40 rides, is Finland's oldest and most popular The girls were still too young to go on the park's wilder rides, such as Swingi, which swings visitors from side to side at nearly 100 km/h, or the rollercoaster Taiga - that throws you upside down four times per ride with a top speed of 106 km/h. But we did try some more of the sedate spins and the girls enjoyed being budding truck drivers on Rekkaralli, and spinning around on Propelli. While in Helsinki we also took the ferry across to Suomenlinna, the historic sea fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site, steeped in maritime history and charm. Advertisement The entire area of Suomenlinna has about 200 buildings spread over 80 hectares of land. The fortress alone has about 6km of walls and over a hundred cannons. WELLNESS TRADITIONS You can enjoy Suomenlinna with just the price of a ferry or water bus ticket, as there is no entrance Capping off our cultural adventure we immersed ourselves in Finnish It was so good we went twice in our five days in Helsinki. The pool is open all year round and is a just a stone's throw from the Market Square. It's a great way to enjoy the Advertisement It has three saunas, two warm water pools and one sea water pool, into which water is pumped from nearby streams and filtered clean. One of the pools is perfect for kids, with tummy-height water levels for them. Floaties and pool noodles are available from the lifeguards. We spent hours there on both visits and had dinner and Saunas really are a must for visitors to Advertisement But the real question is: does everyone walk around nude? The answer is - kinda. Actually, it depends which area you are in. Check the dress code and remember, wearing a towel is always ok. 'EASY TO BE ACTIVE' Just one minute in cold water after the sauna boosts your happy hormones. When you alternate the heat of the sauna with a 30 to 60-second dip in the sea, lake, or a cold shower, your body responds with a rush of feel-good hormones. The girls loved it too! Right across from the pool is the funky restaurant Toppa, on the top floor of the outstanding 'Sugar Cube' building designed by Alvar Aalto. Advertisement Food here is meant to be shared and we feasted on Bo ssam, a fresh and crunchy It's so easy to be active in Helsinki. The city has 34 public Children were warmly welcomed wherever we went and Finnish people are very friendly. It was our second visit to Helsinki. James and I got engaged here 10 years ago, and next time – we won't wait another decade to experience it all again. Advertisement 5 Rocky Cove at the Suomenlinna Maritime Fortress in the south harbour Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 Suomenlinna became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 Credit: Getty Images - Getty