Topic: Glass advice in Helsinki

[gfirob]

I am thinking of going to Helsinki for a couple of weeks in August for a holiday.  Anyone have any suggestions for shops that sell vintage modern glass?  I expect to drive up to the Finnish Glass museum also.  Anyone have any suggestions about that experience?  Any other thoughts about visiting Finland for a Finnish glass fan?  It is my guess that there will be more Finnish glass there than there is here in Baltimore in the US.  Any thoughts at all would be appreciated.  I have traveled in the Baltic regions quite a bit, but I have never been to Finland.
Thanks

[Ivo]

great place for shopping around - I had a fab time there some years ago. There are antique shops but they tend to be expensive - but you can have great fun on the fleamarkets. There is one in the central Hietaniemi (square and market hall)  on weekends - and I saw there was a huge one on just outside the city when we were on our way to the airport on Sunday. By that time I was done with shopping anyway...  
You will find it is a very friendly place. Open a map on a streetcorner and people will rush in to give you directions. And don't forget to take the bar tram, it is fun.

[culverwood]

Although there will be more Finnish glass for sale than in Baltimore the Finns are generally very knowledgeable and proud of Finnish design so do not expect too may bargains. 

Helsinki is a small city so quickly and easily explored and the coast and countryside make Finland a good country for a touring holiday.  There are not many boutique hotels in Finland and most of the hotels are modern and functional.  Be prepared for mosquitoes / midges if you spend time up around the lakes.

[Bill G]

In addition to Helsinki, I would recommend you travel to Iittala and Nuutajärvi Glassworks where they have glass museums in addition to The Finnish Glass Museum in Riihimäki.

If you can get a copy of my book "Scandinavian Glass -Creative Energies" you will find a schedule of glass studios
in Finland with the name and addresses.

You might also want to go to Bukowski's Finland in Helsinki to see if they will have glass for sale at auction.

A wonderful country to visit and enjoy.

Best William L. Geary

[px]

Being a Finn myself I have to agree with the above. Must be a nice place to visit !  :hiclp: And a stay of 2 weeks at least may add a possibility of good luck with the weather too.   We are at the moment experiencing a whole week of 30 degrees Celsius and sunny weather  throughout the whole country  but you never know  - it could turn to 14 and rainy. Btw, the mosqitos and midges need moisture to breed. So being as dry as now, not much of them around.  
And speaking about the lakes. There are hundreads of thousands of them. Small ones around the Helsinki area, and more lakes than land in some parts of the country in east... just look at the map.
On the other hand, the coast of the sea is a totally different nature with a very exceptional archipelago. From Helsinki I would recommend to take a cruise from Kauppatori (market place) or at least a boat to Suomenlinna.  http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/  An old fortress island just outside the city.
If you want to experience nature in forest, (which I do recommend too)  there is a national park just outside the city area with marked hiking paths in different lengths too. http://www.visitespoo.fi/visitors_guide/enjoy/nature_experiences/nuuksio_national_park

Sorry about the overflow outside the glass subject... just in case there would be a day or two for something else than shopping...  

About the museums, yes you can google "lasimuseo" (glassmuseum) + riihimäki, nuutajärvi or iittala. Definitely a must, all of them.
Also Arabia museum is an interesting place to visit:
http://www.arabianmuseo.fi/web/museumarabia.nsf/pagesbylevel/ENG0?OpenDocument&LANG=ENG

A lot of shops and links to shops etc. listed here  http://www.antiikkilinkit.com/indexal.htm
(you may want to use google translator )

Feel free to ask if you need help.

[gfirob]

Thanks so much to everyone for the thoughtful posts.  Bill, I have your excellent book and I'll look up the information.  Though there was some lovely glass in both cities, I was never able to find any cheap glass in either Stockholm or Copenhagen, so I didn't think it was going to be cheap in Helsinki either -- but I did think there would be more of it there than here.  And as far as Finnish glass goes, Finland is the true vine, as they say in the American south—the original source.  Right now the plan is to be there for about a week, so I hope to have time to poke around and explore, and experience the place.  It sounds very nice, and thanks for the suggestions, particularly about the flea markets.  If I may, I might post more questions after I educate myself more about the city.  Thanks again for your help.
Rob Gardner

[culverwood]

Another spot to consider visiting on holiday is Fiskars http://www.fiskarsvillage.fi/en/ , I can recommend the Wardhus http://www.wardshus.fi/en/ as a place to stay and eat