A local’s guide to Helsinki, Finland: delicious seafood, islands to explore and a dash of Arctic cool

Former tour guide Heidi Johansson leads us to great local food, unisex saunas and fab cocktails in the Finnish capital

My favourite thing to do in Helsinki is get a fish plate from a stall in the authentically Finnish Kauppahalli (Old Market Hall) on the harbour front. I go there after a heated-pool swim and a quick dip in the icy Baltic at the Allas sea pool. For a white-tablecloth, sit-down meal, head to Kolme Kruunua, an old-school neighbourhood restaurant in Kruununhaka that has preserved its 1950s decor and serves Finnish classics like meatballs and reindeer.