Sister cities on the Gulf of Finland: Helsinki and Tallinn
 

Located only 80 km (50 miles) apart, Tallinn and Helsinki are like sisters who have led very different lives. Founded in 13th century as Reval, Tallinn is the older of the two cities. Helsinki was founded by the Swedish in the 16th century in order to provide a rival trading port to Tallinn. The settlement didn't do well at first, but today it is much bigger than its older sister to the south.

Tallinn has one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Being a more modern city, Helsinki has a lot of sprawl by European standards, but its downtown core is quite charming and compact.

Tallinn, Estonia

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Helsinki, Finland

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I just love Finland and it's capital Helsinki is just beautiful. I'm probably Finland's biggest fan. I am constantly telling my friends and strangers to visit. Great pictures, I hope you had an amazing time.

Tallinn is stunningly beautiful, been there once, and it is cool they even have some skyscrapers. Helsinki is a Scandinavian city I never been to, but it looks quite nice judging from your pictures, like a somewhat smaller version of Stockholm.

I had the best smorgasbord lunch once in a modest little restaurant in Helsinki where only the locals go. I remember the wood-paneled interior, the kitschy décor, friendly proprietors, and how bloody cold it was that day in January.

Thank you for this compare/contrast tour of the two cities, with many nice streetscapes.