Cultural Hel

In this episode Heather and Dan take in Helsinki's most notorious area, Kontula, which is one of 5 sub-boroughs of Mellunkylä. The pair discover that there is a fair bit more to this area than the obvious, with a park we never knew existed and much more along the way.Join us for this latest journey into Helsinki's boroughs...Click the follow button and ⁠⁠follow on socials⁠⁠ for pictures and all the latest from the intrepid explorers!

Malmi is like a mini-community of it's own within the city, so Heather and Dan went to take a look around.The famous Malmi airport which closed a few years back, the massive cemetery, Malmitalo and more are the subject of discussion in this latest exploration.Click the follow button and ⁠follow on socials⁠ for pictures and all the latest from the intrepid explorers!

Kulosaari is a quiet island perfect for a walk. So Heather and Dan did just that and had a wonderful history tour guided by Jouko Koppinen (the author of a book about the history of Kulosaari) and Pam White.The quartet begin their exploration at the cemetery and all the way across the island via historic buildings and wonderful stories. This is one not to miss!Click the follow button and follow on socials for pictures and all the latest from the intrepid explorers!

It's the last podcast of 2025 and Dan and Heather take a trip to one of Helsinki's most populous areas, Punavuori.Full of restaurants, bars and much more of interest, the pair delve (not so deeply) into some of the interesting sights and tastes Punavuori has to offer. Dan get's a bit carried away with the history of the area too!Get all the latest on our travels and cultural experiences by following us on your social media of choice ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

It's the turn of possibly the smallest district of Helsinki, Eira in the latest outing of discovery.Despite being small, Dan and Heather find out more about the area, it's islands, embassies, eateries and more...Get all the latest on our travels and cultural experiences by following us on your social media of choice ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Despite being a huge area, Ultuna doesn't have too much in it to explore! Comprised of Puroniitty and Landbo this is the second area visited which was part of Helsinki's land grab from Sipoo.Dan and Heather visit Puroniitty with dog to explore the large dog park and the end of the Landbo forest track (most of which is in Sipoo!).Get all the latest on our travels and cultural experiences by following us on your social media of choice ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Pukinmäki is the district selected by the random number generator for this episode.Heather and Dan chat with the owner of Weiste, the only exclusively Christmas themed shop in Finland. One of the best sports pitches outside of the centre gets a visit as does the former fire station and of course the pair found somewhere to have coffee and cake!Get all the latest on our travels and cultural experiences by following us on your social media of choice ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Dan and Heather see the sights of district 13. From lunch at Kuu Kuu to the Natural History museum, Arkadia bookshop to Temppeliaukio Church, there's something for everyone just a stones throw away from the centre of the city.Get all the latest on our travels and cultural experiences by following us on your social media of choice ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.

Dan & Heather take on Alppiharju in this episode. Know for Linnanmäki, Musiikkitalo and having many, many bars, this episode delves deep into the heart of the area to find out if there really is something for everyone...Give us a follow by finding you social media of choice ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Out in the sticks, Talosaari was part of the city of Helsinki land grab a few years back. Dan and Heather explore the area to see what's actually there...Give us a follow by finding you social media of choice ⁠here⁠.

So what is there to do in one of Helsinki's smallest boroughs? Well it turns out to be quite a lot actually! Technical Museum, waterfalls/rapids, nature walks and food trucks are all on the agenda in this episode.And follow Cultural Hel on your social media of choice ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. We've got a lot of exploring to do together over the coming months, join us to discover more of the city!

So season 2 is upon us! Heather and Dan begin exploring the capital borough by borough and we begin with Mustikkamaa. There's a lot more to it than just the entrance to Korkeasaari Zoo. Come and join us on our journey of exploration...And follow Cultural Hel on your social media of choice ⁠here⁠. We've got a lot of exploring to do together over the coming months, join us to discover more of the city!

Dan & Heather give an update of studying Swedish on Heather's return from a break away to Årland.And the pair reveal plans for the upcoming 60+ shows! Check out the grand reveal and maybe you can send us some ideas once you know what's in store!Check out our socials via your favourite ⁠⁠⁠⁠social media⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Dan & Heather braved the heat of the capital to take a look at this years' Little Italy Festival. However, that was enough outside activity, so they ventured inside to Musiikkitalo's open event and over to Taidehalli to see some interestingly evocative artwork too.Check out our socials via your favourite ⁠⁠social media⁠⁠.

After a busy fortnight where Dan has been to Stockholm and Heather has been growing vegetables the pair took a trip to the Hesinki (Hesa) Cup to find out more about this now legendary football competition which has now hit the 50-year mark!Check out our socials via your favourite ⁠social media⁠.

The weather has finally picked up a little, so Dan and Heather are out and about in Helsinki again!Starting with a discussion about Kylie Minogue's visit to the Espoo Arena, the hosts navigate another lunch restaurant, Swedish language and finally make the Helsinki Biennaali with visits to HAM and Amos Rex.Check out our socials via your favourite social media.

With the rain falling outside on Helsinki Day (the day this was recorded), Dan and Heather abandoned plans to venture out in the city and instead had an indoor picnic and discussed Dan's trip to Oddfest, the upcoming festival season and much more besides...Follow us on socials

With the good weather holding up, Heather and Dan went out in Helsinki again, recording this episode in Kaisaniemi (excuse the sound in places, it was a bit windy!).With summer coming, the pair decided to think about what there is to do in Helsinki during the summer to enjoy the brief but beautiful season and maximise enjoyment for the whole family.

Dan and Heather, fully refreshed from a short break are back and on the new release day of Wednesday!In this episode Helsinki is further explored. On the agenda was the market square, Uspenski Cathedral and Helsinki City Museum before lunch in Helsinki newest bar/restaurant Tap & Table.Finishing the trip with a visit to Hachi, a wonderful Japanese shop in the heart of the city and speaking to its owner Juko about popular items and the high percentage of Finnish clientele.Give us a follow on your social media of choice for pictures and more information...

Dan's been to Tallinn Music Week 2025 and Heather visited the multi-museum hub of Kaapelitehdas recently so visits are discussed.With Easter this weekend, Heather took Dan down the Mämmi rabbit-hole, tasting and discussing which is the best on offer.Also some discussions were alittle random, AI gets a bit of a hard -time from Dan, Heather delves a little deeper into sustainability and voting in the municipal elections is also covered.Plus the usual upcoming events are explored.