Felicity Long
For the past three years in a row, Finland has elbowed out the competition to nab the title of world s happiest country, according to the U.N. s World Happiness Report (yes, there really is such a thing).
Criteria include income per capita, health and life expectancy and social support, among others, but the last time I was in Helsinki with my family, before the pandemic, I had an aha moment about why the Finns keep nailing that elusive award.
The city, while lovely, seems to me to be designed for its residents rather than to impress tourists. For example, our local walking-tour guide wanted to take us to the new Central Library, known as the Oodi, which opened in late 2018, even though we only had a few hours with her.
If anything is palpable as soon as one arrives in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, it is that the air is crisp and delicious. In fact, the country is supposed to have the best air quality in the world and it felt almost like breathing straight out of an oxygen cylinder.
I arrived at the city’s Vantaa Airport, on a chilly September evening and headed straight to a kiosk to pick up a 12-euro day pass that would entitle me to unlimited travel on the city’s public transport for 24 hours. It took me a trip in a fairly empty metro into the city and then a tram ride to reach my hostel for the night, Eurohostel.