Provins is a small medieval village about 90 minutes by train from Paris.
Why Visit?
The main attraction is the unspoilt nature of the many buildings as well as the city walls and Cesar Tower. For younger visitors, there are also shows with knights and falcons. We found this was an opportunity go see some of the French countryside, without going too far from Paris, as the train passes many small villages and farms
How to Get To Provins
The train runs from Gare de l’Est. We had a seven-day metro pass which covered this fare as well. Without the pass, the normal price of the ticket is 11.50 Euros one way. As the price of the seven-day pass was 30 Euro, we almost made our money back in one return trip. Travel time was a nice relaxed 90 minutes. The train was comfortable, clean and quiet.
At Provins railway station, there is a shuttle bus that will take you to the tourist office, or you can walk into town and explore on the way. It was a nice day, so we chose to walk. It didn’t take too long, but on a wet day, or if it’s too hot, take the bus.
Train Route to Provins
What to See in Provins
The highlight of the town, is the old medieval buildings. Walk around the old streets and admire them. We spent some time doing this, before having a coffee near the old market square, where there a few places to get a drink and a meal. We found that the total walk time between all of the attractions was about 40 minutes. However, more time is needed as you back track and go to look at other interesting buildings.
Walking Around ProvinsProvins Street
La Tour Cesar
This 12th century castle overlooks the town and surrounding countryside. It is very well preserved and you can access the whole complex right up to the bell tower. The climb really is part of the adventure and is highly recommended. The stairways can be quite narrow and steep in places, giving a great feeling for the people who had to climb up and down them when the castle was inhabited.
Cesar Tower Provins
You enter the bell tower and see the bronze bells, and the pigeons that now inhabit the roof tops. The views out over Provins and the countryside are worth the climb.
St Quiriace Church From Cesar Tower
The rooms within the castle are also quite small, even the Count’s, who ran the whole town. Space was at a premium and no one seems to have had a spacious bedroom or quarters.
Eglise Saint-Quiriace
This is a community church in Provins that has an active congregation. When you enter remember that this is a place of worship, so be respectful. It really needs renovating inside, as the ravages of the last 850 years have not been kind. This doesn’t detract from reasons to visit however but makes it more interesting. The old interior is in such a marked contras to the large cathedrals of Paris, that it makes it more interesting and gives it a welcoming feel.
St Quiriace Church Provins
The Saint-Jean’s Gate and The Ramparts
The city gate and walls (ramparts) are what makes Provins famous. They are remarkably intact and very impressive. It is near the gate that the Legend of the Chevaliers and Eagles of the Ramparts shows are performed. We did not stay to see either, but they are aimed more at children.
Provins City Wall
Not far from the gate is the local tourist office. This is a great stop if you want to find out about any new events that are on while you visit as well as being great for souvenirs.
What Did We Think?
A really great day trip out of Paris. Provins is very well preserved and demonstrates what a medieval town was like. There is plenty to keep you occupied and enough restaurants and cafes to provide a good variety for everyone. Highly recommended.
Helsinki was chosen as part of our Nordic trip as a stopover before travelling on to Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle. Deciding to make the most of the opportunity, we stayed three nights, giving us time to see the city as well as a day trip to the historic Estonian city of Tallinn.
Getting There
The flight from Stockholm to Helsinki was by SAS. Check in was quick and easy with self-serve check in machines and baggage deposit. Landing at our destination, we took a taxi to our hotel. As there were four of us, this was a cheaper option than the bus or train options. The journey into town is quite dull and the city looked old and dreary. Unfortunately, this proved to be an accurate first impression for the rest of our stay.
Accommodation
Our hotel the GLO Hotel Art appears to have been recently renovated. It spans two buildings, and used an access card to open doors between the two buildings. Reception was very friendly and helpful with advice and maps. The hotel itself is located centrally, and was walk able to all the places we wanted to see. Breakfast, although not as extensive as some other hotels, was still plentiful.
Helsinki Day1
Church of the Rock
To recover from the plane trip, we took a walk to the Church of the rock (Temppeliaukion kirkko). This church has been built by excavating a hole into the surrounding rock and placing a dome over the top. Certainly one of the more interesting churches we have seen. The interior still has bare rock walls, lined with wood. A very atmospheric church and worth the visit.
Church of the RockChurch of the RockOutside of the Church of the Rock
National Museum
The next stop on our walk was the National Museum of Finland (Suomen kansallismuseo). The museum contains a comprehensive collection covering the history of Finland. However, at this stage of our trip we had seen several other very good museums. Unfortunately, we did not find this one all that interesting, especially when compared to the national museums of Denmark and Sweden.
Helsinki Museum Clocks
Mannerheim Statue
Not far from the museum is a statue of Finland’s national hero Mannerheim. He is seated on a horse and the statue is near the Museum of Contemporary Art. We saw the statue as we were passing it on the way to the Railway Square. This area contains the railway station and major bus stop. The square itself is surrounded by some very nice buildings. As it was winter, not much else was happening here.
Mannerheim Statue
Central Helsinki
From the railway station, we walked to the docks via Esplanadi, a park area. It was decorated for Christmas, and very festive. On the way, we stopped at the Havis Amanda Statue and took the obligatory photos. This is a well-known statue of the scantily clad female. The nearby docks were interesting, as were the views of the Uspenski Cathedral and the Office of the President of Finland.
Havis AmandaHavis AmandaOffice of the President of Finland
There was a market at the docks. We wandered around for a while and bought some snacks and a drink before heading back to our hotel.
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna
On our second day, we went to Helsinki’s number one attraction, the island fortress of Suomenlinna. To get there, you need to catch the ferry from Kauppatori. Tickets can be purchased at the dock from a ticket machine. It was very easy to operate, with on-screen step by step instructions in many languages. The ferry trip is only 15 minutes, with no stops on the way.
Fortress of SuomenlinnaFortress of Suomenlinna Cannon
We spent three hours walking around the island, but were disappointed that some of the museums were closed, due to the time of year. The fortifications themselves were quite impressive and the one museum that was open had comprehensive displays of the fortresses’ history. There are many old cannons and defensive guns on display around the island as well as the old fortifications.
Uspenski Cathedral
On returning to Helsinki, we went to the Uspenski Cathedral. The cathedral is outstanding, being set on a hill overlooking the city. Unfortunately, they were undertaking renovations to the interior and it was full of scaffolding. The iconography inside was amazing and would normally be very impressive, but much of it was obscured during our visit.
Helsinki Day2Uspenski CathedralUspenski Cathedral
Nearby is Senate Square, which was set up for a Christmas market. The whole square was full of stalls and we spent an hour looking around them.
Helsinki Cathedral
Directly above the square is the Helsinki Cathedral. This in impressive looking building, made even more so when you enter, as there is very little interior decoration, in keeping with its Lutheran faith.
Helsinki CathedralCathedral AltarHelsinki Cathedral Organ
Museum of Finnish Military History
Last stop for the day was the Museum of Finnish Military History. If you like military history, you will love this museum, as I did. If not you will be bored as my wife was. This is a very comprehensive museum, with a huge section on Finland’s involvement in World War 2 as well as more recent events. I was particularly interested in the Hungarian section, detailing Hungary’s association with Finland during the second world war. Something I knew nothing about.
Tallinn Estonia
Our final full day in Helsinki, was a day trip to the Estonian capital of Tallinn. We caught the ferry from West Harbour Terminal 2. It took around three and a half hours for the trip. As it left very early in the morning, we arranged a taxi through the hotel, which was waiting promptly for us at the arranged time. The trip was smooth and despite usually getting sea sick, my wife was fine. The ferry has many bars and food outlets, so getting breakfast after being too early for the hotel’s breakfast was easy.
Helsinki to Tallinn
City Tour
We were met at the terminal in Tallinn, by our tour guide. Due to the time of year, we were the only ones on the trip. The first part was a trip around the greater city of Tallinn, with quick views from the bus of the sites. The only place we stopped, and really the only one that interested us was the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. It was here that Estonians gathered to protest and sing patriot songs, leading to their independence.
Gustav Ernesaks MemorialTallinn Song Festival Grounds
Tallinn Old City
The guide then took us on a walking tour of the old city. This was the real reason we had visited. She took us to all the major places of interest and was extremely good at explaining their history and significance. This was far better than walking around ourselves, as we would probably have gotten lost in the twisting streets.
The old city of Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site. The whole area is full of fascinating buildings, towers, city walls and churches. It would take many days to see everything, and by then you would become jaded with the experience. Having only one day, we saw the major sections and came away with a good appreciation of the city.
Aleksander Nevski Cathedral
We started with the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral. This is one of the iconic buildings in Tallinn and is very impressive from the outside. Inside, it is even better. The icons and altar are magnificent. Unfortunately, photographs are not permitted inside. We then moved on to Toompea Hill. This provides spectacular views over the old town.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Walking Around the Old City
The tour took us through narrow winding streets, past old city walls and buildings. When we finished with the guide in the town square, we had several hours to look around ourselves. We found a nice restaurant for lunch, had a few beers and explored for a while.
Old City Walls TallinnTallinn EstoniaTallinn StreetsMain Street TallinnSt Catherine’s Passage TallinnSteep Tallinn StreetsAlexander Nevsky CathedralOld City Walls Tallinn
We walked back to the terminal for the ferry. It was an easy 30-minute walk and the ferry trip back was uneventful.
What Did We Think
Helsinki was probably the least memorable part of our Nordic Trip. There wasn’t much that interested us in the city itself. Even Suomenlinna was not that different from other fortresses we had seen, apart from being an island. If we could do this trip again, we would have taken another day trip to St Petersburg, as well as the one to Tallinn. This would have left enough time to see some of the sites in Helsinki, while potentially seeing other destinations with more to offer. Alternatively, we could have transited straight through and not stopped, as our real destination on this leg of the trip was Rovaniemi.
Why start a Norwegian holiday in Bergen on the west coast? We thought it would be easier to travel from the west coast to the east and then on to Sweden without repeating ourselves and back tracking. It was also as easy to travel from Copenhagen to Bergen as it was to Oslo.
Bergen Airport to Clarion Hotel Admiral
Travelling to Bergen in Norway
Arriving at Bergen Airport at 5:40PM, it was dark and a little rainy. We hired a taxi for the 20km, half hour trip into Bergen. Our hotel the Clarion Hotel Admiral was on the wharf opposite the historic Hanseatic Wharf. Despite the rain, we went for an evening stroll around the wharf area. The Hanseatic Wharf was lit up and very picturesque, as was the sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl.
Bergen Hanseatic Wharf at NightSailing Ship Statsraad LehmkuhlSailing Ship Statsraad LehmkuhlBergenhus Fortress at Night
Further down the Bergenhus Fortress was also lit up. We spent around an hour walking around, before heading back to our hotel to warm up and have a hot meal at the restaurant.
Mt Fløyen and the Funicular
The next morning, we had a huge breakfast, which was included in the cost of our stay. A very impressive array of foods available to cater for tourists and tastes from all over the world. We then took an easy 10-minute walk to the funicular (Fløibanen) for a trip to the Mt Fløyen lookout over the city. The funicular is a steep train, which goes up the side of the mountain. The trip itself is an experience. But is also an operating train, used by the local residents. In summer, it can be very busy, but as this was winter there were only a few of us on this trip, which was the first for the morning.
The views from Mt Fløyen are spectacular, as they overlook Bergen and the harbor. There is a coffee and gift shop at the lookout but in winter opens later, so we had to do without coffee and snacks until we got back into town. Be careful of your footing in winter and early mornings. We had hiking boots on but some of the pavement was still icy and slippery underfoot. The return trip down the mountain was as great as the one coming up as you look straight down the steep train track.
Bergen From Fløibanen LookoutFløibanen Railway in Bergen
At the bottom, we made our way to a nearby café and had a very welcome hot chocolate and cakes. If you really want to, there is a Starbucks and McDonald’s, but we wanted to taste something made locally and there is plenty of choice around the wharf area. Even reindeer sausages if you feel up to it.
Local Bergen Cuisine
Hanseatic Wharf
The Bergenhus Festning (fortress) just past the Hanseatic Wharf, is a small historic castle. We spent half an hour looking around, before taking a much longer look through the shops on the wharf. Many of these sell local crafts and really are worth looking around. Even walking up to the second floor of some of them is a fun experience with creaky stairs and uneven floor boards. We found some excellent Christmas decorations that now take pride of place on our Christmas tree each year.
Bergen Hanseatic Wharf
Also near the fortress is a small museum, with artifacts from Bergen’s past. We spent an interesting hour looking around learning about the Hanseatic League, Vikings and Runes. It is certainly worth looking at.
After having a walk around the church and Cathedral, we went to the fish market. This is marked as being world-famous, but to us just looked like a fish market. However, above it is the tourist information office. The staff were very helpful, and told us about a ginger bread house exhibit that is held in December. To get to it, we walked down some of the old historic windy streets. The exhibition was better than we expected. There were hundreds of houses, all made of ginger bread, depicting scenes from all over the world, Paris, London to name just two. Even better, they even sold ginger bread (Pepperkakebyen). Of course, we bought a few samples to take with us.
Bergen Ginger Bread Exhibition
After a walk through the pedestrian mall in the centre of town, we returned to our hotel for a meal and a good night’s sleep. We had to be up early the next morning to catch the train for out Norway in a Nutshell trip.
So, what did we think of Bergen? It was great. We particularly liked the Hanseatic Wharf and the trip up the funicular. The ginger bread exhibition was also a nice surprise. Without travelling outside of the wharf area, we easily filled in a full day. We didn’t go to the aquarium, as we have seen many of these elsewhere and the fish market was nothing special.
