Helsinki

Helsinki's DIY public sauna, built and kept running entirely by the people who use it. No entrance fee, no staff, no booking, just bring your own wood and a towel and help keep the fire going. Open all day and night, right on the water, with a straight drop into the Baltic when the heat gets to be too much. The rawest, most local sauna experience the city has.

A ten-minute boat ride from Market Square gets you to this tiny former military island, now home to one of the best sauna-and-restaurant combinations in the city. Loft saunas heated by wood stoves, a menu built on organic local produce, and a view back toward the skyline that makes the short crossing feel like a proper escape. Book the sauna ahead, it fills up fast in summer.

Home to the old Arabia porcelain factory and now one of Helsinki's more interesting creative pockets, with design studios, ceramics workshops, and Aalto University's art campus. After dark, head to Ambient Bar, a listening bar built around a custom hi-fi sound system, playing ambient and downtempo sets to a room that takes its sound seriously. Quietly one of the best nights out in the city.

A scruffy, unglamorous shopping centre in Itäkeskus that happens to be one of the best places in Helsinki to eat. Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian kitchens sit side by side with grocery stores stocking ingredients you won't find near the centre. Go hungry, point at whatever looks good, and expect to eat better for less than anywhere on the tourist track.

A quiet seaside district on Laajasalo island, all rocky shoreline, old villas, and pine forest, best seen on two wheels. Grab a city bike and follow the coast road out to Fornitaly, a former stable turned wood-fired pizza spot run by three Italians, takeaway only. Eat your slice on the rocks by the water. Weekends get busy, so order ahead if you can.