First, I want to apologize to all my friends who have travelled to Finland and I failed to take you to this café. I have no idea how it’s even possible but I seriously had never visited it myself! Regatta sure is something you shouldn’t miss when in Helsinki.
Café Regatta is situated by the sea in the Töölö neighbourhood. It’s open from morning till evening every single day of the year. In summer be prepared for long queues.
Welcome to the beach?! Some Finnish humour going on here.
If you want to have your coffee outside and it’s cold – no fear – there are blankets at hand.
There’s even a fire and some furs to sit on.
You can buy sausages inside to grill outside.
This signboard outside contains a Finnish saying – “punainen tupa ja perunamaa” which means “a red cottage and a potato field”. The saying comes from the fact that apparently many Finns dream of having a little red cottage with the possibility of farming potatoes..
How about sitting in a rocking chair? Maybe not in winter!
Looks inviting – go on, step in! Do have some cash with you so you can buy some goodies. Regatta will soon have the possibility of paying by card but at the time I was there the machine wasn’t in operation yet.
It’s very dimly lit inside and my photos did not do it justice, so you will just have to make do with a picture of my delicious “korvapuusti” – ie. cinnamon bun. The decor is very eccentric – you will see what I mean when you go.
I definitely want to visit Regatta in summer. Imagine a summer’s evening when the sun doesn’t set, sitting outside with a cup of tea and korvapuusti – perfection.
Address:
Merikannontie 8
00260 Helsinki
After or before your visit you can make a quick stop to the nearby Sibelius park to see the Sibelius monument by Eila Hiltunen. The monument is dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius who we Finns see as our greatest composer. I used to think this monument was very ugly but now I just think it’s quite cool.
The last time I was at this particular park was when I was a child. But I’ve been itching to take a photo of these pipes for ages.
Have you had a chance to visit Café Regatta? What is your favourite café in Helsinki? What do you think of the Sibelius monument?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
This cafe really does look good! You take really nice pics 🙂 Too bad I don’t have the chance to visit it this time round. Will definitely come back!
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Thank you for your comment and visit to my blog! I hope you can come in summer next time 🙂
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Hi, a friend sent me this link as she thought me and my Social Media followers would like it and she wasn’t wrong, it’s definitely our kind of place. I looks lovely so I hope to pop in when we visit Helsinki.
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Hi traveljems! I hope you are coming to Helsinki soon 🙂 If you come in summer it will be great to sit outside in the evening when it hardly gets dark! I am sure you will love this place. Thank you for your visit to my blog, hope to see you again soon.
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Hi Suvi, we hope to be coming in the summer as part of a cruise holiday, I’ll be sure to say Hi and I’d love to talk about it on the Travel Jems blog on my return
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Sounds like a great plan! xx
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Regatta is my favourite too, and I love Sibelius Park. Another good one, but a bit more expensive, is Cafe Ursula at the bottom of Kaivopuisto, by the sea.
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So happy to hear you love Regatta too Stacey! Ursula has the best view, that’s for sure 🙂
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I will definitely visit cafe Regatta when I’m traveling to Helsinki next time :). I was trying to find some similar place last summer and now I know where to go ;). Thanks for sharing!
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Great to hear Dany! You will love it, hope you get to go soon 🙂
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We were traveling with friends who had never been to Europe before. We had developed a phrase, “Would you like to go to a smaller cafe?” It meant that we were on vacation, we had all the time in the world, shall we continue what we’re already doing, but somewhere that’s even cozier? We ended up at Cafe Regatta, and my friend said, “Well, I think we’ve found the smallest cafe we’re ever going to find right here.” It was very cozy, warm, & friendly, and it is indeed the smallest cafe I’ve ever been in. Thanks very much for the post, it reminded me of how much I like Helsinki.
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Hi Rick and thank you for your lovely story and for stopping by 🙂 I am so glad you found Cafe Regatta, it really is something very special in Helsinki! I hope you can visit soon again.
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How funny I have a wee post coming up that references Cafe Regatta, as well! We absolutely loved it in summer and it looks so charming in winter, too! I love that you can grill sausages outdoors, although it does look a bit nippy. 🙂
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Ooh exciting – I look forward to reading your post 😀
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Looks like the perfect spot for a coffee and treat! I also love your picture of the Sibelius monument in winter. Kaunis!
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Thank you so much! I hope you can visit someday ☺
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Kiitos kun muistutit tästä ihanasta kahvilasta. Siitä on vuosia kun olen siellä käynnyt. Pitää laittaa agendalla heti =).
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Kannattaa piipahtaa. Niin mukava tunnelma! 🙂
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That monument to Sibelius make him justices! I love this kind of sculptures.
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Great to hear Camila! It really is one of a kind 🙂
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Im delighted to see the monument to a composer I love. Thanks for adding it to your delightful post.
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How cool that you love Sibelius! Thank you for visiting and your lovely comment 🙂
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I like the Sibelius monument. I will definitely try the cafe, perhaps when I go in summer.
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Great to hear Debra! I highly recommend it but I’ve heard that there can be long queues in summer, so go when you have the time to wait 🙂
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We’ve been to the Sibelius Monument – thought it was really cool – but I wish we’d known about that gorgeous little cafe when we were there!
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I adore this cafe, we visit every summer. We walk from Ruoholahti along past the graveyard and then to the beach and follow the path all the way along for a delicious pulla bun and cup of coffee. It’s just one of my many favourite Helsinki / Espoo cafes. In Vuorsaari we love the old Cafe Kampela where we can sit on the terrace admiring the fine views and yachts!, I’m sure you must have been there, too. xx
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Oh I’ve never been to Kampela, must make a point of visiting soon 🙂 Thanks for the tip Marion 🙂 Happy weekend!
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I went to this cafe twice. It is really nice place, especially coffee and cinnamon bun. No matter sitting outdoor or indoor, I can feel the fantasic atmosphere around. Wish I can go to visit this cafe again.
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Hi Pam Pun and thank you for visiting my blog! I am so happy to hear that you have lovely memories of this cafe and that you had a chance to go twice. I hope you can come back one day. xx
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