highlanderfil

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. So far, of the ideas you've put forth and my own research, these are my plans (this is mostly a note for myself to consolidate and not forget):

Tallinn
1. Marzipan Museum - my wife wants some Kalev chocolate to take home, so definitely stopping by there.
2. Christmas Market - this one goes without saying, especially now that I'll definitely be there during the time it's open (January was a bit of a crapshoot as I didn't know when it disperses).
3. Kadriorg - I'm really hoping that the weather cooperates and I'm able to go back to a place where I used to go on runs as a pre-teen back when my father would take me along on work trips.
4. Olde Hansa - though we're still wary of the dangers posed by indoor dining, especially in a poorly ventilated dungeon, this is one exception we'll make.
5. Any place that gives good views over the city, such as the Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform, the Dome Church, City Walls
6. Katariina käik - recommended both here and in some of the YouTube videos I've been watching.
7. Balti Jaam and the Viru Food hall - food halls are definitely my thing
8. Other food places (yeah, I'm definitely going to need to do a fair bit of exercising, good thing I'm staying at three different hotels across Radisson's portfolio, each of which have at least a gym and one - Olympia - has a pool): Narva Kohvik, Pulla Bakery, Pierre, Rost; Kompressor really looks good, so I'll probably make a stop there, too, when I get tired of hotel breakfasts.
9. Looks like there are Nike outlets in Lasnamae and near Tondi, so those are probably going to be worth a stop, as well. The walk to Lasnamae and back (4 miles each direction) might actually be a pretty good workout.
10. Depending on how the weather is, it might be fun to just hop on a tram and ride around the city. Will need to pick a sunny day and go earlier in case I want to get off at different places and walk around (this might be the time to see places like Telliskivi and/or Kalamaja). Welcome recommendations on the best route to take.
11. The usual sites like the Old City and Rotermani kind of go without saying.
12. The Open Air museum looks interesting, as well.

Helsinki
1. Hop On/Hop Off sounded like a great idea, especially given the limited time I've got there. Suspect it'll take me to some of the sites mentioned below, as well.
2. Tram Museum/SparaKOFF.
3. Story of Finland.
4. Olympic Stadium tower.
5. Oodi, the Central Library (the more I look at it on Google Maps, the cooler it looks).
6. Markets as FlyingJoy and Hezu have mentioned (and ones that they didn't, like Deli Deli).
7. Kamppi Chapel.
8. I MAY venture to Allas. It's super close to my hotel, after all. Saunas aren't really my thing, unfortunately (steam makes me cough my lungs out).
9. Alvar Aalto House.
10. Marimekko Outlet.
11. Cafe Regatta.
12. Huvilakatu Street.


There are cat cafes in both Tallinn and Helsinki, so I might drop by those, as well.

FlyingJoy

The marzipan museum in Tallinn is small but nice. I've been to Kohvik Maiasmokk (the cafe which houses the museum) several times and the decor is beautiful.

If your wife wants chocolate souvenirs, don't forget Fazer chocolate in Finland. I think it's even better than Kalev. Fazer has its own cafe on Kluuvikatu and several other locations around Helsinki, but you can find it at any S-Market or K-Market. I'm also addicted to Fazer's gummy candies and Domino biscuits.

If you like Finnish design (I see that you're planning to go to the Marimekko outlet), I can also recommend checking out Aarikka, Kalevala and Finlayson, alongside the more renowned ones like iittala and Arabia. Aarikka has a lovely boutique on Esplanadi - I'm a big fan of their unique wooden homewares and jewellery. Most of these designers are also available at the Sokos or Stockmann department stores.

highlanderfil

I'm for sure going to check it out, but Kalev is less about souvenirs and more about stocking up at home It has been her favorite forever - she is originally from St. Petersburg (which is why we're going - she's taking the bus to see family, I'm just there for company before and after) and had been going to Tallinn pretty regularly ever since she got her first passport.
Thanks - I'll look those up.

Hezu

If I have understood correctly the Hop On/Hop Off busses in Helsinki are on winter break and will return in next May. I think there might be a sightseeing bus tours available, but that obviously isn't the same thing. The local public traffic is quite extensive though and there are day tickets that cover all usage from 24h to up to one week. Easiest way to get the tickets is perhaps the HSL mobile app. Worth a note that the public transport ticketing are based on zones (A-D) and while AB ticket will cover pretty much whole city of Helsinki and significant parts of the neighbouring cities, Helsinki Airport in Vantaa is on zone C, so for a train ride from the Helsinki city center to the airport you need a ticket that covers ABC.
If you are referring to the Finnish National Museum exhibition, then you are late, the whole museum closed in mid October and will reopen only in spring 2027 once the renovation and building an annex will be finished.
Finnish saunas are not necessarily that steamy, sure there might be some in the air if and when you pour water on the rocks in the stove, but otherwise saunas are not the same thing as steam baths.
In any case, I think since you already have such long lists of potential places to visit, that should offer enough to do for just couple days. And if you haven't already looked on maps, note that some of these sights you list are quite far from each other, so take that in account when planning for day's programme.

highlanderfil

Looks like the hop on-hop off bus is still running, unless there's something I'm missing here? https://www.citytour.fi/tour/hop-on-...our-bus-ticket

As for distance - I think I'm going to skip the Marimekko outlet(s) as both seem to be a bit outside the city. The farthest thing from my hotel, then, is the Alvar Aalto House, which, quite frankly, I could also take or leave, but the walk there is only 7 km, so that's like an hour for me, assuming there's no snow/rain.

Speaking of public transport... Are there areas of Helsinki I might find interesting just wandering around? Thinking of unique places like London's Shoreditch, for example. Or just even residential areas with distinct and interesting looking houses.

FlyingJoy

For residential areas with interesting looking buildings, try Puu-Vallila (full of historic wooden homes) and Ullanlinna (upscale area full of Art Nouveau buildings).

highlanderfil

So, a little more than halfway through the trip, I figured I'd post an update.

One thing I had forgotten about visiting northern Europe in winter is how desperately dark it is. I've seen the sun for maybe 10 minutes total since last Wednesday (has it only been five days? gods...) and it's really doing my head in. SAD sufferers, among whom I'm unfortunate to count myself, really need some heavy-duty coping mechanisms, especially if coming from places sunnier than the Midwest. I won't go into detail as to why I've chosen to come here at all (let's leave it at "family obligation"), but this is definitely not a trip I will soon repeat of my own 100% free will. The weather has also not been particularly conducive to dragging myself out for an evening walk, but at least that means I'll manage to get some work done when the office comes back after Boxing Day (I'm still "on the clock", as it were, just remotely). Whingeing aside, so far this is what I've managed to get myself up to:

Tallinn
Overall, the weather has been both alright (in a sense that 25-35 F isn't outrageously cold and I even managed to get a few outdoor runs in) and quite miserable (25-35 F is still cold, plus the aforementioned lack of sun) at the same time. Apart from that, Tallinn is still one of my favorite "traditional" (with an Old Town) European cities. Although I generally can't stand holiday crowds (or, for that matter, most other crowds), somehow hanging out in the Christmas market here has been really comforting. As for the places I managed to get to...

1. Marzipan Museum - I went, I saw, I turned around and left. Every Selver and Rimi I've been to so far have had better selections. I might come back to the museum proper.
2. Christmas Market - The food has been absolutely phenomenal; the two things I cannot recommend enough are their venison Christmas plate (with sauerkraut cooked in beer and country potatoes) and black-bread waffles (only one stand sells them). I am also a fan of how they're handling recycling (you pay 2-3 Euro for cups and plates and then take them to a collection point and get a refund). The little hole-in-the-wall restaurant at the City Hall where you are greeted by intentionally gruff Medieval-style waitstaff and are given no utensils with which to eat your soup is also an endearing experience.
3. Kadriorg - I walked around the palace gardens a little and went for a run there. Outside, there's not much to see in the winter, if I'm honest, but the structure itself is lovely.
4. Olde Hansa - Haven't gone yet, will probably do so the day before we leave.
5. Overlook points - So far I've been to Kohtuotsa, Patkuli and a couple more whose names escape me. One of my favorite parts of Old Town, easily. I've also managed to get my drone out on one occasion (you've not known fear until you've gotten a "disconnected from controller" message when you're outside the city walls and the copter itself hangs somewhere over the center square, but all's well that ends well.
6. Katariina käik - And the Masters Quarters (they're right next to each other). Probably the most picturesque and fairy-tale like setting in the entire Old Town (and the snow on the ground lends an additional layer of charm). We'll definitely go back for a hot chocolate at Pierre's before we leave.
7. Balti Jaam and the Viru Food hall - I've been to both; Viru's stands largely repeat those of the bigger market. The Pelmeni trailer was a huge favorite of mine at Viru (I believe they also have a restaurant at the Viru entrance to Old Town and at a few other locations in the city). I've also tried pastries at Pavlova (a small pistachio puff was great, the eclairs less so), chebureki at Samsa (not bad, but not flavorful enough for me) and ramen at the place right next to Samsa (terrible). Balti Jaam is a fascinating throwback to Soviet and post-Soviet times in that it's not just a food hall, but also a clothing and antique market (on the second floor). Could definitely get lost for a few hours there.
8. Other food places: Narva Kohvik (check - waitresses as gruff as advertised), Pulla Bakery (going literally right now); Pierre, Rost; Kompressor - not yet. I've been to a few others, though, such as Peetri Pizza (on my walk back from Kadriorg to Narva Kohvik yesterday, I spotted one of their covered stands across from a couple of hotels (Center and another whose name I don't recall) I had stayed at before and remembered that I had tried their pizza back when I visited in the 90s, so had to have a repeat - would NOT recommend).
9. Shopping - I've been to the Nike outlets, as well as some other malls. They are what they are - and even though most prices in Tallinn are rather reasonable, clothing is actually really not, so all I've managed to buy were a pair of Nike gloves.
10. Depending on how the weather is, it might be fun to just hop on a tram and ride around the city - yep, definitely did that. I've pretty much seen the entirety of the five routes.
11. Old City and Rotermani - definitely covered multiple times. I really like what they've done with Rotermani over the years. Lots of modern-looking buildings that manage not to look out of place next to older structures of Old Town right across the road. Nice little Christmas market, too.
12. The Open Air museum - if you're interested in Estonian or pre- and post-Soviet history, I can't recommend it enough. It's a great way to get a glimpse into how things were for the common folk from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. There are also a couple of HUGE bunnies at one of the barns (too bad you can't pet or hold them) and a giant cat in the house of the same barn (him you can pet, but he might try to use you as a scratching post).

More to come.

lamphs

Lack of sun not withstanding, sounds as if you are having a great time! I was in Tromso last January. I liked the darkness; I thought it went well with the cold and snow. But I get the SAD thing as my dad has it. Looking forward to the next post from you!