Chris Higham visited Helsinki with no idea what her weekend trip would entail - but was still surprised to come face to face with hordes of red squirrels and some cowboys.

THE image of red squirrels clambering over delighted small children is not one that most of us will have seen, given the rarity of these creatures in Britain.

Nor is the odd sight of Slade look-alikes, the Leningrad Cowboys, sharing a stage with the assembled might of the Red Army Choir in a city centre square. Yet these are exactly what stick in the mind after a weekend in Helsinki.

Rivalling Stockholm as the Scandinavian city most sought after for a weekend break, according to cities specialist Travelscene, Helsinki is a handsome city set on water.

The city is arranged around twin harbours where, confusingly, everywhere seems to start with a K. There is the colourful Kauppatori open-air market, close by is Kolera-allas or Cholera basin, where freshly caught fish is sold from boats.

The walk from one harbour to the next through Katajanokka passes rows of imposing art nouveau houses painted in ochre tones, before reaching the waterfront boardwalk to Kruununhaka.

The impressive Helsinki Cathedral

This second harbour area is remarkable for the sheer wealth of shipping on the water, from super slick catamarans and yachts to tall rigged ships and huge icebreakers.

Here there are green leafy islands and tall red-brick warehouses, now home to smart restaurants, to explore. But the most photographed architecture is set back a block in Senate Square, where the huge white-domed Helsinki Cathedral plays host every August to the spectacular Mayor's Concert.

By day the cathedral is impressive but by night, with 20,000 Finns crammed in and around it for the free concert, it's simply awesome. And so was the stage show. Packed on a vast stage were The Leningrad Cowboys sporting long curly Teddy Boy hairstyles but with equally curly Noddy shoes on their feet (a curious mix of ZZ Top and Slade). Behind them was the Red Army Choir and a bevy of backing singers in basques. The music was grand Europop, unintelligible but intoxicating.

The best way to see the city is from a boat and there are plenty to choose from. We took the trip around all the inner islands (£10pp approx) which meant that, in addition to taking in Suomenlinna, we also saw Korkeasaari, a zoo haven, and a host of natural islands, mostly greenery, beaches and wildlife, with a smart smattering of wooden summer houses belonging to well-heeled Finns.

We also took the catamaran from Kauppatori to Tallinn, Estonia, a day trip arranged by Travelscene.

On our last day in Helsinki we made a discovery which capped the visit. We took the bus first to Sibelius Park, to see the massive monument to the composer, a steel sculpture resembling organ pipes and Helsinki's top tourist attraction. We then continued to another island, to the north-west of the city.

Linked to the mainland by a wooden bridge, Seurasaari is a national park housing Finland's oldest and fascinating Open Air Museum.

Entering the park we were assaulted by an army of red squirrels, not just the odd few but 50 or more. The tame squirrels clambered all over us, searching pockets for nuts and jumping off again in search of booty elsewhere.

Seurasaari has been home to the small mammals for many years and they are the fully accredited custodians of the park and delightful, welcoming hosts!

FACTFILE

* Chris Higham travelled to Helsinki with Travelscene www.travelscene.co.uk, 020 8424 9648, a leading city breaks specialist for more than 30 years. She stayed at the five-star SAS Radisson Hotel and flew from Heathrow with Finnair.

Top value three-nights-for-two packages at the five star hotel, with scheduled flights, start from £306 a person, saving £54 each. Travelscene also offers budget three star accommodation and mid-range four star hotels in Helsinki.

Online hotel bookings can be made at Travelscene's new accommodation only website www.citybedz.com and low-cost packages can also be tailor-made by calling Travelscene low cost - Tlc - on 0870 7777 852.