Things to do in Helsinki
Helsinki's attractions combine history, design, nature and sauna culture.
Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral
Carl Ludvig Engel's neoclassical ensemble includes the Government Palace, the University of Helsinki's main building and the Lutheran cathedral, completed in 1852. Climb the steps for views and see the statue of Tsar Alexander II, a reminder of the Russian era.
Suomenlinna
The sea fortress of Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built on six islands from 1748 by the Swedes to defend against Russia. Today it is a district with about 800 residents, museums, a submarine, tunnels and picnic spots. A public HSL ferry from the Market Square takes about 15 minutes and is included in regular transport tickets.
Market Square and Old Market Hall
The Kauppatori by the harbour sells fresh berries, fish and souvenirs, with cafés serving salmon soup. The Old Market Hall, opened in 1889, has delicatessens. Nearby is the Havis Amanda fountain, which students crown with a cap on the eve of May Day (Vappu).
Uspenski and Temppeliaukio
The red-brick Uspenski Cathedral, completed in 1868, overlooks the harbour. Temppeliaukio Church, the Rock Church, completed in 1969, is carved into solid rock and topped with a copper dome, famous for its acoustics.
Oodi and modern architecture
Oodi Central Library, opened in 2018, is a public living room with a wavy wooden facade, 3D printers, sewing machines and a sunny terrace. Kiasma, the Museum of Contemporary Art by Steven Holl, and Amos Rex, with its domed skylights rising from the square, are nearby. Visit the Helsinki Music Centre and Finlandia Hall by Alvar Aalto.
Ateneum and design
The Ateneum Art Museum holds Finland's largest collection of classical art, including Akseli Gallen-Kallela's paintings of the Kalevala. The Design Museum and Marimekko and Iittala stores showcase Finnish design. Visit Alvar Aalto's house and studio in Munkkiniemi.
Sauna
Finland has around three million saunas. Try public saunas like Löyly by the sea, Allas Sea Pool near Market Square, or the traditional wood-heated Kotiharjun Sauna in Kallio, open since 1928. Many offer winter swimming in the sea. Bathing is often naked in single-sex public saunas, but swimsuits are required in mixed saunas like Löyly.
Sibelius Monument and Seurasaari
The Sibelius Monument, made of 600 steel pipes by Eila Hiltunen, honours the composer Jean Sibelius. Seurasaari Open-Air Museum on an island displays traditional wooden buildings from around Finland, and Midsummer bonfires take place here.
Food
Try salmon soup (lohikeitto), Karelian pies (karjalanpiirakka), cinnamon buns (korvapuusti), reindeer and fresh berries. Lingonberries and cloudberries are seasonal treats. Helsinki has a lively restaurant scene with Michelin-starred and New Nordic restaurants.
Nature
Nuuksio National Park, a 45-minute trip from the city, offers lakes, forests and hiking. Central Park (Keskuspuisto) extends for 10 kilometres into the city.
Esplanadi and Stockmann
The Esplanadi park links the Market Square with the Swedish Theatre and is lined with design shops and cafés. The Kappeli restaurant, open since 1867, has a bandstand for summer concerts. Stockmann, the largest department store in the Nordic countries, is on the corner of Aleksanterinkatu.
Kauppatori ferries and island hopping
In summer, small boats from the Market Square sail to islands such as Vallisaari, a former military island with rich nature, Lonna with its sauna, and Pihlajasaari with sandy beaches. A summer evening on an island is a typically Helsinki experience.
Christmas in Helsinki
Aleksanterinkatu's Christmas Street is lit up from late November, and the Helsinki Christmas Market fills Senate Square in December with wooden stalls selling crafts, mulled glögi and gingerbread. Shops sell Finnish Christmas specialities such as joulutorttu, star-shaped plum jam pastries.
Hietaniemi and the seaside
The Hietaniemi beach (Hietsu) is the city's main sandy beach. Nearby is the Hietaniemi cemetery, where Marshal Mannerheim and Alvar Aalto are buried. A walk along the seaside path from here through Töölö to the Sibelius Monument is lovely.
Allas and the harbour pools
Allas Sea Pool, next to the Market Square, has a heated freshwater pool, a seawater pool and saunas with views of the Presidential Palace and Uspenski. It is open all year, and swimming in the unheated sea pool in winter is a bracing local tradition.
Market halls and food tours
Besides the Old Market Hall, the Hakaniemi Market Hall in Kallio reopened after renovation in 2023 and is good for smoked fish, rye bread and handicrafts. Food tours often include tastings of reindeer, salmon, Finnish cheese (leipäjuusto) with cloudberry jam, and salty liquorice (salmiakki).
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The stadium, built for the 1952 Olympics, has a tower with views over the city.
Day trips
Porvoo, Finland's second oldest town, has red wooden riverside warehouses and is an hour away by bus or by boat in summer. Tallinn in Estonia is about two hours by ferry. Fiskars, an artisan village, is also popular.
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