Helsinki, Finland: 15 Best Things to See and Do

Helsinki tends to get a little overlooked. Plenty of travellers treat it as nothing more than a stopover on the way to Lapland or a gateway to the ferry to Tallinn, and that’s a real shame. The capital of Finland is one of the most enjoyable European destinations for a long weekend, where Scandinavian calm meets a Russian touch, world-class design, seaside saunas and dozens of islands just a short ferry ride away. ☺️

In this guide you’ll find 15 of the best things to see and do in Helsinki, Finland, from the Suomenlinna sea fortress and a church carved into solid rock to design saunas and day trips to Porvoo or the ferry to Tallinn. I’ll tell you when’s the best time to visit, how to get around the city cheaply and where to stay.

The good news is that Helsinki is compact and very easy to explore on foot. A lot of the best things to do here are free, too, and the city is famously vegetarian-friendly. If you’re heading further north after Helsinki, check out my guide to what to see in Rovaniemi and my big article on what to see in Lapland.

TL;DR

• Don’t miss: the Suomenlinna sea fortress, Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square, the Temppeliaukio rock church, the Kauppatori market square and a seaside sauna.
• When to go: the best time is May to September, with white nights around the summer solstice. Winter is cold but magical thanks to the Christmas markets and saunas.
• Getting around: a train runs from the airport to the centre in around 30 minutes. Around town, just hop on tram number 2, which loops past nearly all the sights, plus the ferry to Suomenlinna (all on a standard HSL ticket).
• How many days: 2 to 3 days is plenty for Helsinki, ideally with a day trip to Porvoo or the ferry to Tallinn.
• Tip for vegetarians: Helsinki is one of the most veg-friendly cities in Europe, with great vegan bistros and market halls.

When to visit Helsinki

The best time to visit Helsinki is from May to September. Summer is warm (around 18 to 20 °C in July), the terraces buzz, the islands beckon and the sun barely sets. Around the summer solstice you’ll experience the white nights, when it stays as light as dusk all through the night, which is utterly magical for walks and seaside saunas.

If you’re not a fan of crowds, the sweet spot is May and September, when the weather is still pleasant, there are fewer tourists and September brings autumn colours. Just watch out for the Finnish holiday of Juhannus (midsummer), when the city empties out and plenty of places close. Winter (December to February) is cold and dark, but it has its own charm: lit-up streets, Christmas markets on Senate Square, and saunas you jump straight out of into the icy sea. As always with the weather in Helsinki, Finland, pack layers whatever the season.

How to get to Helsinki and how to get around

There are direct flights from London to Helsinki (with Finnair and British Airways), with a flight time of around three hours. From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to the centre, a commuter train (lines I and P) runs straight to the main station, the journey takes around 30 minutes and a ticket to zone ABC costs €4.80. You couldn’t ask for a simpler connection.

The centre is compact, so getting around on foot is a breeze. A great trick is tram number 2, which passes most of the sights and doubles as a cheap sightseeing tour for the price of a regular ticket (€3.30). The same HSL ticket is also valid on the ferry to Suomenlinna, so you don’t need any pricey hop-on hop-off bus. 💡 Tip: the Helsinki Card only pays off on an intense “museum” day with several paid entries. So much of the best stuff here is free that for a regular visit you can do without it. Check current fares on the HSL transport website.

Where to stay in Helsinki

The best bet is to stay in the centre near the cathedral and the station or in the Kamppi and Punavuori districts, which are close to the shops, the Design District and the nightlife. The bohemian, cheaper option is the Kallio district. I’ve picked some well-rated options across different categories, so you can choose to suit your budget.

Great value for money and location comes from the cosy Hotel Finn right in the centre by Kamppi. Equally practical is the stylish aparthotel Bob W Kamppi with a kitchenette (ideal for a longer stay), or the reliable Scandic Helsinki Hub. If you want a boutique experience, you’ll love the design-led Hotel St. George, the elegant Lilla Roberts in the Design District, or the atmospheric Hotel Katajanokka in a former prison near Uspenski Cathedral.

Fortress and cathedrals: must-see Helsinki

Let’s start with the most iconic things Helsinki has to offer. A sea fortress spread across islands, a snow-white cathedral and a church carved into rock are the kind of sights people come here for. Here are four you definitely shouldn’t miss.

1. Suomenlinna, the sea fortress on the islands

Suomenlinna is a sprawling 18th-century fortress spread across six connected islands in the bay off Helsinki, and it’s been on the UNESCO list since 1991. You’ll find ramparts, tunnels, old cannons, museums and cafés, and more than eight hundred people still live here. It’s the number one Helsinki day trip.

Locals come here to picnic, so do as they do: grab a snack at the market hall and take it with you. The island is only reachable by boat, the HSL ferry leaves from Kauppatori and the ride takes about 15 minutes on a standard ticket (€3.30). Buy your ticket in advance, as they aren’t sold on the boat. More on the official Suomenlinna website.

2. Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square

Helsinki Cathedral, with its green domes above a monumental flight of steps, is the most photographed building in Finland. It stands on Senate Square, a unified neoclassical ensemble that the same architect also designed along with the university and the government palace. The view down from the steps over the square is the best photo in Helsinki.

Entry to the cathedral is free and the interior is beautifully understated. 💡 Tip: every day at 17:49 a sound installation fills the square, a lovely little detail that most tourists never stumble upon.

3. Uspenski Cathedral

A short walk from the harbour, on a hill in Katajanokka, rises Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe. The brick-red building with golden onion domes is the complete opposite of the white cathedral, and together they beautifully illustrate Finland’s history on the border between Sweden and Russia.

Entry is free, the interior is richly decorated, and from the hill you get a lovely view of the harbour and the centre. Combine your visit with a stroll around the Katajanokka district, which is picturesque in its own right.

4. Temppeliaukio, the church carved into rock

This one is utterly unique. Temppeliaukio is a Lutheran church from 1969 carved directly into solid granite rock and topped with a copper dome. Bare rock walls, light streaming through a ring of windows beneath the dome and superb acoustics make it one of the most unusual places in the city.

Entry costs just a few euros and concerts are often held here, well worth catching. Opening hours change depending on services and events, so check them a few days ahead. The church is in the Töölö district, about a 15-minute walk from the centre.

Markets, design and modern Helsinki

Helsinki is a global design powerhouse and its modern urban culture is alive and kicking. From the harbour market to a jaw-dropping library and a seaside sauna, here are four tips that will give you a taste of contemporary Finland.

5. Kauppatori and the Old Market Hall

Kauppatori, the Market Square by the harbour, is the beating heart of the city. Seagulls swoop among the stalls selling food, souvenirs and seasonal produce, and right next door stands the covered Old Market Hall from 1889, full of delicacies. This is also where the ferries to Suomenlinna depart.

💡 Tip: the quality inside the hall is usually higher than at the outdoor stalls, which tend to be pricier. Grab a coffee with a cinnamon bun, korvapuusti, or stock up for a picnic at the fortress.

6. Esplanadi and Finnish design

The elegant green boulevard Esplanadi is where locals come to promenade, lined with cafés and Finnish brands like Marimekko and Iittala. In summer there’s live music on the Espa stage and the iconic Kappeli café sits at the end. From here it’s a stone’s throw to the Design District.

This marked district around Punavuori brings together some two hundred addresses: design shops, studios, galleries and boutiques, plus the Design Museum. If you love Scandinavian furniture, fashion or jewellery, you’ll lose track of time here. You can grab a free Design District map online.

7. Oodi, the most beautiful library you’ve ever seen

Don’t let the word “library” fool you. Oodi is an architectural gem of wood and glass from 2018, standing opposite the parliament and serving as the city’s living room. Inside you’ll find 3D printers, sewing machines, game rooms and a café.

The loveliest part is the third floor, “Book Heaven”, with its undulating ceiling and a terrace overlooking the parliament. Entry is completely free and it’s the perfect refuge when it’s raining or freezing outside. Details on the Oodi library website.

8. Löyly and Allas Sea Pool: a sauna by the sea

The sauna is sacred to Finns, and in Helsinki you can enjoy one in style. Löyly is an architecturally acclaimed wooden sauna complex by the Baltic, where after working up a sweat you cool off by plunging straight into the sea, even into an ice hole in winter. It’s the best-known design sauna in the city, but book ahead, as it tends to fill up.

If there’s no room at Löyly, go for the Allas Sea Pool right by Kauppatori, a floating spa with both a heated and a seawater pool and saunas overlooking the harbour. Entry runs around €16 to €22. More on the Löyly website.

Art, parks and neighbourhoods

Helsinki is best discovered slowly, by wandering through parks and neighbourhoods and dropping into one of its excellent museums. Here are four tips to get to know the city’s quieter, more creative side too.

9. Art museums: Ateneum, Kiasma and Amos Rex

Helsinki has a great trio of museums for every mood. Ateneum showcases the golden age of Finnish painting and the classics (plus the likes of van Gogh and Munch), Kiasma is the national museum of contemporary art, and the underground Amos Rex with its undulating skylights on the square is famous for its Instagram-worthy exhibitions.

Admission runs around €20 to €23 per museum, but it pays to look out for free days (Kiasma has free entry on the first Friday of the month). If you’re a museum buff, consider the annual Museokortti pass, which covers most Finnish museums.

10. The Sibelius Monument and Töölö Park

The Sibelius Monument is Finland’s most famous sculpture, a steel artwork made of six hundred hollow pipes resembling an organ, dedicated to the composer Jean Sibelius. It stands in a beautiful park in the Töölö district by the bay, so a visit pairs nicely with a stroll along the water.

It’s outdoors and free, 24 hours a day. 💡 Tip: tour buses arrive in the morning, so for some peace and better photos come early in the morning or towards evening.

11. Kallio, the locals’ bohemian district

If you want to see authentic Helsinki without the tourists, head to the Kallio district east of the centre. This former working-class area is now bohemian, full of students, artists, independent cafés, veggie bistros, second-hand shops and cheaper bars. This is where the locals hang out.

The landmark is Kallio Church, and nearby is the Hakaniemi market hall. It’s the ideal district for a slow morning over coffee and soaking up the city’s real life. By the way, for families with kids, the traditional Linnanmäki amusement park with free entry is just a short hop away.

12. Seurasaari, the open-air museum on an island

Twenty minutes from the centre lies the island of Seurasaari, connected to the mainland by a footbridge, and on it an open-air museum of traditional Finnish wooden farmsteads, little churches and mills brought here from all over the country. It’s a pleasant escape into the Finnish countryside and nature, where tame squirrels scamper around you.

The island itself is free to access and is perfect for a picnic and a walk, but the guided houses are only open in summer (roughly mid-May to mid-September). You can get here on bus number 24 from the centre.

The best day trips from Helsinki

Helsinki makes a great base, and just outside the city wait a few trips worth a full day. Whether you’re after a picturesque old town, Finnish wilderness or an entirely different country, here are three ideas.

13. Porvoo, a picturesque old town by the river

Porvoo is the second-oldest town in Finland and the prettiest day trip from Helsinki. The picturesque old town with cobbled streets and the famous rusty-red wooden warehouses by the river looks like something off a postcard. You’ll find cafés, craft workshops and local chocolate and liquorice.

Direct buses from Kamppi run roughly every half hour from Helsinki, the journey takes around 40 to 50 minutes, and in summer you can even sail there on a scenic river boat. Allow four to six hours on the ground.

14. Nuuksio National Park, Finnish wilderness within reach

Think the Finnish wilderness is far away? Wrong. Nuuksio National Park lies just about 35 km from Helsinki and offers classic Finnish taiga, lakes, blueberries and, with a bit of luck, even a flying squirrel. It’s a great way to taste Finnish nature without having to travel all the way to Lapland.

Entry is free and you can get here by public transport (train to Espoo and then a bus). The trails vary in length, and the Haltia nature centre sits by the entrance. Bring water and a snack, as there’s no kiosk in the park. Maps on the Finnish national parks website.

15. Tallinn by ferry, the Middle Ages around the corner

This is my favourite bonus. From Helsinki you can sail to Tallinn in Estonia in just two hours by ferry and spend a day in one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Europe. Tallinn’s old town is on the UNESCO list, is completely different from Helsinki and is cheaper too.

Ferries run frequently (around ten crossings a day) and as a foot passenger you’ll pay roughly €25 to €80 for a return ticket depending on the day and time. You can realistically do it as a full-day trip, just keep an eye on the time of the last ferry back.

What to eat in Helsinki (even as a vegetarian)

Helsinki is one of the most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly cities you’ll find in Europe, so if you don’t eat meat like us, you’ll feel right at home. The local speciality is salmon (such as creamy salmon soup) and reindeer meat up north, but I only mention that for completeness.

For veggie spots, try the fully vegetarian Yes Yes Yes, the popular falafel and bowls at the Fafa’s chain, excellent burgers at Bun2Bun or the Lebanese Levant with its hummus and mezze. You’ll also find great veggie stalls in the market halls. And don’t forget the Finnish sweets: the cinnamon bun korvapuusti, the almond-and-raspberry pastry runebergin torttu or (at your own risk) the salty liquorice salmiakki. ☺️

Frequently asked questions about Helsinki