Helsinki travel guide: itinerary, areas and rainy days
Helsinki sits on a granite peninsula with the Baltic on three sides. The big white overnight ferries to Stockholm tie up across the water from the market stalls, the white cathedral looks down over Senate Square from the top of its broad steps, and in June the sun does not set until nearly eleven at night. Behind the harbour lie quiet streets of Art Nouveau apartment blocks, a library that locals treat as their living room and public saunas looking straight out to sea. This guide helps you decide how many days to spend, how to arrange them, where to stay and what to do when the weather turns.
How the city fits together
Almost everything a first-time visitor wants to see lies on the southern tip of the peninsula, in an area you can cross on foot in about half an hour. The historic core is Senate Square, with the cathedral, the university and the government palace. A short walk downhill brings you to the Market Square and the South Harbour, where the Suomenlinna ferry leaves; across a narrow channel to the east is the island district of Katajanokka, crowned by Uspenski Cathedral.
From the harbour, the tree-lined Esplanadi runs west to Mannerheimintie, the main north-south avenue. Around it lie the shopping streets, the Central Railway Station and Kamppi, with its bus station, metro stop and the wooden Kamppi Chapel. Walk north from the station and you reach Töölö Bay, lined by the Oodi library, the Kiasma museum, the Music Centre and Parliament House. South of Esplanadi, Punavuori and Ullanlinna hold the Design District's small shops and studios and end at the seaside park of Kaivopuisto. North of the Long Bridge, Kallio is the old working-class district, now known for cheap bars, cafés and saunas.
Trams cover the centre, the metro runs east to west beneath it, and on a fine day you will walk more than you ride.
How many days to spend in Helsinki
- Two days are enough for the centre and Suomenlinna: one day around Senate Square, the harbour and Esplanadi, a second split between the island fortress and the modern buildings around Töölö Bay. You will have to choose between museums and sauna.
- Three days let you see the city at a natural pace: the day plan below adds Temppeliaukio Church, the Sibelius Monument and an evening in Kallio, and leaves time for one of the big art museums if it rains.
- Four days give you room for a day out of town. Porvoo's old wooden town is about an hour away by bus, and on a dry day Nuuksio National Park offers lakes and forest trails without leaving the transport network.
Three days in Helsinki, day by day
Day one: Senate Square, the harbour and the Design District
Start on Senate Square while it is still quiet and climb the steps into the cathedral. Walk down to the Market Square for coffee among the stalls and a look into the Old Market Hall, then cross the bridge to Katajanokka for Uspenski Cathedral and the view back over the harbour. In the afternoon stroll along Esplanadi and drift south into the Design District, where Punavuori's side streets are full of Finnish fashion, ceramics and furniture shops. End the day the Finnish way, in a sauna: the Allas Sea Pool sits right by the Market Square, and Löyly, a timber sauna building on the shore at Hernesaari, is a short tram and walk away.
Day two: Suomenlinna and the southern shore
Give the morning to Suomenlinna. Take an early ferry from the Market Square, walk the ramparts and tunnels to the King's Gate at the southern end and have lunch on the island before heading back. On a windy day the crossing is part of the experience; on a stormy one, swap this day with day three. Back in town, walk south along the shore to Kaivopuisto park and its seaside cafés, or, if your legs are tired, spend the late afternoon in the Ateneum among the Finnish painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the evening cross the Long Bridge to Kallio for dinner and a drink among locals.
Day three: modern Helsinki, rock church and Sibelius
Begin at the Central Railway Station, Eliel Saarinen's granite landmark, and walk a few minutes north to Oodi, the library on Töölö Bay. Kiasma, for contemporary art, is just across the square, and five minutes' walk away Amos Rex has its galleries under the domes of Lasipalatsi Square. Stop for a moment of silence in the Kamppi Chapel before lunch. In the afternoon walk up through Töölö to Temppeliaukio Church, carved into a granite outcrop, and continue to the Sibelius Monument in its park by the sea. On a warm summer day, finish with a swim at Hietaniemi beach a little to the south; otherwise take the tram back into town.
What to do when it rains in Helsinki
Helsinki is good at bad weather: many of its best sights are indoors and close together, and the city is used to grey days. Suomenlinna, the Sibelius Monument and the Market Square need dry weather, so check the forecast above and keep them for the brightest day. A wet day also suits the Helsinki City Museum, which is free and tells the city's story from village to capital.
- Morning: the Ateneum (€23), Finland's national gallery, with the country's best-loved paintings in one building opposite the station.
- Afternoon: Kiasma (€23, free for everyone on the first Friday of the month) or Amos Rex, then a coffee upstairs in Oodi with the rain running down the glass.
- Evening: a public sauna. Rain hardly matters when you are sitting in the heat and cooling off in the sea.
- At any time: the Old Market Hall by the harbour, for smoked fish, Karelian pies and a warm lunch under one roof.
Where to stay in Helsinki
- Kluuvi and Kamppi, around the station
- The most practical base: the airport train, the metro and the long-distance buses all stop here, and Senate Square is a ten-minute walk. Mostly large chain hotels; the streets are busy in the day and fairly quiet at night.
- Punavuori and Ullanlinna
- Residential streets of Art Nouveau buildings south of Esplanadi, with the Design District's shops, good restaurants and the seaside park of Kaivopuisto close by. Smaller hotels and many apartments.
- Kallio and Hakaniemi
- Across the Long Bridge, a few metro stops or a pleasant walk from the centre. Usually cheaper, with lively bars, cafés and old neighbourhood saunas; weekend nights can be loud.
- Katajanokka
- A quiet island district next to the Market Square, with Uspenski Cathedral and Art Nouveau streets. A good choice if you arrive or leave on a ferry from the terminals here.