By air
Helsinki-Vantaa (HEL), ~20 km
Europe · Finland
Helsinki, Finland
Design, saunas and sea fortresses
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to August — long days
Don't miss
Helsinki Cathedral
Suomenlinna
The Market Square
The Oodi library
Things to do
Public saunas
The Market Square
The design district
The ferry to Suomenlinna
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Old Pionear · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Temppeliaukio rock church
Questions travellers ask
When does Helsinki have its long days?
From June to August, which is the best time to go. Bring layers.
What are the must-sees in Helsinki?
Helsinki Cathedral, the Market Square, the Oodi library and the ferry to Suomenlinna. Seek out the Temppeliaukio rock church, too.
Where should I go for food in Helsinki?
The Old Market Hall is a good place to start. Order salmon soup, and save room for cinnamon buns.
Can I try a sauna in Helsinki?
Yes — public saunas are one of the things to do here. The design district is worth a wander, too.
About Helsinki
- Coastal
Where it is
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, sits at the tip of a peninsula and on more than 300 islands on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, about 80 km north of Tallinn in Estonia.
History
King Gustav I of Sweden founded Helsinki in 1550 as a trading town to rival Tallinn, and in the 18th century Sweden built the sea fortress of Suomenlinna on the islands outside the harbour. After Russia annexed Finland in 1809, Helsinki became the capital of the Grand Duchy in 1812 and gained its neoclassical centre around Senate Square, and it has been the capital of independent Finland since 1917.
People
Helsinki is officially bilingual: most people speak Finnish, and a Swedish-speaking minority keeps its own schools, newspapers and theatre. The sauna is central to Finnish life, and Finnish sauna culture is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage.
Known for
- Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square
- The sea fortress of Suomenlinna
- Public saunas by the sea
- Finnish design and the Design District
- The Oodi central library
Did you know?
The Temppeliaukio Church, completed in 1969, is carved directly into solid rock and topped with a copper dome, and its rough rock walls give it fine acoustics for concerts.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.