Helsinki

The "White City of the North" on the Baltic, with its white cathedral, Rock Church and Design District. Public sauna culture is strong, and it is the gateway for direct flights from China to the Nordics and Lapland.

Helsinki lies on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland in southern Finland, made up of a peninsula and more than 300 islands. It has a population of about 670,000 and is Finland's capital and the hub of Finnair, with direct flights from several cities in China, often serving as the gateway for trips to the Nordic countries and Lapland. After the city was made capital of the Grand Duchy by the Russian tsar in 1812, the German architect Carl Ludvig Engel planned it in a unified neoclassical style, which is why the cream-coloured buildings around Senate Square earned it the name "White City of the North". Since the 20th century it has also been known for modern design by Alvar Aalto and others. The main sights are compact. Senate Square and Market Square are the centre: to the east are Uspenski Cathedral and the island of Katajanokka; to the west are the Central Railway Station, Oodi Central Library, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art and Music Centre Helsinki; to the north-west are Temppeliaukio Rock Church and Sibelius Park (the Sibelius Monument is made of stainless-steel pipes and is not pictured here for copyright reasons); and to the south are the Design District, full of design shops, and the seafront park. A ferry from Market Square takes 15–20 minutes to reach the UNESCO World Heritage site of Suomenlinna. Climate: Jun–Aug, at about 17–23°C with nearly 19 hours of daylight, is the best season. Winter is around -5°C with only 6 hours of daylight, but brings Christmas markets and seaside winter-swimming saunas. Getting there and around: From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the I/P ring-line trains take about 30 minutes to the Central Railway Station. Trams, the metro and ferries (including the Suomenlinna ferry) in the city all use the same HSL tickets, and day tickets can be bought in the HSL app. To get to Tallinn, take a Tallink, Viking Line or Eckerö Line ferry (about 2–2.5 hours). We suggest 2–3 days: 1 day for the central churches and architecture, half a day to 1 day for Suomenlinna, half a day for the Design District and a sauna, and you can add 1 day for a round trip to Tallinn. Note: Finland is expensive, and lunch set menus (lounas) at restaurants offer the best value. Public saunas are usually mixed-gender, and swimwear is required. Most shops have shorter opening hours on Sundays.

Top sights

• Helsinki Cathedral & Senate Square – A Lutheran cathedral with white walls and a green dome, standing high above a flight of steps. Together with the neoclassical buildings aro…
• Temppeliaukio Church – A round church carved directly into granite, with a copper-strip dome and 180 glass windows letting natural light fall onto the rugged rock…
• Suomenlinna – An 18th-century sea fortress spread across six islands and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its walls, gun batteries, a submarine and grassy s…
• Uspenski Cathedral – The largest Orthodox church in Western Europe. Its red brick walls and golden onion domes stand on a rocky hill on Katajanokka Island, a re…
• Market Square & Old Market Hall – An open-air market on the South Harbour waterfront and an 1889 red-brick indoor market hall. Try salmon soup, grilled herring, reindeer and…
• Helsinki Central Library Oodi – A “city living room” opened in 2018, with a wave-shaped wooden building housing 3D printers, recording studios, and a top-floor “Book Heave…
• Design District Helsinki – A district of some 200 design shops, galleries, antique stores, and restaurants, where you can buy Marimekko, Iittala, and other Finnish de…
• Löyly – A wooden public sauna by the sea; after the sauna, you walk down the steps and jump straight into the Baltic Sea, the easiest way to experi…
• Esplanadi Park – A tree-lined boulevard park linking Market Square and the Swedish Theatre, flanked by design flagship stores, with lively open-air concerts…
• Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art – A curved building by American architect Steven Holl, and Finland’s most important contemporary art museum.
• Ateneum Art Museum – Finland’s largest classical art museum, housing paintings from Finland’s Golden Age and European masterpieces including works by Van Gogh.
• National Museum of Finland – A castle-like building in the National Romantic style, showing Finland’s history and culture from the Stone Age to the present day.
• Sibelius Monument – An abstract monument made of more than 600 steel pipes, shaped like a pipe organ, honoring the composer Sibelius.
• Seurasaari Open-Air Museum – A densely wooded island scattered with century-old farmhouses, churches, and manor houses moved from across Finland; you can feed squirrels…
• Allas Sea Pool – A sea pool and sauna on a floating platform beside Market Square, open year-round; soak in the heated pool while looking out at the harbor…
• SkyWheel Helsinki – A 40-meter Ferris wheel by the South Harbour overlooking the port, Suomenlinna, and the old town, and featuring the world’s only sauna cabi…
• Kamppi Chapel of Silence – A bowl-shaped wooden chapel in a bustling shopping district, with a minimalist, quiet interior for moments of reflection.
• Amos Rex – A museum hidden underground; the rounded skylight domes on the square above have become a favorite climbing spot and landmark for children.
• Finlandia Hall – A white marble concert and conference hall designed by Alvar Aalto, a classic of modernist architecture.
• Helsinki Central Station – Eliel Saarinen's National Romantic railway station, whose four giant stone figures holding round lamps at the entrance have become symbols…
• Linnanmäki Amusement Park – Finland's oldest amusement park, where a wooden roller coaster from 1951 still runs. Ticket revenue goes toward child welfare.
• Korkeasaari Zoo – A Nordic zoo on an island, known for snow leopards, wolverines, Arctic foxes and other cold-climate animals. In summer, you reach it by fer…
• Hakaniemi Market Hall – A red-brick market hall from 1914, reopened in 2023 after renovation, where locals buy fish, meat and Finnish snacks.
• Kaivopuisto Park – A historic seaside park at the city's southern end, with hilltop views of Suomenlinna and passing ferries. A favourite summer picnic spot.
• Helsinki Olympic Stadium – Main venue of the 1952 Olympics, a functionalist white building whose 72-metre tower offers city-wide views from its observation deck.
• Nuuksio National Park – A forest and lake national park about 35 km from the city centre, with well-marked hiking loops that let you experience the Finnish wildern…
• Porvoo Old Town – Finland's second-oldest town, with red wooden warehouses along the riverbank and cobbled lanes. The most popular day trip from Helsinki.
• Vallisaari Island – A former military restricted island next to Suomenlinna, open to the public since 2016, with wildflower meadows, defensive works and wild n…
• Ainola, Home of Jean Sibelius – The wooden villa where composer Jean Sibelius and his wife Aino lived for more than half a century, preserved as it was, with a family grav…
• Hvitträsk – A studio residence built on a lakeside by three architects, including Eliel Saarinen, a masterpiece of National Romantic architecture and d…

Where to eat

• Ravintola Kosmos – A family-run institution opened in 1924, preserving its original interior and serving classic Finnish dishes with Frenc…
• Ravintola Sea Horse – A neighborhood institution in Ullanlinna operating for over 90 years, famous for its crispy fried Baltic herring and on…
• Ravintola Grön – An intimate restaurant elevated to two Michelin stars in 2026, featuring ingredients sourced from Finland and their own…
• Ravintola Savotta – A traditional Finnish restaurant right next to Senate Square, themed around a logging camp and serving northern delicac…
• Soup+More (Old Market Hall) – An affordable soup stall in the Old Market Hall, offering unlimited bread with its famous creamy salmon soup—a perfect…
• Ravintola Plein – A cozy neighborhood bistro in the wooden-house district of Vallila, housed in a former butcher shop and ranked #1 in He…
• Finnjävel Salonki – A one-Michelin-starred restaurant inside the Helsinki Kunsthalle, reimagining traditional rustic recipes into sophistic…

Itineraries

• Helsinki to Inari Winter Northern Lights Tour – Take a night train north to Rovaniemi, then head to Saariselkä and Inari, balancing city sights, sledding, and the Nort…
• Finnish Lakeland & North Karelia Self-Drive – A Lakeland loop starting from the southern shore of Lake Saimaa, passing through Savonlinna, Koli, Kuopio, and ending i…
• South Coast, Historic Towns & Naantali – A summer short-trip route from Helsinki along the south coast via Fiskars and Hanko to Turku and Naantali.
• Tallinn, Helsinki to Stockholm – Connect Tallinn, Helsinki, Tampere, and Turku by ferry and train, with an overnight cruise through the archipelago to S…
• West Coast, Arctic Highway & North Cape Road Trip – Drive north from Turku along the west coast, passing through Oulu, Rovaniemi, and Inari, all the way to the North Cape…