Helsinki: the happiest capital city in the world?

Finland has topped the list of the world's happiest countries for several years in a row, and Helsinki is the capital that gives you a taste of why. The city, which in Swedish is called Helsinki, is often called the daughter of the Baltic Sea. It is located on a peninsula surrounded by about 300 islands, and the sea is never far away no matter where you are.

Helsinki was the World Design Capital in 2012, and sauna culture was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020, as the very first Finnish tradition on the list. The city is compact enough to explore on foot, and varied enough that the morning can offer fortress walls and sea air before the afternoon ends in a steamy sauna.

Sights & Things To Do In Helsinki

Most things are connected here: the ferry pier is located at the Market Square (Kauppatori), Senate Square with the cathedral is a short walk away, and the saunas are never far from any of them. A weekend therefore goes surprisingly far, with time for both history, architecture and a couple of hours in the heat. Start where the city itself began, out at the fortress by the mouth to the sea.

Suomenlinna: A UNESCO World Heritage site

Fifteen minutes by ferry from the Market Square is Suomenlinna, the sea fortress the Swedes began building in 1748, today a UNESCO World Heritage site. The fortress stretches over six islands, where you wander freely between cannons, tunnels and walls with the Baltic Sea as a backdrop. The ferry is included in a regular HSL ticket, and if you want island life without the crowds, the neighbouring island of Vallisaari is close by.

Back on the mainland, the ferry drops you off at Market Square, and then you are already in the middle of the next stop.

Senate Square and Helsinki Cathedral

A couple of blocks behind Market Square, Senate Square, designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel in the 1800s, opens up. The white cathedral from 1852 sits at the top of the approximately 40 steps that in summer serve as the city's unofficial sun terrace, overlooking the entire square. Down by the harbour, the Old Market Hall from 1889 tempts you with coffee and salmon soup between the sights.

Temppeliaukio: the church blasted into the rock

A ten-minute walk west brings something completely different. Brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen blasted the church of Temppeliaukio right into the bedrock in 1969, and daylight is filtered in through a ring of windows under the copper-clad roof. The acoustics are so good that the room is used to host several hundred concerts a year. By the way, an old Finnish proverb says that you should behave in the sauna like in church, so the way to the next stop is shorter than you might think.

Saunas in Helsinki: Löyly, Allas Sea Pool and ice swimming

No city takes saunas more seriously than Helsinki. The architect-designed Löyly is located right on the waterfront with stairs directly down into the Baltic Sea, while Allas Sea Pool at Market Square combines saunas with heated outdoor pools all year round. If you want the rough original, the wood-fired Kotiharjun Sauna in the working-class district of Kallio has been running since 1928. Book an appointment in advance in the summer, and if you dare to take a dip in ice water in the winter, you'll suddenly understand a little more of the Finnish people's soul.

Moomin Valley and Linnanmäki: Helsinki with kids

If you're travelling with children, Helsinki does a lot of the work for you. The distances are short, most of the sights work for both young and old, and two attractions stand out: the amusement park in the city centre and Moomin Valley as a day trip to the archipelago.

Linnanmäki has been the city's amusement park since 1950 and is just a tram ride north of the city centre. The park is run by a foundation that donates all profits to child welfare in Finland, so the roller coasters are actually doing some good in the world. Entry is free and you only pay for the rides you want to ride.

Moomin Valley is located on the island of Kailo outside Naantali, just over an hour west of Turku, and is one of Finland's most famous family attractions. From Helsinki, the train takes around two hours to Turku, and from there the city bus goes out to Naantali in less than fifteen minutes, so a day trip is quite possible from Helsinki. The season is short, from June to the end of August. Our Finland guide provides more detail about what awaits you inside the park.

Museums in Helsinki: from contemporary art to erotica

Over eighty museums make Helsinki one of the strongest cultural cities in the Nordic region, with the contemporary art museum Kiasma and the underground Amos Rex at the forefront. We have been on a museum tour of the city ourselves, and collected everything you need in a separate guide to six of Helsinki's best museums, where you will get everything from Finnish cultural history and AI to a surprising amount of erotica.

Design & Shopping in Helsinki

The design heritage lives as much in the streets as in museums. The Design District around the Punavuori district brings together around 200 shops, galleries and workshops, with Marimekko's colourful patterns and Iittala's glass side by side with small studios.

Also visit the main library Oodi at the train station, a free landmark in glass and wood that says a lot about how Finns think about community.

Food & Restaurants in Helsinki

The dining experiences start out by the water. At Market Square, smoked fish and fresh berries from the stalls are sold, and every autumn the herring market is arranged, which has been running continuously since 1743. Finns also drink more coffee per capita than any other people in the world, and the coffee break is enshrined in many collective agreements. Take a long break at a café in Kallio, where prices are lower and the atmosphere more relaxed than in the city centre.

Travel tips for Helsinki

Travelling to Helsinki requires little planning, but a few steps make the trip both cheaper and better. We have collected some practical info below, from seasons and transport to what things cost.

The best time to go to Helsinki

The summer from June to August brings bright nights and a city life that moves out into parks, on piers and islands. Winter has its own tranquillity, with a Christmas market on Senate Square, snow over the fortress walls and saunas that tempt you extra in the cold. You don't get real midnight sun that far south, but the June evenings never get completely dark.

How to get to and around in Helsinki

If you are already in Stockholm, the night ferry to Helsinki is a popular and comfortable way to travel. The crossing takes around 16–17 hours, and both Viking Line and Tallink Silja Line have daily departures. You get to experience the beautiful archipelago both on departure from Stockholm and at the entrance to Helsinki the next morning, with a good night's sleep between the two.

From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the train takes you to the city centre in around 30 minutes. Once there, the HSL ticket makes it easy to get around by tram, metro, bus and ferry to Suomenlinna. If you have an extra day to spare, Tallinn is a popular day trip, with ferry connections taking around two hours each way.

Priser og budsjett i Helsinki

Prisnivået ligger på linje med resten av Norden, verken billigst eller dyrest. En god lunsj koster gjerne 12 til 15 euro, rundt 140 til 175 kroner, mens middag på restaurant fort passerer 30 euro per person. Gratisopplevelsene veier opp: Suomenlinna, Oodi og badeliv langs kysten koster ingenting. Og med noen dager i Helsinki har du bare så vidt begynt, for byen er den naturlige inngangen til resten av Finland, enten neste stopp er skjærgården, Åbo eller lysene lenger nord.