Overview
Sights And Activities
Planning Your Trip
Accommodations
Outdoor Recreation
Transportation
Beyond Tourism
Heading North
Heading East
Basics
With all the appeal of a big city but without the grime, Helsinki’s (pop. 570,000) attractive harbor, grand architecture, and parks make it a showcase of Northern Europe. A hub of the design world, the city also distinguishes itself with multicultural flair; here, youthful energy mingles with old-world charm.
Water and beaches surround Helsinki in every direction. The city’s main street, Mannerheimintie, passes between the bus and train stations on its way south to the city center, ending at the Esplanadi. This tree-lined promenade leads east to Kauppatori (Market Square) and the beautiful South Harbor. Northeast of the city center lies Kallio, the bohemian district. Both Finnish and Swedish are used on all street signs and maps; Let’s Go uses the Finnish names.
Restaurants and cafes are easy to find on Esplanadi and the streets branching off Mannerheimintie and Uudenmaankatu. Cheaper options surround the Hietalahti flea market at the southern end of Bulevardi. A supermarket is under the train station. (Open M-Sa 7am-10pm, Su 10am-10pm.) Helsinki has many budget restaurants that serve ethnic food. Get lunch at the open-air market Kauppatori, where stalls sell cooked fish and local produce; a meal from a cafe will cost about €6-8. (Open June-Aug. M-Sa 6:30am-6pm; Sept.-May M-F 7am-5pm.)
Helsinki’s Neoclassical buildings and new forms reflect Finnish architect Alvar Aalto’s joke: “Architecture is our form of expression because our language is so impossible.” Helsinki’s Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) and Modernist structures are home to a dynamic design community. Much of the architecture of the old center, however, is the brainchild of German Carl Engel, who modeled his design after St. Petersburg. Older buildings and public squares are adorned with interesting and, at times, imposing statues. Most sights are in the city’s compact center, making it ideal for walking tours; pick up a walking guide from the tourist office for routes. Trams 3B and 3T loop around the major sights in 1hr., providing a cheap alternative to tour buses. Helsinki has many parks that are perfect for an afternoon stroll, including Kaivopuisto in the south, Töölönlahti in the north, and Esplanadi and Tähtitorninvuori in the center of town.
Suomenlinna. This military fortification, spanning five islands, was built by Sweden to stave off the Russian Empire. It is one of the best examples of military engineering in the 18th century. The Gibraltar of the North, as it was called, contains numerous buildings to explore. The main island path, identified by the blue signs, leads to the visitors center, home of the Suomenlinna Museum, which details the history of the fortress. (☎4050 9691; www.suomenlinna.fi. Museum open daily May-Aug. 10am-6pm; Sept.-Apr. 11am-4pm. €5, students €4.30min. Film, 2 per hr. AmEx/MC/V.) The islands also feature the world’s only combination church and lighthouse and Finland’s only remaining WWII submarine, the Vesikko. (Submarine open from mid-May to Aug. 11am-6pm. €4, students €2. Cash only. English tours of the fortress leave from the museum June-Aug. daily 11am and 2pm; Sept. Sa-Su 1:30pm. €6.50, including admission to the Ehrensvard Museum, the Commander’s residence. AmEx/MC/V.) Southern island’s smooth rocks are popular with swimmers. (City Transport ferries depart from Market St.; 15min., 1-3 per hr., round-trip €3.80. Combo ticket for military museum and submarine €6, students €3. Cash only.)
Senaatin Tori (Senate Square) . The square and its gleaming white Tuomiokirkko (Dome Church) showcase Carl Engel’s architecture and exemplify the splendor of Finland’s 19th-century Russian period. The church’s stunning marble reliefs house an interior so elegantly simple that every gilded detail becomes magnified. (Unioninkatu 29. ☎2340 6120. Open June-Aug. M-Sa 9am-noon, Su noon-8pm; Sept.-May M-Sa 9am-6pm, Su noon-6pm. Organ concerts W and F at noon.) Just south of Senate Sq., the Helsinki City Museum chronicles the city’s 450-year history. (Sofiankatu 4. ☎3103 6630. Open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa-Su 11am-5pm. Free.) The red-brick Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral (Uspenskinkatedraadi), the largest Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe, evokes images of Russia with its ornate interior and 13 golden cupolas. (☎09 963 4267. Open M and W-F 9:30am-4pm, Tu 9:30am-6pm, Sa 9:30am-2pm, Su noon-3pm. Closed M in winter.)
Esplanadi And Mannerheimintie. A boulevard dotted with copper patina statues and fountains, Esplanadi is a great place to people-watch. The Designmuseo presents the work of designers like Aalto and Eliel Saarinen alongside creations by young artists and first-rate temporary exhibits. (Korkeavuorenkatu 23. ☎622 0540; www.designmuseum.fi. Open June-Aug. daily 11am-6pm; Sept.-May Tu 11am-8pm, W-Su 11am-6pm. €7, students €3. AmEx/MC/V.) On the same block, the small Museum of Finnish Architecture has temporary displays on the history and future of building design. (Kasarmikatu 24. ☎8567 5100; www.mfa.fi. Open Tu and Th-F 10am-4pm, W 10am-8pm, Sa-Su 11am-4pm. €3.50, students €1.70. Free F. AmEx/MC/V.) Across from the train station, down a block on Kaivokatu lies the Ateneum Art Museum (Ateneum Taidemuseo), Finland’s largest, with comprehensive exhibits on Finnish art. (Kaivokatu 2. ☎1733 6401; www.ateneum.fi. Open Tu and F 9am-6pm, W-Th 9am-8pm, Sa-Su 11am-5pm. €6, students €4; €8/6.50 during special exhibits; first W of each month free 5-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.) A couple blocks west of the train station on Mannerheimintie is Kiasma (Museum of Contemporary Art), a quirky warehouse that features top-flight modern art and even calibrates the width of its doors to Fibonacci’s golden ratio. (Mannerheimintie 2. ☎1733 6501; www.kiasma.fi. Open Tu 9am-5pm, W-Su 10am-8:30pm. €7, students €5; 1st W each month free 5-8pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Farther down the road is the grand Parliament House, Mannerheimintie 30. (☎09 432 2027. Only accessible by 1hr. tours to the Session Hall, Hall of State, and the Parliament cafeteria Open Sa 11am and 2:30pm, Su noon and 1:30pm; July and Aug. also M-F 11am and 1pm. Free.) The next building up Mannerheimintie is Saarinen’s National Museum of Finland (Suomen Kansallismuseo), featuring a 1928 ceiling fresco by Gallen-Kallela and many exhibits on Finnish history. (Mannerheimintie 34. ☎40 501; www.kansallismuseo.fi. Open Tu-W 11am-8pm, Th-Sa and Su 11am-6pm. €7, students €4, under 18 free, Tu 5:30-8pm free. AmEx/MC/V.) Head back to the city center down Mannerheimintie, turn right on Arkadiankatu, and right again on Fredrikinkatu to reach the heavily touristed Temppeliaukio Kirkko. This striking church is hewn out of a hill of rock with only the domed roof visible from the outside. (Lutherinkatu 3. ☎2340 5920. English-language services Su 2pm. Usually open in summer M, Tu, Th, F 10am-8pm, W 10am-6:45pm, Sa 10am-6pm, Su 11:45am-1:45pm and 3:30-6pm.)
Other Sights. The Theater Museum contains costume designs from the National Theater. (Tallberginkatu 1. M: Ruoholahti. After exiting, walk 5 blocks down Itämerenkatu Museums are in the G entrance. ☎4763 8300; www.teatterimuseo.fi. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm. Theater Museum closed in July. Photography Museum €6, students €4; Hotel and Restaurant Museum €2/1; Theater Museum €6/3. MC/V.) Near the Western Harbor, the crowded Jean Sibelius Monument pays homage to a great composer. (On Mechelininkatu in Sibelius Park. Take bus #24, dir.: Seurasaari to Rasjasaarentie. The monument will be behind you.)
Helsinki’s parks are always animated. In the early evening, young people sit and drink in the downtown parks. A concert series enlivens the Esplanadi park all summer offering shows on most days throughout the summer. Highlights of the program are Jazz Espa in July, and Ethno Espa showcasing international music (www.kulttuuri.hel.fi/espanlava). Late June’s Helsinki Pride celebration (www.helsinkipride.fi) is Finland’s largest GLBT event and lasts for a week of festivities. The two-week Helsinki Festival (www.helsinkifestival.fi), at the end of August, wraps up the summer with cultural events ranging from music and theater to film and visual arts. At the end of September, Helsinki Design Week (www.helsinkidesignweek.fi) reinforces the city’s image as a style capital, while the Love and Anarchy Film Festival (www.hiff.fi) features works from across the globe. Throughout summer, concerts rock Kaivopuisto (on the corner of Puistokatu and Ehrenstromintie, in the southern part of town), the Olympic Stadium, and Hietaniemi Beach (down Hesperiankatu on the western shore). Check out the Nordic Oddity pamphlet series, with insider advice on sights, bars, and activities. For high culture, try the Helsinki Philharmonic and Radio Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera, or the National Theater. Lippupiste and Lippupalvelu, Aleksanterinkatu 52 (☎0600 900 900), in the Stockmann department store, sell tickets for most big venues (AmEx/MC/V).
Bars and summer beer terraces fill up in late afternoon; most clubs don’t get going until midnight. Bars and clubs line Mannerheimintie, Uudenmaankatu, and Iso Roobertinkatu. East of the train station, nightlife centers around Yliopistonkatu and Kaisaniemenkatu, while in bohemian Kallio, the bars around Fleminginkatu have some of the cheapest beer in the city. A popular night activity is heavy-metal karaoke; check out Wednesday and Sunday at Hevimesta, Hallituskatu 3.
Töölönlahti And Eläintarhanlahti. Just north of the train station are these two city lakes and accompanying parks, which offer great walks. Northwest of the Sibelius Monument across a bridge, the island of Seurasaari offers a retreat from the city. It is home to an open-air museum of farmsteads and churches. (Take bus #24 from Erottaja to the last stop. The island is always open for hiking. Museum ☎4050 9665. Open June-Aug. M-Sa and Su 11am-5pm; late May and early Sept. M-F 9am-3pm, Sa-Su 11am-5pm. Tours from mid-June to mid-Aug. daily 3pm. €6, students €4. MC/V.)
Beaches. Many islands south of the city feature public beaches that are accessible by ferry, including a nude beach on Pihlajasaari Island. Beyond Espoo to the west is the Nuuksio National Park, where flying squirrels are a common sight. (☎0205 64 4790; www.outdoors.fi/nuuksionp. Take the train to Espoo station and bus #85 from there to Kattila in Nuuksio in the summer or Nuuksionpää in the winter.)
Porvoo (Borgå). Porvoo (pop. 47,000) is along Old King Road, 50km east of Helsinki. From the bus station, walk down Lundinkatu toward the river and turn right on Runeberginkatu, following it until you see the green signs of the Tourist Information office, Rihkamakatu 4 (☎019 520 2316; www.porvoo.fi. Open from mid-June to Aug. M-F 9am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm; from Sept. to mid-June reduced hours.) Porvoo is known for its medieval old town and its whitewashed hilltop cathedral where in 1809, Tsar Alexander I granted Finland autonomy. The cathedral fell victim to an attack in May 2006; it is being rebuilt and will reopen in December 2008. The house of Finland’s national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Aleksanterinkatu 3, looks just as it did when he called it home in the mid-1800s. (☎019 581 330. Open May-Aug. daily 10am-4pm; Sept.-Apr. W-Su 10am-4pm. House and sculpture exhibit €5, students €2. Cash only.) The Historical Museum, in the 1764 Town Hall in Old Market Sq., features an eclectic array of artifacts but is closed for renovation until sometime in 2009. (☎019 574 7500. Check www.porvoomuseo.fi for more information.) Charming, if overpriced, cafes line the streets of Old Town. Many, such as Cafe Helmi and Cafe Fanny, sell Runeberg cakes, which the poet himself enjoyed, for about €3. The small round cakes—with almonds and cinnamon topped off with raspberry jam and a squeeze of icing—are a delicious, regional favorite. (Buses run from Helsinki (1hr., 3 per hr., €9-12). Harryn Pyörävarikko, Jokikatu 11, rents bikes to visitors heading as far south as Pellinki. ☎1965 4156.) Postal Code: 06100.
Lahti. World-class winter sports facilities make Lahti (pop. 100,000) a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and especially snow-lovers. For trail information, call Lahti Sports Services (☎03 816 816). The Ski Museum has ski-jump and slalom simulators and a simulated shooting range. (☎038 144 523. Open M-F 10am-5pm, Sa-Su 11am-5pm. €5, students €3. MC/V.) Towering 200m above the museum, the tallest of three T ski jumps, accessible by a chairlift followed by an elevator, offers excellent views of the city. (Open in summer daily 10am-5pm. €5, students €3; with Ski Museum €8/€5.) The 100k of cross-country ski trails emanate out from the sports complex; the tourist office has info on the Ilvesvaellus Trail, a 30min. bus ride northwest. In Kariniemi Park, near the shore, the Musical Fountains combine water and music daily at 1 and 6pm in summer, 7pm in spring and fall. At the harbor, Sibelius Hall holds the Sibelius Festival in September, with performances of the composer’s works. (Trains head to Helsinki (1hr., 2 per hr., from €13.20), Savonlinna (3:30hr., 6 per day, from €41.50), and Tampere (1:45hr., 1 per hr., from €25). The tourist office is at Rautatienkatu 22. ☎020 728 1750; www.lahtitravel.fi. Open M-Th 9am-5pm, F 9am-4pm; also open from mid-July to mid-Aug. Sa 10am-2pm. AmEx/MC/V.) Postal Code: 15110.
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