About Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital city of Finland and home to 650 000 people. Helsinki is a modern European city of culture that is famous especially for its design and high technology. The city is a pocket-sized metropolis that is easy to discover on foot.

AN areal photograpf of the Senate Squre in Helsinki city center in the evening.
Senate Square. Photo: Jussi Hellsten/Helsinki Marketing.
Public library Oodi in the center of Helsinki. Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo/Helsinki Marketing.

Helsinki’s attractive and unique character comes from its proximity to the sea, which offers an endless number of exciting opportunities in summer and winter alike. Helsinki is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and the city’s shoreline is adorned by around 100 kilometres of coast and over 300 islands.

Most of Helsinki’s tourist attractions are within easy walking distance of the city centre, and if your feet do get tired, you can rely on Helsinki’s excellent public transportation – which has been ranked the best in Europe. There are plenty of sightseeing tours, excursions and other activities to fill every day of your holiday. You can also discover the city by hopping aboard the 3T tram or making the most the city’s walking, cycling and nature paths.

For lovers of architecture, Helsinki is a treasure trove that is easy to discover in its entirety. A half-hour walk from the district of Katajanokka (where our meeting venue is located) to Töölönlahti Bay will take you from bold Jugend-Art Nouveau designs through Neoclassical monuments to modernist masterpieces designed by Alvar Aalto. Along the way you will also get a taste of Helsinki’s Byzantine-Russian heritage, Neo-Renaissance buildings and contemporary glass and steel superstructures like the new central library Oodi.

Helsinki is one of the safest cities in Europe that is friendly towards residents and visitors alike thanks to its cleanliness and functional urban planning. Food hygiene and the quality of drinking water are of the highest order and are matched by the city’s other essential services.

To read more about Helsinki, visit the websites Visit Finland(Link to another website.) and My Helsinki(Link to another website.). 

Must see in Helsinki

The must see attractions in Helsinki include Central Railway Station, Helsinki Cathedral, Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, Temppeliaukio Church, Museum of Contenporary Art Kiasma and Finlandia Hall.

Food in Helsinki

Food in Helsinki: Visit market halls and the Teurastamo – Abattoir area. Taste Fazer milk chocolate, Karelian pastry, fish and berries. Did you know, Finnish drink the most coffee in the world per capita, Restaurant Day food carnival was originated in Helsinki and several restaurants serve three course Helsinki menu.

 

 

Helsinki attractions 

Pink old barrack building.
Jetty barracks at the Suomenlinna maritime fortress just 10 minutes by ferry from the Helsinki Market Square. Photo: Jussi Hellsten/Helsinki Marketing.
An old cannon loop at a dock, old fortress behind.
Cannon loop Diana at Artillery Bay in the Suomenlinna fortress. Photo: Aino Heininen /Suomenlinan Governing Board.
Open air sea pool with a view over the square and Cathedral.
Allas Sea Pool is open air pool with saunas right at the heart of Helsinki. Photo: Eetu Ahanen/Helsinki Marketing.
Neoclassical buildings, including the white Helsinki Cathedral.
Helsinki Senate Square is known for it's Neoclassical architecture. Photo: Jussi Hellsten/Helsinki Marketing.