Helsinki
Helsinki, until about 1930 known in English by its Swedish name of Helsingfors, is the capital and most populous city in Finland.
Helsinki, until about 1930 known in English by its Swedish name of Helsingfors, is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About 694,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.3 million in the capital region and 1.6 million in the metropolitan area. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 kilometres (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Helsinki
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Regia Academia Aboensis under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Tsar Alexander I following the Great Fire of Turku.
700 m · public university in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 02Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg, is a sea fortress composed of eight islands, of which six have been fortified. Located about four kilometres southeast of the city center of Helsinki, Finland, Suomenlinna is a popular destination for both tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site.
4 km · sea fortress by Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 03Helsinki Cathedral
Helsinki Cathedral is the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the neighborhood of Kruununhaka in the centre of Helsinki, Finland, at the Senate Square. The church was originally built from 1830 to 1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Emperor Nicholas I of Russia.
800 m · cathedral in Helsinki, Church of Finland · Wikipedia - 04Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium, located in the Töölö district about 2.3 kilometres from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country. The stadium is best known for being the centre of activities in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
1.9 km · stadium in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 05Helsinki Halli
Veikkaus Arena is a large multi-functional indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland that is the home of Jokerit. It was opened in April 1997 and the arena is convertible for various events.
3.9 km · multifunctional indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 06Aalto University
Aalto University is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design Helsinki.
6.3 km · Finnish university · Wikipedia - 07Ateneum
Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station.
400 m · art museum in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 08National Library of Finland
The National Library of Finland is the foremost research library in Finland. Administratively the library is part of the University of Helsinki.
700 m · foremost research library in Finland · Wikipedia - 09Finlandia Hall
The Finlandia Hall is a congress and event venue in the centre of Helsinki on the Töölönlahti Bay, owned by the City of Helsinki. The building, which was designed by architect Alvar Aalto, was completed in 1971.
600 m · concert house in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia - 10Senate Square
Senate Square presents Carl Ludvig Engel's architecture as a unique allegory of political, religious, scientific and commercial powers in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Senate Square and its surroundings make up the oldest part of central Helsinki.
800 m · square in Helsinki, Finland · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
See #Districts for listings. Surrounded by sea and a vast archipelago, Helsinki is at its best in the summer when the dialogue between the city and nature is at its fullest. Classical Helsinki's sights can be divided into an eclectic set of churches and a wide variety of museums. For a coastal amble past some of Helsinki's minor and major sights, see the itinerary A seaside stroll in Helsinki.
From Wikivoyage: Helsinki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
See #Districts for listings. The most common sport by attendance is ice hockey: the season starts in September and ends between March and early May (depending on the playoffs). Football (soccer) is also very popular, with the domestic season starting in March and ending in October (unlike in most of Europe).
- 01Helsinki Pride
Finland's biggest and most famous LGBT pride event.
- 02Helsinki Samba Carnaval
The biggest samba show in Finland, inspired by the famous Rio de Janeiro Carnaval in Brazil.
- 03Helsinki International Film Festival
Also known as Rakkautta & Anarkiaa (Love & Anarchy) and held annually in September, HIFF features a wide selection of films from all over the world.
- 04Baltic Herring Market
- 05Lautapelaamaan
Finland's biggest board game event, hosted by the Finnish Board Game Society.
- 06Liquorice
From Wikivoyage: Helsinki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
See #Districts for listings. Helsinki has by far the most cosmopolitan eating options in Finland, with eight Michelin-starred restaurants (Palace on Eteläranta got a second one in 2022), and is a good place to enjoy a good meal – if you can foot the bill, that is. As usual in Finland the best time to eat out if you are on a budget is lunch, when most restaurants offer lunch sets for €8–21.
From Wikivoyage: Helsinki, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Helsinki
- Airports
- Helsinki Vantaa (HEL), 16 km · Lennart Meri Tallinn (TLL), 84 km · Turku (TKU), 152 km
- Stations
- Helsinki Central Railway Station, 200 m · Rautatientori metro station, 200 m · Ruoholahti metro station, 1.5 km · University of Helsinki metro station, 600 m · Kulosaari metro station, 4.3 km
- Turku → Helsinki150 km · quickest by road, 2h 30m · €17–23
- Tampere / Pirkkala → Helsinki156 km · quickest by road, 2h 50m · €19–26
- Lappeenranta → Helsinki203 km · quickest by road, 3h 45m · €23–32
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Helsinki
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Helsinki. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inYou can take a ferry from Tallinn or an intercity bus or train from the other cities, which generally have excellent connections to Helsinki (connecting flights are sparse, and you'd miss the city visit).
- Get inThe south and west of Finland are mostly surrounded by water, but you can bring your car on ferries from Tallinn (south, many daily connections), Stockholm (west, daily), or even Germany (south-west).
- Get inThere are ferries from Sweden also to Turku and Vaasa on the west coast of Finland.
- Get inHelsinki is well connected with ferry services from Tallinn, Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden, and there are limited services from Travemünde and Rostock, Germany.
- Get inFerries arrive at four harbours around the city: See the Port of Helsinki site for the latest details.
From Wikivoyage: Helsinki, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01150 km
- 02168 km
- 03197 km
- 04229 km
- 05277 km
If you know how people move in Helsinki – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Helsinki
Helsinki is 16 km from Espoo, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.