Helsinki
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.
Getting to Helsinki
All international and domestic flights land at the compact, modern and airy
- 01Helsinki Airport
- 02Central Railway Station
- 03Pasila
- 04Kamppi Bus Station
Worth seeing
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.
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
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.
Getting around Helsinki the local way
- 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.
- Get inThe ferry route from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki has upwards of 20 departures daily.
- Get inDepending on the ferry, journey time is anywhere from 1½ to 3½ hours.
- Get inThe route is among the most popular international ferry routes in the world (7.3 million passengers in 2025).
From Wikivoyage: Helsinki, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.