Helsinki region
Activities in Helsinki region
Attractions in Helsinki region
Highlights
Wide park in the centre of Helsinki
Chapel with extraordinary design at Narinkka Square in the city center of Helsinki.
Helsinki Cathedral is the Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki.
The largest stadium in Finland was the main stadium of the Summer Olympics in 1952.
The Market Square in Helsinki serves as a meeting point for locals and offers lots of possibilities ...
SkyWheel Helsinki in Katajanokka is a Ferris wheel in the heart of Helsinki which is open all year ...
The National Museum of Finland is situated in the heart of Helsinki.
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress is one of the most popular sights of Finland. It is accesible by ferry at ...
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On the Road in Helsinki
Senate Square, Market Square and Esplanade Park form the historical city center. It is surrounded by strolling miles with shopping facilities and street cafes. Enjoying fresh Korvapuustis, delicious cinnamon buns and a cup of hot Kahvi (coffee), you can sit and watch the hustle and bustle of the city.
Helsinki is known for its diverse gastronomy scene. Finnish specialties or new interpretations of local classic dishes are served as well as international delicacies. One can literally taste the closeness to the sea and the extensive forests of Finland as the main ingredients of regional Finnish cuisine are fish, game, mushrooms and berries.
Helsinki consists of different districts, which can be conveniently explored by bike. Those who prefer it the comfortable way can take the old Helsinki tram with its green wagons. Tram lines 2 und 3 pass the important sights and you can get on and off the tram at any time.
Photo: Juha Kalaoja, Visit Finland
Finnish culture
Numerous design shops, galleries and museums attract people to the World Design Capital. Many furniture designers, whose creations are well-known far beyond the country’s borders, come from Finland. The design is as creative, unconventional, casual and tolerant as the Finnish lifestyle, which you can feel at every corner of the capital.
The lively Finnish nightlife offers the best chances to come into contact with the locals. A visit to the numerous clubs and bars is the easiest way to get to know the Finns who are otherwise rather reserved. Good live music and cool drinks let the evening pass quickly.
The favorite leisure activity of the Finns is going to the sauna. With its impressively high sauna density, Finland is the number one among the sauna countries. Almost everywhere you have the possibility to visit a sauna, be it in the city or in a log house by the lake. The term “sauna”, by the way, is one of the few Finnish words that has become internationally accepted.
Nature in and around Helsinki
Framed by bays, skerries and islands, the affinity of Helsinki with the sea is still clearly recognizable today. More than 300 islands are located in the archipelago off the 123 km long coastline of Helsinki. One can see these islands even from the city area as the coast is never more than 10 km away from any place in Helsinki. Some of the islands can be reached by ferry at regular intervals. Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, which was a naval base during the 18th century, is nowadays a popular destination. The islands of Lonna and Vallisaari are also worth a visit with public sauna and unspoilt nature.
In the land of national parks, the capital city naturally enjoys the close proximity of typical Finnish nature in Nuuksio and Sipoonkorpi National Park. Only a short drive and you can dive into the dense forests with their rock formations and lakes. A well-deserved break from the hustle and bustle of the city and an escape from the stress of everyday life into nature are a matter of course for the Finns.
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