Helsinki

Finland·Europe

Currency

EUR

Language

Finnish, Swedish

Timezone

Helsinki

Continent

Europe

Our guide

Discover Helsinki

Helsinki is a seaside city built across three hundred islands, and its centre reads as one piece. Senate Square, laid out by Engel in the 19th century, is closed by Helsinki Cathedral and its white steps. Uspenski Cathedral, Orthodox and in red brick, holds the opposite shore — the largest in Western Europe. Temppeliaukio Church is cut into granite and roofed with a copper disc. The Fortress of Suomenlinna, an 18th-century bastion on the World Heritage list, is fifteen minutes by ferry from Market Square. The Ateneum holds Finnish art.

When to go

June to August: twenty degrees, full terraces, and a light that barely goes out — the solstice gives nineteen hours of day. September is mild and clear. Winter is long, dark and cold, down to minus twenty, with five hours of daylight in December: the season of saunas, the Christmas market and sometimes a frozen sea. May and September are the quietest months.

Getting around

Trams, buses, metro and ferries share one zone ticket — the Suomenlinna ferry is included in the ordinary fare, which many people do not know. Tram 2 loops past the main sights and works as a guided tour at the normal price. The centre is compact and walkable. Public bicycles run from April to October. The airport is thirty minutes from the centre by train.

Where to eat

Salmon, smoked or in the creamy lohikeitto soup, is everywhere. Dark rye bread comes with everything. Berries — bilberries, lingonberries, cloudberries — are picked freely, the right of access to nature being written into law. Karjalanpiirakka, a rice pasty on a rye crust, is breakfast. The Old Market Hall and Hakaniemi Hall serve best. Four halal addresses are listed.

Good to know

The euro is the currency and Finland is effectively cashless: cards work everywhere, market stalls included. Fourteen sites and museums are free. The sauna is not an attraction but a habit — you go naked, separated by sex except among family, and showering first is required. Tap water is excellent. Distances between islands are covered by public ferry, not by paid excursion.

Smart Planning