HELSINKI Guide
Helsinki has a chilly reputation. Freezing weather and somewhat distant people might be true but there’s so much more to the capital of Finland. Defrost in one of the saunas or have a famous Finnish gin&tonic to warm you up. Those things make Helsinki the coolest town in the world!
Here are our picks for top 5 sights to see in Helsinki. You can also find a special edition of routes for runners!
MUST SEE ATTRACTIONS
1. Cathedral and Senate Square
This big white church is the symbol of Helsinki. On a sunny day people gather to the stairs of the Cathedral to enjoy some ice-cream. It is surrounded by majestic buildings like University of Helsinki and the Government Palace. The square is called Senate square.
2. Oodi
The Central library is definitely worth a visit even if you are not a book lover. There’s 9 living trees, 100 000 books and two cafes inside. In case you for some mysterious reason need a 3D printer or a sewing machine, you can use them here. Oodi is a perfect example of modern Finnish architecture with wooden, glass and steel surfaces and interesting shapes. Head to the 3rd floor Book Heaven for a cup of coffee.
3. Suomenlinna
If you have few extra hours, take a short ferry ride to the Suomenlinna fortress. Ferry ride offers great views to Helsinki from the sea side. The Unesco World Heritage Site Suomenlinna is full of history, some of it pretty dark. Nowadays it is a popular picnic destination during the summer. If a cruiser passes you, remember to wave!
4. Amos Rex
Amos Rex museum is located below the Lasipalatsi (Glass Palace) square and you can peak in through windows on top of small hills. These hills are meant for people to walk on and hangout. Architecture inside the museum is very interesting as well as the exhibitions. At the moment they have an exhibition Generation 2020 that includes art from more than 80 young artists.
5. Rock Church
Rough rock surface inside gives excellent acoustics and therefore the Rock church is popular place for concerts. The Rock church is also popular amongst the tourists. Almost a million visitors in 2019 makes it the most popular indoor sight in Finland. Because of the constant flow of tourists, the church just added a small entrance fee (3 euros).
go for a run!
Or Nordic walk maybe?
2,2 km
Little less than 5k
Little more than 10k