Helsinki in 3 days
A capital of about 680,000 people spread over a peninsula and some 330 islands, Helsinki is easy to explore on foot, from the white cathedral on Senate Square to the harbour market and the Art Nouveau blocks of Katajanokka. City ferries reach the Suomenlinna fortress in 15 minutes, and public saunas look straight onto the Baltic.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Old Market Hallfree · about 1 hFinland's oldest market hall, opened in 1889 on the harbour's south quay: smoked salmon, dried reindeer, rye bread, and salmon soup at Story café.
- Afternoon
Suomenlinna Fortressfree · half a dayBuilt by the Swedes from 1748 on bridge-linked islands to guard against Russia, it surrendered in 1808 and later held Russian and Finnish garrisons.
Day 2
- Morning
Helsinki Cathedralabout 45 minCarl Ludwig Engel's Lutheran cathedral, completed in 1852, crowns Senate Square above a flight of steps that serves as the city's meeting point.
- Afternoon
Ateneum Art Museum2 to 3 hFinland's largest collection of Finnish art, opposite the station: Gallen-Kallela, Edelfelt, Schjerfbeck and Simberg's The Wounded Angel.
- Late afternoon
Oodi Central Libraryfree · about 1 h 30Opened in 2018 opposite Parliament: music studios, 3D printers and sewing machines free to book, and a top-floor reading room under a rippling wooden ceiling.
Day 3
- Morning
Temppeliaukio Churchabout 45 minA church hollowed out of a granite outcrop in Töölö by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, opened in 1969; from outside, only a copper dome shows.
- Afternoon
Löyly sauna2 to 3 hA pine-slatted public sauna opened in 2016 at Hernesaari, with wood-fired and smoke saunas and steps straight down into the Baltic.
- Late afternoon
Seurasaari Islandfree · 2 to 3 hA wooded island linked by a white wooden bridge, home since 1909 to an open-air museum of 89 buildings brought from all over Finland.
Where to sleep in Helsinki
- Eurohostel · €60 a night
- Hostel Diana Park · €65 a night
- Omena Hotel Helsinki Lönnrotinkatu · €80 a night
- Hotel Helka · €130 a night
- Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti · €140 a night
- Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Helsinki · €150 a night
- Hotel Kämp · €350 a night
- Hotel Haven · €230 a night
- Hotel Lilla Roberts · €220 a night
Plan this trip
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