Season guide · Helsinki · Finland
Helsinki in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Crisp September colour and the herring market, then darkening, rainy weeks into November; low prices. Expect highs up to 16°C (61°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 32 rainy days across September–November. September is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 0°C (32°F) to 16°C (61°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 32
- Sea
- 6°C (43°F) to 14°C (57°F)
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 16°C (61°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 9 | 12.7 h | 3/5 |
| October | 9°C (48°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 11 | 9.9 h | 2/5 |
| November | 4°C (39°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 12 | 7.3 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 10°C (50°F) against a yearly 10°C (50°F), and 32 of the year's roughly 111 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Helsinki Design Week (usually September)
- October: Baltic Herring Market — fishermen sell herring from boats on Market Square (usually early October)
- November: Christmas Street lights switched on along Aleksanterinkatu (usually late November)
Good choices for autumn
Museum · Seurasaari
Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
A footbridge leads to Seurasaari island, where farmsteads, manor houses and a 17th-century wooden church have been moved from around Finland.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Neighbourhood · Punavuori
Design District and Design Museum
Start at the Design Museum for context, then walk Fredrikinkatu and Uudenmaankatu for independent studios.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Shopping
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Architecture · Kamppi
Kamppi Chapel of Silence
A curved wooden chapel clad in spruce, completed in 2012 on busy Narinkka square.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Museum · Vantaa
Heureka science centre
Check the planetarium film times when you arrive and plan the rest of the visit around them.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Religious site · Töölö
Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church)
Designed by the brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and opened in 1969, this Lutheran church was blasted into a granite outcrop, with raw rock walls and a copper dome ringed by skylights.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Day trips in autumn
- Nuuksio National Park (About 1 hour by train and bus) — Forest lakes, granite ridges and marked trails from 2 to 7 km make Nuuksio the easiest taste of Finnish wilderness from Helsinki, with campfire sites and blueberries in late summer.
- Turku (About 2 hours by train) — Finland's oldest city and former capital has a medieval castle at the harbour, a brick cathedral consecrated in 1300, and restaurant boats moored along the Aura river.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit Helsinki?
Yes: September is among the best months. Crisp September colour and the herring market, then darkening, rainy weeks into November; low prices.
+What is the weather like in Helsinki in autumn?
Highs of up to 16°C (61°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 32 rainy days over the season.