Things to do · Helsinki · Finland
19 best things to do in Helsinki
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jens Strauß, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Helsinki are Suomenlinna sea fortress, Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square and Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church). Of the 19 picks below, 7 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Suomenlinna sea fortress
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church)
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suomenlinna sea fortress | Suomenlinna | Half a day | Low cost |
| Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square | Kruununhaka | 45 minutes | Free |
| Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church) | Töölö | 30–45 minutes | Low cost |
| Market Square and Old Market Hall | Kruununhaka | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Sibelius Monument | Töölö | 30 minutes | Free |
| Allas Sea Pool | Kruununhaka | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Uspenski Cathedral | Katajanokka | 30–45 minutes | Free |
| Esplanadi park | Kaartinkaupunki | 45 minutes | Free |
| Ateneum Art Museum | Kluuvi | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Amos Rex | Kamppi | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Oodi Central Library | Kluuvi | 45 minutes | Free |
| Seurasaari Open-Air Museum | Seurasaari | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Löyly public sauna | Hernesaari | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Design District and Design Museum | Punavuori | Half a day | Low cost |
| Kamppi Chapel of Silence | Kamppi | 15 minutes | Free |
| Korkeasaari Zoo | Korkeasaari | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Linnanmäki amusement park | Alppila | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Kaivopuisto park and seafront | Ullanlinna | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Heureka science centre | Vantaa | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 19 best things to do
Historic site · Suomenlinna
1.Suomenlinna sea fortress
Built by the Swedish crown from 1748 across six linked islands, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO-listed sea fortress with bastions, tunnels, cannons, a dry dock and about 800 year-round residents. Several small museums cover its history, and in summer the WWII submarine Vesikko can be boarded. Grassy ramparts on the southern islands are popular for picnics and sea views.
Take the HSL ferry from Market Square on a regular public-transport ticket and walk the blue route from the main quay to the King's Gate on the far side.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Views
- Photo spot
Religious site · Kruununhaka
2.Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square
Carl Ludvig Engel's white, green-domed Lutheran cathedral, completed in 1852, crowns a broad flight of steps above Senate Square, where a statue of Tsar Alexander II stands among the neoclassical Government Palace and University buildings. The interior is plain by design; the view from the steps over the square is the city's classic image.
Sit on the cathedral steps at sunset in summer, when the square glows and locals gather there.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · Töölö
3.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. The acoustics make it a popular concert venue. A small entry fee applies outside services.
Look for a lunchtime or evening concert listing; hearing music in the rock hall is the best way to experience it.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Market · Kruununhaka
4.Market Square and Old Market Hall
Kauppatori, on the South Harbour, is an open-air market of food stalls and souvenir tents beside the Suomenlinna ferry pier, selling fried vendace, salmon soup and, in summer, berries and new potatoes. Next door, the brick Old Market Hall of 1889 has counters for smoked fish, reindeer, cheese and coffee.
Eat inside or under cover; the harbour gulls are quick to snatch food from plates.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
- Shopping
Landmark · Töölö
5.Sibelius Monument
Eila Hiltunen's 1967 monument to the composer Jean Sibelius is a wave of more than 600 welded steel pipes, set on a rock in Sibelius Park beside a steel mask of his face. The seaside path around Töölö bay leads on to the red wooden Café Regatta, a favourite stop for cinnamon buns and a fire pit.
Walk the shoreline from the monument to the café and on towards Seurasaari for a 1-hour loop.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Iconic
- Outdoors
Experience · Kruununhaka
6.Allas Sea Pool
Floating at the quay between Market Square and Katajanokka, Allas has a heated pool, an unheated seawater pool and saunas, all looking straight at the Cathedral, the harbour and the Suomenlinna ferries. Its terrace café and bar are open to non-swimmers.
Go in winter for the full contrast: hot sauna, steaming heated pool and a dip in the icy seawater pool.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Views
- Couples
- Iconic
Religious site · Katajanokka
7.Uspenski Cathedral
The red-brick Orthodox cathedral, completed in 1868 on a rocky hill in Katajanokka, has gilded onion domes and an interior of icons and a richly decorated iconostasis. Its terrace looks back over Market Square and the harbour, and it is a five-minute walk from the Helsinki Cathedral.
Visit outside service times and walk on into Katajanokka's Art Nouveau streets afterwards.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Views
- History
Park · Kaartinkaupunki
8.Esplanadi park
The tree-lined Esplanadi runs from Market Square, where the Havis Amanda fountain stands, to the Swedish Theatre, flanked by Pohjoisesplanadi's design flagships and the Stockmann department store at the far end. The Kappeli restaurant pavilion dates from 1867, and the bandstand hosts free concerts in summer.
Buy a coffee and pastry and join the locals on the lawns on a sunny afternoon.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Shopping
- Couples
Gallery · Kluuvi
1.Ateneum Art Museum
Opposite the Central Station, the Ateneum holds Finland's national collection of art from the 1750s to the 1950s, including the Golden Age paintings of Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Albert Edelfelt, portraits by Helene Schjerfbeck and Hugo Simberg's The Wounded Angel. Its international rooms include a Van Gogh street scene from Auvers-sur-Oise.
Head for the Finnish Golden Age rooms first; they explain the national-romantic imagery you see across the city.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Kamppi
2.Amos Rex
This art museum opened in 2018 in galleries dug beneath Lasipalatsi square, a 1930s functionalist building. Its domed skylights rise from the square like small hills that people climb and sit on, and the changing exhibitions focus on contemporary and immersive art.
Even if you skip the exhibition, walk over the skylight domes and look down into the galleries.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Architecture · Kluuvi
3.Oodi Central Library
Oodi opened in December 2018 opposite the Parliament House, a wave of spruce and glass with a free top-floor reading room under a cloud-like white ceiling and a terrace overlooking Kansalaistori square. The lower floors have 3D printers, sewing machines, recording studios and game rooms that anyone can book.
Go up to the top floor for the terrace view, then use the free toilets and Wi-Fi as a mid-day break.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Seurasaari
4.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. The buildings open with guides in summer, while the forested island itself is free year-round and known for tame red squirrels. It hosts Helsinki's largest Midsummer bonfire celebration.
Bring nuts for the squirrels and walk the coastal path around the island.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Experience · Hernesaari
5.Löyly public sauna
Opened in 2016 on the Hernesaari shore, Löyly is a timber-slatted building with wood-burning saunas and a traditional smoke sauna, plus steps and a ladder into the Baltic for cooling off, even in winter through a hole in the ice. A restaurant and terrace look over the sea, and swimsuits are worn in the mixed saunas.
Book a two-hour sauna slot online for weekend evenings and bring a swimsuit; towels are provided.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Sauna slots, especially at weekends and sunset, sell out; reserve online ahead.
- Active
- Couples
- Views
- Food
Neighbourhood · Punavuori
6.Design District and Design Museum
Around 200 design shops, studios, galleries and restaurants carry the Design District sticker in the streets of Punavuori, Ullanlinna, Kaartinkaupunki and Kamppi. The Design Museum on Korkeavuorenkatu traces Finnish design from Alvar Aalto's furniture and Iittala glass to Marimekko prints.
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
7.Kamppi Chapel of Silence
A curved wooden chapel clad in spruce, completed in 2012 on busy Narinkka square. Inside, the oval room has no services and no decoration, just soft light from the ceiling and complete quiet in the middle of the shopping district. Entry is free.
Step in for a few minutes between Kamppi and the Central Station; photography is discouraged inside.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
- Rainy day
Zoo · Korkeasaari
8.Korkeasaari Zoo
Helsinki Zoo, founded in 1889, occupies a rocky island east of the centre and specialises in northern and mountain species such as snow leopards, wolverines and lynx, with tropical houses for warmer climates. Paths climb over the granite outcrops with sea views, and the island is reached by footbridge or by summer waterbus.
Take the summer waterbus from Market Square one way and walk back over the bridges via Mustikkamaa.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Theme park · Alppila
9.Linnanmäki amusement park
Finland's oldest amusement park opened in 1950 on a hill just north of Kallio and is run by a children's welfare foundation. Entry to the grounds is free and you pay for rides with a wristband or tickets; the wooden roller coaster dates from 1951. It operates from spring to autumn.
Even if you skip the coasters, walk the hilltop grounds for views over Kallio and Töölö bay.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Active
- Views
Park · Ullanlinna
10.Kaivopuisto park and seafront
Helsinki's oldest park slopes down to the sea at the southern tip of the peninsula, with seaside paths, rocky coves, outdoor cafés such as Café Ursula and views of Suomenlinna and passing ferries. It is the scene of the city's biggest May Day picnic on 1 May.
Walk the shore from Kaivopuisto west to Eira and Hernesaari, ending with a sauna at Löyly.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
Museum · Vantaa
11.Heureka science centre
Finland's science centre, next to Tikkurila station in Vantaa, has hands-on halls on physics, the human body and nature, a planetarium dome and outdoor science exhibits. Trains from Helsinki Central reach Tikkurila in about 15 minutes, so it fits well before or after an airport run.
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
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Sibelius Monument, Ateneum Art Museum, Amos Rex and Seurasaari Open-Air Museum |
| History | Suomenlinna sea fortress, Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral and Ateneum Art Museum |
| Views | Suomenlinna sea fortress, Uspenski Cathedral, Allas Sea Pool and Löyly public sauna |
| Outdoors and nature | Suomenlinna sea fortress, Sibelius Monument, Esplanadi park and Seurasaari Open-Air Museum |
| Food and markets | Market Square and Old Market Hall and Löyly public sauna |
| With children | Suomenlinna sea fortress, Oodi Central Library, Seurasaari Open-Air Museum and Korkeasaari Zoo |
| On a rainy day | Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church), Ateneum Art Museum, Amos Rex and Oodi Central Library |
What to book ahead
- Löyly public sauna: Sauna slots, especially at weekends and sunset, sell out; reserve online ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Helsinki?
Suomenlinna sea fortress. Built by the Swedish crown from 1748 across six linked islands, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO-listed sea fortress with bastions, tunnels, cannons, a dry dock and about 800 year-round residents.
+What can you do for free in Helsinki?
Helsinki Cathedral and Senate Square, Sibelius Monument, Uspenski Cathedral, Esplanadi park and Oodi Central Library. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Helsinki when it rains?
Head indoors to Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church), Ateneum Art Museum, Amos Rex and Oodi Central Library.