Affectionately known as the “Pearl of the Baltic Sea”, the beautiful Helsinki city is an amazing tourist destination. Helsinki is the current capital of Finland. It is located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland and is also the largest city in Finland.
One of the most livable cities in the world, Helsinki city is a well-managed city with an excellent transport system and urban planning. Hence, there will be no difficulty in choosing the appropriate means of transport to reach your desired travel destinations. But there are many attractions to visit Helsinki City, you can do your sightseeing on foot or by bike.
In 1808, the city was severely damaged by fire, but Helsinki was proudly rebuilt. The attractions of this great city include extensive botanical and zoological gardens, beautiful shops, classical cultural buildings, sacred churches of ancient value, entertainment centers and museums, and a premier port with more than 350 ships annually.
This article will help you to know more about 15 such beautiful attractions in Helsinki.
01) Sveaborg and Suomenlinna island fortress near in Helsinki City
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Suomenlinna is a museum, park and art venue. An 18th-century sea fort and a natural area with centuries-old cannons and defensive walls, it is spread over 6 connected islands.
Sveaborg Castle, built in this area, is a fortress built in the mid-18th century to block Russian access to the Baltic.
Visiting here you can explore the restored Vesikko submarine from the 1930s. A brewery and several waterfront restaurants can also be visited. The area is open most of the year, but ferry access and viewing times are subject to change, so visit the website for updates.
02) Market Square in Helsinki
The main planned and pedestrian square of central Helsinki, the Market Square (Kauppatori) is one of the most famous open-air markets in Northern Europe.
The market square is filled with stalls selling Finnish food, flowers and tourist souvenirs. It was wonderful to see the fishing boats lined up in the water selling seafood right from the boat.
Townspeople traditionally gather in the market square to eat salmon and other traditional produce. Here you can get to know a good part of Finnish cuisine, taste their local food products and buy souvenirs. The square is also home to the ferry port to Sumenlina and the famous bronze fountain Havis Amanda.
General Information
| Address | Eteläranta, 00170 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 9 31023565 |
03) Temppeliaukio Rock Church
Designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in the late 1960s and excavated directly into the solid rock, Temppeliaukio Church is located at the end of Fredrikinkatu in Helsinki city.
Consisting of a shallow circular copper plate 13 meters high and a glass sphere supported by concrete ribs, the glass dome floods the interior of the cathedral with beautiful natural light. A popular venue for concerts, the church’s excellent acoustics are produced by the rough, unfinished rock surfaces of the interior.
Completed in 1969, this church has become one of Helsinki’s main attractions due to its unique architecture.
General Information
| Address | Lutherinkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 9 23406320 |
04) Seurasaari Open Air Museum
Seurasaari Island, east of downtown Helsinki, is a great place to experience traditional Finnish culture.
Here you can see the excellent Seurasaari open-air museum and its old houses, as well as working farms, a manor house, a Kiruna church built in 1686, and buildings made of wood brought from all over Finland.
There is also a beautiful beach for swimming and restaurants serving delicious food. There are shops selling handicrafts and a small workshop where you can watch the weavers at work, as well as displays of Rye carpets and traditional textiles.
General Information
| Address | Seurasaari (Seurasaari Island), 00250 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 29 5336912 |
05) Linnanmäki Amusement Park
Since 1950, Linnanmäki Amusement Park has been delighting visitors. The amusement park offers a variety of rides, from the most dangerous to the least frightening. The most popular attraction is the wooden rollercoaster from 1951. Linnanmaki has many arcades featuring the latest games.
Linnanmäki owns the Children’s Day Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to raise money for Finnish child welfare initiatives.
The most famous and oldest amusement park in Finland is Linnanmäki. Other attractions include dining halls and an outdoor stage where various performers play throughout the year.
General Information
| Address | Tivolikuja 1, 00510 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 10 5722200 |
06) Museum of Contemporary Art (Kiasma)
One of the most important museums you should visit is the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki city. A contemporary art museum run by the Finnish National Gallery is called Kiasma. The museum’s primary duties include planning rotating exhibits, expanding its holdings, and researching and presenting artworks. Kiasma was designed by American architect Steven Hall and introduced to the public in 1998.
It specializes in exhibiting modern art, as well as exhibitions of Finnish art created after 1960, as well as experimental music, dance and theater. A museum store and cafe are also located in Kiasma.
General Information
| Address | Mannerheiminaukio 2, 00100 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 29 4500501 |
07) Helsinki Railway Station
Helsinki Central Station is the main station for passenger and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki, Finland, and Eliel Saarinen Helsinki designed this stunning and unique Art Nouveau station (Helsingin pääärätäsää).
The façade of the station is made of local granite and has a large archway above the entrance flanked by two colossal statues. Each figure holds an illuminated globe on the façade of the building at night, creating an impressive landmark. Visitors will find exquisite carvings adorning the walls inside, as well as archways leading up to the top.
General Information
| Address | Kaivokatu 1, 00100 Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +35860041902 |
08) Finlandia Hall
Finlandia Hall in Helsinki City, Finland is a concert and conference center with a white Carrara marble exterior, built in 1971, on the banks of Töölö Bay (Töölönlahti) north of the Municipal Museum. The interior of the building also has marble. Both ceramic and wood display details.
The main performance hall has a beautiful location and is renowned for its acoustics. Another striking feature is the wide Venetian staircase that connects the ground floor to the chamber music hall and the large auditorium.
The new Finnish Opera House is just beyond the wonderful park north of the hall, which also has large chess boards and pieces.
General Information
| Address | Karamzininranta 4, 00100 Helsinki |
| Contact | +358940241 |
09) Korkeasaari Zoo
Korkeasaari Zoo, one of the oldest in the world and known for its outstanding breeding programs for endangered species, was established in the 1880s. They have been particularly successful in breeding big cats such as Amur and Siberian tigers as well as snow leopards.
The surroundings of any good zoo are designed to resemble natural ecosystems as closely as possible, and nearly 1,000 species of plants grow here to mimic the natural habitats of 150 different animal species. The zoo is open all year round and visiting the tropical enclosures in winter is one of the most popular things to do in Helsinki.
General Information
| Address | Mustikkamaanpolku 12, Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 50 352 5989 |
10) National Museum of Finland (Kansallismuseo)
In 1912, the National Museum of Finland was built in the National Romantic style.
The museum’s mission is to collect and interpret information about Finnish culture and ethnology. The Finno-Ugrian collection of ceremonial clothing and general cultural items here is outstanding. The museum hosts a number of exhibitions depicting Finland’s development from the Middle Ages through the Swedish and Russian empires to its contemporary state.
For more than 200 years, significant archaeological finds, historical, numismatic and ethnographic collections have been assembled. A kid-friendly interactive exhibit, Workshop Vinti, is located on the third floor and allows visitors to learn about the history and culture of Finland using their hands and minds.
General Information
| Address | Mannerheimintie 34, Helsinki, Finland |
| Contact | +358 295 33 6000 |
11) Helsinki Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium Located in the Tolo district, about 2.3 km from the center of Helsinki city. The Olympic Stadium (Helsingin Olympiastadion) was built in 1938 and has a 72-meter tower elevator. The city. This is the largest stadium in Finland.
The Finnish Sports Museum is located inside the stadium, with a statue of the legendary Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973) in front of the entrance.
The swimming arena is in the east and the ice rink is in the north. A sea of blooms in summer and an excellent area for a picnic, the Municipal Park extends beyond the lawn and in front of the swimming stadium.
General Information
| Address | Paavo Nurmen tie 1, 00250 Helsinki |
| Contact | +358 50 3431619 |
12) Central Park (Keskuspuisto) in Helsinki City
Helsinki’s Central Park, a nearly ten-kilometer-long forested green space, spans the entirety of the city from south to north, beginning in Laakso close to the center of the city and concluding in Haltiala along the river Vantaanjoki.
Helsinki’s Central Park, a forested green space nearly ten kilometers long, spans the city from south to north, starting in Laakso near the city center and ending in Haltiala along the Vantaanjoki River.
This Park is a well-liked recreational area with a variety of natural settings and a quiet pedestrian bike path. Central Park’s diverse habitats include old-growth, spruce-dominated forests, herbaceous woodlands, grasslands, and several fields. A number of endangered plant species can be found in various habitats in Central Park, and in summer the park is covered in a rainbow of vibrant flowers.
In ancient forests, different polypores can live in a wide range of conditions. The presence of Siberian flying squirrels in the forests of the park is one sign of the diversity of the areas. Various species of birds can also be seen there.
General Information
| Address | 00630 Helsinki, Finland |
13) The Sibelius Monument and Park
The monument honoring the legendary Finnish musician, designed by Eila Hiltunen, was immediately exposed to controversy and criticism in 1967. Large metal pipes make up the original Sibelius monument (Sibelius-monumentti), which plays music as the wind moves through it.
In response to criticism of the original design, a more traditional statue of Sibelius was added later. The monument is included in the stunning Sibelius Park, one of the many parks in the Finnish capital.
General Information
| Address | Eteläinen Rautatiekatu 8, 00100 Helsinki |
| Contact | (09) 310 87001 |
14) Uspenski Cathedral
Uspenski Cathedral is one of the most important attractions in Helsinki. This is the principal cathedral of the Helsinki Diocese and the Orthodox Parish of Helsinki. Every year the cathedral attracts a huge number of visitors and many concerts are held every year.
Located on the highest hill in Katajanokka district, the cathedral is very large and its central cupola is 33 meters high. The Uspenski Cathedral was designed by the Russian church architect Aleksey Gornostayev. It is dedicated to the abode of the Mother of God.
General Information
| Address | Liisankatu 29 A, 00170 Helsinki |
| Contact | 09 85 646 100 |
15) A trip to Hanko
Established in 1874, the traditional spa town of Hanko is located in the southern tip of Finland. Hanko has a busy port, beautiful sandy beaches and excellent restaurants.
The beautiful surroundings and pleasant climate of the old spa town have given it the name “Finnish Riviera”. Walking around the harbor, through the shops, through the parks and along the beach is a simple way to spend time in Hanko.
The three best sights in Hanko.
- Bengtskär: The tallest lighthouse in the Nordic region.
- Spa Garden: This consists of beautiful antique wooden villas that showcase beautiful wooden architecture.
- Hanko’s Water Tower: 65 meters above sea level and take the elevator up to get a stunning 360-degree panorama of Hanko Cape and the Baltic Sea.
General Information
| Address | Raatihuoneentori 5, 10900 Hanko |
| Contact | 019 2203 411 |
Some of the best hotels to stay in Helsinki City:
Choosing a comfortable accommodation is very important to get the best travel experience in Helsinki. If you are new to the city, here are some comfortable hotels in the city center or nearby.
| Luxury Hotels: | Hotel Haven Hotel Indigo Helsinki – Boulevard, an IHG Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre |
| Mid-Range Hotels: | Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Hotel Rivoli Jardin Hotel Helka |
| Budget Hotels: | Hotelli Finn Kongressikoti Hotel Ava Hotel |
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