Helsinki

By Joyce Ira

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Lutheran Cathdral

A visit to Sounmelinna Fortress

Helsinki is the capital of Finland and home to 575,000 Finns. Being the main centre of the country, it is now being regarded by tourists as one of their favourite travel destinations. Helsinki is by far Finland's most cosmopolitan city and touring is a lot easy especially if you will visit the City of Helsinki Tourist Information just right you kick off your trip. They are located in the heart of the city, corner of Pohjoisesplanadi and Unioninkatu, off the Market Square. They have helpful staffs that could speak English and free brochures of the famous places that you can visit around Helsinki. They are open from 9am-8pm every Monday-Friday and 9am-6pm every Saturday & Sunday.

Places to visit in Helsinki:

1. Suomenlinna – known as the “Gibraltar of the North” was once the greatest sea fortress in the Baltic. Entry to the island is free. The HKL ferry from Market Square is the cheapest and most convenient of getting there at €3.80 for a 12-hour tourist return. Guided tours in English are available daily at 11 AM and 2 PM in Jun-Aug and on Sat/Sun only at 1:30 PM the rest of the year, €7/person, and history buffs will want to drop into the Suomenlinna Museum at the Visitor Centre (€5).

2. Seurasaari Open Air Museum – a little island with an overwhelming view of authentic Finnish houses. Entrance is free though getting in the museum will cost you €5. There are half day tours with guides organized daily. This will enable you to clearly understand what the whole place is all about.

3. Pihlajasaari – a very popular summer spot for Helsinkians. There are sandy beaches that are enjoyed by families and tourists. Ferries are available from Merisatama pier at the southern end of Kaivopuisto Park. They leave hourly from 9:30am-8:30pm with 10-15 minutes interval. Ticket is at €5 return.

4. Korkerasaari – known for the Helsinki Zoo that contains more than 200 different species. Admission is 5€/3€ adult/child.

5. Esplanadin Puisto – a must see park located in Kauppatori and the Swedish Theatre. Famous for picnics and just cooling down in the grass.

6. Kaivopuisto – an astonishing park by the sea.

7. Toolonlahti – a pleasant park dotted with attractions such as the Finlandia Concert Hall and the National Opera.

8. Sinebrychoffin Puisto – known as the Koffin Puisto in Punavouri district. Young people loves to come here especially during summer time conducting picnics and drinking pussikalja or beer in a bag.

9. Keskuspuisto – the central park.

10. Lutheran Cathedral – a striking cathedral that dominates the central Senate Square. Open daily from 9am-6pm with free entrance.

11. The Church in the Rock – also known as the Temple Swuare Church. If you will look above, the church will look like a UFO, as it is literally dug out of solid rock. This has become Helsinki’s most popular attractions where concerts are often held. Open daily from 10am-5pm and free admissions.

12. Uspenski Cathedral - The name comes from the Russian uspenie, from the Dormition (death) of the Virgin Mary. The five domes are topped with 22-carat gold, and some of the icons within are held to be miraculous. Open Tue-Fri 9:30AM-4PM, Sat 9:30AM-2PM, Sun 12PM-3PM. May-Sep Mon,Wed, Sat 9:30AM-4PM, Tue 9:30AM-6PM, Sun 12PM-3PM. Entrance is free. For more details contact, +358 9-634267.

13. St. John’s Church – the largest in Helsinki with Gothic Revical architecture. Open Daily from 15pm-5pm with free admissions.
14. Church of Kallio – situated on the top of the hill at the end of Siltasaarenkatu. Open every Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-6pm with free admissions.

15. Ateneum Art Museum – the most significant museum in Finland with the largest collection of paintings and sculptures. Admission fee is €6 for adult and free for 18 and below. You’re lucky if you visit the museum during the first Wednesday of every month between 5pm-8pm as it’s free for everybody. For more information, contact +358 9 173361.

16. Design Museum – houses the famous collections and designs from Finnish designers. Entrance is €7 for adults, €3 for students, and free for children. Open Tue 11AM-8PM, Wed-Sun 11AM-6PM. Closed Mondays.

17. Helsinki City Museum – displays Helsinki’s rich collections and replica of Sofiankatu. Free of charge. For more information, call +358 9 3103 6630.

18. Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art – located near Ateneum. Houses Finland’s greatest artists and other notable artists from nearby countries. Entrance fee €7 for adults, €5 for students. Free admission for visitors under 15.

18. First Wednesday of the month is free from 5PM-8PM. Tue 10AM-5PM, Wed-Sun 10AM-8:30PM. Closed Mondays. For more information call +358 9 1733 6501.

19. Museum of Cultures – concebtrates on changing exhibitions of cultures outside Finland. Entrance is €5 for adult and €4 for children. Open daily.

20. Heureka Science Centre – a great place for kids. They have hands-on science plus Verne super-cinema. Open Mon-Wed, Thu 10AM-8PM, Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat-Sun 10AM-6PM. Admission (exhibitions and one super-movie) for adult costs €19, for children (6-15) €12.50.

21. Sibelius Monument – one of the most famous tourist attractions in Helsinki. This monument is dedicated to the world renowned composer Jean Sibelius in 1967.

22. Parliament House – the 200-seat Parliament was designed J.S. Siren with classical touch of functionalism and art décor. There are tours organized with English speaking guide daily from 11am-1pm. Admission is free.

23. Finalandia Hall – popular congress and concert venue in Helsinki. Open Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm with free admissions.

24. Hietaniemi Beach – a good place to play volleyball and swimming. Perfect getaway on a weekend.

25. Harmala Farm – an ordinary farm located in the village of Sotunki with perfect landscape views. Admission €3, families €10. For more information, +358 9 876 7339.

Shopping in Helsinki is generally expensive, but fans of Finnish and Nordic design will find plenty of things of interest. Most large shops and department stores are open weekdays from 9AM-9PM. As in the rest of Finland, most shops close by 6PM on Sat and are closed entirely on Sun (except in summer and before Christmas, when they typically open at noon). A notable exception is the Asematunneli complex, located underground adjacent to the Central Railway Station, most shops here are open until 10PM almost every day of the year. A supermarket in Kamppi Center (see below) is also open until 10PM. Small grocery stores and the R-Kioski convenience store chain are open on Sun year-round, too. In the Punavuori area there is a Delish convenience store open 24 hours a day year round.

Helsinki has by far the best cosmopolitan restaurants in Finland, and is a good place to escape the usual diet of meat and potatoes... if you can foot the bill, that is. As usual in Finland the best time to eat out is lunch, when most restaurants offer lunch sets for around €6-10. Lunch sets are typically served from 10:30AM to 2PM, but the times vary between venues. In the evening, only budget places are less than €10, while splurges cost well over €30 per head.
A surprisingly large number of restaurants close down for a month or more in summer (July-August), so call ahead to avoid disappointment.

Budget choices are largely limited to fast food, although there are a couple of workaday Finnish eateries in the mix. In addition to McDonalds (around 30 outlets, as a price reference, a Big Mac meal is ~7€) and its Finnish imitators Hesburger/Carrols (around 50 outlets), Helsinki is also full of pizza and kebab places, where a meal typically costs around €7-8 (sometimes as low as €4-5, especially in Kallio). A more healthy option is Unicafe, a chain of restaurants owned by the Helsinki University student union, which has around 10 outlets in central Helsinki and offers full meals from €5.70, including vegetarian options.


All international and domestic flights land at the compact, modern and airy Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport which is 20 kilometers to the north of the city.

Around the city there are tickets that would be helpful in your travel.

• Tram ticket (raitiovaunulippu) (€1,80 from ticket machines, travel card button "0" €1.37, not available from the driver) — valid for one hour on trams only

• City ticket (kertalippu) (€2 by mobile phone or in ticket machines, €2.50 from the driver, travel card button "1" €1.82) — valid on all HKL services within city limits for one hour

• Regional ticket (seutulippu) (€4.00, travel card button "2" €3.36) — valid for 80 mins within and between Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen

• Full region ticket (€6.20, travel card button "3" €5.20) — a regional ticket that also covers Kerava and Kirkkonummi

You can also rent a car to roam around Helsinki which is €3/hour on a regular day.




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