🇫🇮 24 hours in Helsinki: express guide to the Finnish capital

The more days you have to explore a new city, the better – this is obvious, but if your visit is strictly limited in time, you can still make the most of even a short trip.

The Finnish capital is often overlooked and is either made as a connecting point for a trip further north, or only stays there for a few hours. But Helsinki is an amazing city. You will understand this as soon as your foot steps on his ground. On the one hand, all the main attractions can be visited in a day. On the other hand, no matter how often you return there, you will still find something new and interesting for yourself.

Let's consider the option that you arrived in Helsinki by ferry and you have about 10 hours for an introductory walk – then what we recommend doing. At the end of the material you will find a bonus: a selection of places to visit if you are not limited in time.

Take a walk along the embankment

Helsinki is a maritime city, which is washed by the bays of the Baltic Sea and is located on peninsulas and islands. No wonder it's full of embankments.

The South Port Bay is located in the very center of the city – all major cruise ships arrive there. There are souvenir tents scattered around and seagulls flying around, so tame that they are always ready to take photos with you. The cinematic 40-meter Ferris wheel Sky Wheel rises above the sea panorama – if you have little time, do not waste it on the attraction or leave the option for the end of the trip – the illumination at night is amazing.

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If you still decide to take a ride, then keep an eye on the opening hours of the attraction, it varies depending on the day of the week. Weekdays – from 12:00 to 18:00, Sat – from 11:00 to 19:00, Sun – from 11:00 to 17:00. A ticket for an adult costs 12 euros, but if you buy a Helsinki Pass (museum transport card), you will receive a discount on the attraction. One lap takes approximately 10-12 minutes. And keep in mind that the Sky Wheel is an ideal place for a photo shoot.

But most likely you will arrive in the morning, when there are no crowds of tourists on the market square of the embankment , and the owners of trade stalls are just starting to lay out their assortment. It is there that you can buy and taste everything Finnish, for example, Lohikeitto and Kalakeitto soups – we have already talked about them. And if you are braver, then you have a good opportunity to negotiate a discount.

Just don’t rush to buy souvenirs from the first seller you see, it’s better to first take a walk and take a closer look, then choose. We recommend trying the salmon cream soup. Depending on what time of year you arrive, you can easily have a picnic on the embankment – there are all the conditions and infrastructure for this.

Do you want to walk more around the city or to museums?

In this review, we will not describe the tourist card in detail or recommend it for purchase, especially if this is your first time in the city or you only have a day to explore. But at least you should know about it.

The Helsinki Pass is a tourist pass for visiting more than 20 of the city's most popular attractions, mainly museums, with significant savings, plus it is an unlimited pass for all types of transport, including water. Price from Tartu from 51 euros for 24 hours. 

If you have already been to the city and now want to spend less time walking the streets and focus more on exploring the cultural sights of Helsinki, wandering through museums, taking excursions, and visiting the aquarium, then the Helsinki Pass is a great option for you.

Suomenlinna Fortress

The sea fortress of Suomenlinna or Sveaborg (in Swedish) is just a 15-minute boat ride from the central promenade. Ferry service to the island operates all year round, but schedules vary depending on seasonality. It’s better to buy a one-day ticket for 8 euros; it includes both round-trip travel to the fortress and other public transport.

Why should you go there? 

Firstly, this is a rather ancient fortress, an integral symbol of the country, built back in the days when Finland was part of Sweden (1748).

Secondly, the fortress is marked by UNESCO as part of the architectural and cultural heritage.

Thirdly, this is a whole complex of bastion structures, which is spread over seven rocky islands. You can wander there endlessly. And you must agree, it is much more interesting to visit both the continental part of the city and the island part. Entrance to the fortress is free, but you will have to pay for the museums.

Senate square

Upon returning to the embankment, you will continue to walk around the city center, along the way you will see the Assumption Cathedral, the old market building, the Havis Amanda fountain, the town hall, the presidential palace and go out to Senate Square. The appearance of this part of the city was formed in the 19th century. Almost all the buildings surrounding the square were erected under the direction of the German architect Engel. The main decoration of the territory is the Cathedral. Concerts and performances often take place there – at such moments the famous wide staircase leading to the church becomes an amphitheater.

Mannerheim Avenue 

The central and longest street of Helsinki. There are many shops, stylistically diverse architecture, cafes and popular Finnish shopping centers, where you can often find sales.

Esplanade Park

The cozy and neat square where the Kappeli restaurant is located with beautiful windows instead of walls is also one of the attractions. The price tag is high, so don't rush to grab a table there.

Church in the rock

Temppeliaukio Church is one of the most unusual sights and original churches in Europe. The interior of the church is carved out of the rock, but the building has a lot of natural light coming through the glass dome. The church is often used as a venue for various concerts due to its excellent acoustics. Hard rock in the church – they presented it, isn't it cool? Entrance – 3 euros.

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Main railway station

Attractive architectural ensemble in Art Nouveau style. A distinctive feature of the station is a granite arch with stone Atlases holding lanterns in their hands. 

All major shopping centers and restaurants are within walking distance from the station. But we recommend having lunch right at the station, not on the run, in the crowd, but at the Italian restaurant Olivia Central Station (we hope that you have already tried traditional Finnish food on the embankment from the merchants). In the restaurant you will find pleasant service, exquisite decor, a lot of greenery in the interior, and comfortable prices. By the way, tipping is not accepted in Finland.

If you have more free time or have not visited the island fortress, then we recommend checking out the Kaisa library. 

Kaisa-talo is the main building of the student library. The building is designed in such a way that upon entering, all floors and the transparent roof are immediately visible. Admission to the library on weekdays is free; many books in English are publicly available. You can sit in a comfortable chair opposite the window overlooking the city and relax a bit, read or take photos. The stairs there are super instagrammable. 

Chapel of Silence 

The unusually shaped wooden chapel (bowl, egg, ship?), built in 1912, will immediately attract your attention, even if you didn’t plan to go there and stumbled upon it by accident. The inside is also interesting, but due to the sounds, or rather the lack thereof. Soundproofing from outside noise is supposed to help parishioners listen to themselves. Not all services are held in the church; for example, no one is baptized, but people are regularly provided with psychological assistance.

Monument to Sibelius

Monument to the famous Finnish composer. Hundreds of steel pipes of different lengths are assembled into a single monolith. The whole structure from a distance resembles a huge tree, and up close it resembles a church organ. There are always crowds of tourists around.

Where to go?

The downside of any guidebooks is that they do not take into account the interests of each specific traveler: after all, some people love leisurely walks around the city, others are avid shopaholics, and still others adore museums, excursions, etc. Therefore, always start thinking through your route by answering the question: “What type of vacation is really interesting to me?”

And the promised bonus – it’s also a life hack for visiting cities where there are tourist cards, like the Helsinki Pass – look through the list of places that are included in the pass in advance and choose exactly where you want to go. Next comes an approximate calculation of the time to visit a specific place and the road from one point to another.

If you are interested, write in the comments, and we will definitely tell you about ways to create routes for independent travelers and how you can save money. And have a great acquaintance with the Finnish capital!