Hotels Helsinki See great deals
After reading our review, you will find out what tourists want to see in Helsinki most often. We will tell you about the most visited attractions in Helsinki, also taking into account the reviews and recommendations of experienced guides and travelers.
What to see first in Helsinki?
Your journey to a hospitable Finnish city it will be unforgettable if you include such interesting places in Helsinki as:
1. Senate Square
Senate Square in Helsinki stephenrwalli
It is worth starting any rating of “the best attractions in Helsinki” with this object. The architectural style of the square is late classicism. The territory is “filled” with various cultural and historical monuments. Here you can see, for example, the monument of Alexander II, the stone house of Sederholm, created in the 18th century, and the giant Nicholas Church. If you do not know what to see in Helsinki in 1 day, come here – you will certainly find something new and exciting for yourself.
2. Temppeliaukio Church
Temppeliaukio Church or “Rock Church” in Helsinki Lyn Gateley
Not all sights of Helsinki and Northern Europe can boast of such originality and even extravagance (both inside and outside). The fact is that the Lutheran church is built in the rock: the appearance of the building harmoniously combines rough rock surfaces, natural landscape and modern high technologies. The church was built in the 1960s.
Official website: http://www.temppeliaukio
3. Suomenlinna
Fortress Suomenlinna (Suomenlinna) in Helsinki Michal Pise
If we translate the name of this sea attraction into Russian, we will get a “Finnish fortress”. The building was erected in 1748, when the Republic of Finland was annexed to Sweden. In 1808, the fortress was conquered by the army of Tsarist Russia and owned it for a hundred years. The Suomenlinna fortress is famous for being on the UNESCO list of protected sites – few sights in Finland can boast of this.
Official website: https://www.suomenlinna
4. Sibelius Monument
Monument to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius in Helsinki Dennis Jarvis
The monument, created in memory of the famous composer, is located in a beautiful park area. The monument has the form of a sculptural portrait. Not far from the figure of Jean Sibelius, known throughout the world for his symphonies, you can see the “organ pipes”. It should be noted that in the New York headquarters of the UN and the Paris headquarters of UNESCO you can see small copies of this legendary monument.
5. Assumption Cathedral in Helsinki
Assumption Cathedral – Orthodox Cathedral in Helsinki
Every tourist coming to the capital of Finland should visit this largest Orthodox church in the north-west of Europe. Date of construction – the end of the 19th century, the architectural direction – pseudo-Byzantine style. The majestic building, tending to rise more than 50 meters, rises on a peninsula on a rock. At the top level there is an excellent observation deck. If you want to make your trip unforgettable thanks to photos, guides in Helsinki will recommend you to come here.
Official website: https://hos.fi/en/
Check out the beautiful views of Helsinki in this breathtaking video!
6. Ateneum Museum
Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki Arkkipuudeli
What to visit in Helsinki for art lovers? The local “Hermitage”, which can rightfully be proud of its expositions. Among the twenty thousand samples there are drawings, graphics, figurines and canvases that were born in the 18-20 centuries. It is best to go on such excursions in Helsinki with an experienced guide who can tell the stories of the creation of the exhibits.
Official website: https://ateneum.
7 Seurasaari Island
Seurasaari Open Air Museum in Helsinki dalbera
(2758563319).jpg)_
Seurasaari is a real outdoor museum. The island is located in the western part of the center of the Finnish capital, and is connected to the continent by a footbridge. The date of creation of the national park is the end of the 19th century. Like many years ago, large-scale festivals and picnics are held here today.
Official website:https://www.kansallismuseo
8. National Museum of Finland
National Museum of Finland in Helsinki
The best option for where to go in Helsinki for fans of history and traditions. The exhibits of the complex (medals and orders, coins and weapons, jewelry, photographs and rare documents) tell about how Finland developed and what its inhabitants did at different times. Some samples were obtained thanks to archaeological excavations on the territory of the state. The museum is located in a building from 1910, which is also of great interest.
Official website: https://www.museovirasto
9. Linnanmäki Amusement Park
h3>
Linnanmaki Amusement Park in Helsinki ZeroOne
Listing the main attractions of Helsinki briefly, we could not forget about this popular amusement park from the 1950s. The number of entertainment here is constantly growing: it is not for nothing that the number of Linnanmäki guests every year is estimated at a million or more visitors. On the territory there are not only rides and carousels, but also a huge oceanarium with inhabitants from different parts of the world. The income from the sale of tickets to the park is donated to charity.
Official website: https://www.linnanmaki.
10. Museum of Natural History< /h3>
Natural History Museum in Helsinki Discovering Finland
Exhibition samples are brought to the museum not only from the cities of Finland, but also from various countries of the world. The subjects of expositions and exhibits are geology, paleontology, zoology and botany. Of great value are objects created over a thousand years ago. The complex is conditionally divided into parts dedicated to the nature of the Earth, the history of bones, Finnish nature and the history of life.
Official website: https://www.luomus.
11. Helsinki Zoo
Helsinki's Korkeasaari Zoo
The menagerie is open all year round, but that's not the reason for its success. On the territory of more than 20 hectares, about 200 species of animals and birds live in comfortable conditions, including endangered and now unique creatures. The zoo is also known for its rich flora. During the winter months, an ice sculpture competition is organized here, attracting participants from all over the world.
Official website: https://www.korkeasaari
Helsinki sights: what else to visit in Helsinki?
If you have already seen all those sights Helsinki, photos with names and descriptions of which we have now given, go to see such objects as:
12. Serena Water Park
Helsinki Serena Aquapark Events 365
Serena Aquapark in Helsinki kallerna
Spacious entertainment aqua-complex is open all year round. Some water attractions for children and adults are outdoors. In addition to various slides, there is a restaurant and a bar on site (food and drinks are served for a fee, including those who buy an All Inclusive ticket).
Official website: https://www.serena
13. Sea Life Center
Sea Life Marine Center in Helsinki Kahvilokki
Sea Life Center in Helsinki Kahvilokki
A modern oceanarium with fifty small aquariums in which all kinds of sea creatures live: fish, seahorses, jellyfish, rays and sharks. Among the entertainment offered to guests is watching the feeding of the “inhabitants” of the center. Visiting Sea Life brings joy not only to children of different ages, but also to adults. Here you can also take unique photos – against the background of shoals of exotic fish or huge toothy sharks. Admission is paid.
Official website: https://www.visitsealife
14. Helsinki City Art Museum
Helsinki City Art Museum Pablo García de los Salmones
Most of the museum's paintings were collected by the famous maker of foamy drinks, Sinebrychoff. The manufacturer donated to the gallery many works by European artists of the 14th-19th centuries. The city museum is housed in a building from 1842, which has been owned by the brewer's family for many years. Therefore, in addition to paintings by English, Swiss, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian masters, you can look at the graphics room and the miniatures room, get acquainted with the original furnishings of the house.
Official website: https://www.hamhelsinki
15. Central Park
Helsinki Central Park Ninara
Even the best hotels in Helsinki will not offer you such a calm and relaxing holiday as this beautifully landscaped park. In the warm season, concerts and performances are held here, which gather all the locals. In the eastern part there is a special area for performances of musical groups.
Official website: https://www.hel.
16. Museum of Modern Art
Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki
Another name for the attraction is the center of visual culture. The complex is located in a modern building built at the end of the 20th century. The center's collections contain approximately 4,000 masterpieces of art. The exhibitions are both permanent and temporary, so it will be interesting to visit the museum even several times.
Official website: https://kiasma.
17. Market square or Marketplace
Market Square or Market Square in Helsinki kallerna
If you want to have a bite to eat or drink, or maybe stock up on souvenirs and traditional Finnish goods, come to this bustling and noisy place. It is also famous for its beauty: not only is there a market on the Torgovaya Square, but also the obelisk of the Empress with a double-headed eagle, the Sea Nymph fountain cast in bronze, a picturesque park, the presidential palace and the seaport.
18. Aleksanterinkatu Street
Aleksanterinkatu Street – one of the main shopping streets in Helsinki Mahlum
It is saturated with the smell of the sea, impresses with luxurious green parks, abounds in markets and amazes tourist Helsinki with non-standard architectural creations. The traveler's route must certainly pass through Aleksanterinkata – one of the central streets of the Finnish capital, where the most interesting places in terms of shopping are located – there are many shops of various retail chains, as well as banks, cafes and restaurants. All of them are located close to each other, within walking distance, so shopping is easy to combine with a walk in the center. Only taxis, trams and pedestrians are allowed to move here. Aleksanterinkatu got its name in the early 19th century in honor of the Russian emperor Alexander I. In addition to walking and shopping, you can get into the epicenter of the holiday here – major holidays and processions, carnivals and the New Year are held on the street.
19. Kallio Church
Northern Art Nouveau Lutheran Church on a high hill in the Kallio district of Helsinki
The Lutheran Church of Kallio, rushing up on one of the hills of Helsinki, can be seen from almost every corner of the city. This architectural monument, which recently celebrated its centenary, is considered one of the tallest buildings in the city – they say that from its top you can even see Estonia. Strictly symmetrical, the building was built of gray granite, decorated with modest ornamentation and crowned with a semicircular dome of pale green copper. On the 65-meter tower there are 7 bells, with their chime playing the famous melody of Jean Sibelius. Inside, the church looks very bright, due to the light whitewashed walls, small windows, minimal decorations and spacious space. The vaults of the arched windows are decorated with plant drawings, shining in the light of the sun's rays or the flickering of candles. The temple has excellent acoustics, thanks to which it has become one of the most popular venues for chamber music concerts.
Official website:https://www.helsinginseurakunnat
20. St. John's Church
East view of the stone church of St. John in the capital of Finland
The interior of the Church of St. John in Helsinki Diego Delso
In the heart of Finland – Helsinki, next to such significant shrines as the Cathedral of St. Nicholas and the German Church, the Lutheran Church of St. John rushes up with its neo-Gothic spiers. For a long time, the hill on which the temple rises was the venue for the celebration of Ivan Kupala, and today hundreds of people flock to these walls to pay tribute to the ancient holiday. Outside, the temple is crowned with narrow stained-glass windows and a traditional Gothic rose window; chimeras sit on the parapets. But if the classic Gothic techniques are observed on the outside, then it is very light inside, which is not at all typical for authentic Gothic temples. Many elements of the interior decoration are carved from wood by the best craftsmen – this is the altar, the balconies, and the carved pulpit. Huge marble columns give the building grandeur, and the altar depicts a biblical story – the appeal of the Apostle Paul to Jesus.
21. Kamppi Chapel of Silence
Kamppi Chapel of Silence on the south side of Narinkkatori Square in Helsinki Matti Mattila
And where to go, being in the very heart of the city, to see something completely uncharacteristic for this place? Perhaps the most suitable option for this is the Chapel of Silence, a true island of peace in the midst of the seething life of Narinkka Square. This 2012 building is a special place for quiet prayer, a refuge for people tired of the daily bustle of the world. The institution can hardly be called a chapel in its classical sense – worship services and other traditional ceremonies are not held here, only small prayer services are periodically organized, and psychologists, priests and social workers are on duty all day long, ready to talk with everyone and provide psychological support. The bowl, in the form of which the chapel is built, is made of bent spruce branches covered with wax, and the only decoration of the inner hall is a silver crucifix on the pulpit.
Official website: https://www .kampinkappeli
22. Eureka Science Museum
Galilee Park with fascinating exhibits on the territory of the Eureka Science Museum Abc10
Visitors of all ages at the Eureka Museum Mace Ojala
It is difficult to call “Eureka” a museum in its traditional sense – it is a huge complex for entertainment and scientific knowledge in the field of fundamental sciences, the most popular place among tourists, especially with children, because all the exhibitions are interactive, and their fascinating exhibits, created thanks to scientific knowledge and human intelligence , dedicated to numerous discoveries in the field of astronomy, chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. There are 8 pavilions in the museum, exhibitions in which help to learn about the surrounding world and its phenomena not only in theory, but also in practice. For example, here you can participate in the process of paper production, conduct an interesting chemical experiment, solve a complex mathematical problem, and much more. The pride of the museum is a planetarium with a spherical screen, which shows popular science films.
Official website: https://www.heureka
23. Museum Design
The beautiful building of the Design Museum in Helsinki
Finnish Art Nouveau furniture (1903) in the exhibition hall of the Design Museum in Helsinki Jean-Pierre Dalbéra
(2765671356).jpg)_
Despite the fact that at the end of the 19th century, design was not yet a separate art direction, the Design Museum in Helsinki at that time already had its own small exposition of designer things. Opening its doors to the public in 1873, it remains one of the finest art galleries in Europe to this day. Its exposition includes drawings, drawings, photographs and other items, one way or another related to design. And in the museum archives there are more than a thousand talented artists from all over the world. The collection originated in the years when the National Crafts Society replenished its funds with design items from the World Exhibition in Vienna. Today, the exposition occupies several floors, the first of which demonstrates applied art in the most unique manifestations – here are dishes, interior items, and creative accessories. The upper floors are devoted to temporary exhibitions related to contemporary design trends.
Official website: http://www.designmuseum
24. Amos Rex Art Museum
Amos Rex Art Museum in an innovative building in the Kamppi district of Helsinki Sino Yu
While most guidebooks offer to follow the standard routes and visit objects that have long been known to everyone, there are also informal attractions in Helsinki – unusual and lesser-known places that have even more appeal. Lovers of novelty and creativity should go to the Amos Rex art museum – a real portal to the world of dreams and miracles, where you can feel like in a fantastic fairy tale. In fact, this is the “reborn” Amos Anderson Art Museum – a new grandiose project became a reality in 2013, transforming the face of the center of Helsinki. Several domes in the form of lunar craters peeked out from under the ground, and the building of the Glass Palace was radically restored. The exhibition program covers the period from ancient cultures to the present, images are formed by means of digital projectors on the ceiling, which acts as a screen.
Official website: https://amosrex
25. Sinebrychoff Art Museum
Sinebrychoff Art Museum in a mansion built in 1842 Finnish National Gallery
Interior items from the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki Bengt Oberger
The tourist map of Helsinki is simply replete with cultural and educational objects, including the Sinebrychov Art Museum. This is the only museum in the capital dedicated entirely to European art. It was founded back in the 20s of the last century, when, according to the will of the entrepreneur, the most valuable collection of works of art was transferred to state funds. The museum occupies the premises of the former estate, where the married couple Pavel and Fanny Sinebryukhov lived. Initially, the collection consisted of paintings, miniatures, rare items collected by the family over several generations, and later the collection was replenished with other donations and acquisitions. Today, temporary exhibitions are held on the first floor, and on the second floor there is a permanent exposition of unique items of the Sinebrykhov family – dishes, porcelain and silver items, elaborate watches, icons, pieces of furniture.
Official website: https://sinebrychoff
26. Flamingo Water Park
Water activities and attractions at the Flamingo Water Park in Vantaa Amattilaine
The largest water park in Finland is located near Helsinki, in the town of Vantaa, next to the Jumbo shopping center. The Flamingo Water Park is decorated in the theme of the ancient Mayan civilization – this is a warm exotic place, which is a real tropical paradise with the largest SPA complex, a swimming pool, all kinds of water slides, souvenir shops, Finnish baths. The vast area of the water park is 2000 square meters, which houses such entertainments as a sports pool, a reservoir with a flowing stream of water, a diving pool, a geyser pond with a jacuzzi effect, several slides of different levels and sizes, a wellness area, visiting where you can plunge into the atmosphere of ancient Mesopotamia, as well as two cafes for those who have an appetite after all these entertainments.
Official website: https://www.flamingospa
27. Botanical Garden
University of Helsinki Botanical Garden site in Kaisaniemi BKfi
Traveling in different seasons, each season has its own advantages. What to see in Helsinki in autumn? The solution is not difficult to find – autumn in all its splendor, in a riot of autumn colors and with a carnival of colored leaf fall, can be seen by visiting the Botanical Garden in the very heart of the city. This is one of the most picturesque corners of the Finnish capital, which you can get into without even having a lot of time – by the way, this is one of the most suitable options for what to see in Helsinki in 6 hours. On the territory of the park you can see ponds, sculptures and an abundance of all kinds of plants – here are the forests of the tropics, and conifers, and mountain vegetation, and savannah flora – in total, 1300 plant species grow on the territory. Species representing the flora of the northern latitudes grow directly under the open sky, while overseas plants live in local greenhouses.
Official website: http://www.luomus
28. Old Market
Old covered market in a 19th century brick building on the shores of the South Bay < p>
Stalls with a wide range of goods at the Old Market Hall in Helsinki Discovering Finland
Any experienced traveler knows that visiting shopping malls, boutiques and shops of local designers is far from all that the concept of “shopping” is limited to. There are other secret places in Helsinki where you can not only stock up on a set of original gizmos, but also feel the unique atmosphere and local flavor that is inherent only in old establishments. Such places include the Old Covered Market, located in an authentic building from the 19th century. The facade of the building immediately attracts with its appearance – it does not have the usual glass and concrete, but the beautiful brickwork of red and beige colors pleases the eye. Under the ancient vaults there are colorful rows of stalls abounding with the gifts of the Baltic Sea – fish and seafood, as well as berries, smoked meats and sweets. Not far from the market there are stalls with souvenirs and handicrafts with Finnish national motifs.
29. Helsinki Train Station
Helsinki Railway Station – an architectural monument of the early 20th century JOHN LLOYD
The main transport artery and the most important starting point of Finland is the railway station in Helsinki, where countless tourists arrive and from where trains leave for neighboring countries. In addition to the direct transport function, the station also plays the role of a valuable historical and architectural landmark, built in the northern modern style. Initially, the station building was built in 1862, and at the very beginning of the 20th century, a more modern, luxurious building made of pink Finnish granite grew in its place, incorporating all the latest achievements of that time. The main decoration is a magnificent arched vault and two statues with spherical lamps that cozily light up at dusk. Every day, about 200 thousand people pass through the station, commuter trains and long-distance trains pass.
30. Esplanade Park
Monument to the Finnish poet Ludwig Runeberg in the center of the Esplanade Park in Helsinki Diego Delso
Another symbol of Helsinki, located in the center, is the ancient Esplanade Park, in which numerous tourist routes converge like rays. The main park alley is crowned with shady trees, pleases with colorful flowers and original landscapes. The atmosphere in the park is almost always lively, especially during the holidays – for example, a Christmas market is held here in winter, and festivals and concerts are held here in spring. By the way, this place is one of the best options for what to see in Helsinki in the spring. Guests of Helsinki especially like to relax in the Esplanade in the moments between trips to tourist sites. In the eastern part, there is an open area Espa, where various performances and shows are held on summer days. There are also a number of monuments in the park area, the most famous of which is a fountain with a sculpture by Havis Amanda depicting a sea nymph.
We hope that our review will help you make an excellent excursion route around the capital of Finland.