Helsinki

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Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: 60.17116
• Longitude: 24.93258

On Travellerspoint

• 1 Helsinki Apartments
• 4 Helsinki Hostels
• 2 Helsinki Hotels

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Introduction

Helsinki

© All Rights Reserved Peter

Helsinki has been the capital of Finland since 1812 and is located on the southern coast, directly across from Tallinn in Estonia with only the Gulf of Finland separating the two. It is also Finland's biggest city, with a population of 570 000. Helsinki Metropolitan Area which includes a number of other cities (Espoo, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Kauniainen, Sipoo, Tuusula, Kerava, Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Hyvinkää and Vihti) has a population of around 1 million.

Located halfway between Stockholm and St Petersburg and with a coastal location that makes it seem as if the city is surrounded by water, it's no surprise that the city was founded as a fishing village and harbour. Taking a boat tour is a great way to get a better feeling for the city. The city itself consists of wide, often cobbled, streets, lots of parks and squares and generally gives an impression as a spacious city. As is the case for most Nordic cities however, Helsinki is compact and therefore easy to explore on foot or using
public transport.

Neighbourhoods

Sights and Activities

Helsinki Cathedral

© All Rights Reserved Eleritz

Porvoo

A beautiful old medieval city with the old town built on a small hill next to a river. This is one of the most popular destinations for a day trip from Helsinki and you can get there by bus or by steamship (although the steamship is very slow!). Unfortunately, because it is very popular it is also crowded during the high season.

Turku

The original capital and oldest city in Finland with the beautiful river Aura flowing though it. There is a lot of history in Turku, you can visit places like the cathedral, castle, archeology museum, and the outdoor folk museum. Turku is also a university town, and has a lot of café’s and unique pubs that are worth a visit.

Sibelius’s Home

Jean Sibelius was Finland ’s most important composer, and wrote pieces such as Finlandia. Nowadays his Villa ‘Ainola’ on the shore of Lake Tuusula is an excellent place to visit for a day trip.

Other Sights and Activities

• The fortress island of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg)
  

  Sibelius Monument, Helsinki

  © All Rights Reserved Herr Bert

• Seurasaari (open air museum)
• Helsinki Cathedral & The Senat Square
• Russian Orthodox Church
• Temppeliaukio Church
• Kauppatori
• 1952 Olympic Stadium & Museum
• Mannerheim Museum
• Linnanmäki Amusement Park
• Helsinki Zoo in Korkeasaari
• The Sibelius Monument
• The Olympic Stadium (1952)
• The Market Square
• Three public saunas
• Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma is an amazing world class art museum designed by a world famous architect.
• Ateneum Art Museum

Events and Festivals

• World Village Festival in Kaisaniemi Park 23.-24.5.2009
• Helsinki Festival at the end of August is approximately a two-week season to celebrate Helsinki, and a great time to be in the city. Exhibitions, cinema (both national and global), poetry, music, dance and suchlike fill the museums, pubs, theatres and even streets, and there's plenty for the kids as well.

Weather

Helsinki enjoys a slightly warmer temperature than other places as far north, thanks to the influence of the Baltic Sea and Gulf Stream. During winter, temperatures are around -6º C. Days are around 6 hours long due to the winter solstice.

In summer, Helsinki has much longer days (up to 18 hours) and temperatures range between 18º C and 25º C.

See the Finnish Meteorological Institute website for a Helsinki weather forecast.

Getting There and Away

By Plane

The major airport is the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (IATA: HEL; ICAO: EFHK). The main airlines that fly in and out of Helsinki are Finnair, Scandinavian Airlines, and Blue1. Remember that many other regional airlines and budget airlines also have service to Helsinki airport. This makes it possible to travel to most places in the world to and from Helsinki with relative ease.

From the airport, there are buses and taxis to the city centre. The cheapest is the regional bus 615, which costs 4 €, takes about 40 minutes, and arrives at the Central Railway Station; more expensive but quicker is the bus service operated by Finnair.

By Train

There are several daily connections from Helsinki to all major cities within Finland.

The only direct international trains are the ones to Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia. Between Helsinki and Moscow, there are direct daily overnight trains with 'The Tolstoi', taking roughly 13 hours to cover the routes. Trains are fast and comfortable. There are two daily trains ('The Sibelius' and 'The Repin') between Helsinki and St. Petersburg, both travelling during the day and evening. One train is Russian, the other one is Finnish. Both trains take about 6 hours to cover the route. Trains also stop in Lahti, Kouvola and Vainikkala in Finland and in Vyborg in Russia.

By Car

Driving to Helsinki from other European countries is a long trip, and you need to either drive around the Baltic sea, or drive through Russia. The other option is to get on one of the ferries to Helsinki or Hanko, or if you cross the sea from Sweden, one of the ferries to Turku.

By Bus

Eurolines provides services to and from Russian cities like St. Petersburg, connecting with Helsinki. Two daily buses provide services to Vyborg and St Petersburg from Helsinki, one of which originates in Turku. Check Matkahuolto for more information about prices and schedules.

By Boat

Ferry to Stockholm leaving Helsinki Harbour

© All Rights Reserved filipve

Helsinki has well established boat connections to nearby capitals Stockholm (Sweden) and Tallinn (Estonia). Nearby Hanko is the arrival place of many of the ferries from eg. Germany and Poland among other countries.

Aland

• From Helsinki to Mariehamn with Viking Line and Silja Line

Estonia

• Nordic Jet has boats running between Helsinki and Tallinn, 1 about every 2 hours starting at 8 am and ending at 7:30 pm. A one way super economy ticket is 28 € but you have to book your tickets online.
• Tallink Silja also has regular service between Helsinki and Tallinn starting at 7:30 am. It also offers services to several other Scandinavian cities.
• Viking Line has a boat that makes its first or last stop in Tallinn before going to Helsinki and then on to Sweden.

Sweden

• Viking Line and Silja Line between Helsinki and Stockholm.

Germany

• Silja Line between Rostock and Helsinki.
• Finn Lines between Travemunde and Helsinki.
• Superfast Ferries between Rostock and Hanko, about 90 minutes from Helsinki.

Getting Around

• Helsinki Metropolitan Area Journey Planner
• Map Service for Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa

By Car

By Public Transport

Helsinki has one metroline running from East to West (partly) under the city. For visitors this line can be ignored. Trams and city run across the city, making it a good way to get around town. Tramline 3T and 3B are circular lines, linking most of the sights in Helsinki.

By Foot

The city center is compact enough to explore by foot, because the city has plenty of parks it is very enjoyable to walk in this city.

By Boat

Some of the sights (like Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and the Zoo, called Korkeasaari) can be visited by boat. If you buy a ticket for public transport that last multiple days, trips by boat can be included in the ticket. Nearby Porvoo and Loviisa can also be visited by boat. The J.L. Runeberg travels between Helsinki and Porvoo several times a week in the summertime.

By Bike

Helsinki has a free-bike plan. At some points in the city you can grab a bike, pedal around, and place the bike back at one off the other points. Although these bikes are available, it can be hard to find one.

Eat

Drink

The bar and club scene is great in Helsinki but comes with a high price tag. Many people just drink on the street during the long summer nights in order to save money.

• Roskapankki, Helsinginkatu 20

Sleep

Budget

• Academica Summer Hostel(Hietaniemenkatu 14, FI-00100 Helsinki, Telephone +358 (0)9 1311 4334, hostel.academica@hyy.fi) is part of the HYY Group and nice summer hostel. It has an excellent location in the dorms of a downtown University. Remember to book ahead during the busy times of the year. There are single, doubles, tripples and quads avaible, a dorm bed is 23 € a night.

More budget accommodation with travellers ratings:

Mid-Range

• Helsinki Holiday Inn in the City Centre is a chain hotel which offers a warm comfortable sleep while you explore the city during the days. It is located right mext to the Main Railway Station and Bus Terminal - which is convenient to get to and from the airport by bus. Address: ELIELINAUKIO 5, HELSINKI, FI-00100 FINLAND Ph: Tel: +358 (0)9 5425 5000

Upscale

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