General tourist information about Helsinki

Sightseeing Tours

Helsinki City Sightseeing Tour (ca 1.5 hours)
daily at 10.45 and 14.00 in English, at 12.00 in German. Departure from Esplanade Park, Fabianinkatu, ticket 95 FIM.

Walking tours in Helsinki
A guide brochure describing six different walks is available from Tourist Information.

Tram 3T
By tram line 3T you will see the most important sights of the Helsinki in the convenient way. (Routemap of trams)

Museums, churches and sights in Helsinki

Temppeliaukio Church
The church is built inside the rocks. Bold modern construction by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen (1969). Lutherinkatu 3. Tram 3T from Posthouse.

Cathedral (Lutheran)
Original plans by C.L. Engel (1778-1840), completed 1852. Senate Square. Open Mon-Sat 9-18, Sun 12-20. Get there: trams 1,2,3T,3B,4,7A,7B

Uspensky Cathedral (Orthodox)
A brick building in Byzantine-Slavonic style (1868). Kanavakatu 1. Open Mon, Wed-Sat 9.30-16, Tue 9.30-18, Sun 12-15. Get there: trams 2 and 4.

Ateneum, The Museum of Finnish Art
Finnish art from the 18th century to the 1960's. Foreign art from the 19th century paintings and sculpture. Kaivokatu 2.

Kiasma, The Museum of Contemporary Art
Finnish and international contemporary art since 1960's in the new museum building. Mannerheiminaukio 2.

Arabia Museum and Gallery
Arabia porcelain factory design and history and factory's retail shop. Hameentie 135. Get there: tram 6.

Sederholm House
The oldest stone building in downtown Helsinki, the house reflects the life of the merchant Johan Sederholm in 18th century Helsinki. Aleksanterinkatu 16-18.

Burgher's house "Ruiskumestarin talo"
The oldest wooden house in its original location furnished as a lower middle-class home in 1860s Finland. Kristianinkatu 12.

Museum of Worker Housing
The museum exhibits the housing and life of the blue-collar workers in Helsinki between 1909-1980. Kirstinkuja 4.

Seurasaari Outdoor Museum
Old Finnish dwelling milieus. Folk buildings and farmsteads from different parts of Finland. Guided tours at 11.30 and 15.30. Bus 24 from Erottaja. ( Timetables and bus fares)

Helsinki City Art Museum
Situated near Seurasaari in Tamminiementie 6, the museum has an interesting exhibition of the Finnish painter Tyko Sallinen (1879-1955).

Sibelius monument
This monument is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the Helsinki. Sibelius Park. Bus 24 from Erottaja.

Suomenlinna
The biggest sea fortress in Scandinavia, founded in 1748 on the islands off the coast of Helsinki. Included in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. The Island has many museums e.g. Suomenlinna Museum, Ehrensvard Museum, Submarine 'Vesikko', Doll and Toy Museum & Old Russian samovars. Ferry from the Market Square. The normal tickets of the Helsinki City Traffic are valid on ferry-boat. Ferry-boat from Market Square. ( The timetable ). Motor-boat to the museum area from the Market Square. The motor-boat is avaible only during summer time. (The timetable is in the booklet Helsinki this week)

Korkeasaari Zoo
One of the most northerly zoos in the world with several rare species. Waterbus at summer time from Market Square and Hakaniemi. A bus 11 from Herttoniemi metro station to Mustikkamaa.

Linnanmaki, Amusement Park
Tivolitie-Helsinginkatu. Open daily from May to mid August, weekends August. Trams 3B, 3T and bus 23 stop right near the north gate and tram 8 close to the south gate.

Something very Finnish

Midsummer ('juhannus')
There will be Midsummer Eve festivities at Seurasaari on Friday 25.6.

Tango
A very popular dance in Finland. More about Finnish tango http://www.publiscan.fi/cu11e-9.htm
http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/tangoeng.html

Kotiharju Sauna
the only wood-heated public sauna in Helsinki has just reopened after major renovation. Harjutorinkatu 1, open Tue. - Fri. 12-20, Entrance 35 FIM

General information about sauna http://www.hut.fi/~icankar/sauna/bigindex.html

Smoke sauna of the Finnish Sauna Society
The saunas of the Finnish Sauna Society, at Vaskiniemi, Lauttasaari, are available for non-members from 21 to 01 on weekdays by reservation. The price is 92 FIM/person, 9 FIM for the towel. The Sauna Society has four saunas, each for about 10-13 persons. Two of them are traditional smoke saunas. For information and reservation phone 678 677.

Outside Helsinki

Porvoo
The idyllic wooden town of Porvoo, a medieval village and the second oldest town in Finland, has retained its original charm. Porvoo has delightful little shops and craftsmen's workshops by the river. Sights: Porvoo Medieval Church, Town Hall Square and home of the Finnish national poet J.L. Runeberg (1804-1877). Half-day tour with sightseeing bus (ca. 4 hours) either 28.6 or 29.6 from 13-17. English Guidance. Ticket 210 FIM. It is also possible to cruise to Porvoo by the boat J.L Runeberg through the enchanting eastern archipelago. Return trip can be taken by regular express bus. It takes about an hour by bus from Porvoo to the main bus station at Kamppi. You can also return by the same boat. Boat tickets can be obtained an hour before the departure from the ticket boot near the boat.

Hvittrask, Kirkkonummi
The studio home of architects Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren, designed by them and build of logs and natural stone in 1902-04. The studio is on a beautiful location by lake Vittrask about 30 kilometres from the city of Helsinki. Hvittrask can be reached either by bus 166 from the main bus station, platform 60 or by taking the train from Helsinki Railway Station to Masala and then taking a short taxi ride or by taking train from Helsinki to Luoma and then walking 2 kilometres. Train L leaves from Helsinki, takes 36 minutes to Luoma and 38 minutes to Masala. The bus trip takes about 50 minutes. ( The bus timetable)

Ainola
Ainola is the home of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, at Jarvenpaa.

Gallen-Kallela Museum at Tarvaspaa
The national artist of Finland, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), had his unique studio at Tarvaspaa built between 1911 and 1913. Gallen-Kallelan tie 27, Espoo. Tram 4 to Munkkiniemi, whence it is a 2-km walk.

Heureka, Finnish Science Centre, Tikkurila, Vantaa
Hands-on exhibitions of various fields of science. Tiedepuisto 1, centre of Tikkurila. The short-distance trains K, P, H, R and bus 611 from Central Railway Station stop in Tikkurila.

Shopping

Stockmann
Leading department store in Finland. Aleksanterinkatu 52.

Forum
Shopping centre in the city centre, with 120 shops. Mannerheimintie 20.

Itakeskus
Largest shopping center in the Nordic countries. It takes 10 minutes by the metro from the city center to Itakeskus.

The Kiseleff Bazaar
Finnish handicrafts, giftware, fashions, Christmas ware and toys. Aleksanterinkatu 28.

Kamp Galleria
Finnish and international design, design products and gift articles. Entrances: Kluuvikatu 4, Pohjoisesplanadi 33, Mikonkatu 1 and Aleksanterinkatu 42.