Finland
Helsinki
Two nights at the end for the Senate Square market and a seaside sauna. This guide pulls together 3 sights, 1 activity and 2 places to eat from our curated routes.
- Places
- 9
- Curated routes
- 1
- Best season
- Late Nov – Dec
- Warmest month
- July
- Coolest month
- February
- Wettest month
- October
3 See · 1 Do · 2 Eat · 2 Shop · 1 Stay
Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki
from our route notes
19°C / 67°F avg high
-2°C / 28°F avg high
about 80 mm rain
Climate: NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages.
Things to do in Helsinki
9 places from our curated routes, grouped by what you will do there. Each one has its own page with the address and full notes.
See
3 sights worth building a day around across Kruununhaka, Kluuvi and Katajanokka. All 3 are free to visit.
Photo: Niera · CC BY-SA 4.0SeeHelsinki Cathedral
Carl Ludvig Engel's white neoclassical Lutheran cathedral, set at the top of a wide flight of steps over Senate Square.
Photo: Safa Hovinen · CC BY 2.0SeeAleksanterinkatu Christmas Street
Helsinki's main shopping street, hung with Christmas lights every year since 1949.
Tip The lights are switched on with a parade in late November.
Photo: Sandun De Silva · CC BY-SA 4.0SeeUspenski Cathedral
Red-brick Orthodox cathedral on a rocky hill above the harbour, with gilded onion domes.
Do
1 activity for when the group wants to do more than look in Hernesaari.
Photo: Pekka Vyhtinen · CC BY 4.0DoLöyly
Public sauna and restaurant in a timber-clad building on the Hernesaari shore, with steps down into the Baltic.
Tip Book a sauna slot online; towels are included.
Eat
Where we would book a table in Helsinki across Kaartinkaupunki and Kamppi.
Photo: Leonhard Lenz · CC0EatOld Market Hall
Brick market hall from 1889 on the South Harbour, with stalls for salmon soup, smoked fish and Finnish pastries.
Tip Salmon soup at lunch is the classic order.
Photo: Marit Henriksson · CC BY-SA 4.0EatCafé Ekberg
Helsinki's oldest bakery café, opened in 1852, on Bulevardi.
Tip In December, try the joulutorttu, a star-shaped plum-jam pastry.
Shop
Markets and shops worth the detour across Kruununhaka and Kluuvi.
Photo: Pekka Vyhtinen · CC BY 4.0ShopHelsinki Christmas Market
The city's main Christmas market fills Senate Square with wooden stalls, a carousel and a tall tree below the cathedral steps.
Tip Go at dusk, around 3 pm in December, when the lights come on.
Photo: Arto Alanenpää · CC BY-SA 4.0ShopStockmann
Finland's largest department store, whose animated Christmas window display is unveiled each November.
Tip The food hall in the basement is good for Finnish Christmas treats to take home.
Stay
1 place to stay we would book in Esplanadi.
Photo: Prince Michailoff · CC BY-SA 4.0StayHotel Kämp
Grand hotel from 1887 on Pohjoisesplanadi, a short walk from Senate Square and the Christmas Street.
How to fit Helsinki into a trip
Helsinki is stop 3 of 3 on our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route. Follow it as-is or lift Helsinki into your own plan.
Stop 3 of 3
Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki
Arctic Circle, fell-top auroras, Senate Square
- Trip length
- 7 days
- Best season
- Late Nov – Dec
- Pace
- moderate
- Before: Saariselkä
Getting here and onward
- Saariselkä to HelsinkiSaariselkä is about 925 km / 575 mi away in a straight line
Distances are straight-line estimates between destination centers, not road distances.
Helsinki month by month
Average daily highs run from -2°C / 28°F in February to 19°C / 67°F in July. October is the wettest month, with about 80 mm of rain. Outlined months fall in the best season on our routes.
- Jan-1° / 29°F average high
- Feb-2° / 28°F average high
- Mar0° / 32°F average high
- Apr5° / 41°F average high
- May11° / 52°F average high
- Jun16° / 60°F average high
- Jul19° / 67°F average high
- Aug19° / 66°F average high
- Sep15° / 59°F average high
- Oct9° / 48°F average high
- Nov4° / 40°F average high, in our recommended season
- Dec1° / 34°F average high, in our recommended season
Average daily highs, NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages. Helsinki weather and the best time to visit →
Near Helsinki
3 other destinations from our guides within about 400 km (249 mi), measured in a straight line.
Helsinki questions, answered
How many days do you need in Helsinki?
Our route notes suggest 2 nights in Helsinki. On our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route it is stop 3 of 3 in a 7-day trip. The listed visit times for our 9 places add up to roughly 8 hours, before travel between them, so you will need to choose.
What is Helsinki best known for?
Two nights at the end for the Senate Square market and a seaside sauna. Standouts on our list: Helsinki Cathedral (Carl Ludvig Engel's white neoclassical Lutheran cathedral, set at the top of a wide flight of steps over Senate Square); Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street (Helsinki's main shopping street, hung with Christmas lights every year since 1949); Uspenski Cathedral (Red-brick Orthodox cathedral on a rocky hill above the harbour, with gilded onion domes).
When is the best time to visit Helsinki?
Our Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route is best Late Nov – Dec. NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages put the warmest highs in July (19°C / 67°F), the coolest in February (-2°C / 28°F) and the most rain in October (about 80 mm).
What are the best things to do in Helsinki?
Start with Helsinki Cathedral, Aleksanterinkatu Christmas Street, Uspenski Cathedral and Löyly. Our guide lists 9 places in all, from 3 sights, 1 activity, 2 places to eat, 2 shops and 1 place to stay.
Where should a group eat in Helsinki?
Our picks: Old Market Hall (Kaartinkaupunki); Café Ekberg (Kamppi). Salmon soup at lunch is the classic order (Old Market Hall).
What is near Helsinki?
The closest destinations in our guides are Tallinn (about 82 km / 51 mi), Riga (about 361 km / 225 mi) and Stockholm (about 396 km / 246 mi). Distances are straight-line estimates, not road distances.
Plan Helsinki with your crew
Open the Rovaniemi, Saariselkä & Helsinki route in TripsCircle, invite friends with a link, settle which of these 9 places make the cut with a quick poll, then split costs and share one packing list.
Plan around Helsinki
More in Finland
- Rovaniemi 8 places
- Saariselkä 7 places