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Helsinki Maps & Attractions Guide
Helsinki maps & Attractions - Things to do
in Helsinki
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Helsinki
Attractions - Things to do
1. Suomenlinna Fortress
The Visitor's Centre is at Suomenlinna C 74, situated in
the middle of the fortress at Tykistölahti bay
www.suomenlinna.fi |
What is it? The historically significant Suomenlinna
fortress is not only a major military monument worthy of the UNESCO
World Heritage List, but also home to about 900 Finns who live in
the renovated barracks. The entire site is a fun, multi-faceted
attraction for Helsinki residents and visitors. The fortress, built
during Swedish rule in the 18th century, is situated on an island
at the entrance to Helsinki's harbour. The fortification became a
strategic military shipyard with one of the biggest dry docks in
the world, comparable to the fortress at Gibraltar. Apart from
admiring the architecture there is plenty to experience at
Suomenlinna, which contains seven museums, galleries, restaurants
and cafes, several parks, beaches and nature areas. Guided walking
tours are offered and there are always events taking place like
exhibitions, jazz shows and theatrical performances, particularly
during summer.
Hours of Operation: The various museums usually open between 10am and 5pm
daily with shorter hours in winter. For information regarding the
various events and exhibitions contact the Visitor's Centre which
opens between 10am and 4pm, and until 6pm between May and
September
Phone:Tourist Information desk: (0)9 684 1880 or Visitor's
Centre: (0)9 4050 9691 |
2. Senate Square
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What is it? Architecture buffs enjoy sitting in a café
admiring the buildings surrounding Helsinki's lively Senate Square,
renowned as Europe's finest examples of the neoclassical style. The
square is dominated by the city's main landmark, the Lutheran
Cathedral, designed by Carl Ludwig Engel and consecrated in 1852.
The interior is as perfect as the exterior design, and is open to
the public daily for no charge. Other buildings on the Square
designed by Engel are the Palace of the Council of State, built in
1822, and the University buildings (1832), including the library,
regarded as Engel's finest masterpiece.
Hours of Operation: The Cathedral is open daily 9am to midnight (until
6pm in winter)
Phone:The Cathedral: (0)9 709 2455 |
3. Uspenski Cathedral
Kanuvakatu 1
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What is it? Many travellers have compared Helsinki to the
beautiful Russian city of St Petersburg which is a close neighbour
across a short strait of water, and the exotic red-brick Orthodox
cathedral Uspenski, designed by Aleksei Gornostayev of St
Petersburg in the late 1800s, cements the Russian connection. The
cathedral sits atop a rocky outcrop on the Katajanokka peninsula
opposite the fish market, fronted by a statue of Tsar Alexander II,
as a memento of Russia's occupation of Finland until 1919. The
magnificent Byzantine edifice is topped with a characteristic
golden onion dome, and the interior is opulently decorated with
valuable icons.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm; Saturdays 9.30am to
2pm; Sundays 12pm to 3pm
Phone:(0)9 634 267 |
4. Market Square
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What is it? Helsinki's bustling Market Square is not only
where traders set up shop selling food and various other goods, but
it is also the central meeting point of the city, sandwiched
between the sea and a row of impressive historic buildings which
include the City Hall, the Swedish Embassy and the Presidential
Palace. Trams and waterbuses converge on the square, where visitors
gather to watch the changing of the bulkily clad guard at the
Palace and admire the Havis Amanda mermaid statue at the west end
of the Square in front of Esplanade Park.
Hours of Operation:
Phone: |
5. Temppeliaukio Church
Lutherinkatu 3
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What is it? This awesome and unique piece of
architecture, the Temppeliaukio ('Church in the rock') was designed
by brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and carved out of solid
granite as recently as 1969. It has become one of Helsinki's most
famous attractions, its rock walls roofed over with a massive
concave copper ceiling, which gives it excellent acoustics. The
church is often used as a venue for musical
events.
Hours of Operation: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10am to 5pm (closed
between 12.45pm and 2.15pm on Tuesdays); Thursday and Friday 10am
to 8pm; Saturday 10am to 6pm; Sunday 11.45am to 1.45pm and 3.30pm
to 6pm
Phone:(0)9 494 698 |
6. Seurasaari Open Air Museum
Seurasaari
www.nba.fi/en/seurasaari_openairmuseum |
What is it? The Seurasaari open-air Museum allows
visitors to step back in time and glimpse the traditional way of
life in the Finnish countryside, and all this in the heart of the
capital city. The museum, situated on a lovely green island
accessed from the mainland via a footbridge, consists of a
collection of cottages, farmsteads, parsonages, rural churches,
manor houses and other old buildings, all preserved and relocated
from their original sites around the provinces of Finland. The 86
buildings currently on the museum site have been arranged to form a
complete replica of a country district, reflecting what life was
like in various levels of rural society between the 18th and 20th
centuries.
Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm, weekends 11am to 5pm
(May and September); daily 11am to 5pm, with late closing at 7pm on
Wednesdays (June, July and August)
Phone:(0)9 4050 9660 |
7. The National Museum of Finland
Mannerheimintie 34
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What is it? Visitors who enjoy getting to know the
country they are exploring will enjoy the National Museum of
Finland in Helsinki, which depicts Finnish life from prehistoric
times to the present. Housed in an impressive Romantic style
building, the museum's permanent exhibition is divided into five
sections, including the 'Treasure Trove', a display of coins,
medals and weaponry. The archaeological section features some rare
Stone Age finds. Also interesting are the folk costumes, textiles
and furniture displays that make up Finland's cultural heritage
collection. The museum also has a café and
shop.
Hours of Operation: Tuesday and Wednesday 11am to 8pm; Thursday to Sunday
11am to 6pm
Phone:(0)9 4050 9544 |
8. Santa Claus Village
www.santaclausvillage.info |
What is it? It's Christmas every day of the year in the
rather commercialised (but quaint) 'Santa's secret hideaway' in
Lapland, northern Finland, where the redoubtable Mr Claus spends
his time preparing gifts for the world's children, and meeting and
greeting an estimated 500,000 delighted visitors a year.
Co-incidentally the valley inside the Arctic Circle where Santa's
Village is set is shaped like an ear, so, it is said, Santa can
listen to all the children of the world. At the village all sorts
of activities are on offer at Santa's office, the reindeer park and
the SantaPark theme park, and of course you can use Santa's
personal post office to mail a letter or card home with the coveted
postmark. The highlight of any visit, though, is of course meeting
the great man himself, and whispering your wishes into his friendly
ear. Santa's Village and SantaPark are located just a mile from the
international airport of Rovaniemi (capital of Lapland), and is
also easily accessible by bus or car from
Helsinki.
Hours of Operation: Village: daily 9am to 7pm (June to 28 August, and 28
November to 8 January); 10am to 5pm (29 August to 27 November).
SantaPark: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm
Phone:Village: (0)16 356 2096; SantaPark: (0)16 333
0000 |
Helsinki Holidays guide
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Transport -Helsinki has a simple and extremely
efficient public transport system, rated one of the best in Europe,
making it easy to hop onto trams, buses, the metro or a ferry with
a single ticket purchased from the driver, ticket machines or even
by SMS on a mobile phone.
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