Welcome to Our Helsinki City-Break Guide

For Starters: Why Visit Helsinki?

Helsinki is a city that blends history, nature, design, and delicious food into a perfect three-day city break. If you like the sound of saunas and sea fortresses, then Helsinki will be perfect for you – with different but just as worthwhile experiences in both the summer and winter season.

How to Spend 3 Days in Helsinki, Finland’s “New” Capital

I say “new” because, until the early 1800s, Finland’s capital was actually its western neighbor, Turku. Nevertheless, Helsinki is a beautiful historical city, full of old Finish building – and with a somewhat unexpected Russian influence (although it is only a two-hour train ride to St. Petersburg! Maybe one for the another year, however)

While Turku has more of a Swedish feel (thanks to Finland’s long stint under Swedish rule), Helsinki is, at least in my opinion, much more cosmopolitan.

What to Know Before Travelling to Helsinki

1. Finnish Language: A Brief Dive into One of Europe’s Most Unique Tongues

Speaking of historical influences, let’s take a brief dive into Finland’s language. One (I admit, me) might assume that Finnish is similar to Swedish or Russian given Finland’s past and Swedish still being one of the country’s official languages. But nope—you’d be wrong.

Finnish is part of the Uralic language family, making it one of the most ancient and unique languages in Europe. We’re talking old old—proto-Uralic was spoken anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 years ago. Modern Finnish came from forest tribes, but it wasn’t even written down until the 16th century, thanks to Mikael Agricola, a bishop who essentially invented written Finnish – quite the legacy.

So, maybe not the most simple. Nevertheless, here is some survival Finnish to get you through your Helsinki adventure:

Hello: Hei (hey) or Moi (moy)
Goodbye: Hei hei (hey hey) or Moi moi (moy moy)
Yes: Juu (yoh)
No: Ei (ey)
Thank you: Kiitos (ki – tos)
You’re welcome: Ei kestä (ey kestah)
Excuse me: Anteeksi (an-tecksee)

2. Weather

No shocker, Helsinki is cold. For 3/4 of the year (September until May), the average temperature is below 10 degrees centigrade and the coldest months, January and February typically sit around -4.5 to -5 degrees, with high chances of snow, and low chances of sunlight (~6hrs a day) so make sure you pack accordingly otherwise you WILL end up having to buy some Finnish hand-knitted jumpers (oh no what a tragedy).

On the other end of the spectrum, the summer months June, July, August average around the mid teens, with the odd day over 20 degrees, so we still definitely suggest to pack layers for warmth and unpredictable weather.

3. Currency

If you are a seasoned European traveler, expect minimal difference from other European cities in terms of currency and card/cash payment.

The Euro is the official currency of Finland.

The Sloth‑Approved 3-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Walking tour and Sauna numero 1

Day 2: Suomenlinna Fortress and Sauna numero 2 OR Design Museo

Day 3: Tempeliaukio Church and shopping till you drop

Suggested Sloth Itinerary Day 1: Get Acquainted with Helsinki

Breakfast: Karl Fazer Cafe

Morning Activity: Free Walking Tour

Lunch: Cafe Engel

Afternoon Activity: Market Square and Allas Sea Pool

Start your trip with a walk through Helsinki’s charming streets, and we highly recommend hopping on one of the city’s free walking tours. There’s a whole world of hidden gems in Helsinki that you’d miss without a local guide.

Our favorite is Red Umbrella Tours (shoutout to Scottish Johnny), which kicks off in the centre of Helsinki Old Town—which is why we recommend a quick pastry and coffee in Karl Fazer Cafe, a short 4-minute walk from Senate Square (a meeting point for many walking tours).

Finns take their coffee seriously—and for good reason. They consume more coffee than any other nation per capita (9+ cups a day is not unusual). Similar to Sweden’s “Fika,” the Finns also have their own word for coffee and a sweet treat: Kahvitauko. So it’s only fair to participate if you’re looking to get the real Finnish experience.

The walking tours typically last 2–3 hours and are an ideal way to get a crash course on Helsinki’s top attractions and local history. Must-see spots include Senate Square, Helsinki Cathedral, and the local market, which might be buzzing with vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to Finnish delicacies.

You’ll also get a deep dive into Helsinki’s Art Nouveau architecture, which is everywhere in the city. It’s like living in an open-air museum of early 20th-century design.

After your walking tour, head over to Cafe Engel, near Senate Square, for a traditional Finnish meal. Their salmon potato dill soup is unforgettable—especially after a few hours of walking in the crisp Helsinki air.

In the afternoon...

Head to the harbour market for some shopping. It’s the perfect place to pick up local handicrafts, like wooden trinkets or Finnish woollen scarves. As an avid sewer and knitter, I picked up some handmade wooden buttons for my favourite cardigan. One of the things you might notice when wandering around Helsinki’s shops and markets is the sheer number and variety of handmade items, especially woodwork and knitwear. Finland in general has a huge culture of making and repairing clothes, so much so that children are taught to knit in school. This may also be due to the fact that it is freezing cold in Finland for most of the year, so knitted jumpers are just part of the survival kit. So if you’re looking for quality knitwear, Finland is the place to splash the cash.

Next up, it’s time to relax like a true Finn: the Allas Sea Sauna and Sea Pools. If you’ve never experienced a Finnish sauna, you’re in for a treat (and a workout, depending on how brave you are). The Allas Sea Sauna has several different saunas to choose from, including one with a spectacular view of the port. And if you’re feeling adventurous (or just need to shake off the food coma from your salmon soup), take a dip in one of their sea pools. They have lanes for proper swimming and an icy “fresh filtered sea pool” that’ll wake you up more than the 9 cups of coffee you’ve probably consumed. Prices start at €30, and towels are included—perfect for a post-soup nap.

It is important to note that this Finnish sauna is a “swimming costume required” establishment, so please for the sake of your dignity bring one. However, if you are keen to get your kit off and experience the most raw form of Finnish sauna, there are tons around the city – a highly rated one being Kotiharjun Sauna.

Fun fact: In most Finnish hotels and Air BnBs there is, more likely than not, a sauna in the complex. In fact across the whole of Finland, there is on average 1 sauna for every 1.6 people.

Day 2: Archipelago Adventures

Breakfast: Ekberg Bakery

Morning Activity: Suomenlinna

Lunch: Cafe or supermarket lunch on Suomenlinna

Afternoon Activity: Design Museum or Lonna Sauna

Coffee Break: Kaffecentralen

In the morning...

Start your second day off strong with a breakfast at Ekberg, Finland’s oldest bakery and patisserie, open since 1852. Then hop on the ferry from Helsinki Kauppatori to Suomenlinna, a scenic UNESCO World Heritage Site just off the coast. Tickets cost around €8 and the ride takes 15–20 minutes.

Suomenlinna Fortress was originally built in the mid-1700s by the Swedes and later played a strategic role during Russian rule. The island is full of museums, historic sites, and cozy cafes. Don’t forget your camera—this place is a dream for history lovers and photographers alike. We recommend spending at least 2 hours exploring before heading back to the mainland.

In the afternoon...

You can get the ferry from Suomenlinna to Lonna, an island in the Helsinki archipelago which holds one of the most unique sauna settings in Finland—with separate male and female saunas followed by an icy dip right in the Baltic Sea. This is a truly authentic Finnish sauna experience. However, the ferry terminal at Market Square is also super close to the Allas Sea Pool, so if you’re feeling extra zen after your Suomenlinna fortress visit, consider another dip before you head to our next destination.

Alternatively...

In the afternoon, we recommend the Design Museum—a must-visit for fans of Finnish design. It showcases the history of Finland’s innovative design culture and features everything from furniture to fashion. (You know, just in case you needed more inspiration for your own minimalist interior design.) There are also often very interesting rotating exhibits at the museum; when we went, they had a super inspiring gallery displaying all types of Finnish repair methods, whether that was upcycling furniture or darning a sock to repair a hole.

Suggested Sloth Itinerary - Day 3: Architecture, History and Shopping

Breakfast: Konditoria Hopia

Morning Activity: Tempeliaukio Church

Lunch: Sea Horse

Afternoon Activity: Shopping and Art Nouveau street Huvilakatu

In the morning...

On your third day, make your way to Konditoria Hopia, a highly rated Helsinki breakfast and coffee spot, and a short 10-minute walk from Tempeliaukio Church—aka the “Rock Church.” Built directly into a giant granite rock, this architectural marvel has an acoustically perfect interior that often hosts concerts. It’s one of Helsinki’s most unique landmarks, so even if you’re not religious, seeing the beautiful architecture is worth the visit.

In the afternoon...

If you’re feeling more like shopping than museum-hopping, Helsinki is home to fabulous design boutiques. From the world-famous Iittala and Marimekko to independent artisan shops, there’s no shortage of cool stuff to bring back home. There are many good restaurants for lunch in this area; however, if you fancy some upmarket traditional Finnish food, there is no place better than Sea Horse, a classic Helsinki restaurant.

Want more of Finland?

If this 3 day Helsinki adventure is a mere fraction of the time you have to spend in Finland, we strongly recommend travelling to Turku (the old capital), an easy 2hr direct train from Helsinki. In Turku, again you can drown in the culture and history and enjoy scenic strolls along the Aura River. However, by far the most unique experience is driving or cycling along the Archipelago Trail – a 190km ring road (+50km ferry route) that begins in Turku and ends in Naantali (about a 25 minute drive back to Turku). Note that this route is in our opinion more enjoyable and safer in the summer months.

If you happen to be travelling in the winter months, there is not a better place or time to visit Finland’s iconic Lapland which might as well be straight out of a fairytale with its stunning nature, log cabins, possibility of seeing the Northern Lights and ofc Santa Claus. Lapland is considerably further up north than Helsinki or Turku, which is why we recommend taking an internal flight to Rovaniemi (approx 4hrs and costing about 100euro).