The Best Attractions in Helsinki, Finland

Looking for unforgettable attractions in Helsinki, Finland? Let's find out which attractions in Helsinki are the city's best attractions, and which Helsinki attractions you definitely need to visit on your next Helsinki trip...here are attractions for every taste.

1. Helsinki's Suomenlinna Fortress

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Built in the 1700s on 6 islands, Suomenlinna Fortress is to this date one of Helsinki's most popular and famous attractions open year-round. There are about 800 inhabitants and you can enjoy different museums, shops, cafes, and restaurants for. To reach this Helsinki attraction, take a ferry from Helsinki's Market Square. Suomenlinna fortress is also one of Finland's UNESCO world heritage sites.

2. Helsinki's Historic City Center

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One of the first things Helsinki visitors talk about when returning home, is the historic city center of Helsinki. The city center of Finland's capital dates back to the 1600s and offers you attractions and sights at several locations in the middle of Helsinki: City Hall, Helsinki Cathedral, the Market Square, the Old Market Hall and the Presidential Palace!

3. Töölönlahti Bay

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Impossible to pronounce for non-natives, but wonderful to visit: Töölönlahti Bay in Helsinki. The park around Töölönlahti Bay starts directly in Helsinki, and is a popular destination even for Helsinki residents! Besides a quiet and relaxing afternoon, Töölönlahti Bay also offers visitors the colorfully planted Winter Garden, the Sports Museum and the Finnish National Opera, the Olympic Stadium, Finlandia Hall and the Linnunlaulu district of the wooden villas.

4. Hietaniemi Beach

Many think that Finnish weather is too cold for swimming. No, along with warm summers, Helsinki offers over 310 islands and a coastline close to 100 kilometers long. Helsinki visitors and locals alike love the swimming beaches here, and the most popular beach is Hietaniemi Beach (short "Hietsu") which every Helsinki local knows. If it's too crowded for your taste, visit the other big beach at Seurasaari. The beaches are popular attractions for families.

5. Museum Island Seurasaari

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Seurasaari is an island. But not just any island - it's Helsinki's museum island, one of the biggest attractions in Helsinki. The open-air museum Seurasaari shows Finnish traditions and buildings from the 1700s to the 1900s and offers visitors workshops and events for the whole family in summer. Seurasaari is also the location for annual celebrations like Christmas, Easter and Midsummer's Eve in summer.

6. Linnanmäki Amusement Park

Linnanmäki Amusement Park in Helsinki is a very popular attraction for families with children, and offers the beautifully illuminated "Carnival of Lights" each October concluding the summer season (open May - late September). Make sure to experience the Carnival of Lights with your children, if you can. There is also a special winter event in February.

7. Helsinki's Old Town

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Helsinki's Old Town (Arabianranta area) is a popular attraction in Helsinki. There's not much "old" here, as a matter of fact, Old Town is now a modern part of the city showing new Scandinavian architecture and design in Finland's capital. Old Town is the attraction where Helsinki's past now meets the present.

8. Helsinki Central Railway Station

One of Helsinki's most recognizable attractions is the Central Railway Station in Helsinki. It opened in 1919 and has four granite guards at the main entrance. Today, Helsinki's Central Railway Station is considered to be one of the most admired Finnish architectural works. National and international rail services are available here. The new Ice Park with skating & live entertainment (Nov-March) next to the train station is a great attraction in winter!