I get lots of emails from people visiting Helsinki, asking what to do while they are here. So here’s a list of ideas to get you started, which I will add to and update. You can also check out my City Guide to Helsinki, which I wrote for Design*Sponge.
Many museums in Helsinki have one day a month where entry is free. Many places also have different opening hours during summer and winter, so always visit the relevant website before you head out.
City walks
Katajanokka – a suburb of beautiful architecture and great coffee
Töölönlahti – frozen in winter and beautiful in summer, this bay has coffee shops dotted around it’s edge. More photos here.
Uunisaari – an island connected by bridge during winter
Lauttasaari – lovely coastal walk and summer cabins
Baana – a converted freight line is now a cycle and walking path
Five things to do on Fredrikinkatu
Five things to do on Korkeavuorenkatu
Places to visit – outdoors
Linnanmäki – amusement park, free entry, open during summer
Korkeasaari – Helsinki’s island zoo, ferry runs only in summer, bus access otherwise
Seurasaari – outdoor museum on an island, bus access
Pihlajasaari – summer island for swimming
Suomenlinna – fortress island and UNESCO World Heritage Site
Places to visit – indoors
Sea Life – great option for a rainy or cold day in Helsinki
Annantalo – arts centre with exhibitions for children with family friendly book cafe
Yrjönkatu Uimahalli – swimming hall with sauna, men & women separate, only open during winter
Natural History Museum – displays of Nordic and other animals over a few floors
Botanical Gardens – beautiful gardens in glasshouses, good option for a rainy day
Cultural
Lokal – art gallery & cafe
Kiasma – Museum of Contemporary Art
Markets
Hietalahti Market Square – summer time flea market & antiques
Old Market Hall – Vanhakauppahalli is a great place for lunch
Day Trips
Tips for Visiting in Winter & Getting Around
How to walk on ice without dying
How to walk under ice without dying
How to dress a child for Finnish winter
Cultural Events
Saint Lucia – December
Christmas Path – December
Vappu – May
Samba Carnival – June
Baltic Herring Festival – October
All Saint’s Day – November
Cleaning Day – a giant yard sale throughout the city, held various times a year
Restaurant Day – a street food carnival where anyone can open a restaurant for the day, held four times a year
Places to eat & drink
Cafe Regatta – traditional Finnish cafe by the water, for coffee and cinnamon buns
Mockbar – Soviet style bar specialising in vodka and bad service
Moko Market & Kaffa Roastery – cafe and homewares, great for buying gifts and very family friendly.
Freese – owned by Finnish barista champion Kalle Freese, check Facebook for opening times as can be closed if busy elsewhere
Good Life Coffee – great coffee and delicious almond croissants
Skiffer – pizza bar on an island, only open during summer months. City venue during winter
Fafa’s – good falafel and vegetarian takeaway
Hey Helsinki 
you should check out Lonna when the weather is nice this summer.. I was just there ( weather not-so-nice ) but the restaurant and terrace look really promising. Same ticket to Suomenlinna gets you there.
http://www.sallakantokorpi.com/lonna
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I can’t wait to go in summer, thanks for the tip!
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A Veikkaus card will also give you some benefits. You used to be able to get in free in many Helsinki museums on Wednesdays, but looks like they’ve changed that.
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Thanks for the tip!
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http://finlandtoday.fi/new-museum-card-offers-all-in-one-access-to-about-200-museums-in-the-country/
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Thanks Urmas. They are great value, I’m going to look at getting one. Thanks for sharing the link.
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This is awesome! Thanks for sharing, Mel. I still have ways to go to discover this city in its entirety. The sun doesn’t set till way late nowadays so it gives me extra time to explore. 😀
Jess
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Thanks Jess. It’s a basic list at this stage but I’ll add to it as I do more blog posts. I hope you’re enjoying the longer days! The best thing is you can visit places more than once because they are so different during each season. All the best, Mel
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You already have quite a few islands on your list, but:
Guide to the Archipelago:
http://www.hel.fi/hel2/Helsinginseutu/liitteet/Saaristo_opas.pdf
2015 routes and timetables (in Finnish):
Click to access vesiliikenne2015.pdf
The only English version of the above timetable I could find is from 2012:
http://www.hel.fi/wps/wcm/connect/94cd3f804a1532c991dcf5b546fc4d01/liv_vesiliikenne12e_net.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=94cd3f804a1532c991dcf5b546fc4d01
Espoo:
http://www.espoo.fi/en-US/Culture_and_sport/Outdoor_Recreation/Archipelago
Also, here is a good list of parks:
http://www.vihreatsylit.fi/en/
Top tip for early June:
http://www.vihreatsylit.fi/en/?p=930
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Great resources, thank you! My parents are coming up from New Zealand in June. I think they’d love the Rhododendron Park.
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That archipelago route is really great if you have nice weather – you can pick an outer island and have picnic and maybe tent overnight. The nature and the views are magical in the Finnish summer “night”…
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Great, thanks for the tip. We haven’t done that yet. I’ll put it on the list for summer 😊
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Hey really love your blog. Was brought up in Helsinki but live in London now. Doing a project for uni on Helsinki and ended up reading all your old blog posts one night 😀 Anyway you have done more things in than I managed to in 19 years. A great one (or at least use to be is Antioka Ata Bar a Turkish Restaurant on Eerikinkatu. Also Taidehalli is a great gallery space. Most of the exhibitions are great but not too long and the space is so nice. 🙂
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Thanks for your message – somehow it ended up in my junk mail and I just found it now. I went to Taidehalli recently for the first time and will check out if Antioka Ata Bar is still around. Thanks for the tips! ; )
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http://www.antiokiabar.com
Gets my vote as well. Delicious food, yet not overpriced.
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