If you want to see the city at its lively, smiling best, then come in the summertime. But bear in mind that during and after the midsummer festival the locals pour out to the countryside, leaving the city full of tourists, somewhat of a snoozy - but still pleasant - shadow of itself. Summer is the time for picnicking in the park, wining and dining on the terraces, hopping from one exciting event - be it a festival, street market, or an art exhibition - to the other, and seeing how Helsinkisiders really take ownership of the city spaces. In the winter the cold, icy beauty of Helsinki is something magical in itself and locals buckle down to make the most of the warm cafes and bars, good music and fairytale atmosphere. The nature around the city is amazing at any time of year and you don’t have to venture far afield to get to it. Be sure to check out some of the islands not far from the centre.
Alppipuisto
Hippies in their natural habitat
Sarah Hudson /
If Koffinpuisto (Sinebrychoff's park) is the hipster park, then this is the hippie park ...
Amos Anderson Gallery
Artsy treats
Sarah Hudson /
A very popular local art and design establishment, there's nothing stuffy about this place ...
Esplanadi Park
Head to Espa!
Sarah Hudson /
One of the best things about Helsinki is that there are relatively few places that are "just ...
Kaivopuisto
Park life
Sarah Hudson /
One of Helsinki’s favourite green places, it’s a big, sprawling park with an observatory and ...
Lauttasaari/Lehtisaari
Island paradise
Sarah Hudson /
Depending on the season you can come out here for berry picking or mushroom picking - or just ...
Seurasaari
Open air history
Sarah Hudson /
One of those amazing Helsinki green places that's just a stone's throw from the city. A great ...
Arlan Sauna
Sweat it out with the locals
Sarah Hudson /
A much-loved public neighbourhood sauna since 1929. That's a lot of history and a lot of ...
Circus Helsinki
Fun at the circus
Sarah Hudson /
A huge and well-equipped converted warehouse circus school for children, amateurs and ...
CIRKO Center for New Circus
Circus spectacular!
Sarah Hudson /
The Suvilahti area has all of a sudden turned into a cultural hub in just the last year or two ...
Designmuseo
Superstars of Nordic design
Sarah Hudson /
Sometimes the exhibits here are excellent and really give you a good picture of Finland's ...
Hietaniemi Beach
Copacabana of Helsinki
Sarah Hudson /
Being beachside in Helsinki is not actually as bad as it might sound and during the loooong ...
Hietaniemi Cemetary
The peaceful dead
Sarah Hudson /
Another great place for a walk or a run, it's tranquil and in a truly beautiful location by the ...
Kaisaniemi Botanical Gardens
Botanical dreaming
Sarah Hudson /
Close to the central station, the Botanical Gardens features shrubs, flowers, herbs ...
Kiasma
Funky artspace
Sarah Hudson /
It's an easy to find landmark in the city and frequently the exhibitions are the sort that ...
Linnanmäki
Helsinki <3 Amusement park
Katariina Mäkelä /
Amusement park in the heart of Helsinki. This is the place where Helsinkians have screamed ...
Natural History Museum
Not-so-musty museum
Sarah Hudson /
Actually one of the coolest Helsinki museums cleverly disguised as...well...an old museum. If ...
Orion Cinema
From cult to culture
Sarah Hudson /
Helsinki’s beautiful classic arthouse and foreign cinema, housing the national ...
Sibelius Monument
Monument to a composer
Sarah Hudson /
24 metric tonnes of abstract act in honour of the famous Finnish composer, the monument was ...
Sinebrychoff Park
Sunshine or sledding
Sarah Hudson /
"Koffari" is a favourite summer hangout for the young Helsinki hipster crowd...and anyone ...
Sivukirjasto
Library come pub, or pub come library?
Sarah Hudson /
The kind of place where you’ll find board games, a peaceful atmosphere and a range of books to ...
Suomenlinna
Not-so-tropical island retreat
Sarah Hudson /
It's a lovely place to go to get out of the city - even though it's just ten minutes from the ...
Suomenlinna Museum
Interesting historical outpost
Sarah Hudson /
Suomenlinna has a really interesting history, paralleling Finland's history - first under ...
Taitoliikuntakeskus
Playground for grown-ups
Sarah Hudson /
The favourite new craze in Helsinki, an amazingly well-equipped "sports acrobatics ...
Temppeliaukio Church
More rocky than rockin'
Sarah Hudson /
It’s known as the 'rock church', but don’t be misled, as many a tourist has been - it's not Finland's ...
The swimming stadium – Hammarskjöldintie
Outdoor swimming pool
Pauli Sortti / Open from early May until the mid September. A place where you swim, sunbath and do ...
The Torni Toilet
Picturesque pit-stop
Sarah Hudson /
It's the first place you take anyone who's visiting the city to get a view over the fairytale ...
Töölö Sports hall
Some sports at Olympics arena
Pauli Sortti / Built in 1935, this sports hall was used in the 1952 Olympics for gymnastics, boxing ...
Töölö Winter Garden
Tropical Helsinki
Sarah Hudson /
This beautiful old greenhouse has a large variety of cacti and other succulents for ...
Tuomiokirkko (Cathedral)
The Big White Church
Sarah Hudson /
The green domes of this white-walled Evangelical Lutheran Church that towers over ...
Uimastadion
Home of Speedos
Sarah Hudson /
Stadikka, Finland's home of Speedos. This Olympic length swimming pool is a mecca on hot days ...
Yrjonkatu swimming hall
Public sauna from 1928! Go Finn!
Pauli Sortti / Marvelous piece of architecture and the first public indoor pool in Finland from 1928. It ...