Finland’s capital offers amazing sea views, green spaces, interesting architecture, historic landmarks, Nordic cuisine, and more. There’s a lot to see and do in Helsinki, but if you’re short on time, we’ll give you the perfect itinerary to enjoy a full day in the heart of the city from the time you wake until you’re ready to crash. Note that all of these spots are close to each other, and we explored them on foot, which is our favorite way of exploring a city when we’re short on time.
Coffee and Pastries for Breakfast
Finland is all about coffee culture, and we found some delicious options. We started our day at Ekberg, which is one of Helsinki’s oldest cafes, dating back to the 1850s.
In addition to wonderful coffee, they also serve outstanding pastries. We opted to try the Finnish cinnamon roll, korvapuusti, and an almond croissant. Honestly, that almond croissant is one of the best things I ever ate, and I’m not really a sweets person.
Check Out the Ateneum Art Museum
After a rich breakfast, enjoy a rich collection of art. If you love art as much as we do, and are looking for a place that highlights local stories, you’ll love this place. The Ateneum Art Museum, according to its website, “boasts Finland’s oldest and largest collection of art. It not only tells the story of Finnish art, but it also shows the formation of Finnish art and its institutions.”
People Watch in Esplanadi Park
After exploring the museum, you may want to rest your feet, and Esplanadi Park is the perfect place to do so. Grab a coffee nearby, find a spot to relax, enjoy some music from the buskers in the park, and soak in Helsinki.
Weather alternative: Check out the views from one of Helsinki’s rooftop restaurants. If the weather wasn’t so perfect while we were there, we planned to check out Ateljee Bar on the top of Hotel Torni. This spot is open year-round, while other rooftops close in September.
Grab Lunch at Market Square (Kauppatori)
This outdoor market has beautiful harbor views and a bunch of temporary stalls, some that sell crafts and many others that serve interesting foods. We wondered around and ultimately decided to try the reindeer dogs.
Weather alternative: You can find many lunch options in the nearby indoor food hall, Old Market Hall (Vanha Kauppakuja). We were there on a Sunday, so it was closed, unfortunately. Next time!
See the Sights
From the harbor you can head to Senate Square to see the city’s most-famous landmark: Helsinki Cathedral. We recommend climbing the stairs to the top and checking out the view.
You can also wander over to Uspenski Cathedral, and if you’re up for a bit of a walk (about 30 minutes), check out Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church) and the National Museum of Finland.
We didn’t have time to go further afield, but we’ve heard great things about the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, which includes exhibits on Finland’s history, with traditional rural buildings that have been relocated from other areas of the country.
Prepare to be Wowed at Dinner
On such a short trip to Helsinki, it was really hard to pick a spot for dinner. We wanted to try traditional local fare but some spots seemed too touristy to be authentic, and others were closed on Sunday. But I must say, we absolutely lucked out with our delicious dinner at Kappeli, which is located at the end of Esplanadi Park in a beautiful historic building.
You absolutely must try the Lohikeitto, which is a creamy salmon soup made with potatoes, leeks, and fresh dill. This dish was a highlight of our entire trip to Northern Europe.
Grab Some Drinks and Meet Some Locals
We popped into a few bars on our short stay in Helsinki, and all of them were fun, but our favorite vibe was FlyAF Bar. We met amazing people from Finland and around the world and had such a blast.
Get Some Sleep
Finland may not be as expensive as some of its Nordic neighbors, but it’s certainly not cheap. We rented a two-bedroom apartment that was good enough, but not ideal for four people. Do you find that two-bedroom apartment rentals seem to have one lovely bedroom and then a dingy afterthought as the second room? That’s how this place was, so I won’t link to it. But it was in a great location on a charming pedestrian street, Iso Roobertinkatu, with lots of restaurants, bars, cafes, and a grocery market nearby. So we definitely recommend the area.
Where to Next?
We had such a great time on this short stop to Helsinki, and we’d love to go back and explore more. We chose to start our trip here because it was an easy jumping point for our adventure to the Baltic capitals which we also wrote about here: Tallinn, Estonia. Riga, Latvia. Vilnius, Lithuania.
We also have a post on how we got around from city to city. The best part was the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn!
Have you been to Helsinki? Is it on your list? Let us know in the comments.
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That almond croissant.. omg I want it! And I had to lol at the Finnish twin poster again.
Soooo good, I’m still thinking about it. Also, amazing that when I traveled to Asia everyone thought I was Nordic, even though I thought they’d assume I was American, Canadian, Irish, English. Now I understand 🤩