LANGUAGE

Finnish

CURRENCY

Euro

BEST TIME TO VISIT

May to August

NEAREST RAILWAY STATION

Helsingin rautatieasema/ Helsinki railway station (HEC)

NEAREST AIRPORT

Helsinki Airport (HEL)

EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER

112

INTERNET ACCESS

Internet access at public libraries is free. Large parts of the city centre have free wi-fi, as do many restaurants, cafes and bars, and nearly all hotels. Data is very cheap. If you have an unlocked smartphone, you can pick up a local SIM card for a few euros and charge it with a month’s worth of data at a decent speed for under €20. Ask at R-kioski shops for the latest deals.

VISA

Generally not required for stays of up to 90 days; some nationalities will need a Schengen visa.

Most Western nationals don’t need a tourist visa for stays of less than three months. South Africans, Indians and Chinese, however, are among those who need a Schengen visa. For more information, contact the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate, or check the website https://um.fi/entering-finland.

HOTEL

If you’re visiting Helsinki for the first time and want to see some of the city’s top sights, the best area to stay is in the city center, near Mannerheimintie ((Mannerheim Street). Here, you’ll find attractions such as Central Railway Station, the Parliament building, Finlandia Hall, and many shops and restaurants.

LUXURY

Hotel Haven

Hotel Indigo Helsinki

Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre

MID-RANGE

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel

Hotel Rivoli Jardin

Hotel Helka

BUDGET

Hotelli Finn

Kongressikoti Hotel

Ava Hotel

COST OF LIVING

Helsinki is a fascinating combination of influences that aren’t found elsewhere and it’s clean and well organized, but it’s notoriously expensive as well. From a visitor’s perspective it’s not quite as expensive as Stockholm, but compared to nearly anywhere else in Europe it will seem pricey.

Hotels in Helsinki are quite expensive by most standards, but at least the quality is usually very high so you may not feel like you are being taken advantage of. It’s tough to find a real budget hotel, though if you are coming on a weekend you might find prices at the nicer places are within your range since so many business travelers aren’t in town. Hostels are all fairly expensive by international standards as well.

The main attractions are actually quite inexpensive, with many of the better museums in the city actually being free. Those wanting to see most of the famous sights in a short time should consider a look at the Helsinki Card. Food and drinks will, unfortunately, eat into your budget, so those on a backpacker fund will want to seek out casual places rather than the sit-down restaurants in the tourist area. You’ll find many affordable kebab shops in the city center, and if you head out to the somewhat bohemian suburb of Kallio you’ll find better deals on food and even beer.

Hotels in Helsinki are quite expensive in general, and especially during the busy summer season. This is a big business city so hotel prices are often cheaper on weekends, at least at the higher end places. From October through April prices are usually down a bit, and some hotels become real bargains if you can put up with the weather and short days. Hostels in Helsinki tend to be expensive as well, with little price variation through the year.