Why go
- Capital and most populous city of Finland.
- 1 recommended spot to eat and drink.
- Served by Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL).
History
Helsinki, until about 1930 known in English by its Swedish name of Helsingfors, is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About 694,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.3 million in the capital region and 1.6 million in the metropolitan area. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 kilometres (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages.
Eat & drink
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 32 airlines, 88 direct destinations
- Finnair AY (A320, A319, ATR 72, A321, A330-300, A321…) · 73 routes: Alanya, Amsterdam, Antalya, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Chongqing, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubrovnik, Duesseldorf*, Frankfurt*, Geneva*, Gothenborg, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Ivalo, Joensuu*, Jyvaskyla, Kajaani*, Keflavik*, Kemi*, Krakow, Kruunupyy*, Kuopio, Kuusamo*, Lisbon*, Ljubljana, London, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester*, Mariehamn*, Milano, Minsk 2*, Moscow, Moscow … +33 more
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 21 routes: Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Bourgas, Budapest, Chania, Copenhagen, Dublin, Dubrovnik, London, Malaga, Nice, Oslo, Oulu, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Prague, Rome, Rovaniemi, Split, Stockholm
- Flybe BE (ATR 72) · 8 routes: Jyvaskyla, Kajaani, Kemi, Kruunupyy, Mariehamn, Norrkoeping, Savonlinna, Tartu
- Air Berlin AB (Embraer 190, A319, A320, 737-800, 737-700, Embraer 170) · 7 routes: Berlin, Duesseldorf*, Frankfurt*, Hamburg*, Munich*, Vienna*, Zurich
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (A320, A321, 717, A319, CRJ-200, A320…) · 6 routes: Copenhagen, Frankfurt*, Istanbul, Munich*, Oslo*, Stockholm*
- British Airways BA (Embraer 190, A320, A330-300, Embraer 170) · 5 routes: London, Manchester*, New York*, Vilnius*, Warsaw*
- Air China CA (A330-300, A340-300, 717, 737-700, ATR 72) · 3 routes: Beijing, Shanghai, Stockholm
- American Airlines AA (A320, 330, Embraer 170) · 3 routes: London*, Manchester*, New York*
- Iberia Airlines IB (A321, A320, 330) · 3 routes: Barcelona*, Madrid*, New York*
- Japan Airlines Domestic JL (A330-300, 787-8) · 3 routes: Nagoya*, Osaka*, Tokyo
- S7 Airlines S7 (A319, ATR) · 3 routes: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (A321, 717, A320) · 2 routes: Frankfurt*, Stockholm
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A319, A321, A320) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Malaysia Airlines MH (A321) · 2 routes: London*, Paris*
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Baltic BT (735, 73C, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Riga
- Air France AF (A319, A320, A321, A321, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Paris*
- Alitalia AZ (737) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Belavia Belarusian Airlines B2 (737-300, CRJ) · 1 route: Minsk 2
- Czech Airlines OK (A319, A320) · 1 route: Prague*
- Eurolot K2 (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Gdansk
- Germanwings 4U (A319) · 1 route: Berlin
- Icelandair FI (75W) · 1 route: Keflavik
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Maastricht Airlines W2 (Saab 340) · 1 route: Pori*
- Malmö Aviation TF (ATR, ATR 72) · 1 route: Stockholm*
- Severstal Air Company D2 (CRJ-200) · 1 route: Cherepovets
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 1 route: Izmir
- TAP Portugal TP (A320) · 1 route: Lisbon
- Turkish Airlines TK (A321) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (735, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Kiev
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 1 route: Barcelona
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 15 airlines, 28 direct destinations
- Estonian Air OV (CRJ-900, Embraer 170) · 12 routes: Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Kiev, Moscow, Nice, Oslo, Split, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Trondheim, Vilnius
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 6 routes: Bergamo, Bremen, Gerona, London, Manchester, Rygge
- Maastricht Airlines W2 (J31, A320) · 4 routes: Heraklion*, Kuressaare*, Pajala*, Torsby*
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (Embraer 170, CRJ-900) · 4 routes: Copenhagen*, Oslo*, Stockholm*, Trondheim*
- Turkish Airlines TK (A319) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Vilnius
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319, A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Baltic BT (73C, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Riga
- Air Lituanica LT (Embraer 175, CRJ-200) · 1 route: Vilnius
- Brussels Airlines SN (CRJ-900) · 1 route: Brussels*
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 1 route: London
- Finnair AY (ATR, ATR 72) · 1 route: Helsinki*
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (CRJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 170, Embraer 175) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A321, A320) · 1 route: Frankfurt
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-300, 737-800) · 1 route: Oslo
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL); 1 other airport serves the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: HEL has direct flights to 88 destinations on 32 airlines (incl. Frankfurt, Stockholm, Barcelona, London, Munich…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Taivallahti, 1 km); routes include Market square - Korkeasaari Zoo, Kauppatori-Korkeasaari, Mustasaaren lautta.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Helsinki, Finland. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Trains & rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.