Helsinki’s restaurants have gained an international reputation by focusing on local ingredients such as wild berries (lingonberries and cloudberries) and fish (particularly salmon and herring). Influence from Lapland has popularised game such as elk and reindeer. To try local food, look for the “Helsinki Menu” fork logo in restaurant windows.
You’ll find a high concentration of upmarket and mid-range restaurants on the streets around Esplanade Park. For simpler fare head to Helsinki’s indoor market halls, where restaurant stalls sell traditional specialities. It’s a great way to discover local food culture at reasonable prices. In summer, the temporary outdoor eateries on Market Square are hugely popular with al fresco diners, while other stalls overflow with fresh strawberries and peas in their pods – two delicious, healthy seasonal snacks. You can also taste the catch of the day almost as soon as it is unloaded at the adjacent harbour.
The chef recommends...
- Hernekeitto: Pea soup made with fresh green peas and ham and served with mustard, traditionally served on Thursdays and followed with a dessert pancake.
- Reindeer (Poronkäristys): Said to be the healthiest of all red meats. Usually served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries or cloudberries.
- Silli ja uudet perunat: Herring and new potatoes, served in many ways but best served simply with butter, dill and a little salt.
- Leipäjuusto: A mild cheese made from curdled cow, reindeer or goat’s milk. Often called “squeaky cheese” in English, it is fried or baked, then cut into wedges and served with cloudberry jam.
Shopping in Helsinki
Helsinki is a hotbed of modern Nordic design, which emphasises beauty, minimalism and functionality. You’ll find hundreds of small boutiques and designer stores in the city. For more down-to-earth bargains, there are also dozens of flea markets and antique stores. Finnish people rarely haggle over prices, even in markets.
Most high-street stores in the city centre are southwest of the main station. You may want to check out the flagship site of the Stockmann department store chain, or the Forum shopping centre, home to 120 outlets. Esplanadi Street is lined with designer boutiques, while Market Square is filled with food stalls. To discover where Helsinki is at in terms of cutting-edge fashions, accessories and other goods, head southwest of the centre to Design District Helsinki, an area of 25 streets with over 200 designer goods stores and art showrooms.
Top markets in Helsinki
- The indoor Old Market Hall opened in 1889 and still sells everything from cheese and shellfish to vegetables, fruit and cakes.
- Hakaniemi Market Hall has around 70 shops on two floors. Those on the lower floor sell food, while those above focus on souvenirs and handicrafts. In summer an outdoor market sets up on the square outside.
- Located in the South Harbour, Market Square is Helsinki's largest outdoor market, selling traditional foods and handicrafts, even in winter.
- Hietalahti Flea Market sets up in summer on Hietalahti Square in the Design District, with around 150 stalls.
Culture &; Nightlife in Helsinki
Helsinki is bursting with galleries and cultural attractions, including the Helsinki City Museum’s several sites, which are all free to enter. After dark you’ll find a vast range of clubs and bars that offer something for everyone, no matter you’re looking for in terms of atmosphere and price.
For high culture, you might want to take in a concert at Finlandia Hall, home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. The bulk of the city’s bars and clubs are in the central area, around the main station and to the south and west of there. You’ll find another cluster of trendy bars, and pubs with a more local feel, in the former working-class district of Kallio, just north of the centre. This up-and-coming area is popular with students and young professionals alike, and the focus of the nightlife here is along the main street, Hämeentie.
Best museums in Helsinki
- To learn about Finnish history from prehistoric times to the 21st century, check out the ethnographic collections in the National Museum of Finland
- The Ateneum Art Museum is home to Finland’s largest art collection, with more than 20,000 works from the 1750s to the 1950s.
- Helsinki City Museum, near Senate Square, is free to enter and takes you on a journey into Helsinki’s past, with an eclectic collection that ranges from plastic bags to pianos.
- The Design Museum illustrates the development of Finnish art and handicrafts from the 19th century to the present day.
Visiting Helsinki with a Family
Helsinki offers a variety of activities and attractions to keep children of all ages entertained. The city is home to a large number of parks for little ones to let off steam, and there even beaches where everyone can make a splash in the Baltic when the weather is warmer.
Give your children an insight into Finnish folk history by heading north of the city centre to Seurasaari Open-Air Museum. You can explore traditional homes and buildings that were transferred here from all across the country, while guides dressed in national costumes regale you with colourful tales of the past. If you want to head out onto the water, take a ferry out to the sea fortress of Suomenlinna, which was built on several small interlinked islands near the city centre. When you’re done exploring and need a refreshing break there are also several child-friendly cafés here.
Best family attractions in Helsinki
- Helsinki Zoo was established in 1889, and is home to around 200 different animal species. You can meet them in customised environments that range from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforest.
- Helsinki’s most popular and oldest theme park, Linnanmäki Amusement Park, has a wide range of rides for all ranges, from gentle to adrenaline pumping. The central attraction is a wooden roller coaster that’s more than half a century old.
- On Suomenlinna island, the Suomenlinna Toy Museum has an enchanting collection of old dolls, antique teddy bears, and other toys, some of which are more than 200 years old.
