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1. Of course you could do all of the following or just register to our cultural scavenger hunt!
2. Take a look to this map of the city, to have a real idea on how it is built and organized.
3. Helsinki Cathedral
The tall green dome of this landmark soars above the Helsinki cityscape, and from the water at night itseems to shine like a beacon.
Whatever your reason for visiting Helsinki, this whitewashed neoclassical cathedral is one of the sights you need to check out.
When it was built it in the mid-19th century was called St. Nicholas’ Cathedral, in honour of the Russian Tsar Nicholas I who was also Grand Duke of Finland.
After Finnish independence in 1917 it simply became Helsinki Cathedral.
Get Google maps directions>
4. Esplanadi
Known to locals as “Espa”, this is a finger of green space right in the middle of the city, a place where tourists and Helsinki residents come to take picnics, relax and be entertained in summer.
At this time of year the space in front of Cafe Kappeli is the Espa Stage, an outdoor venue with an exciting schedule of shows and live music performances.
Come in July for Jazz-Espa, a month-long jazz festival, or in June for the Marimekko Fashion Show.
Get Google maps directions>
5. Uspenski Cathedral
If you’re looking for sights that illustrate Russia’s century-long engagement with Finland, this orthodox cathedral in Pormestarinrinne is the best place to begin.
It’s the largest orthodox church in western Europe, sitting on a rise in the Katajanokka, one of Helsinki’s upmarket areas.
From the outside the church’s origins are unmistakable when you see its red-brick towers and their golden cupolas.
Take a look at the Iconostasis, with its set of beautiful paintings depicting the virgin Mary and an array of saints. Get Google maps directions>
6. Old Market Hall
Open all day, Monday to Saturday, the Old Market Hall near the water in Eteläranta has been around since 1889.
Before then there had never been a permanent building for Helsinki’s markets, which were open-air and held in squares.
It’s a striking byzantine revival building, worth checking out even if you don’t need to do any shopping.
If you would like to pick something up you’ll be tempted by all sorts of stalls selling fresh produce including meat, fish, fruit and veg, but also Finnish cakes and cheeses.
Get Google maps directions>
7.Temppeliaukio Church
Safe to say there aren’t many churches in the world quite like this one.
Temppeliaukio was the result of a post-war design competition, won by Suomalainen Brothers and was inaugurated in 1969.
The building is partly underground and has been hewn from the bedrock, which forms the interior walls.
Around the central dome is a circular skylight, through which sunlight floods into the main chamber during the day.
Every piece of decoration and furniture inside this remarkable church was designed by the architects.
Approaching it along Fredrikinkatu, the broad copper dome of Temppeliaukio Church will look like some sort of alien invasion. Get Google maps directions>
8. Seaside
Another great way to see the best of Helsinki is along the waterfront as there’s a seven kilometre trail that runs from end to end.
Heading down the eastern side of the Helsinki peninsula your walk will begin at Hietaniemi Beach, which on the warmest summer days is the best sandy bay in Helsinki.
Later you’ll pass the Sibelius Monument, an abstract sculpture to commemorate Finland’s greatest composer, Jean Sibelius.
The waterfront path is served by ice cream sellers in summer and is always leafy, winding through parks or next to the grounds of the Prime Minister’s summer residence.
Get Google maps directions>
9. National Museum of Finland
Since you’re visiting the capital you have to take the chance to find out about Finland’s past.
One section that will catch the interest of all comers contains the Treasure Troves.
As you make your way through these nine rooms you can goggle at silver, jewellery, coins, medals and armour.
Further on you’ll see how Finnish culture and society developed during the middle ages before it became part of the Swedish Kingdom and then the Russian Empire.
There are also intriguing exhibits covering the country’s early civilisations, among them a neolithic offering stone and an Iron Age burial cist. Get Google maps directions>
10. Vanilla district
As the city grew in the early-20th century Helsinki built whole neighbourhoods for its working class.
Many of these have since been demolished and replaced, but several remain, and the pretty painted timber houses here are now homes for Helsinki’s bohemian and creative types.
Areas like Puu Vallila have coffee shops and trendy bars, while Puu-Käpylä is loved for its green space.
This suburb was intended as a Garden City, so there’s loads of greenery and the vegetable plots allocated for workers are now urban farms. Get Google maps directions>
Lars is our Helsinki local representative, we asked him what an ideal day of leisure in Helsinki could look like, what would he suggest to do from early morning to late at night?
Here is what he suggests. Don't hesitate to contact Lars on Twitter @bigcitychase #Helsinki #questionforLars if you have questions for him, we may publish your conversation in this blog if he thinks it might be useful to other Helsinki visitors.
Lars from Helsinki for Big City Chase Helsinki :
"Hello travellers, my name is Lars and I was born in Finnish Lapland, I moved to Sweden to study when I was 19 and I got back to Finland and got settled in Helsinki about 4 years ago
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