cathedral
Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church)
A remarkable Lutheran church in Helsinki excavated directly into solid rock, topped with a copper dome that floods the interior with natural light.
1 km · about 5 min drive
Uusimaa, Finland · Europe
Helsinki works well as a base: 29km from Nuuksio National Park.
Helsinki is a city located in Uusimaa, Finland. With a population of 658,864, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Helsinki sits in Finland, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Helsinki time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Helsinki to your route.
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 1.6Read more
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.
Together with the cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen—and surrounding commuter towns, including the neighbouring municipality of Sipoo to the east—Helsinki forms a metropolitan area. This area is often considered Finland's only metropolis and is the world's northernmost metropolitan area with over one million inhabitants. Additionally, it is the northernmost capital of an EU member state. Helsinki is the third-largest municipality in the Nordic countries, after Stockholm and Oslo. Its urban area is the third-largest in the Nordic countries, after Stockholm and Copenhagen. Helsinki Airport, in the neighbouring city of Vantaa, serves the city with frequent flights to numerous destinations in Europe, North America, and Asia.
Helsinki is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 73% Finnish speakers, 5% Swedish speakers, and 21% speakers of other languages.
Helsinki has hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics, the first CSCE/OSCE Summit in 1975, the first World Athletics Championships in 1983, and the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest in 2007 and was the 2012 World Design Capital. The city is recognized as a "Design City" in 2014 by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network.
Helsinki has one of the highest standards of urban living in the world. In 2011, the British magazine Monocle ranked Helsinki as the world's most liveable city in its livable cities index. In the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2016 livability survey, Helsinki ranked ninth out of 140 cities. In July 2021, the American magazine Time named Helsinki one of the world's greatest places, a city that "can grow into a burgeoning cultural nest in the future" and which was already known as an environmental pioneer. In an international Cities of Choice survey conducted in 2021 by the Boston Consulting Group and the BCG Henderson Institute, Helsinki was ranked the third-best city in the world to live in, with London and New York City coming in first and second. In the Condé Nast Traveler magazine's 2023 Readers' Choice Awards, Helsinki was ranked the 4th-friendliest city in Europe. Helsinki, along with Rovaniemi in Lapland, is also one of Finland's most important tourist cities. Due to the large number of sea passengers, Helsinki is classified as a major port city, and in 2017 it was rated the world's busiest passenger port.
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Helsinki offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Helsinki is located in Uusimaa, Finland, Europe. The coordinates are 60.1695 latitude, 24.9354 longitude.
Helsinki has a population of approximately 658,864 people, making it a city in Finland.
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Essential numbers in Finland
Winter tyres mandatory December–February.
Full driving guide for Finland6 notable places within an hour's drive.
cathedral
A remarkable Lutheran church in Helsinki excavated directly into solid rock, topped with a copper dome that floods the interior with natural light.
1 km · about 5 min drive
landmark
Helsinki's beloved amusement park operating since 1950 with all profits going to Finnish child welfare organizations.
2 km · about 5 min drive
cafe
Tiny red 1887 fisherman's hut on the Töölö shoreline, now Helsinki's best-loved café: cinnamon buns and coffee by the water, sausages grilled over an open fire, kayaks and SUPs for rent off the jetty.
2 km · about 5 min drive
castle
A sea fortress built on a group of islands off the coast of Helsinki, one of the largest maritime fortresses in the world.
4 km · about 5 min drive
national park
A pristine forest and lake wilderness just 30 minutes from Helsinki, offering easy access to quintessential Finnish nature.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
A riverside town of cobbled lanes and ochre-red shore warehouses, a favourite day-drive east of Helsinki.
47 km · about 55 min drive
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
Other places to explore near Helsinki.
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