Month of Visitors

July brings about our busiest guest month yet. And while we have been tourists in our own city, having visitors means that we get to discover new things and revisit old favorites. Though you may think that summer is the best time to visit Finland, there really is no bad time to book a trip to Finland. We have had guests in November, March, June and now July. However, July is the month in which most Finns retreat to their countryside cottage, so be sure to check whether your points of interest are closed up for the month. No matter what time of year you visit, here is a non-exhaustive list of the highlights of things to do in and around Helsinki:

Outdoors:
Helsinki Cathedral: the large white Lutheran Cathedral
Senate Square: the large square in front of Helsinki Cathedral which usually has some sort of festival
Uspenski Cathedral: the Russian Orthodox Cathedral
Harbor Market: for a taste of local Finnish foods and handicrafts, but beware of the seagulls, they are skilled at hovering and diving for the food in your hands!
Esplanade: for upscale shopping or people-watching

Drinks at Torni for a view of the city from the highest downtown floor: the 14th!
Experience Finnish design at Marimekko & Iittala
Church in the Rock to view miles of copper in the ceiling and a church in a nearly outdoor setting
Olympic Tower for another view of the city
Coffee and pulla at Regatta

Cross-country skiing
Suomenlinna, the island fortress
Seurasaari, the outdoor 'living history' museum


Indoors:
National Museum of Finland
Natural History Museum
Ateneum art museum
Kiasma modern art museum, free admission the first Friday night of each month
Helsinki City Museums: 7 museums, all for free!


Day trips:
Tallinn
Turku
Porvoo


Another great resource for hidden gems in the city are on this map my brother-in-law found. The site has other European cities, too, and would be very worth a look.

Hope you enjoy your trip to Helsinki!