What to do in Helsinki?
We have grouped a few net pages where you can find information about what to do in Helsinki, along with general information. Don’t hesitate to ask your hotel staff for tips, as well.
Helsinki is the capitol of Finland and is a vibrant city, sometimes called the Venice of the north or the Daughter of the Baltic Sea. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, so you may note that street signs are in both languages. Finns are stereotypically shy, so don’t be surprised by any silence or hushed tones. English is spoken everywhere. We have a separate sheet about getting around the city.
Helsinki harbor has large cruise ships docked in it during the day. These ships are a ferry system between Finland and Sweden. Visit the marketplace (kauppatori in Finnish) for souvenirs or visit Stockmann department store or SOKOS department store for shopping. Take a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to see the sights! There are also boat tours taking off from the kauppatori marketplace, a nice way to spend an hour or two.
Restaurants cater to worldwide tastes, with many restaurants catering foreign cuisine. If you want a Lappish meal, including reindeer, head to Lappi restaurant. Other nice places for dinner include Muru, Bronda, and Salutorget. For local flavor, look into Salve, Kappeli, and Strindberg. Hesburger is a Finnish hamburger chain which many say beats the big competitors.
Tap water is safe to drink, and is even bottled straight from the tap and exported to many countries.
EU electricity standards are in effect, so you may need an adapter for your appliances. Finland is in the Euro zone. Credit and debit cards are widely used; some establishments do not accept cash.
For your quick needs, stop by R-Kioski, a chain of convenience stores.
Museums are primarily closed on Mondays.
The Tourist Information Office (Helsingin matkailuneuvonta) is located at Aleksanterinkatu 24, in the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Sofiankatu streets right downtown.
For the confernce dinner, we will take a little short boat transfer to the Klippan island where the restaurant is located. You can find the island on the map above by zooming it out; lowere left corner, you see some green islands. As you see, they are right in the center of the city. Please wear comfortable shoes for the evening to avoid any slipping and to have sure footing.
If you have special needs or questions, please let your conference team know lut.fint2023@lut.fi.