Helsinki: The Don'ts of Visiting Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki is the capital of Finland and has so many fun spots to see, restaurants to eat at, and historic sights to enjoy. However for all there is to do in Helsinki, we also need to know what not to do in Helsinki. So here we go through the best parts, the worst parts, and the don'ts of visiting Helsinki.
Filmed in Helsinki, Finland

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Copyright Mark Wolters 2022

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[hannuback]

Don't mistake Finns to be rude or unwilling to talk if you engage them and they take their time to respond. Most Finns are friendly and helpful, but the pace of discussions is slow and we like to think before we say anything. Silence is a part of discussion and we feel it's polite to be silent unless you have something important to say. Silence is rarely awkward here and Finns can have long pauses especially when talking to strangers. It's not like Finns don't like to talk, but it's easy to get that impression if you're used to more talkative expression.

[StamfordBridge]

When you meet a local Finn who speaks English, you’re allowed to make one Finnish/finish pun, but that’s your quota. 😏

[Farbautisonn]

As a scandinavian (Denmark) Finland enjoys a unique reputation. I've yet to meet someone who dont like finns. Everybody loves finns. Even Icelanders who generally do not like anyone, not Icelandic, likes finns.

However Finns are extremely low key. The polar opposites of Italians for instance. They are not people who show emotions alot and they dont do wild exclamations at all. If a finn tells you that meeting you was "good", then thats about as hefty a praise you will get from them.

They do have one thing, some people have trouble undestanding. They are fiercely patriotic. And I mean fiercely. The american south have nothing on the finns. Knowing a bit about finnish history will go a long way. Knowing a bit about finnish heros like Mannerheim, Simo Hayha or Lauri Torni will go a very long way of making friends in Finland especially with more old finns.

[pauljmorton]

Fun fact: The Finnish word for November, "marraskuu", literally means "month of death". That's how awful November in Finland is.

[shannonwest]

We just got back from Helsinki a few weeks ago. It was BEAUTIFUL! And i loved how quiet it was, it was so strange for me coming from Southern California, i always expect so much noise lol I cant wait to go back! Rakastan Suomi!

[laurawallo]

I'm a finn, I live in Helsinki and after watching this, I really want to visit Helsinki as a tourist. :D Thank you for a great video and love towards Finland and finns <3

[Zralock]

My don'ts:
Don't skip Linnanmäki amusement park (and especially those rollercoasters).
Don't expect that every apartment building has a sauna. We had to search for one on some other place.
Don't expect Helsinki to be a warm place... even in summer. It can take pretty chill in a while.
Don't worry about the transport to Suomenlinna fort by the boat. You just need to have standard ticket for bus or tram and you can use it for this ride too.
Don't buy more than one bus/tram tickets per day. Buy only one for the whole day and you do not need to care about travelling around the city any more.

[forssi]

I think the biggest mistake most of the tourists make is only visiting just bout 2km away from the central train station. Theres plenty of stuff to see and do outside of the actual city centre, some of these areas are super underrated. Helsinki area is also full of Nature that is missing in most of the places in europe ive visited. Go explore it. Some places I would recommend seeing outside the actual city centre. (The Old Town, most of my friends here dont even know anything about this area, like ruins of first church in Helsinki or where Helsinki original built place memorial is, Also you can get glimpse of Finnish countryside, Annala Villa, Kellomäki (hidden hill with nice views), Horse stables, gardens etc.), Lammassaari (Sheep Island), Tapiola, Puu-Vallila (Wooden Vallila), Puu-Käpylä (Wooden Käpylä) Suvilahti and Kallio areas (for hip and ug culture), Sompasauna (Free Public Community Sauna), Walk around Keilalahti and the small islands connected by roads (also in Espoo there is islands like Pentala, Stora Herrö etc. which you can visit just like Suomenlinna), Espoo Cathedral area, just to give few examples.. Also day trip to Porvoo (around 45min-1h from Helsinki) is kinda must if you gonna come to Finland and just visit Helsinki. Also if you tend to like brutalist architecture go and see Merihaka or Itä-Pasila. Also if you want to visit nice viewpoint got to Linnanmäki rocks next to train tracks, Pihlajamäki Rocks (Vanha graniittilouhos), Taivaskallio (also has old air defense structures on top).
And as local when i go to the city centre most often what i do there is going to senaatintori, kauppatori or tähtitorninmäki with takeaway cup of coffee and sit. Eat in Hietalahti Market Hall or go to Kiasma,
Also for friends of beer go to Pien Shop/Bar, Bar Juova, K-supermarket Kamppi, Ruoholahti K-citymarket or K-supermarket Redi, these places have some of the biggest and most special collections of different variety of beers what I've seen in Finland. And my fave/most beautiful place for metrostation here is Koivusaari, i think its the deepest also. You step outside the metro station and you are in very different world than few stops back in Ruoholahti or Kamppi

[techmantra]

The transport system in the city is amazing! The trams cover most of north and south Helsinki and the trains go as far as you dare to explore. I used them up to Vantaa Airport!

[teosto]

A thing to notice about public transportation: Often people will tell you not to go to district X, Y or Z because it's restless area and you will get mugged. Not here. Sure there are some areas considered a bit more shady than the others but still even late at night you won't get harassed. At worst some drunkard will start talking to you and you can't figure out what he's saying, but they're not aggressive, so feel free to ignore them and walk past.

[Esbbbb]

Budget tip:
Eat at a student canteen (Unicafe Porthania for instance). There are some cheaper restaurants but you just have to know them a bit. Lots of free or cheap stuff to see, e.g. Oodi library, museums but also some public free events. If you come on 1st of May, this is the best time to see students and former students gathering in Kaivopuisto! Finns also love coffee so don't get a takeaway from R-Kioski or something, go to a coffee roastery. :D
And always check the weather forecast before you come! It can be a scorching +30°C todays and in two days it can be horizontal rain and +10°C.

[GenialHarryGrout]

I lived about 200 metres from where you filmed this video. Helsinki is a great city to live and to visit.

[Solo-vhfm]

I did a Scandinavian tour of Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen last month and whilst I expected the least from Helsinki it was my favourite place out of the lost. It was such a winter wonderland and when it was dark and snowy it made for a great walk. No need for a metro or a bus ticket unless you’re going from the airport or the islands.

And I found the Finns to be friendly and patient for how awkward I normally get interacting with people.

I would definately go back and go inside some of the cathedrals (I’m not a big fan of interior designs as much as I am of architecture but I’d love to give Helsinki the chance on a longer trip).

[jimphilidor]

I'm a Finn but I don't really go to Helsinki that often. It was funny to me that in the tourist shops in Helsinki they were selling lots of Lapland merch. It's as if Finland only had Lapland and Helsinki and nothing worthwhile on that 1000 km stretch of land between them.

[bigskyadventures]

You nailed the one item I was listening for, the cinnamon roll. I’d almost go back again just to have another one. We visited during early December so although we had winter, it was a ‘magical’ visit. A winter wonderland (and our visit to Tallinn was like being in a snow globe). Love your videos!

[Ninja-bejh]

It's great to see your videos again in Finland. I watched your videos on Finland years back and now I live here myself, very cool.

Here are some of my Don'ts as an American living in Finland, directed at other Americans especially.

1) Don't miss out on the night life if you're looking to socialize! Find a karaoke bar/live music bar and chill out there. Finns are are nocturnally social creatures. With a few drinks in them this is your best chance to to engage them in conversation.

2) Don't be overly pushy and intrusive, it can happen very easily in Finnish culture. Take a VERY relaxed approach, be polite, patient, and tone down the social energy to that of a blooming flower in spring and desire to talk over them or dominate the conversation, it can happen accidentally in your excitement.

3) Don't miss out on summer! It's by far the best time to visit. I'd recommend July ideally, but weather can be unpredictable. When the sun is shining all day and it's warm it's magical and it's great to swim in the lakes, visit the islands off of Helsinki conveniently via ferry near the market square.

4) Don't worry about getting lost, explore! Things are very compact in Helsinki and there's so many trams, metro, buses, bikes to get around back to where you started that it may feel like a lot but think of it as an ant hill, most of those things are going to and from the same places, like the rail or bus station in the center.

5) Don't neglect the other cities, like Porvoo or Tampere. Although a good distance away you can take a buses or a ship in the summer.

6) Don't miss out on Linnanmäki, the local amusement park, especially with kids, there's lots of medium to small rides there they'll love

[Fanw]

I have only visited Finland once, and that was nearly 25 years ago. I travelled extensively around Finland, using both train and bus. I was very worried about how place names were pronounced. On my very first day I discovered that if I pronounced place names according to GERMAN rules of pronunciation, I got the right result!

[yohanbeck]

For a layover or weekend Do's: rely on rail - cheap and effective, gets you from the airport to Helsinki center in roughly 30 minutes. When in the city - you are surrounded by sea on all sides except north so you can't really get too lost by walking before running into a seafront east to west. And regardless where you end up - there is a tram to pick you up or give you a hint of direction frequently enough. Same goes for metro which travels in one straight line from East to West.
Find value in silence - in Finland its not awkward but a sign of respect and humility. It makes people have a deeper thought on when they say something - and Finns are exceptional listeners in a conversation - small-talk or conversation-fillers wont lead the conversation far but if there is a topic - there'll be a broad substance and variety of themes covered!

Dont's: Bragging without being ready to back it up. Finns are humble. If you ever hear someone on the street say "Yeah, Im pretty good at driving". Then its probably one of many rally, formula, or other motorsport world champion speaking. Helsinki is small and the pools of expertise and experience are small. What I'm saying is, if you are bluffing for attention it wont work with the Finns who are very very very genuine and honest.

[haslintravels]

Love how you portrayed Helsinki! It’s a beautiful city in the summer!

[xoxo]

Thanks man, I'm thinking about planning a solo trip to Helsinki and this was extremely helpful :) cheers from Portugal