Hietaniemi Beach
11 Hiekkarannantie, Etu-Töölö, Helsinki, 00100, Finland
Hietaniemi is Helsinki's city beach — a sandy stretch on the western shore that becomes the city's unofficial summer living room from June through August, when the long days (up to 19 hours of daylight in midsummer) and relatively warm water temperatures bring out Helsinkians in numbers that contradict every stereotype about Nordic reserve.
Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
Meilahti, Helsinki, Finland
Seurasaari is a forested island connected to the mainland by a wooden footbridge that houses Finland's national open-air museum — a collection of 87 historic buildings from across the country, relocated here between 1909 and the present to preserve traditional Finnish wooden architecture.
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress
Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland
Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage sea fortress spread across six islands at the entrance to Helsinki harbour — built by the Swedes in 1748, captured by the Russians in 1808, handed to the Finns in 1918, and now a residential neighbourhood, museum, and one of the most popular day trips in Finland.
Töölönlahti Bay & Winter Garden
1 Hammarskjöldintie, Taka-Töölö, Helsinki, 00250, Finland
Töölönlahti Bay is the body of water at the centre of Helsinki's civic landscape — a shallow inlet surrounded by the National Museum, Finlandia Hall, the Oodi library, the Parliament building, and the National Opera, making its shores the most culturally dense waterfront promenade in the Nordic countries.
Vallisaari Island
Helsinki, Finland
Vallisaari is a former military island that was opened to the public in 2016 after being closed for 200 years — a 33-hectare nature reserve and heritage site in the harbour archipelago that has been reclaimed by forests, wildflowers, and the rare species that thrived during two centuries of human absence.
Explore nature in Helsinki
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.