Helsinki/Central

Central Helsinki consists of the central parts of Helsinki east of Mannerheimintie, south of Pitkäsilta, west of Unioninkatu and north of Esplanadi; in short the commercial downtown.

This is undoubtedly the liveliest part of Helsinki and much of what a visitor would like to see and experience is located in central Helsinki or — while in other districts — just a few hundred metres away. Here you can find the Central Railway Station with its surroundings; the art museums of Ateneum and Kiasma with the statue of Marshal Mannerheim in the front of the latter, modern architecture like the Oodi library, Sanomatalo and the Citycenter mall also known as the "Sausage house". One block south is Aleksanterinkatu, which together with its side streets make up Helsinki's main shopping area with small shops and department stores. And still one block south is Esplanadinpuisto, the Esplanade park that is very popular in the summer. The area also offers plenty of alternatives for eating and drinking, and some cultural venues.

Get in
Getting in is easy as almost all local bus and rail lines end in or at least pass through the city centre. Moreover the central railway station, bus station and the passenger ports (except Vuosaari) are not far away.

If arriving by plane, you can get to the central railway station by the I or P trains going on the new Ring Rail Line, alternatively you can take bus 615 or a taxi.

Get around
Getting around the centre is probably easiest by foot or by bike. If you don't feel like walking, though, you can always use the metro or the trams provided you have a valid ticket.

See




Do
From the and the  you have a quite nice view of the city. Of course they aren't as high as the Empire State Building or even the Olympic Stadium Tower but entrance to both are free.



Theatre
Performances are mostly either in Finnish or Swedish. The city theatre (Kaupunginteatteri, Finnish) is in Kallio to the north, across Eläintarhanlahti.



Department stores and shopping malls


Helsinki's main shopping drag is Aleksanterinkatu (Aleksi), which runs from the Senate Square (Senaatintori) to Mannerheimintie. On Aleksi you can find plenty of shops and the largest department store in Scandinavia, Stockmann, which is definitely worth a visit. The parallel Esplanadi boulevards have specialist and generally very expensive boutiques. Access to the area is easy, as trams 2, 4 and 7 all run down Aleksanterinkatu, and the area is near the Central Railway Station and Kaisaniemi metro stations. Close by, in the Kamppi area, you can find the shopping centres Kamppi and Forum and the department store Sokos. Large shopping malls can be found in the suburbs and accessed by public transport from the Central Railway Station.



International


Central Helsinki is dominated by restaurants dedicated to international cuisine, and these are particularly useful for vegetarian visitors, Finnish food being largely meat-based. A particular touch is provided by a bunch of "Nepalese" restaurants, which actually serve generic north Indian food, but almost any of which you are guaranteed to leave happy and full. Localized Chinese and Italian cuisines are also well represented.

In 2020 the former Suomalainen Kirjakauppa bookstore, below the old student house, next to the three smith's square (Kolmen sepän aukio, across Aleksanterinkatu from Stockmann) was turned into a kind of foodcourt with a lot of restaurants and bars plus some shops. It's a wing of the Kaivopiha shopping complex.



Splurge




Cafes




Nightclubs




Budget
As with other major cities, if you're looking for low-cost accommodation it's better to head a bit outside the very core of the city.

Connect
Cafés and shopping centres usually have a Wi-Fi of some sort (the speed might not be the best on the markets). The central train station has good Wi-Fi coverage and at decent speed.

While the city advertises its Wi-Fi, the access points are clustered at certain locations and do not provide widespread coverage (for example, none on the busy thoroughfare Mannerheimintie south of the Central Train Station).

Respect
If you are into flying drones, quadcopters or other unmanned aircraft, please note that there is a "no-drone-zone" over the historic city centre. There is more information at, droneinfo.fi.

Go next

 * Kamppi
 * Kruununhaka and Katajanokka
 * Southern Helsinki