What to do in Helsinki and how to get around by metro

Two lines, thirty stations and a walkable centre

The network is two lines, M1 (Kivenlahti–Vuosaari) and M2 (Tapiola–Mellunmäki), thirty stations and a shared trunk through the centre. Between Tapiola and Itäkeskus both run on the same track, so in the centre you get a train every two and a half minutes without checking which one it is.

That means in the centre you almost never need to know the line: going east or west, either one works until they split. The choice only matters at the ends.

The other half of the story is the tram. Helsinki has a dense tram network covering the centre in far more detail than the metro, and the ticket is the same. So the real division is: metro for the long hops — Espoo to the west, Vuosaari or Mellunmäki to the east — and tram or feet for everything else.

The metro opened in 1982 and is the northernmost system on the planet. You notice it in details like the platforms: almost everything is underground or covered, because in January there are four hours of daylight here.

Part of the team of GoRandom in Helsinki, in July 2026 — **Part of the team in Helsinki**, July 2026.

Seven things to do, and how to reach each one

Ordered by what we think is worth it, not by what comes top of the lists.

Suomenlinna, the fortress across six islands

Half an hour by ferry from the market harbour and you are in an eighteenth-century World Heritage fortress, with tunnels, ramparts and people living inside it all year. A full-day plan in good weather and half a morning if not.

Rautatientori — The ferry leaves from Kauppatori and the same HSL ticket covers it, nothing extra to buy. About ten minutes on foot from the metro to the pier.

The church cut into the rock

Temppeliaukio is a church made by blasting out the bedrock of the plot and capping it with a copper dome. From outside you barely see it; inside it is one of the strangest and most beautiful things in the city. Check the hours first: it closes for concerts and services.

Kamppi — Ten minutes uphill on foot from the Kamppi exit.

Spending the afternoon inside Oodi

The central library is the building people from Helsinki are proudest of, and rightly: 3D printers, sewing machines, recording studios and a third floor in timber looking at Parliament. You walk in without paying and without a card.

Rautatientori — Right across from the central station, five minutes.

A proper old public sauna

Sauna in Finland is not a spa, it is a habit. Kotiharjun, in Kallio, is wood-fired, dates from 1928 and is the most authentic left in the centre: people come out onto the pavement in a towel to cool off and carry on the conversation. Bring a towel or hire one there.

Sörnäinen — Five minutes from the metro exit, right in the Kallio district.

Eating at Teurastamo, the old abattoir

A municipal brick slaughterhouse converted into a courtyard of restaurants, a bakery and a brewery. In summer they set out long tables and it is where the city meets at weekends. Nothing to do with the tourist centre.

Kalasatama — Seven minutes on foot. You come out of the metro and you can see it.

The Baltic at Aurinkolahti beach

At the end of the M1 there is a real sand beach, with changing huts, a bar and families. In July the water is cold but swimmable, and in winter it is where you watch the frozen sea from the shore. It is the best argument for riding the metro to the end.

Vuosaari — Terminus of the M1, about 24 minutes from Kamppi, then 15 on foot.

Seurasaari, the open-air museum

An island full of wooden houses moved here from all over Finland, with squirrels that eat from your hand and a wooden bridge to get in. It is quiet, it is cheap and it is where you understand how people lived here before Helsinki.

sin metro

The metro does not come here: bus 24 from the centre, about 20 minutes, on the same ticket.

And the adventure we run here

Everything above you can do on your own with this page open. This other thing we build for you: the same idea as always — you do not know what you got until the day before — applied to Helsinki.

GO YELLOW

A day among islands, with no idea which one you end on

The Go Yellow version of Helsinki plays to what the city does best: water. We give you a meeting point with its metro stop and from there the plan opens — it could be kayaking between archipelago islands, it could be a smoke sauna with a dip in the Baltic, it could be both one after the other. You find out the day before.

The activity, booked and set up
Kit and insurance
A local instructor
A meeting point with a metro stop

Flights and accommodation are not included — you book those. When you pick your departure city we send you a rough estimate of what they cost. We are not a travel agency. How the process works, step by step.

You choose where you fly from and where you are going, and we tell you what the adventure costs and roughly what getting there would cost. Flights and accommodation you book yourself: we are not a travel agency and we do not want to be.

How the transport works, in four numbers

HSL runs all of it: metro, tram, bus, commuter train and the Suomenlinna ferry. One ticket covers everything, which simplifies the trip enormously.

Single ticket

€3.30

Bought in the HSL app. Valid for metro, tram, bus and the Suomenlinna ferry within zones AB, which is where everything you will want to see is.

Zones

AB in the city, C for the airport

The centre and the neighbourhoods listed here are in AB. The airport is in zone C and needs a pricier ABC ticket.

Hours

Mon–Fri 05:30–23:30 · Sat–Sun 06:30–23:30

That is the metro. Trams and several buses run later, and at weekends there is a night service.

Frequency

2.5–5 min on the central trunk

Between Tapiola and Itäkeskus both lines share the track. At the ends, every 5–10 minutes.

Source: HSL, via our own Helsinki metro guide. Checked on 01 September 2026.

The practical conclusion: if you are making more than two journeys a day, look at the 24-hour ticket in the app. And if you are staying in the centre, you will very likely use the tram more than the metro.

If you want it line by line — which stations each one has, what is around every stop and how to work out a specific journey — we have all of it at our guide to the Helsinki metro. It is one of the sites we publish ourselves, and it is free.

From the airport to the centre

Vantaa has no metro, it has a train. And it is one of the easiest airport links in Europe: the station is under the terminal itself.

Train I or P

ABC ticket

30–35 min

Both run the same loop in opposite directions, so it makes no difference which you take: both end at Helsinki central station and take almost the same time.

Bus 615

ABC ticket

45 min

Not cheaper — the ticket is the same — and slower. Only worth it if your hotel is on its route.

Simple rule: take the first I or P train that leaves, without checking the letter. And buy the ABC ticket in the app before going down to the platform, because upstairs there is signal and downstairs sometimes not.

Source: HSL. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Four things you will be glad you knew

The tap water is among the best in the world

Literally: Finland uses it as a tourism argument. With a refillable bottle you will not buy water on the whole trip, restaurants included.

In summer it never gets dark and in winter it never gets light

In June there is light almost 24 hours and in December the sun rises at nine and sets at three. It completely changes how you plan a day, and it is worth knowing before you book.

Almost nobody carries cash

You pay by card or phone everywhere, markets and public saunas included. There is no need to get small notes.

Buy the ticket before you board

The metro does not have gates at every station and it gives the impression of being free. It is not: there are inspectors and the fine is high.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Helsinki?

Two full days cover the centre, Suomenlinna and a district like Kallio without rushing. With three you can add a trip — Porvoo, Nuuksio or the Espoo coast — and take a sauna at leisure.

Is a transport pass worth it in Helsinki?

It depends where you sleep. Staying in the centre you will walk a lot and may not even reach two journeys a day. Sleeping in Espoo or in the east, the HSL 24-hour or multi-day ticket pays off from day one. Either way, the Suomenlinna ferry is included in the ticket.

Can you drink the tap water?

Yes, and it is excellent. Finland has some of the cleanest mains water in the world and people drink from the tap everywhere, public washrooms included.

When is the best time to go to Helsinki?

June and July for the terraces, the islands and the endless light; it is also when the city is liveliest. December and January are a completely different thing: properly cold, little daylight and Christmas markets. The months in between are the worst: grey, wet and neither one thing nor the other.

Is Helsinki expensive?

Yes, at the upper end of the Nordic average: eating out and beer are the two costs that surprise people most. Transport, on the other hand, is reasonable, and many of the best things — Oodi, the islands, the beaches, the parks — are free.

What to do in Helsinki and how to get around