Top 10 free things to do in Helsinki..

Helsinki is an expensive city. However, people are friendly, parks are beautiful and food is delicious. To add to that, it is not bad to find out some top attractions in Helsinki, which are absolutely free to visit. You can find all informations in myhelsinki website. Here are our top choices ..

1. Oodi ..

Oodi is Helsinki’s new Central Library and  meeting place.  But this one-liner hardly describes Oodi. You have to experience it to know Oodi! Its wide range of services and facilities are available to residents  and tourists seven days a week, from early in the morning till 10pm. Strategically located in central Helsinki, Oodi tops the free as well as overall attractions of the city. Stay tuned for upcoming post on more about Oodi experience 🙂

2. My Helsinki sign..

Best place to take a selfie and tell the world that you have been in this beautiful Scandinavian city. You can see the Finnish Parliament right behind the sign, though there is a highway between both. Some time of the year, you can actually visit the parliament and see the sessions in progress.

3. Helsinki Cathedral..

This Finnish Evangelical Lutheran cathedral is “the icon” of the city of Helsinki!   The church was originally built from 1830-1852 as a tribute to the Grand Duke of Finland, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. The neoclassical  styled tall, green dome surrounded by four smaller domes, can be seen far from the Baltic sea.

4. Senate square ..

The Senate Square is marked by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel  Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. A statue of Alexander II  surrounded by other statues stand in the middle of the Senate Square. The Helsinki city museum is situated around the corner in thr oldest stone building in Helsinki called Sederholm House.  The Senate  Sound of the Senate Square is a modern version of the European glockenspiel and can be heard every day at 17:49 as it travels from one building to the next which runs for 5 minutes 18 seconds!

5. Finnish National Library..

Finnish National Library usually opens from 10 am to 6 pm in the evening. You are not allowed to carry even small bags inside, but they have well maintained locker where you can put your belongings and go see the books. Contrary to Oodi, which is depicts modernism, the National library is the oldest and largest scholarly  conventional library in Finland. It is responsible for the collection, description, preservation and accessibility of Finland’s printed national heritage and the unique collections under its care. It has some very old original prints in literature and science and absolutely worth a visit if you love to books. Read more about it in my next post ..

6. Esplanadeparken..

Esplanadeparken is a beautiful park giving a relaxing green patch in the heat of city. Click here to read more about the park.

7. Uspenski cathedral..

Situated close to the Helsinki port,  the Uspenski Cathedral is the largest orthodox church in Western Europe. With its golden cupolas and redbrick facade, the church shows clear Russian influence.  It is another landmark visible from the sea.

8. Market square ..

Market square is  vibrant local market with fresh fruits, vegetables, counters for freshly fried and sautéed vegetables and fish, souvenirs, cookware and other utilities. It opens everyday till evening, and one of the main tourist attractions. I bought a reindeer backpack for carrying my small travel essentials and wooden spoon from here for my kitchen.

9. Helsinki city museum..

This one is close to the senate square and free, so we went. But if you do not have much time, we do not really recommend it. Very few collection and lack of history. The Time Machine or virtual reality room is the only thing we found interesting !

10. Street art @ Helsinki..

Like any other city, Helsinki has its own share of street arts. But we liked  them while roaming around the squares and lanes.

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