So it looks like we’re going to be in Helsinki for 5 days in June. Any Finns on the board? Anyone been there before and have recommendations of what to do and see while there?
You could always go and see Suomenlinna or the Temppeliaukio Church.
5 days gives you time to get a pretty good general overview of Helsinki. What kind of group are you travelling with (family, friends, alone, romantic getaway, cruise ship full of tourists with a minute-by-minute schedule)? Beginning or end of June (this matters - the beginning of June can still be quite “springy” and cooler, whereas the end of June is already full-blown summer)? What transportation do you have?
I agree with Suomenlinna, it’s a great place for a picnic if the weather’s nice and summery. It’s quite windy, though, so take a long-sleeved sweater just in case.
A good way to see Helsinki is to hop onto either the 3 or 7 tram line and ride all the way around. As an added bonus, you’ll probably also get to meet lots and lots of Finnish drunks and bums who spend their days hanging around in said trams.
There’s an amusement park in Vallila - it’s a real classic and practically everyone in Finland has been to “Lintsi” at least once.
You might want to take a day and go to Porvoo. It’s about an hour by bus and it’s a really beautiful old town with lots of handicraft stores and a really great restaurant that specializes in escarbots.
Just as a warning: if you’re planning on coming here June 22-24, the city will look like a ghost town. That’s Midsummer and most Finns will be at their summer cottages. There’s a Midsummer bonfire at Seurasaari outdoor museum but that’s about it. On the other hand, no long queues anywhere…
I’d be glad to give you more specific tips if you need any. Or, you know, if you all want to grab a beer when you’re here, I’ll take you if I’m in town. 
I hope you’ll get to experience the Finnish midsummer on June 23rd! Try to hit Seurasaari for that if you’d like to go for the traditional stuff, otherwise the city will be empty around that weekend. There are also a lot of music festivals around June, mostly rock but also other stuff. It’s a nice time to visit Helsinki whatever you do, the days are long and sunny - perfect for almost any activity other than stargazing!
Hi guys!
Yes, Suomenlinna looks quite interesting and we’ll be sure to visit it!
The reason for this trip is my GF has a conference there and I am tagging along as it’s always been a dream of mine to see scandinavia and my arctic bretheren. So she’s going to be busy all day while I screw around. We’re going to be there June 9-14 - would definitely be interested in grabbing a beer if you’re around!
If you want a beer I can recommend the Pullman Bar, situated in the central station (the East end) or the Vltava, just outside the West end of the building.
A good thing about Helsinki is also that it’s definitely a “summer city” that comes alive once the sun comes out and it gets warm. I’m assuming you’re staying in a hotel downtown and downtown is not that big of an area. You can spend time just meandering around in the center of the city and local-watching. There are some great cafés and restaurants to be found, you just need to remember that Finland in general is not a very cheap country, especially in the “eating food someone else has prepared for you” department. Some of the more overpriced bars and cafés downtown will charge you 6-7e for a beer or 5e for a coffee. Luckily cheaper alternatives are available close by.
Whatever you do, if you take a tram ride, do not sit on a handicapped seat. It doesn’t matter if someone has removed the decal that says that it is a seat for invalids (you should know that it is anyway) or the tram is more or less empty. I did once and I will never do it again.