Helsinki Hotels/Free Activities

When will you be visiting? During the summer, many hotels, especially the business class ones, offer deep discounts for advanced reservations (non-refundable). But in fall and spring, it can be very expensive. If there is a convention or event in town at the same time, they can get VERY expensive. What kinds of things do you like doing? There are amazing architectural sites to see, though you will need a car. I highly recommend a sauna, though this is NOT for everyone. And I mean a true, Finnish sauna experience and not just a hot room in the hotel. You could take the train up into Lapland and pass over the Arctic Circle.

I will be visiting in January around the MLK holiday. I have plans to visit middle/high schools there to learn more about their educational system. They are ranked very high in the world. Seeing the Northern Lights would be on the top of my list. I might have to stick to Helsinki and the surrounding area. The schools I will be visiting are in Espoo, Finland.

Our favorite was Sumomolina Island/Fortress and the area around the center (train station, major churches, market, cafes). We visited the Rock church but didn't feel it was worth the trip unless contemporary architecture is a highlight for you. We didn't do a sauna, which is probably sacrilege for Finnland. There is also an open air museum not far from town we didn't visit. Helsinki is a remarkably new city for Europe. The Island was the center, supplied by Helsinki, until the Russians took control and moved the Capital closer to themselves. The Finns are some of the nicest people we met anywhere, meeting locals was a highlight.

I would say that the harbor market and the university botanical gardens would be good free activities, but during your visit, I doubt the market is open in January and the gardens are probably covered in snow. I enjoyed walking around Porvoo for an excursion out of the city, but once again, the middle of winter is probably not the ideal time to visit.