Time in Helsinki

Two full days will cover the city. But be aware that the summer solstice (June 21 ?), is a major holiday in Finland, and absolutely everything will be closed for a couple of days. I happened to arrive during the holiday a few years ago, and the entire city was literally a ghost town!

Hi, In those 3 days be sure to visit and inspect those fortifications near Helsinki...well worth seeing. Good that you're taking the ferry to Tallinn (Reval). From Helsinki there's also a ferry connection to Germany...to Rostock.

Plenty of time to see Helsinki and Tallinn. We went there last summer for only one day, but it was lovely.

You can defiitely see Helsinki in 2-3 days. I'd highly recommend taking the ferry for a day to Tallinn as it is a completely different city. More Medieval and some Russian thrown in. It was never bombed so there is a very intact historic core. I love the harbor area in Helsinki and consider an easy lunch from the market stalls or in the old market building. A coffee/snack from the glass cafe in the main park is a must. The church in the rock is a must too. And BTW, the train station is a very famous architectural landmark.

I think the ferry to Tallinn for one day is a great idea. A full day walking the medieval center in Tallinn is well worth it. We really liked Suomolinna (?) Island, which is a World Heritage Site. Helsinki was originally only a village established to supply the fortress island. You can catch a ten minute ferry to the Island from the market area downtown. Our other major activities were taking a tram to see the Rock Church (a little disappointing for us) and walk around the downtown area. With more time, there is an open air museum and at least a couple other options in the area.

I would echo Brad's comments (we went to all the same places, I guess) except regarding the rock church. Granted, I'm not a very religious person, but if there was ever a chance for me to hear an almighty voice or get a rapturous tingle up my spine, it is in a place like the rock church much more than some wedding-cake cathedral. I admire those for the effort put into creating them. But I don't think they inspire us to be the best that we can be. Mostly, I think they just make us feel small and insignificant - which may, indeed, have been the point.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I was considering only two days and flying home a day early - but now I think I'm going stick with 2 days in Helsinki plus a day trip to Tallin.

June is the best time to visit that area. Helsinki is small for 2 days, so you can relax and enjoy the city in a slow pace. the old city area is easily walkable with a lot of restaurants and bars. there is a little island in the harbor you can take a small boat over. nice restaurant on the island with great view, raindeer meat is good!

Yes, the ferry to Tallinn is short, but, just in case, you decide to spend all three days in Helsinki itself, the city has numerous museums, including the Military Museum, especially if you want to see ordinance...worth a few hours.

Take a fast boat to Tallinn and back. The slower ones are 4 h/trip, fast ones about 90 mins. You can also stay at a nice hotel and have an excellent meal more cheaply if you stay overnight in Tallinn. You can see lots of HKI in one day. Just make sure you take a small enough bite to enjoy what you see. Learn a little about it and see the parts that sound like you. Midsummer will be June 22-24. If you are there then nothing but will be open and you need to plan for a real midsummer eve experience: Go to one of the midsummer music festivals or find a friend of a friend of a 2nd cousin of a neighbor to invite to their place in the country for midsummer.

Two days in Helsinki and one in Tallin is perfect, although I wish I had stayed overnight in Tallin. Take the earliest fast ferry there and the latest one home to maximize your time, it's a great place!

I honestly to not recommend, with just 3 days, taking a ferry to and back from Tallinn. It is just my opinion Tallinn deserves more time to be explored and, on a general tone, I think you will have time to explore the city of Helsinki in a more comprehensive day. It is not just because you are close to somewhere else you need to put yourself in an hectic schedule... just saying.

We spent time in Helsinki and paid to take the fast boat over to Tallinn for a couple of days. Only problem was that the seas were all whipped up with lots of waves so the "fast boat" had to go slow like the big boats and we bounced all over the place. If I were to do it again, I would pay close attention to the weather reports before shelling out the extra money for the fast boat. We did enjoy both places and would return to Helsinki if in the neighborhood.

I visited the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki and enjoyed it very much. It introduced me to artists I had not heard of before. There also some pieces by famous people too.