Where to Stay

The best hotels in Helsinki can be found in the centre, but you might want to seek a truly Finnish experience by being close to nature. For this try the log cabins in Rastila, still not very far from central Helsinki. The city centre is quite compact--everything you could ever need is there. The hotels in the centre are pricey, but they are clean and usualy include breakfast. In addition, all the hotels in Helsinki are honest, and you can always count on getting a good night's sleep.

First Class and Business Class
If you want quick access to your business meetings or wish to enjoy the first class department stores, shopping centers, boutiques, museums, galleries, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, and other urban pastimes, the best thing to do is to get a room in one of the dozens of hotels in the very centre of the city. They are always within walking distance of important sights all over the Helsinki area. The city centre has luxurious hotels such as Hotel Kämp, located next to Esplanade Park, near both Stockmann and the Market Square. Also a good business choice, Hotel Marski, located across the street from Stockmann on Mannerheimintie, is popular among those who want to have all the services and comforts of the centre and do not care how much a room costs. Another expensive hotel is Presidentti, located near the Parliament House. The hotel is conveniently situated and there is a casino and a cinema in the same building. Even though most hotels in the city centre are very expensive, it is possible to get a reasonably priced room there. One of those hotels is Klaus K on the Bulevardi. It is in the middle of the city centre, but in a surprisingly peaceful spot, and the rates there are slightly lower than in many other hotels in the area. If you want to pay as little as possible, you might like to try to get a room from Guesthouse Omapohja, a classy, peaceful, and small hotel where you can get service in many different languages. It is located on a peaceful street, next to the National Theatre, the main railway station, and Kaisaniemi Park.

Local Flavor
There is plenty of excitement in the city centre, since workers, tourists, business people and shoppers throng its streets during the day time, and its restaurants, theatres, cinemas, and cafés draw people from all over Helsinki at night. However, if you want to get to know the more "normal" side of Helsinki but still stay near the city centre, you can find a room in the Kamppi district, only a short distance from Mannerheimintie and the main railway station. There are lots of restaurants, bars, boutiques, and important meeting places for business people in Kamppi, so it is suitable for both business travelers and tourists. There are luxurious hotels in Kamppi, such as Hotel Torni, the tallest building in the city, as well as Lordhotel, located on Lönnrotinkatu, a busy thoroughfare near Hietalahti Market Square. Near the same square, Hotel Haaga, with a sea view from most rooms, is popular among conference delegates. This new hotel is only a short distance from Länsisatama, where many boats depart for Tallinn. Although many hotels in Kamppi are quite expensive, there are also cheaper alternatives there. Some of these are Hostel Lönnrot on Lönnrotinkatu and Hotel Finn, a small, inexpensive hotel on Kalevankatu, not far from Mannerheimintie and next to restaurant Kosmos and Forum shopping centre.

Töölö
Next to the city centre is also the Töölö district, a big and urban neighborhood known for its good access by public transport to all over Helsinki, as well as its artists and restaurants. Many of these have long traditions, and every year there seem to be new and better additions to Töölö's restaurant and bar scene. The district's best, biggest and most expensive hotels are SAS Seaside Hotel and Scandic Hotel Continental on Mannerheimintie, near the Opera House and Finlandia Hall. Also not far is Töölö's own market square and all kinds of neat little shops and mostly Functionalist houses. It is where many of Finland's celebrities spent their early years or live now, at the height of their fame. Near Kamppi metro station, there are cheaper alternatives, such as Hotel Helka and in the summer, Hostel Academica, a good-quality hostel with a swimming pool and an inexpensive restaurant. When you are staying in Töölö during the summertime, it is good to remember that on its western side is the only real beach in town, Hietaranta. To the east are the Olympic Stadium, Linnanmäki amusement park and Taivallahti red clay tennis courts, where Finnish tennis championships are usually held in August.

Kaisaniemi
To the other side of the city centre, Kaisaniemi, with its own metro station, is a district where hardly anyone lives but you can still find everything you would ever need. The city centre is less than a couple of hundred metres away, as well as the main railway station, and Kaisaniemi has its own good restaurants, cinemas, cafés, shops and many other places of interest, right outside your hotel door. Arthur is a reasonably priced hotel by Kaisaniemi Park, and City Apartments, next door to the metro station, offers furnished apartments, for stays as short as a week to indefinite residence.

Kaivopuisto, Ullanlinna, and Eira
Outside the city centre, Kaivopuisto, Ullanlinna, and Eira are beautiful, wealthy and old neighborhoods, but it is quite difficult to find a hotel room in these districts. Palace Hotel, however, in the South Harbour, across the street from the Old Market Hall, is a big, high-quality hotel, located near Kaivopuisto Park and many other important places in the city centre. Also, the more reasonably priced Marttahotelli and Hotel Anna are near these districts, as well as Iso Roobertinkatu, the oldest pedestrian street in the city. Fredrikinkatu and Korkeavuorenkatu are both well-known shopping streets with high-quality products.

Katajanokka Island
In close proximity to the Presidential Palace and the Market Square is Katajanokka Island, where the big ships to Sweden and Germany depart. It may not be a centre for shopping sprees and drinking binges, but there are lots of beautiful houses, and it is easy to get to the centre quickly by trams 2 and 4. If you're concerned about money, Hotel Skatta in the middle of the island is an alternative, right along the tram routes. The cheapest rooms can be found at Eurohostel, only a short distance from the Viking Ship Terminal.

Kallio
Kallio district is an old neighborhood that used to be inhabited by the working classes. It still has lower prices than the city centre, and the services are quite good. During the past few years it has grown into an international area where many artists, musicians, and students are fond of living and hanging out. There are lots of inexpensive restaurants, bars, and cafés in Kallio, but it also has its own market square, market hall and shops of all sizes, as well as the magnificent Kallio church. It is not far from the city centre, and it has good transport links (bus, tram or metro) to the whole of Helsinki. You can walk into the city, especially if you live by Hakaniemi Market Square, for example in Hilton Helsinki Strand, one of the most expensive and best hotels in the city. On the other side of Kallio, near Linnanmäki amusement park, Töölö Bay, the Opera House, and the Olympic Stadium, is Hotel Aurora, a moderately priced hotel with good services. Next to a sports ground and a sports hall, is Cumulus Olympia, on Kallio's main street, Helsinginkatu. If you have a big group with you, or if you are planning to stay for a while, you can ask for a room or several big rooms from Fenno, a hotel on a peaceful spot along the route of trams 3b and 3t.

Munkkiniemi and Pasila
Hotel Kalastajantorppa is in the Munkkiniemi district by the seaside, about ten minutes away from the city centre. There are many big and classy houses in this district, including one designed by Alvar Aalto, who lived there for decades (until his death in 1976). A very different district but also some ten minutes from the city centre is Pasila. Only a short distance from Linnanmäki amusement park, this district is not near anything else of interest and it is quite tiresome to try to walk anywhere else from Pasila. Pasila has the second-biggest railway station in the area, though, as well as trams 7a and 7b and dozens of buses. Hotel Pasila is a reasonably priced place to stay in the western part of this district, as is the Holiday Inn Congress Centre on its eastern side. Both hotels are along tram routes.

Käpylä
Many people who were born and live in Käpylä district think of it as the best place to live in the world. There are lots of nice wooden houses here, as well as the northernmost tram stop in the world. Park Hotel is a peaceful, small hotel in the heart of Käpylä, about 15 minutes from the city centre, and it's a reasonably priced alternative to large hotels, especially during the summer months. Hotel Haaga is also 15 minutes from the centre, but in a district not quite as pleasant as Käpylä, although the hotel has good services and is moderately priced.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
A good place to stay when you arrive in Helsinki is the area around Helsinki-Vantaa airport. The many hotels there are especially suitable for those who are staying in the city for only one night. The distance to the city centre is covered in about 20 minutes, via motorways, and there are several hotels to choose from. Holiday Inn Garden Court is a big hotel three kilometers from the airport. Sokos Hotel Vantaa is located five kilometers from the airport, only about a hundred meters from both train and bus stops. From there you can quickly make a trip into the city. The hotels usually have free shuttles running to and from the airport and many of them also run buses into the city centre.

   Copyright © 1999-2009 wcities.com all right reserved