In this post, I try to answer the most frequently asked questions from couple of previous cruise seasons with up to date information. This is the second time we have a yearly thread for Helsinki. Last year’s thread and the older mammoth thread are probably too long to find relevant information quickly, but good resources if you want to read through everything. I invite everyone to ask and answer new or more specific questions here.
Where does my ship dock?
Port of Helsinki website has a list of expected cruise ships with berth information: http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/en/pass...l-cruise-ships
They also have a map of the berths: http://www.portofhelsinki.fi/en/pass...s/cruise-quays
What is there to see?
That really depends on your interest. See old trip reports, a guide book, Tripadvisor, the official tourist site: http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en etc. Unlike some other cities on a Baltic Sea cruise, Helsinki does not have a single must see attraction. Some most often mentioned by cruise visitors are: The Market Square area (including the Senate Square, the Esplanade, The Lutheran Cathedral and The Orthodox Cathedral), Temppeliaukio Church (The Church in the Rock), and Suomenlinna sea fortress.
The downtown core is very compact and it is pretty easy to just go there and stroll around to what interests you. The Church in the Rock is slightly outside the core area and getting to Suomenlinna fortress requires taking a ferry from Market Square.
Money and credit cards?
The currency in Finland is the Euro with the slight oddity of 1 and 2 cent denominations not being used. Thus cash payments are always rounded to the closest 0.05 Euros. ATMs in Finland dispense only 20 and 50 Euro banknotes.
Credit cards are extremely widely accepted and used. It is perfectly normal for a Finn to pay for a 2 € cup of coffee with a card. The only significant place where you cannot pay with a credit card is in public transportation: bus and tram drivers accept cash only (and no banknotes greater than 20 €). Visa and MasterCard are the “standard” cards accepted virtually everywhere. American Express and Diners are accepted pretty widely, but not everywhere, so you should have either a Visa, MasterCard, or cash available or ask beforehand.
Language?
Finland has two official languages Finnish and Swedish. In the Helsinki region all street signs etc. are in both Finnish and Swedish. Unlike Finnish, Swedish is a relative of English so looking at the second line of signs might give you a better clue of what a sign says. However pretty much everyone understands and speaks English on an adequate level for helping with directions etc.
Tour or DIY?
This depends on your personal preference on how you like to see a city. Helsinki does not have spread out must see attractions like St. Petersburg or Berlin so you really do not need a tour for logistics. Public transportation is excellent and HoHos are available. Most tours offered by cruise lines or the St. Petersburg tour agencies tend to omit the Suomenlinna sea fortress, which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
How do I get to downtown? / How do I get around?
Depends on where you dock and how you like to move. I will first list the alternatives and then specifics for each berth.
Public transportation
Public transportation in Helsinki is very good. Route planner and ticket information are available on the transit authority HSL website: https://www.hsl.fi/en and their route planner http://www.reittiopas.fi/en/ Also Google Maps transit directions are available in Helsinki. Current timetables are mostly in effect until June 18th.
Nearly all vehicles have monitors showing the name of the next stop to ease following transit directions.
Note that major changes to the tram network will take effect on 14 August. The directions in this post use the current network and I will explain the changes further down in this post. The journey planner should be able to search for trips in the new network closer to the actual change.
Day ticket for Helsinki costs 9 € for travelers 17 years or older and 4.50 € for 7-16 year-olds. Children under 7 travel for free. You can buy day tickets from ticket machines (coins or chipped credit card), sales points such as kiosks and grocery stores (all payment options), or tram and bus drivers (cash only, no banknotes greater than 20€). You can locate all ticket sales points on this map: https://www.hsl.fi/en/tickets-and-fares/sales-points
Walking
The downtown core is perfectly walkable and compact. Especially if you arrive in the South Harbor you could get by just walking. For further away West Harbor berths you need to be into walking to do only it.
HoHo
Two HoHo companies operate in Helsinki. Both stop by ships berthed in the West Harbor. Routes and pricing are similar with adult pricing in the range of 27-30 € and children for roughly half price. The interval of buses depends on demand, but is typically around 30 minutes. The two companies are Strömma and City Tour
Ship’s shuttle
Port of Helsinki does not offer shuttle service so shuttles are arranged by cruise lines or their port agents. Shuttles have been almost always available for further away berths. Depending on your cruise line they may be free or priced around 10 €. Typical drop off point is at the Western end of the Esplanade about 500 meters from Market Square at the other end of the Esplanade.
Taxi
Taxis in Helsinki are reliable but expensive. There will likely be some waiting by your ship. All taxis accept at least Visa and MasterCard in addition to cash. Pricing depends on distance traveled (or time taken in slow traffic) and number of passengers. Starting price is 5.90 € during daytime Mon-Sat and 9 € at night and on Sundays. A trip from your ship to any destination in downtown should end up costing about 15 €. You can estimate the cost of a ride here: http://www.taksihelsinki.net/hintala...x.html?lang=en
City bikes
A new bike share system was rolled out last summer by the transit authority, and is due to expand for the 2017 season. The bikes will be on the street from 2 May onward. If you are comfortable riding a bike in a city and would like to see the city that way the city bikes may be a good way to see the city by bike. A membership for a day costs 5 € and includes unlimited amount of 30 minute rides from station to station. Additional time is charged in 30 minute blocks with increasing price as you hold the bike longer. The maximum allowed use at a time is 5 hours costing you 14.50 €. There are city bike stations fairly close to most berths. You can register in advance and pick up a bike from any station or register with your credit card at some select stations for example at Market Square. More info from: https://www.hsl.fi/en/citybikes and the map of stations for 2017: https://www.hsl.fi/sites/default/fil...semat_2017.pdf
Berth by berth:
LMA
Walking distance to Market Square: 3.5 km
Public transport: Tram 6T or 9 from West Terminal about 400 meters from the berth. There has been a green line on the ground from the berth to the tram stop. The tram line in the area is currently (January 2017) being extended closer to a new ferry terminal slightly closer to the cruise berth and the new route section should be open by the start of cruise season. In this map you can see how the cruise berth at the top of the picture relates to the tram stops. See the trip to Market Square in Journey planner
City bikes: 800 meters
HoHo: stops by the ship
Ship’s shuttle: Almost always offered
LJ4
Only one ship so far scheduled here. Like LMA but 600 meters closer to town and pretty much next to a tram stop.
LHB and LHC
Walking distance to market square: 3 km (LHC about a ship’s length more)
Public transport: Bus 14 runs on the other side of Hernesaari peninsula about 300 meters from the ships. Getting to market square requires either a transfer to tram 1A or 3 (which turns into tram 2 before reaching Market Square. See in Journey planner
City bikes: 600 meters
HoHo: stops by the ships
Ship’s shuttle: Almost always offered
EPL, EMA, and EM3
Walking distance to Market Square: 400-600 meters
Public transport: Trams 1A and 2 run by the berth.
City bikes: 400 meters
HoHo: Closest stop at Market Square
Ship’s Shuttle: Highly unlikely
EKL
Walking distance to Market Square: 400 m
Public transport: Trams 4 and 5 about 200 meters inland from berth
City bikes: at Market Square
HoHo: Closest stop likely at Market Square
Ship’s Shuttle: Highly unlikely
ERA
Walking distance to Market Square: 1.5 km
Public transport: Tram 5 about 200 m and tram 4 about 400 m See in Journey planner
City bikes: 200 m
HoHo: Strömma runs to ERA when ship’s in port
Ship’s Shuttle: Likely offered
What has changed i.e. what to watch out for in old trip reports and guide books?
Since January 2017: The Temppeliaukio Church (Church in the Rock) nowadays charges a 3 euro fee from visitors.
Since fall 2016: tram line 4T has been replaced by tram line 5.
Since fall 2013: tram lines 3T and 3B renamed into 2 and 3. There was also a previous change in routes of 3T and 3B as well as their numbering logic in 2009.
Since fall 2012: tram 9 extended to West Harbor (LMA), complete overhaul of bus lines in southern Helsinki removing bus 16 which offered a direct but infrequent link from LHB and LHC to Market Square.
What are the differences between Market Square, Hakaniemi and Hietalahti markets and market halls?
The Market Square and the Old Market Hall are the most tourist oriented and Hakaniemi caters mainly to locals. The market hall in Hakaniemi is the largest of the three. Hietalahti is the smallest and probably least interesting, but there is a large flea market at the Hietalahti market especially on summer weekends.
How to get from Market Square to Church in the Rock (or vice versa) using public transit or walking?
It is about 2 km by walking. Directions in Google Maps You can easily vary the walk a couple of blocks in either direction and you will be going through the area considered to be the downtown core by locals.
Tram line 2 runs also between Market Square (Kauppatori) and the Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukion kirkko). See in Journey planner
Food
If you are looking for typically Finnish foods to try you have to pick a place that focuses on that as the food culture is pretty international.
For a quick bite Market Square and the Old Market Hall right next to the square (http://vanhakauppahalli.fi/en/) might be the best bets. It should be easy to find good fish dishes such as salmon soup, sauteed reindeer (traditional in Lapland), or Karelian Stew.
If you are in for a longer sit down lunch, see for example TripAdvisor or Michelin and look for places serving either traditional Finnish food or those offering modern Finnish cuisine. At the other end of the spectrum from Market Square stalls are the Michelin-start restaurants offering modern Finnish cuisine.
On the sweet side, Finns are one of the top coffee consumers in the world so you could very well stop for a cup of coffee and a korvapuusti (cinnamon roll) in a market or café. Or you could treat yourself to some salmiakki (salted liquorice) sold at every grocery store or kiosk.
Souvenirs
I am not an expert on souvenirs by any means. The city tourism site however has a listing of souvenir and handicraft places: http://www.visithelsinki.fi/en/see-a...-from-helsinki as well as a blog posting about souvenirs in the under 30 € price range: http://blog.visithelsinki.fi/en/best...-range-e10-30/
Opening hours
Opening hours for stores are not regulated. Typical grocery stores are open 7-21/22/23 Mon-Sat and 10-23 on Sundays. Some grocery stores are always open. Department stores are typically open Mon-Fri 9-21, Sat 9-19, and Sun 11-18. Specialty stores have typically more limited hours with 10-18/19/20 being typical during the week, 10-15/16/17/18 on Saturdays, 12-17/18 or closed on Sundays. Small stores may have more limited hours.
As in most of the world, many museums are closed on Mondays.
Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church) is open according to services. If not limited by church services typically 10-17 Mon-Sat and 12-17 on Sundays. They post the opening hours for the coming week on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Temppeliauk...7137636410720/ and there is a phone recording of opening hours for the day at +358 9 2340 5940 More information: http://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/s...formation.html Note that from January 2017 onward there is a 3 € admission charge to the church.
The Lutheran Cathedral is open daily 9-18 September-May and 9-24 June-August except during services. More information: http://www.helsinginseurakunnat.fi/s...formation.html
The Orthodox Cathedral is closed on Mondays and open Tue-Fri 9-16, Sat 10-15, and Sun 12-15
The Suomenlinna sea fortress is mainly outside and hence always open. The museums on the island are open daily 10-18. More information: http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/
Transit changes on 14 August
Major changes in the tram line network take effect on August 14th as well as couple of smaller changes in downtown area bus lines. The changes of note to typical cruise visitors are:
From LHB or LHC to Market Square:
Old: first bus 14 to Tehtaanpuisto and then tram 1A or 2/3 onward.
New: first bus 14 to Tehtaanpuisto and then tram 2/3 or bus 17 onward.
LMA:
Tram line 9 at West Harbor will be replaced by tram line 7. The new line 7 will go to Senate Square one block from Market Square.
Temppeliaukio church:
A portion of the route of tram 2 between Market Square and the church changes. Travel time should be slightly faster than before. In addition, a new connection on tram line 1 between the church and the eastern end of the Esplanade is opened.
General:
The closed loop of tram lines 2 and 3 will be broken in the northern end. The lines still overlap there allowing for easy transfers. There is no change at the southern end with trams still continuing immediately on from line 2 to line 3 and vice versa.