The Local’s Guide for the Best Day Trips from Helsinki

Finland, the country of thousands of lakes and Santa Claus, is a mecca for those who enjoy clean nature, quality craftmanship, and fascinating Nordic history and culture. Many people visit Helsinki, and as the capital of Finland, it offers many exciting things to see and do for a visitor. I also certainly recommend exploring the other parts of Finland, to see places such as Lapland, Lake Finland, reindeers and other wildlife.

But you don’t need to go very far from Helsinki to get to appreciate truly traditional Finnish culture and nature. You can make lovely day trips from Helsinki that allow you to experience some of the magic of southern Finland.

Helsinki’s location on the coast means it is ideal for a variety of day trips. The coastline consists of thousands of islands, and many of the best day trips from Helsinki, in my view, include visits to islands. The seaside and a bit inland from there have also traditionally been some of the most busy areas of Finland, in terms of trade and cultural exchange. That means there are many enchanting, historic villages and towns easily reachable from Helsinki.

On the inland side Helsinki is also surrounded by beautiful nature; which is good, because it is highly important for the Finns to get to enjoy nature, be it summer or winter. And of course, while visiting places from Helsinki, you can also enjoy traditional Finnish foods and desserts.

This article is your guide to some of the very best day trips from Helsinki. They lead you to explore historic foundries, wooden villages, relics of the ice age, and more. And you can always include some truly Finnish experiences in your day trips, such as berry picking, ice swimming, or sauna.

Visit Porvoo, one of the most beautiful old towns in Finland

History and beauty in Porvoo

Porvoo is a picturesque town less than an hour to the east from Helsinki. It is easy to reach by bus, and the bus journey takes just about an hour. Porvoo, situated on a small hill by a river, is known for its stunning old town centre made up of 2-300-year-old wooden houses, historic stone buildings, and cobblestone streets.

I absolutely love walking around this peaceful, pretty place, and exploring all the quaint corners and buildings to see there. By the riverside you can view Porvoo’s famous, red-painted fishermen’s huts. You could also take a guided tour from Helsinki, for maximum ease and enjoyment of this historic town.

The best known building in Porvoo is perhaps the old church – not surprisingly, it being located visibly on the highest point of the town. The oldest parts of the church date back to the 13th century. You can also visit the home museum of a famous Finnish poet J.L. Runeberg here, or a museum portraying the life and works of a beloved Finnish painter, Albert Edelfelt.

There are fabulous little cafés and lovely restaurants in Porvoo. My favorite is Porvoon Paahtimo, where you can enjoy not only coffee and small savory treats, but also Runeberg’s torte, named after the abovementioned poet.

Porvoo’s hidden nature trail

Another place nearby I’d highly recommend visiting is a small nature trail of Ekudden. The trail is on a private nature reserve, and meanders through some stunning oak and linden forests – these deciduous trees are fairly rare in Finland, and the area is thus protected. A walk here takes just one to two hours, but it allows you to appreciate this kind of a lush grove that is so unique for Finland and only exists in the southern part of the country.

Strömfors ironworks and Loviisa

Southern Finland has traditionally been the most industrious region of Finland, with the north of Finland being more known for its stretches of wilderness and sparce habitation. The south of Finland thus also has some interesting, historic industry villages and factories. Some of them are simply private residences these days, while others are open to visitors to one or another extent.

One of my favorite such historic places to visit is Strömfors ironworks, or ruukki in Finnish, close to Loviisa, less than two hours from Helsinki. The best way to reach it is by renting a car, so that you can also explore the other nearby areas.

At Strömfors, you can easily spend a whole day. The environment is idyllic, with traditional wooden and brick buildings, and the surrounding waterways that were crucial to the foundry back in the day. The ironworks were already operational here almost 400 years ago, and has over the centuries produced countless types of iron materials.

These days, there are several buildings with museums and exhibitions where you can learn about the workings of the foundry and the history of the people who lived and worked here. The old church of Strömfors is beautifully built and has some special art, such as the altar painting made by the famous Helene Schjerfbeck. There are also several restaurants and cafés open for visitors in the ironworks village.

Nearby, the old town of Loviisa is also worth visiting. Along with Porvoo, I actually find it to be one of the most pretty towns in Finland. Loviisa is located by the sea, and there is a fascinating, small maritime museum there. The town contains many more historic buildings, along with utterly picturesque town areas with enchanting wooden houses, gardens, and small alleyways. It is beautiful to visit, be it summer or winter.

Explore the islands right off the coast of Helsinki

Suomenlinna is an island fortress and a World Heritage site that can be reached by ferry from Helsinki harbor. Visiting it, and the nearby islands, is certainly one of the best day trips from Helsinki. The fortress is scattered over several islands, and interspersed with historic buildings, some of which were in military use, and others residential. These days, some people live here, but visitors can meander through the many streets and pathways of the islands and observe the sights here.

It is a stunning milieu, these days with some lush groves and fantastic restaurants, as well. There’s a beautiful church on the main island, and the fortress itself has various interesting sections and displays. If you’d like to try some of the best Finnish pulla (sweet bread) ever, I can recommend stopping for coffee at the atmospheric Café Silo.

Lonna and Vallisaari are some of the other islands I can highly recommend visiting and that are easy to reach by ferry from either Helsinki market place or Suomenlinna island.

Lonna is a small island, but well known for its stunning, historic buildings and its lovely restaurant that serves island-themed foods during the summer months. Vallisaari is a bit larger, and there are some wonderful nature trails here, as well as buildings that carry the memory of the time when Finland was part of Russia over 100 years ago. There are still some remnants of explosives from the war time on some parts of the island, and it is thus necessary to only walk along marked trails.

Hämeenlinna castle and Aulanko nature area

Hämeenlinna is a nice, smaller city just over one hour from Helsinki. It is best known for the medieval Häme Castle. I always feel like being transported straight back to the medieval times when visiting this gorgeous stone castle. There are also other fascinating historic buildings in the city itself, such as the old lyceum, or high school, dating from 1873, and the church of Hämeenlinna.

The city is surrounded by some of the most traditional landscapes of Finland, meaning blue lakes, coniferous forests, and gently rolling hills. The landscape has inspired countless artists, and, for example Jean Sibelius, the Finnish national composer, created his much loved Finlandia hymn based on this landscape of his birth town.

Several other notable Finns were born here, such as the poet Eino Leino and one of the former presidents. One of my favorite places to appreciate the nature here is Aulanko nature trail, just to the north of Hämeenlinna. The historic granite tower of Aulanko is free to enter and is a fantastic place to view the surrounding landscape from.

Historic and culturally rich coastal city of Turku

Helsinki itself as a capital is full of cultural attractions, entertainment, and absolutely amazing restaurants and cafés. If you’d like to experience another city with some of the similar flare and trendiness as Helsinki, but still a super friendly atmosphere, I’d suggest making a day trip to Turku. It is another coastal city and a former capital of Finland.

Located on the Aura River, Turku is both aesthetically pleasing and culturally fascinating. It is also bordered by an amazing archipelago full of stunning islands with coastal forests and picturesque villas. One of the greatest places to experience the nature of the islands is Ruissalo, just ten minutes from Turku centre.

One of my favorite things to do in Turku is simply walking along the river side in the city centre and observing all the goings on of this city that is already over 800 years old. Many bridges cross the river in the centre, and it is fun observing the various boat houses, old sail boats, and dining boats there. You can join a boat tour or a walking tour, if you’d like a local’s introduction to the city.

Some notable places that I’d at least recommend you to visit are Turku Castle and Turku Cathedral, both formidable medieval buildings. The riverside especially is dotted with some of the loveliest restaurants I’ve ever been to. I can recommend Smör for fine dining, or Nomad restaurant for a lovely fusion food experience. You can read more about the best restaurants of Turku here.

Visit Tallinn across the bay

Helsinki’s location by the Baltic Sea makes it well connected to the neighboring countries, as well. It is fun to make a weekend trip by cruise ship to Stockholm, and in the past it was possible to visit the beautiful Vyborg – although visiting Russia is not an option in the current political climate. You can easily go to Estonia’s capital Tallinn from Helsinki, however, and it takes just two hours by ferry across the Gulf of Finland.

I especially love visiting the medieval Old Town in Tallinn, right next to the harbor. It sprawls a bit on a hill, which means you have stunning views over the sea and the city from many of the historical buildings there. In the Old Town, I can especially recommend visiting Toompea Castle with its many, impressive towers, and Alexander Nevsky orthodox cathedral.

The Viru Gates and Town Hall square are also beautiful to see. I also love to just discover little corners of the Old Town; “secret” staircases, alleyways, and archways. There are fabulous cafés and restaurants everywhere including the incredible Pulla Bakery with some of the best Finnish sweet bread outside of Finland. At Master’s Courtyard there’s a splendid chocolaterie and café, and Olde Hansa is a great option for a medieval-style meal.

Of course, the city surrounding the Old Town also has lots of things to see and do. The seaside promenade connecting Tallinn city centre to the eastern Pirita area is lovely, with memorials and pretty parks along the way. If you enjoy shopping, there are pleasant shopping districts in the more modern part of Tallinn.

It is actually a thing that some Finnish people pop over to Tallinn just for shopping; they find the prices are a bit lower there, and on the ferry, you can buy goods tax free.

Pulkkilanharju – a geographic landmark and the most beautiful road in Finland

One of the most fascinating things about Finland is, I find, the way the landscape has been transformed by the last ice age. It is a bit of a conversation starter, as well, in fact. The Finns are honest but sometimes quiet people, and if you need ideas for what to talk about with them, the effects of the ice age in the landscape is one of them. That, and the local birdlife, of all things. As to the landscape features though, one popular place to admire both the effects of the ice age as well as Finnish nature, is Pulkkilanharju.

Pulkkilanharju, in Asikkala, is a ridge, or rather an esker, that runs across one part of the vast Päijänne Lake. This ridge, and the surrounding uni-directional ridges of central-southern Finland, was indeed formed by the forces of ice and water over long periods of time. You can drive along the road by the ridge; it has been voted the most beautiful road in Finland.

Or you can walk a lovely two-hour trail at Pulkkilanharju. This nature trail takes you past old pine forests, gravelly beaches, and fascinating flora of the forest floor. There are some staircases and board walks as part of the trail, to make moving around easier. If you observe the landscape closely, you can see also other signs of the ice age, such as suppa hollows in the ground, formed by huge ice blocks that slowly melted away, leaving a hole in the ground.

On the way back, if you have a chance, it is worth visiting the “lakeland city” Lahti. The city’s visual arts museum Malva is wonderful with its Finnish and international exhibitions. I also like the city’s harbor where you can enjoy a drink or a meal at one of its many cafés and restaurants.

Hanko – the most southern point of mainland Finland

The city of Hanko and nearby peninsulas

Last but not least, this is one of my must-do suggestions in terms of day trips from Helsinki, and another one that is perhaps best done by car. The city of Hanko is at the southernmost point of the country, right by the sea and surrounded by countless small and bigger islands. It is, indeed, best known as a beach town and for the gorgeous archipelago surrounding it – I absolutely love island hopping, and this is one great place for doing just that.

Some of the beaches are even long and sandy, which is actually fairly rare for Finland. You also find lots of stunning large, smooth rocks surrounding the beaches here; absolutely gorgeous for suntanning during warm summer days.

Hanko is also famed for bird watching. I can recommend a visit to Hanko’s iconic, 60-metre-tall observation tower that offers views over the ocean, the city, and several light houses, among other things. At Tvärminne peninsula you have great chances of observing birds, and it is also where one of Helsinki University’s Zoological Station‘s is based at.

To visit the actual most southern tip of Finland’s mainland, you can head to the nearby Tulliniemi peninsula. There’s a nature trail there that I always greatly enjoy.

Enjoy picturesque milieus at Tammisaari and Fagervik

On the way to or from Hanko, I can highly recommend doing some stops at some of the many historic villages found in the vicinity of Hanko. One of them is the quaint Tammisaari town, with its hundreds of years old wooden houses, pretty parks, and stunning villas. As to cafés and restaurants, there are plenty to choose from.

I really enjoy Knipan café and restaurant, open during the summer months. But you could also dine in style, and have a meal at the enchanting environment of Mustio Castle. Bookings are absolutely necessary here.

One other stunning place I truly love is the little Fagervik ironworks, at Inkoo. Here you can walk past gorgeous wooden cottages, an old church, and a manor house, and admire the pretty lawns and wildflower meadows by the water. People live her year-round, so some discretion is required when visiting. But exploring the idyllic Fagervik truly feels like a trip back in time.

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