But we’ll be upfront — Helsinki isn’t known to be a budget destination, and it can be tough to score a good deal on hotels here.

Read on to discover where Cheapos stay on a trip to Helsinki.

The top budget hotels in Helsinki

We’ve chosen our favorite Helsinki hotels with some flair, fun perks and friendly service that are more affordable than most accommodations in the city. Remember, Helsinki is expensive. These prices may seem high, but they are actually a good deal for the city.

We love the modern look of the rooms at Omena Hotel.

Omena Hotel Helsinki City Centre

Neighborhood: The Center
Doubles from $81

Near art museums, a swimming hall, restaurants, and the city’s Central Station, the Omena Hotel offers comfortable accommodations for Cheapos looking to be in the middle of the action. Rooms include flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, microwaves and private baths. Learn more

Hotelli Finn has been recently renovated for a smart and contemporary look.

Hotelli Finn

Neighborhood: The Center
Doubles from $114

Sweet, chic, and simple, the Hotelli Finn offers rooms with a dose of modern charm in an excellent location. Many of the rooms are en-suite, but if you’d like to save a bit more money, opt for a room with a shared shower (you’ll still have a private toilet). Learn more

You can’t leave Helsinki without relaxing in a Finnish sauna like the one at Hotel Arthur.

Hotel Arthur

Neighborhood: The Center
Doubles from $123

The Hotel Arthur feels indulgent, with Finnish saunas, a filling (and free!) breakfast and stylish rooms, without costing an arm and a leg. Some rooms even include “rainbow showers” with color-changing water. Fancy! Learn more

Rooms are grand but the price can be right if you book ahead at Scandic Grand Marina.

Scandic Grand Marina

Neighborhood: East of the Center
Doubles from $128

Right near the harbor is the Scandic Grand Marina, a large four-star hotel with a friendly staff and clean rooms. Cheapos will love the free Wi-Fi and bicycle rentals as well as the lovely library cart in the welcoming lobby. There is also a bar and restaurant on site. Learn more

More Helsinki Hotels

Still looking for that perfect room for your visit? Search and book 650+ hotels in Helsinki.

The post Finland: The best budget hotels in Helsinki for 2024 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Szeged in Hungary, Bergamo in Italy, and Lund in Sweden all ooze that distinct welcoming feeling. They are spots where you roll up expecting to stay just one night and three days later you are still in town.

A Finnish revelation

Tampere in Finland is another such town. We arrived in Tampere on a summer evening, the dipping sun reflecting from the windows of the city’s striking red brick mills. It is an instantly appealing place, with the city center gathered around the fast-flowing Tammerkoski waterway. River walks, some strikingly well-preserved industrial landscapes and spacious parks and boulevards all contribute to Tampere’s magic.

Industrial heritage

Where other cities have ripped out abandoned industrial buildings, Tampere’s city fathers had better ideas. They left them in place, redeploying them to new uses, creating stylish space for cafés and bars, museums and a galaxy of workshops and studios that now underpin Tampere’s buoyant arts scene.

The town exudes some of that same slightly Bohemian urban buzz that makes Manchester so appealing. No surprise perhaps that in its industrial heyday, Tampere was often dubbed “the Manchester of the North.”

The Tampere Theater in the city center.

The city’s status as Finland’s industrial powerhouse was due to one man, a Scottish Quaker industrialist named James Finlayson, who had established mills in St. Petersburg. In 1820 Finlayson was encouraged by Tsar Alexander I to expand his business to the Grand Duchy of Finland — which was then part of Imperial Russia, as indeed it remained until the Bolsheviks granted Finland its independence shortly after the October Revolution in 1917.

Socialist credentials

Tampere happens to have played a star role in Europe’s socialist history. Lenin decamped to the town after the 1905 Revolution and Tampere hosted a number of early meetings of the Bolsheviks, including the late 1905 meeting when Lenin met Stalin for the first time.

The town’s Lenin museum recalls those heady days and provides a very fine account of the importance of Lenin’s thought in advancing the political development of Europe.

The post Tampere, Finland: A town with a buzz appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This is a minor single track railway, and the unstaffed station at Retretti is as small as they come. On the platform stands an oversized sculpture, an apt welcome to a community, hidden away amid the lakes and forests, that is utterly devoted to art.

Matti Kalkamo’s "Silent Dialogue" sculpture (2006) being installed at the Retretti Arts Centre

The Art Centre

The Retretti Art Centre is in the premier league of European galleries. And it is unique in that the majority of its display space is underground in a series of caves.

It is a chance to immerse oneself in art in a space that is distanced from the here-and-now. Over the years the Retretti summer exhibitions have featured such celebrated artists as Ilya Repin and Marc Chagall.

The 2011 season

Retretti’s 2011 season kicked off last week with a summer program featuring artist-couples from the mid-19th to the early-20th century, so covering the heyday of Finnish Romanticism through to early Modernism. “Masters and their spouses,” you might say for in most cases it was the husband who enjoyed the premier reputation of the two.

Also at Retretti this summer are lithographs of Carl Barks’ Donald Duck comic strip, a children’s art workshop with African flavors and many other displays and installations. In a sneak preview last month, we were especially impressed by glassware from the avant-garde Kyösti Kakkosen collection and the striking photographic installations of Maija Pirilä and Petri Nuutinen.

Art apart

Retretti stays open until August 28. Art apart, the surrounding lake and forest landscape is magnificent. If you are bound for Savonlinna, famous for its summer opera festival, then definitely make a stop at Retretti. It is four hours by train from Helsinki to Retretti, and from there just a further half hour on to Savonlinna. There is also a useful boat connection from Retretti to Savonlinna that operates when the arts center is open.

Where to stay

As to accommodation, you will find more choice in Savonlinna than immediately around Retretti. When we were in the area last month, we stayed at the Hotel Hospitz on the shore of the lake in Savonlinna. Get one of the lake-view rooms with a balcony if you can (they only have two). It is a first-class location, just a short walk to Savonlinna’s imposing castle.

Savonlinna in summer is Finland at its very best. Throw in Retretti too, and you have a first-class destination.

Air links

The train journey from Helsinki to Retretti and Savonlinna is a very fine introduction to Finland. At one point it skirts the Russian border. But if it sounds too remote, Savonlinna does have its own airport, with Finncomm Airlines offering twice daily direct air service from Helsinki in just 85 minutes.

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Where to go, you ask? Well, read on, because we’ve got you covered with some Cheapo-friendly ways to soak up the sun in Helsinki.

Suomenlinna Fortress
Web site
Open year-round (last ferry leaves from Suomenlinna at 2 a.m.)

The Suomenlinna sea fortress, a popular tourist attraction year-round, is ideal for a summer outing. Once a military base used by first the Swedish and then the Russians, today the sea fortress is best known for its museums and its open-air theater. However, you don’t need to spend a euro to enjoy Suomenlinna’s expansive views of the Baltic.

Take a ferry or waterbus to reach the fortress and then wander around among the stony walkways and look out at the sea. Bring a picnic to enjoy outside or stop by one of the restaurants or cafés on the island.

Getting there: Take the Suomenlinna ferry (€3.80 for a 12-hour ticket) from Market Square or the J-Line waterbus near Esplanadi Park (€6.50 for a round-trip ticket).

Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
Nervanderinkatu 13
Hours: Varies throughout the year; see site for details
Admission: €6 (€ 5 reduced)
Web site

Seurasaari Island is a green, peaceful area located a few kilometers from the city center. The island’s main attraction is the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, which boasts 87 well-preserved Finnish cottages from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Among the museum’s highlights are a wooden church and a manor house from south-western Finland. A leisurely stroll past these rustic buildings, combined with the mild summer weather, is a perfect way to escape the urban environment for a few hours.

Midsummer celebration
Seurasaari Island and throughout Helsinki

Seurasaari is also known for the annual Midsummer bonfire held off its coast. Midsummer in Finland falls on the first Saturday after June 19 (for 2010, June 26). If you’re lucky enough to be in town on this date, make sure to head out to the island to take part in the celebration.

The Swimming Stadium
Hammarskjöldintie 1
Admission:€3.80
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. (pool open May 10-September 19)
Tram: 3B, 3T, 4, 7A, 7B, 8, 10
Web site

We love the indoor Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall for its 1920’s architecture and its authentically local vibe, but we think Helsinki’s outdoor pool, located on the north side of town near the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, is the perfect summertime option. The Swimming Stadium is part of a larger athletic complex, and it offers plenty of lanes for some leisurely laps.

Tell us

Have you been to any of these attractions? Tell us about your experience — or recommend another budget-friendly activity in Helsinki.

The post Helsinki: Cheapo-friendly summertime attractions appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Ice skating at Railway Square

The Ice Park right outside Helsinki’s central train station is one of the city’s most popular skating venues. The rink is open from November to March, and it offers a variety of programs and performances in addition to open skating. (On Thursday evening, for instance, you can participate in an ice skating aerobics class!)

Admission costs €5, and skate rentals are another €5. The Ice Park also has a café serving warm drinks and pastries.

A swim and sauna at Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall

The Finnish love of saunas is by no means limited to the coldest months of the year, but winter is a perfect time to warm your bones in one. For an extra-special experience, take a trip to the city’s iconic Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall. The institution dates back to 1928, and it boasts both an impressive pool along with private and group saunas.

Men and women have separate hours, so make sure to check the schedule online. Once you’re in, go for a swim (bathing suit optional) and admire the striking Classical architecture. When you’re done with the water, head to the sauna and relax. You’ll find plenty of locals doing the same.

Admission costs €2.20, and a locker costs €4.40. The swimming hall is open year-round; check the website for hours.

Taking in the music scene

Helsinki is sprinkled with dozens of über-hip clubs where both indie and well-known musical acts play. After a day of swimming and skating, settle down with a drink and get ready to dance.

Located in the happening Kallio hood north of the city center, Kuudes Linja offers live (usually underground) music and DJ sets nightly. Most shows costs less than €10.

If you’re looking for a less trendy, more traditional scene, head to Rymy-Eetu, a Finnish-German restaurant with hearty fare, plentiful beer, and folksy live music. The restaurant sits on the bar-lined Errotajankatu in central Helsinki, and it offers a “two for the price of one” discount on main courses from 2-5 PM daily.

To find more music clubs and bars, visit the city’s nightlife listings page.

The post Helsinki: Warming up in winter—on the cheap! appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A cinnamon roll and coffee at Cafe Esplanad.

Are your taste buds unstimulated? Not to fear—Helsinki’s hidden culinary strength lies in its selection of cute cafes. No one can subsist on coffee and pastries alone, but here are three Cheapo-approved cafes for tiding you over between meals.

Café Esplanad
Pohjoisesplanadi 37

Sitting pretty just off Helsinki’s Esplanadi Park, Café Esplanad is known for more than its prominent location. The café’s giant “korvapuustit” (Finnish cinnamon rolls) are simply delicious. Esplanad is self-serve, so ask the cashier for a roll, pour yourself a coffee, and sit near the window to watch the pedestrian traffic pass by. A pastry plus a coffee (with free refills) will set you back about €5.

Café Engel
Aleksanterinkatu 26

If you prefer stunning views to people-watching, take a seat at the Café Engel, which counts as its neighbor the famous Helsinki Cathedral. (The café is even named after the cathedral’s architect, Carl Ludvig Engel.) The café is popular with locals, and even hosts outdoor film screenings in the warmer months. A full breakfast costs around €13, while coffee and a slice of cake is €7-10. After lingering over your table, head across the street to the Cathedral’s steep steps for a post-meal workout.

The view from Cafe Engel.

Café Ekberg
Bulevardi 9

Southwest of Esplanadi Park in Helsinki’s hip Kamppi district, Café Ekberg dates back to 1915. The beautiful, bite-size pastries and cakes on offer here make for the perfect afternoon sugar rush. Known for attracting a more mature crowd, the café also offers a good breakfast. Just make sure to have the morning meal on a weekday, when the meal costs €9—the price doubles to €18 on the weekends. If you prefer to stop in for a pastry or sandwich, expend to spend €2-10.

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If you’re planning a trip to the Finnish capital, chances are you’ll see the Helsinki Card advertised as a must-have for visitor discounts. But at a hefty €34 for a single day of visits, the tourist pass is a bit of an investment for cost-conscious Cheapos. So, is the Helsinki Card worth it?

What it offers

The Helsinki Card includes free admission to 40 museums (including the wonderful Ateneum and Kiasma art museums), as well as unlimited travel on Helsinki’s tram, bus, and ferry system. The card also offers a free city tour and discounts on day trips to nearby city of Tallinn, Estonia.

For those planning on sampling some traditional Finnish culture, the card also offers discounts at a number of restaurants—and even the city’s famous swimming hall and sauna.

Cost

Here are the 2010 prices for the Helsinki Card:

24-hour Helsinki Card costs €34 (€13 for children under 16).
48-hour card costs €45 (€16).
72-hour card costs €55 (€19).

Should you buy it?

There are a number of things to consider before deciding if the Helsinki Card is worth the euros.

Firstly, do you plan on hitting up lots of museums during your stay? Helsinki museums charge around €8—and can skyrocket up to €16 in the event of a special exhibition (such as the Picasso event currently showing at the Ateneum).

Not so fast! Even if museums are a top priority for you, note that many museums offer free admission of the first Wednesday of the month. If you plan to visit more than five museums, or your thirst for Finnish culture can’t be quenched in one Wednesday, the Helsinki Card is your best bet.

Also worth considering is how often you’ll use transportation. Helsinki is a small city, and most sights are within walking distance of one another. That said, there are a few notable exceptions located outside the city center. To reach the famous Sibelius Monument or the seaside ice-swimming Rastila camp site, you’ll need to take the tram or metro. If you’re staying in the center of town, however, there’s no need to step aboard at €2.50 a pop; the city is best explored on foot.

The bottom line

Ultimately, a realistic sense of what (and how much) you plan to see in Helsinki should inform your decision. Keep in mind that the Helsinki Card is really only worth the euros if your trip is jam-packed with sightseeing and museum-visiting.

Tip: If you do buy this tourist pass, make sure to do so online, as you’ll save €3. If you’re considering a jaunt to Tallinn or the island fortress of Suomenlinna (also covered by the card), purchase the two- or three-day Helsinki Card, so you’re able to take advantage of the card’s discounts at a more leisurely pace.

The post Is the Helsinki Card worth it? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The new guide to cheap hotels in Helsinki takes us into exciting new territory, farther north and east than any of our other guides.

Sarah Silbert, a contributing editor who covered the city following her update of Copenhagen, was initially surprised by the high rates of hotels in Helsinki while planning her trip. “I had expected that, like other cities covered on the site, there would be a wide variety of budget sleeping options. But ‘budget’ in Helsinki is different than ‘budget’ in Berlin,” she explained.

While Helsinki has a few hostels and pensions to accommodate the most budget-minded of travelers, even these are a bit more expensive than the same type of lodging in other European cities. A dorm at the Hostel Erottajanpuisto, for example, costs $36 a night.

“In Helsinki,” Sarah said, “that’s really cheap.”

Bumping up a notch, a double room with shared bath at the Eurohostel runs $72-$84 a night. Despite its name, the property only offers private rooms, not dorms. “I stayed at the Eurohostel and found it to be a good option, especially considering the steep rates at other hotels in Helsinki.”

EuroCheapo’s Helsinki guide also includes a number of three-star hotels, as well as travelers’ apartments and even one four-star pick. The city guide articles cover basics like Helsinki city transportation, expect to spend, and budget tips to keep it cheap.

The post Helsinki: EuroCheapo launches guide to cheap hotels in Helsinki appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

How to keep costs manageable in such a pricey Nordic capital? We’ve got a few suggestions.

1. Find a cheap bed. The well-scrubbed Eurohostel, located on Katajanokka, is a cheap spot to lay your head. Rooms are small but spic-and-span, with Ikea-like blond wood bed frames and gray and green room accents. Doubles begin at €53 in the summer, which is pretty darn cheap for the pricey Finnish capital.

Central Helsinki by day…

2. Grab a cheap lunch. Grub is expensive in central Helsinki. One good value can be found at the Hietalahti Flea Market café, where the lunch buffet is just €7 per person. Just don’t go assuming that you’ll be able to find such good deals in the flea market hall itself, which is packed to the rafters with spectacular Finnish modernist pieces (as well as some inarguably uninteresting fluff). A trip to the nearby Design Museum (Korkeavuorenkatu 23) will confirm your suspicions that many of the Flea Market’s cast-offs are in fact Grade A modernist beauties.

3. Visit a free museum. The splendid Kiasma (Museum of Contemporary Art) is worth the €7 admission fee for the exploration of its curved passageways and awesome scale alone. But on the first Wednesday of every month, admission is free. Several other museums occasionally offer free admission as well.  Helsinki City Art Museum is free on Fridays, for example.

Helsinki’s main cathedral, the Tuomiokirkko

4. Free furniture? Well, not really. All those expensive shops full of incredibly dear and well made Finnish furniture can be visited and viewed by any Cheapo with an appetite for good, high-end design. Check out Vepsäläinen and the adjacent Solid Furniture on Annankatu 25, and Amfora Shop on Bulevardi 11 for some particularly inspiring selections.

5. Take a cheap day trip. It’s all relative, of course, but a boat trip to the beautiful island of Suomenlinna—where one of the largest historic maritime monuments in the world holds court—is just €3.80 roundtrip for adults and €1.90 roundtrip for children aged 7 to 16.  Once there, guided walking tours of the island are available most every day in the summer, less frequently in the down season. They are free for Helsinki Card carriers.

The post Wandering Cheapo Helsinki: Five Cheapo Tips appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Free ferries for all!

Scandinavia may be famously pricey, but Cheapos who stray off the well-trodden tourist trails will still find some bargain deals. Take the Åland Islands where passengers using the local inter-island ferry services travel entirely for free. You can put together multiple-stop itineraries that cruise from southwest Finland out through the islands and back again. That eleven-hour cruise from Galtby is free. Not a cent!

Of course, canny travellers stop off in the Ålands. If you ask us, the two best islands are Brändö and Kökar, both worth a day or two for their quiet beauty.

Photos courtesy hidden europe magazine

Cheap snuff too!

The Åland Islands are Swedish-speaking, politically linked to Finland, but have a high level of local autonomy. Once nominally part of Russia, the islanders resisted being fully assimilated into the Tsarist Empire.

Today it is that same spirit of independence that guides their relationship with Finland and the European Union. Åland plays the great game of integration but on its own terms. So the canny islanders have negotiated a smart series of tax breaks, which means that Swedes flock to the islands for cheap spirits, ciggies, and snuff. Yes, snuff (locally called snus), for which Swedes have a particular affection.

The Ålands are a place to linger. The archipelago is beguilingly beautiful, and a quirky geo-political oddity. The Ålands have their own postage stamps and many other marks of autonomy. Plus those free ferries. A rare combination! You can read more about the Åland Islands on the hidden europe website.

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