The Design Guide to Helsinki, Finland

Nov 28

Paid partnership with Radisson RED Helsinki

The best in cafés & restaurants, design & architecture, and a brand new hotel in the city centre — here’s the ultimate Helsinki city guide

Helsinki is full of cool architecture, great design and cosy cafes and restaurants. This fall, I travelled north for my client Radisson RED, who have just opened a brand new hotel right in the city centre. Overlooking Helsinki’s oldest park, Kaisaniemi Park, the hotel is located within walking distance to the (beautiful!) central station, as well as several must see’s in this blog post — including the Oodi Library and Chapel of Silence, that took my breath away.

Keep reading for my top things to do in Helsinki, and discover my blog post created for Radisson Hotels online here.

In a hurry and looking for a quick round-up of Helsinki? Here you go:

Cafes: Café Savoy | IPI | Andante Speciality Coffee | El Fant Café & Wine Bar

Restaurants: Savoy Restaurant | Sake Bar & Izakaya | Lulu’s | Forza Pizza | Yes Yes Yes
Oodi Library | Chapel of Silence | Temppeliaukio Church
Loyly | Kulttuurisauna | Allas Sea Pool
ARTEK 2nd Cycle | ARTEK Store | Teema Tea Shop & Café
Radisson RED Helsinki

Design + Architecture:

The Aalto House: An absolute must visit, and one of the reasons I was really excited to visit Helsinki; the functionalist villa and home of world-famous architects Aino and Alvar Aalto. The house was designed by Alvar, after the couple purchased an empty lot in the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood of Helsinki in 1934. Completed two years after, the style of this house was completely new to the area; its flat roof, closed-off entrance, and use of simple, natural materials.

Today, the house is an attraction for visitors from all over the world. At the one end, Aalto created an office department for the (then small) architectural practice, himself seated by the window where the light was at its best. However, as the firm evolved, the couple established the office building Studio Aalto just a 10 minute walk from the house:

Studio Aalto: Headquarters of the Aalto architectural practise, Alvar designed this office space in 1955. From the curved building bathed in natural lights, Alvar and his team designed a number of famous buildings across the world. A visit here is a unique look into the space where so much magic happened — and the entire building is beautiful, inside out. Aalto Studio is only open during group tours, and purchasing tickets beforehand is recommended as groups are limited to 15 people.

Tip: If you wish to visit both venues, check the timetables for the Studio tours and book a house tour beforehand, as studio tours are only twice a day.

Find all information and purchase tickets via alvaraalto.fi.

Chapel of Silence: Located on a busy square in the city centre, Kamppi Chapel (Chapel of Silence) is exactly this — a quiet retreat from the buzzing city. And quite an architectural sight as well, with its rounded, sculptural wooden structure from the outside, and light, curvy wooden chapel inside. Designed by K2S Architects, a visit to this wooden chapel really is a special experience, regardless of your beliefs or religion. Everyone is welcome inside for a moment of peace.

Oodi Library: Finland’s flagship library, the Helsinki public library stands as a winding wooden structure topped with large open-plan readings rooms under the glass roof. Designed by Finnish studio ALA Architects and completed in 2018, Oodi is meant to bring together the whole city — and after visiting, I understand why. The open, spacious and light-filled library has something for everyone; play area (and huge book selection) for kids, lounge/reading areas for students (I saw several young people sleeping in the comfy furniture), a café, chess tournaments, second hand markets, and so on. In summer, the huge balcony on the top floor opens up with a view to the Parliament.

*Pictured: Kampin Kapelli | Chapel of Silence*

Cafés + Restaurants

Café Savoy: Located on a wide avenue in the city centre, the Savoy building is quite an institution in Helsinki. Downstairs with large windows to the street you will find the café; an inviting space serving a menu inspired by the cuisine of Southern France. The room is beautiful, the vibe is relaxed (but relatively well-dressed), and dishes are delicious. Upstairs is the Savoy Restaurant — mentioned in the Michelin guide, the evening restaurant serves a Finnish-French menu from seasonal ingredients led by head chef Helena Puolakka.

The building has housed dinner parties since the 1930ies, and was designed by Alvar and Aino Alto bringing their functionalism to every detail. Today, the beautiful old-world vibe is complimented by a recent, modern refurbishment by world-famous designer Ilse Crawford. The studio has decorated the space solely with vintage designs — a number of ARTEK pieces — and the result is warm and inviting.

Sake Bar & Izakaya: By chance, I found myself having dinner by the counter in this charming Japanese sake bar, and it turned out to be my favourite dining experience in town. The menu says ‘drinking snacks’ but you can easily compile an entire meal from the smaller, Japanese dishes such as Miso Butter Corn (so good!), sautéed mushrooms and mochi, miso carbonara udon, or chicken nanban. There’s only around 12 seats, so book a table if you want to be sure — and promise me you’ll go!

IPI Kulmakuppila: This spacious café in the trendy Kallio neighborhood serves colourful salad bowls and homebaked pastries, as well as the IPI breakfast; vegan porridge or yoghurt with granola and jam, freshly squeezed juices, coffee and tea. My favourite thing about this place? They’re an ‘on-the-job’ initiative, where people who might not always fit into the regular job market get to practise their skills required in café work. Absolutely admirable, as well a very cosy café.

Saunas

Loyly: No trip to Finland is complete without a visit to a sauna, and luckily, there are a number of public ones in Helsinki. Loyly is probably the most famous one, located in the Hernesaari neighbourhood south of the city. The beautiful wooden structure is designed by Finnish Avanto Architects with interior by Joanna Laajisto, and it also holds a popular café and restaurant overlooking the sea.

Of course, you can take a dip in the sea before or after using the saunas, and whilst showers and changing rooms are separated, the saunas and public spaces are for all (bathing suits are mandatory). Buying an entrance ticket gives you access to all facilities for two hours.

More saunas that look beautiful are Kulttuurisauna and Allas Sea Pool.

Where to stay

— Radisson RED Helsinki

Located in the heart of town just a few minutes’ walk from Helsinki Central Station, the brand new Radisson RED is the perfect base to explore the city from. The hotel is a buzzing new addition to the Helsinki design scene, and the in-house restaurant and bar in the lobby is always lively with both hotel guests and locals enjoying coffee, drinks and food.

Overlooking Helsinki’s oldest park, the Kaisaniemi, guests can enjoy a view to foliage and life right outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Rooms are stylish and spacious, and I spent two nights sound asleep for 9 hours straight in the most comfortable bed (I do not remember the last time, that happened!).

The hotel has free wifi all over, a well-equipped gym downstairs, and the suites have beautiful free-standing bath tubs overlooking the city.

In the morning, a breakfast buffet in the cosy restaurant offers everything you dream of including your choice of freshly-made omelette, and for dinner, I enjoyed a pizza dinner downstairs, while taking my chocolate mousse to bed — just perfect.

There are direct train connections from the Central Station to the airport (takes about 30 minutes), and within a maximum of 10 minutes walk from the hotel you’ll find Chapel of Silence, Oodi Library, Café Savoy, Sake Bar & Izakaya, shopping street Keskuskatu, as well as several museums.

A modern hotel with a better location in Helsinki is hard to come by.

Find all info and book your next stay here.

Shopping

ARTEK 2nd Cycle: In 2006, ARTEK started collecting used designs sourced from flea markets, old factories schools and shipyards. This resulted in their second hand shop in central Helsinki, where you’ll find both their popular stools, but also dining tables, lounge chairs, shelves and lightning. A great look into the ARTEK heritage, and an even better way to bring new life to these quality designs.

ARTEK Store: Located on Helsinki’s pedestrian shopping street Keskuskatu, the ARTEK flagship store is spread across two levels and holds the entire ARTEK collection as well as like-minded brands from Finland and the Nordics.

Teema Tea Shop & Café: A combined tea shop and café, Teema is located in the city centre. Its minimal, warm design with a distinct Japanese touch offers the perfect little break from wandering around the city. Try the black sesame cheese cake and any of their tea options in the small café, and bring home your favourite tea together with beautiful ceramic cups.