My Best Helsinki Hotels & Travel Services


	My Best Helsinki Hotels & Travel Services
			After you land in Helsinki, you will want to find a place to rest. After a long and detailed investigation, we have conclusively determined that the best place to do so is in a hotel. (Busses are too crowded, trains are too hectic, sidewalks are too cold, and floating in the sea, while restful, can leave you in places you did not intend to go.) Happily, Helsinki has a broad selection of hotels for every taste and every budget. We hope you find this list useful.

MORE MY BEST HELSINKI: HOME RESTAURANTS 1 RESTAURANTS 2 RESTAURANTS 3 PHOTOS 1 PHOTOS 2 PHOTOS 3 PHOTOS 4 HELSINKI ARCHITECTURE

HELSINKI MUSIC HELSINKI CLUBS & BARS HELSINKI SIGHTS & DESTINATIONS HELSINKI HOTELS, TRANSIT & TRAVEL SERVICES FINNISH WORDS


	Below, some of the many hotels in Helsinki. The star rating system reflects an internet consensus and does not necessarily reflect our independent opinion.	The hotels we like, in different price ranges, are mostly located pretty close to the very center, shopping, restaurants, the Esplanade, the Market Square, Senate Square, etc.


	Lower down on the page, we have good links to lists of HOSTELS & APARTMENTS & a link for MORE HOTELS and Helsinki TRANSIT &
	TRAVEL SERVICES: Different Modes of Transportation & TRAINS & COUNTRY BUSES, BOATS & FERRIES, FLIGHTS & AIRPORTS & OTHER: cars, etc.
	HELP WITH THE LANGUAGE
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New Boutique Hotel:

HOTEL KLAUS K Bulevardi 2, 00120 Helsinki Good, central location. New York's "own" top chef, Markus Samuelsson (Aquavit, NY Times 3-star), is acting as a consultant at Klaus K 's Restaurant ILMATAR.		The new kid in town, - the "lifestyle" hotel: (a part of the PalaceKämp chain): HOTEL GLO Kluuvikatu 4, 00100 Helsinki Located "behind" Kämp, between Pohjoisesplanadi (North Esplanade) & Aleksanterinkatu (Alexander Street). Very central location. Personally, for the money, I need better views. But the hotel is promising a "service package yet unseen in Helsinki" ... So, we will see...

5-Star Hotels:

HOTEL KÄMP Pohjoisesplanadi 29, 00100 Helsinki A Ritz-Carlton like hotel, in a beautiful & restored historic building, by the Esplanade Park, in the very center. Kämp has been on the Conde Nast Traveler's "Top European Hotels" - list for many years.	HOTEL HILTON STRAND John Stenbergin ranta 4, 00530 Helsinki 24 h room service. Good services. In Hakaniemi, a bit outside the center. Not convenient if you want to be a short walk from main shopping & restaurants, and want to explore the neighborhoods closest to the center by foot - which we recommend.


4-Star Hotels:

HOTEL PALACE Eteläranta 10, 00130 Helsinki Our home away from home. We love the harbor & sea views, and the smaller size of the hotel. (The hotel rooms occupy only the 9th floor). One of the best breakfast spreads we have seen anywhere in the world. There is something for everyone, whether you are health conscious, or a bacon & eggs person (or reindeer & eggs person) - or something in between.	HOTEL TORNI Yrjönkatu 26, 00100 HELSINKI SECOND LINK to HOTEL TORNI Central location. The Tower Bar, with terrific views over Helsinki is a "must", even if you do not stay at the hotel. Yup, you guesssed it: Torni = Tower in Finnish	HOTEL GRAND MARINA Katajanokanlaituri 7 00160 Helsinki In historic Katajanokka seaside neighborhood a bit outside the center, but "a couple of tram stops" from the the Market Square in the pretty south Harbor & the Presidential Palace & the Dome.	HOTEL CROWNE PLAZA Mannerheimintie 50, 00260 Helsinki In Töölö, a few tram stops from the very center. Big hotel. High floors have good views. Close to the Opera, National Museum, Finlandia Hall.
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3-Star hotels:

HOTEL ANNA Annankatu 1 00120 HELSINKI Comfortable & practical hotel in a good, central location. Take a look at (scroll down) Anna's terrific location page, with a map & a good aerial shot of the neigborhood, showing parts of the center and the Railway Station in the background.	HOTEL MARTHA Uudenmaankatu 24 00120 HELSINKI Good choice for a nice budget hotel. Single rooms start at 98€. Located it the cool Punavuori * neighborhood (colloquially & lovingly called "Rööperi") . * Puna= Red Vuori=Mountain in Finnish.	HOTEL LINNA Lönnrotinkatu 29, 00180 Helsinki In a gorgeous Art Nouveau (or Jugend-style), granite "castle". The exterior & the interior design of the public spaces are bustling with national romantic motives, worth to take a look at even if you are not a guest at the hotel. The hotel rooms are (unfortunately, if you ask us - but you are probably not) designed in a modern, boutique- hotel style. Neat, but not reflecting the spirit of the building's public spaces. Linna = Castle in Finnish.	HOTEL ARTHUR Vuorikatu 19, 00100 Helsinki Central location, good prices.

We would love to hear from fellow Helsinki travelers. LET US KNOW WHICH HOTELS YOU LIKE IN HELSINKI, AND WHY.		HOTEL CUMULUS KAISANIEMI Kaisaniemenkatu 7, 00100 Helsinki Located on a heavily trafficed street, but very close to the center and a short walk to Aleksanterinkatu & the Esplanade.

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Link to:
HOTEL LIST: Star rated hotels, provided by Helsinki City Tourist Office HOTEL LIST: Star rated hotels & hostels, by Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau.




Link to:

LIST OF APARTMENTS & HOSTELS		APARTMENT HOTEL GELLA: Offers apartments in various sizes, from studios to 4BR apartments, scattered around town.
	Be sure to find about all additional fees before booking an apartment. Is cleaning included? How often? How often will linens and towels be replaced with clean ones? Etc.


	Language problems?
		Finnish is considered to be one of the most difficult languages for a non-native speaker to learn, although it is also considered one of the world's most beautiful sounding languages.	FOR SOME USEFUL FINNISH WORDS & PHRASES: SEE OUR ENGLISH - FINNISH WORD PAGE. Because Swedish also is spoken in Helsinki, we include some Swedish phrases as well.
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TRANSIT & TRAVEL SERVICES - Different Modes of Transportation:

Our favorite way to get around in the center area of Helsinki is to walk.
But sometimes you need to use something faster than our two feet. Here are a few possibilities:

Helsinki City Transport: Maps, Timetables & Information

Interactive map of the Helsinki area with surrounding cities

Check out the pupblic transportation JOURNEY PLANNER, a terrific tool to plan your commute in Helsinki.
Makes getting from point A to point B as easy as pie.

General Helsinki transportation link, routes, times, etc

HELSINKI TRAMS:

Timetables, Route maps, Tickets, etc.

THE HELSINKI CARD -Take advantage of it.

The Finnish Tramway Society

Great way to get around: Biking!

HELSINKI BUSES

Timetables, Route maps, Tickets, etc.
Bus Route Map, pdf

Check out: CITYBIKES

HELSINKI METRO:
Route map, Timetables, etc.

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LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL SERVICES:

TRAIN:

BUS:

HELSINKI RAILWAY STATION

Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council

Helsinki Bus Station, located in the
KAMPPI CENTER, is one of the most modern
and busiest in the world.

What is quite stunning, though, is that the Bus Station
has cleverly kept its STREET ADDRESS off its website.
So there is virtually no effort to help non-locals find
them.
How about a street address for the different terminals,
CLEARLY POSTED on the front page of the web site?
Would that be too much to ask?

Quite startling. A business that caters to customers should
have all its contact info: Address, telephone number, location,
etc, clearly available, easily accessible on its web site.

Your cab driver will know where it is- we hope. The locals
surely do. Most Finns are very friendly and love helping a
traveller. And most Finns do speak English - and love a chance
to practice it a bit.
Anywy, the Bus Station is somewhere in the Kamppi Center,
underground. You'll figure it out - we hope.

General Kamppi Center web-page
Here is one link with info about the BUS STATION
Or, maybe this helps?:
LOCATION on PDF-MAP
Link to Kamppi Center, in Finnish , has photos of
the bus terminals, etc.
Second link

MATKAHUOLTO bus travel services
EXPRESSBUS services

BOAT & FERRY SERVICES:

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BOAT TERMINALS:
SILJA LINE

PORT OF HELSINKI WEB SITE

VIKING LINE & driving instructions
& map to Viking's terminal in Helsinki

Both SILJA LINE & VIKING LINE offer ferry services both
to Sweden, & to the stunningly beautiful, autonomous, Åland
Islands (part of the the western Finnish archipelago) and the
Baltic Sea (Tallin) . Silja/Tallink also sails to = Pärnu, Riga,
Rostock, etc.
See Silja's DESTINATIONS page.
See Viking's DESTINATIONS page.


	AIRLINES, AIRPORTS:

	Feel like flying? Check out: FINNAIR or SAS.	All you need to know about HELSINKI - VANTAA AIRPORT, or other Finnish airports.
	The Finnair bus from Helsinki-Vantaa airport to the center of Helsinki (to the railway station, which is the last stop) takes about 35-40 minutes each way. To be on the safe side, reserve 1 hour each way, since especially if the trip is to be made during a rush hour. Link to time table.	Free shuttle bus between terminals and parking


	Cars, etc.:

	Need to rent a car? Try: TIGER CAR RENTAL

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	We are continually upgrading all pages on My Best Helsinki, with photos, links and text. We strive to keep all links in working order. If you notice a defect, or have suggestions or questions, we would love to receive your e-mail. We hope you enjoy My Best Helsinki.

MORE MY BEST HELSINKI: HOME RESTAURANTS 1 RESTAURANTS 2 RESTAURANTS 3 PHOTOS 1 PHOTOS 2 PHOTOS 3 PHOTOS 4 HELSINKI ARCHITECTURE

HELSINKI MUSIC HELSINKI CLUBS & BARS HELSINKI SIGHTS & DESTINATIONS HELSINKI HOTELS, TRANSIT & TRAVEL SERVICES FINNISH PHRASES