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
MY Best Helsinki - Photos 5 - Images from Suomenlinna Fortress Island           ACROSS THE POND:  
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 &
HELP WITH THE LANGUAGE


 
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Boutique Hotels:
            

   
   
HOTEL HAVEN

Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Unioninkatu 17, 00130 Helsinki
Phone: (358) 9 681 930
Email: sales@HotelHaven.fi 

"Designed to provide homely warmth,
exclusive comfort and high-quality
services for the discerning guest."

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.
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, who knows...
                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
   
                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
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  TORNI    
Yrjönkatu 26, 00100 HELSINKI
Phone: (020) 1234 604
Fax (09) 4336 7100
torni.helsinki@sokoshotels.fi


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  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.
Second link
Linna = Castle 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 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.
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.  


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Link to:


HOTEL LIST: Star rated hotels, provided by Helsinki
City Tourist Office

HOTEL LIST

List of  SOKOS HOTELS in Helsinki
CLOSED hotels: 
    HOTEL PALACE
Eteläranta 10, 00130 Helsinki
Closed on Nov.1, 2009
We loved Palace for its terrific views.		 HOTEL MARTHA
Uudenmaankatu 24
00120 HELSINKI
                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      

 
    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_Kamppi_shopping. Photo copyright Annu Lilja 2008 - Helsinki_Kamppi_Center. Photo copyright Annu Lilja 2008 -


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              
  , 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 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
MY Best Helsinki - Photos 5 - Images from Suomenlinna Fortress Island           ACROSS THE POND:  
WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE LARGE WATERMARKS ON THE PHOTOS, BUT AS IT HAS TURNED OUT, OUR
PHOTOS HAVE BEEN STOLEN A LOT, especially the "Helsinki Sophia Street Dome"-photo on our home page.
All photos & images, including enlarged pop-up photos,  images, content & design on this page and on all My Best Helsinki pages, are privately
owned, copyrighted work © R.C.C.Gelber 1999, 2000-2009, 2010 and / or © Annu Lilja 1999, 2000-2009, 2010.  Any copying, printing,
re-production, posting or displaying of ANY of the photos on ANY of MY BEST HELSINKI pages, in any form, is strictly forbidden.
If you are interested in purchasing a photograph, please contact us. Thank You.