Getting around in Helsinki is both convenient and environmentally friendly. You don’t have to sit in a car in rush hour or even own a car, because public transport works like a charm. Helsinki is proud of its punctuality.

When you want to find the fastest route, Helsinki Region Transport’s (HSL) Journey Planner comes to the rescue. Download the HSL app, which makes it easy to check which bus, metro, train, ferry or tram takes you to your destination. (If you are feeling lazy, you can ask the app to show you routes with as little walking as possible.)

You need HSL’s personal Helsinki travel card to travel, and you can top it up with money. Trips cannot be paid for in cash during the trip; the card must be topped up in advance. You can also buy tickets from HSL ticket machines, R-kiosks and other service points in Helsinki. 

Train, tram and metro

Trams and buses run frequently, and commuter trains take you to neighbouring cities such as Espoo and Vantaa in 15 minutes. The metro runs every couple of minutes – and since there is only one metro line, it’s almost impossible to get lost.

The eastern-most station is Vuosaari and in the west the metro goes all the way to Kivenlahti in Espoo. 

By train you can reach most of Helsinki as the network stretches around the city. The tram operates mostly in southern Helsinki, but you can also reach Käpylä, Arabianranta, Ilmala and Pikku-Huopalahti. You can check out the metro, tram and train maps here. 

We also have a vast bus network that goes to suburbs where there is no metro or train connection. Use the HSL Journely Planner to check out bus schedules.

The public transport system doesn’t operate all night long: The metro doesn’t run between 11 PM and 5 AM. There are some night buses and trains but the schedules are more limited than during daytime.

Helsinki bike rentals

You do not have to own a bike to enjoy the excellent cycle paths in Helsinki. From April to October, there are 4,600 city bikes in Helsinki.

Getting around in Helsinki with a bike can be an adventure. You can pick up a city bike from any of HSL’s 460 bicycle stations and return it to any station.

Helsinki residents know that cycling to work is a good way to improve health and work ability. Helsinki has many well-maintained pedestrian and bicycle routes, such as Baana, which was built on an old railway route in the city centre. It starts from the Helsinki Central railway station and ends in Ruoholahti. 

The most extreme commuters cycle to work along the mountain bike trails in Central Park. If your workplace is in the city centre, you can continue enjoying nature by heading to the Olympic Stadium and then to Töölönlahti Bay. On the way, you can enjoy the tropical climate of the Winter Garden greenhouse.

If you like architecture, there’s plenty to see. Helsinki has no fewer than 600 Art Nouveau buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

If your commute takes you through Luotsikatu in Katajanokka, Huvilakatu in Eira or Pohjoisranta in Kruununhaka, you can admire them every day.

Tram line 1 transports its passengers from the sophisticated southern part of Helsinki through Töölö and Kallio to the historic wooden house district of Käpylä. Pohjolankatu, bordered by old hardwoods and wooden apartment buildings, is one of the most beautiful streets in the city, as selected by the readers of Helsingin Sanomat

130 kilometres of shoreline for canoeing

Two-thirds of Helsinki’s surface area is covered by the sea. Take a 15-minute ferry ride to the scenic island of Suomenlinna Sea Fortress and enjoy the sea breeze. The ferry is part of HSL and so is the ferry of Kruunuvuorenranta. There are plenty of other islands where you can go by ferry, too. 

Sit on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and watch the seagulls plunge into the waves. Some lucky people commute like this every day.  

If you’re feeling frisky, you can even canoe to work!

Or if you prefer walking, stroll along the 130-kilometre-long shoreline to see the city’s villas, rocks, squares and islands from a new perspective.

Sights along the shore include the noble sailing boats of the North Shore, Uspenski Cathedral and the bustling Market Square. Cyclists from northern Helsinki can pedal through the Viikki forests and the idyllic rapids of Vanhankaupunginlahti towards the Arabianranta district.

Ski to work

Getting around in Helsinki is relaxing because nature is always near. More than a third of the city’s land area is covered by green areas, and there are also many nature reserves. The city’s goal is to establish five new nature reserves each year.

The Central Park, established in 1911, is the largest outdoor area in Helsinki. The ten-kilometre-long park starts near the city centre in Töölönlahti and extends to the Haltiala outdoor area. You can run, cycle or even ski to work among the trees. (Yes, some really do.)

When snow falls on the ground, you can find 200 kilometres of ski tracks in the city. In the neighbouring towns, the most enthusiastic skiers will hit the tracks in November.