Ultimate Family-Friendly Guide To Helsinki With Kids

THINGS TO DO IN HELSINKI WITH KIDS

Helsinki is a great city that all the kids will enjoy, from lively toddlers to inquisitive teenagers. Love animals? Then get yourself along to Korkesaari Zoo or Sea Life. At the former, you'll find more than 150 different species, but only animals that can cope with Finland's cool climate like snow leopards, reindeers and wolverines. Sea Life is equally spectacular, playing host to rays, turtles, piranhas and electric eels plus plenty more!

A popular hangout with locals (especially it's a rainy day!), Helsinki's central library, Oodi, has cozy corners where you and the kids can curl up with a good book or two, plus spaces for crafts, gaming, a cinema and cafes. If you're a family with a head for heights, then head over too the Skywheel, which stands 40m high and boasts gorgeous views over the harbor and can lay claim to being the only observation wheel with a sauna on one of its gondola cabins!

Top 20 Things To Do With Kids In Helsinki - The BEST Activities:

• Korkeasaari Zoo (island location with species adapted to extreme winter plus two tropical houses)
• Linnanmaki Amusement Park (fairground rides and playgrounds)
• Helsinki City Museum (oldest house in city with a children’s town where kids can dress up)
• Sea Life Helsinki (see rays, turtles, piranhas and electric eels)
• Vallisaari (island off Helsinki with short hiking trails)
• Finnish Museum of Natural History (history exhibits and botanic gardens)
• SkyWheel Helsinki (40m high observation wheel featuring the world’s first sauna on one gondola cabin)
• Allas Sea Pool (outdoor swimming facilities on the harbour with children’s pool)
• Suomenlinna Toy Museum (antique teddies and toys)
• Tropicario (tropical indoor zoo with snakes and lizards)
• Annatalo Arts Centre (art education, exhibitions, performances)
• Oodi (Helsinki Central Library with children’s section and cafes)
• Moomin Shop Forum (Moomin clothes, toys, books)
• Sibelius Park (seaside park featuring kinetic musical sculpture)
• Uspenski Cathedral (Eastern orthodox cathedral)
• Old Market Hall (dining spots and fresh produce)
• Heureka (science centre with planetarium)
• Kontula Sports Park (artificial ice rink)
• Aurinkolahti Beach (public beach with café)
• Market Square (alfresco market with stalls on the harbour)

BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN HELSINKI

Like any capital city, Helsinki has a solid range of accommodation options, ranging from top-end options like Hotel St. George, which is housed in a gorgeous building dating back to the 1840s and features an impressive art collection (there's a rare piece by Ai Wei Wei on display), through to affordable self-serviced apartments like Inotelli, where you'll have more space for you and the kids to spread out.

There are plenty of recognisable brands if you're looking for a bit of familiarity: there's Hiltons scattered throughout the city, and the Radisson and Crowne Plaza also have a presence here, too. If you're looking for something a bit different, there's a great selection of boutique hotels in Helsinki: we love heritage property Hotel Lila Roberts, which boasts roomy suites and connecting rooms if older kids want a bit of privacy, and Hotel U14, where you can have breakfast until 10am on weekdays and 2pm on the weekends. Get ready to bed down in the Finnish capital!

Luxury Family Hotels And Resorts In Helsinki:

• Hotel St. George
• Lapland Hotels Boulevardi
• Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa
• Scandic Park Helsinki
• Hotel Mestari
• Marski by Scandic
• Hotel Haven
• Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Helsinki
• Hotel Ax
• Clarion Hotel Helsinki
• Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Helsinki
• Crowne Plaza Helsinki – Hesperia

Boutique Hotels In Helsinki:

• Hotel F6
• Hotel Lilla Roberts
• Hotel Fabian
• Hotel Helka Helsinki
• Hotel Finn
• Hotel Anna
• GLO Hotel
• Hotel U14
• Hotel Kämp
• Klaus K Hotel

Affordable Hotels In Helsinki: 

• Forenom Aparthotel
• Kongressikoti Hotel
• Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre
• Citykoti Downtown Studios
• Inotelli Apartments
• Heymo 1
• Omena Hotel Yrjonkatu

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK IN HELSINKI WITH KIDS

Whether you’re travelling with newborns, toddlers or teenagers in tow, you’ll find a wide range of restaurants available in Helsinki that will welcome you and the fam with open arms. At Krog Roba inside the Lila Robers Hotel, you can book in for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, while Aito is the place to try dishes made from locally-foraged herbs, berries and mushrooms. Bistro Garden By Olo boasts a lovely piazza-like courtyard, while bakery/eatery Levain is a great lunch spot, with egg and bacon sandwiches made with home-made sourdough bread, plus scrambled eggs and pancakes.

If only pizza will do, head to Pizzorante Bro inside the Hilton Helsinki Strand (there’s a kid’s menu too), while for sustainable eats that teenagers may appreciate, try family-run Restaurant Natura. Another good choice Italian fare – let’s face it, anything with pasta and pizza on the menu is going to be a winner with kids – is Ravintola Nerone, which scooped a 2021 Traveler’s Choice Award from TripAdvisor last year. Dig in and enjoy eating your way around Helsinki from morning ‘til night! Once you’ve eaten, grab an early-evening cocktail at somewhere like Goldfish or Sivukirjasto before heading home for bed and another day of adventure…

Best Family-Friendly Restaurants In Helsinki: 

• Levain (breakfast and brunch spot)
• Krog Roba (kids menu and coloring)
• The Cock (kids under 12 eat half price)
• Brassa (food cooked on an open fire)
• Restaurant Aito (locally-foraged herbs, berries and mushrooms)
• Restaurant Elite (kids can order from the regular menu and get smaller portions)
• Bistro Garden by Olo (Scandinavian food with Asian twist)
• Restaurant Pompier (casual restaurant with high chairs available)
• Pizzorante Bro (pizza and kids' menu)
• Restaurant Natura (family-run restaurant with focus on Finnish game)
• Restaurant Nolla (first zero-waste restaurant in the Nordic countries)
• Ravintola Nerone (award-winning pizza)

Where To Get A Drink in Helsinki?  The Best Bars: 

• Villi Waino
• Henry’s Pub
• Hemingway’s Mikonkatu
• The Riff Helsinki
• Chihuahua Julep
• Sivukirjasto
• Goldfish
• Bierhuis Rotterdam
• Sports Academy Grill & Bar
• Bar Llamas

WHERE TO SHOP IN HELSINKI

• Kluuvi Shopping Centre
• Kamppi Helsinki
• Forum
• Mall of Tripla
• Redi Shopping Centre
• Kamp Galleria
• Kauppakeskus Columbus
• Itis

Independent Stores 

• Frida Marina (vintage clothing)
• Lokal Gallery (Finnish textiles, sculptures and artworks)
• Neuhaus (chocolate shop)
• Ponke’s (surf and skate wear)
• Casaurina (ceramics)
• Reeta Hiltunen (scarves, cushion covers, postcards)
• Katri Niskansen (boutique by renowned Finnish fashion designer)

Iconic Finnish stores  

• Sokos (department store)
• Stockmann (department store)
• Marimekko (lifestyle store)
• Artek (Scandi furniture and accessories)
• Arabia (Finnish ceramics)

BEST MUSEUMS IN HELSINKI

Helsinki is a cultural city, and there are plenty of great museum options that will engage the whole family, from arresting contemporary art museums where kids' workshops await and under 18's go free to a great sports museum inside Helsinki's Olympic Stadium, where kids can pose on the podium and take in multimedia shows.  Little ones will love the Helsinki Tram Museum, where they can step inside a simulator and pretend they're the driver while learning about the history of the Finnish capital.

If you're there in the summer months, then don't miss the beautiful botanic gardens at the Finnish Museum of Natural History, or the Seurasaari Open Air Museum, where you can step inside Finnish cottages and see how locals used to live. Finnish museums really like to get the kids involved, and they can get on stage at the Finnish Museum of Theatre or dress up, stage puppet shows and see an old-fashioned school set up with blackboards and wooden tables. Who said museums are boring?!

Best Museums In Helsinki:

• Amos Rex (modern art museum where under 18's go free)
• Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (contemporary art and kids' workshops)
• Sederholm House (oldest house in Helsinki where kids can dress up and play)
• Finnish Museum Of Natural History (herbarium and botanic gardens)
• Seurasaari Open-Air Museum (Seasonal museum with Finnish cottages and farmsteads)
• National Museum of Finland (explore Finnish history from Stone Age to present day)
• Helsinki Tram Museum (several historic trams on display plus tram simulator)
• Finnish Museum of Theater (kids can step onto the stage at the Arkadia theatre)
• Leikki – the Museum of Play (dedicated to childhood, toys and play)
• TAHTO Center for Finnish Sports Culture (Finnish sporting items & photos, multimedia shows & regular temporary exhibits inside Olympic stadium)

TIPS FOR EXPLORING HELSINKI WITH KIDS:

• Summer in Finland is warm and mild, and July is usually the warmest month. The winter is cold, so bring plenty of layers and warm clothes for the kids if you travel during the winter season

• Taking a taxi? Write the address for the driver as the pronounciation names can be difficult. Tips aren’t expected but you can round up the fee

• Most businesses and shops are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm. Larger stores are usually open until 7pm Monday to Friday and 6pm on Saturdays. Nearly all shops closed on Sunday

• Plan ahead by booking restaurants online with TableOnline