After Helsinki tour – Hints and routes for independent exploration
Free Walking Tour by Green Cap Tours covers all the main topics regarding Finnish history and many the most historical locations in Helsinki. But, what to do after the tour?
The route of our Free tour is shown below. The tour starts from the Senate square and ends on the Havis Amanda Statue on the Market Square. This tour covers all of the old town of Helsinki as marked with green color on below image. On this page we introduce suggestions where to go and what to do then.

Below we have suggested itineraries for independent exploration after the free tour. But first..
Helsinki eats
Try at least these:
1. Creamy salmon soup – you’ll find it at least in Market Square, Scandinavia Cafe, Stockmann Herkku Bistro etc.
2. Karelia Pie “Karjalanpiirakka” you’ll find it in grocery stores like Alepa, K-market etc.
Restaurants in Helsinki
Restaurant | What, When, Price € – €€€€€ | Area, address |
Scandinavia Cafe | Traditional, Lunch, snacks coffee € | Old Market Hall, Eteläranta 1 |
Lappi | Traditional, Dinner, €€€ | (M) Kamppi, Annakatu 22 |
Konstan Möljä | Traditional, Dinner buffet, €€€ | (M) Kamppi, Hietalahdenkatu 14 |
Fisken på Disken | Fishfoods, lunch & dinner, €€€ | (M) Kamppi shopping centre |
Karl Johan | Traditional, Lunch, €€ | (M) Kamppi, Yrjönkatu 21 |
Nolla | Trendy food and craft beers, Dinner, €€€ | Design District, Fredrikinkatu 22 |
Yes Yes Yes | Vegetarian, dinner, €€€ | Design District, Iso Roobertinkatu 1 |
Toca | Finnish/Italian/Modern, dinner €€€ | Unioninkatu 18 |
The Glass | Creative, lunch & dinner, €€€ | Esplanade, Kämp Gallery |
Sights and places to see and feel Helsinki
Places of interest | What is it? | Area, address |
Suomenlinna island(s) | Large 1700 -century seafort with beautiful island views | White ferry from the Market Square |
The Rock Church | A church carved into bedrock | (M) Kamppi, Lutherinkatu 3 |
Oodi, central library | Impressive modern architecture | (M) Central railway station, Töölönlahdenkatu 4 |
Design District | Area for design and fashion shopping | (M) Kamppi, Annankatu, Fredrikinkatu |
Linnanmäki | Amusement Park with rides | Alppiharju, Tivolikuja 1 |
Löyly | Six million dollar sauna and restaurant | South Helsinki, Hernesaarenranta 4 |
Huvilakatu | Beautiful row of houses for IG | South Helsinki, Huvilakatu |
Kämp Gallery | Design oriented shopping mall | Esplanade, Pohjoisesplanadi 33 |
Suggested walking routes in Helsinki
1. The classic bucket list
All the must sees on one walking route
Highlights:
- Swedish theater – a Finnish national theater performing in Swedish – Finland’s second official language
- Kamppi Chapel – also known as the chapel of silence, the Kamppi Chapel meeting people and appreciating peace and quiet
- Amos Rex – Visually intriguing modern art museum with signature roof windows.
- Museum of Contemporary art KIASMA – Showcases the latest artists productions and is part of the Finnish National Gallery
- Temppelinaukio Church – a fascinating Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki.
- Sibelius Monument – a classic monument by Eila Hiltunen that is dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius
- Cafe Regatta – A cozy and traditional red cottage cafe that has brought a part of Finnish countryside in the heart of Helsinki
- Finlandia Hall – a building designed by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
- Helsinki Central Library OODI – a cool and diverse urban meeting place full of books, workspaces and much more.
The classic route in googlemaps: shorturl.at/eEHMV
2. Indoor museums and shopping
Bad weather, no problem, (Walking, partly underground passages)
Highlights:
- Swedish theater – a Finnish national theatre performing in Swedish – Finland’s second official language
- Kämp Galleria – A classy shopping mall with a mix of domestic and international brands
- Citycenter Shopping Mall – 70 shops and numerous restaurants and cafes in the heart of Helsinki
- Kamppi – a classic central meeting place with diverse shops, restaurants and cafes
- Tennispalatsi – From a movie theatre to art gallery Tennispalatsi, is a cultural and recreational center
- Finnish Museum of Natural History – includes collections of botanical, zoological, geological and paleontological specimens
- Temppelinaukio Church – a fascinating Lutheran church in the Töölö neighborhood of Helsinki.
- Helsinki Central Library OODI – a cool and diverse urban meeting place full of books, workspaces and much more.
- Sanomatalo – A cultural building in the heart of Helsinki
- Amos Rex – Visually intriguing modern art museum with signature roof windows
The indoor route in googlemaps: shorturl.at/pzPUV
3. Places to visit for families with children
In another post click this link:
https://greencaptours.com/helsinki-for-families-with-children/
4. Traditional Finnish restaurants, cafes and conditories
In another post click this link:
https://greencaptours.com/traditional-finnish-restaurants-cafes-in-helsinki/
5. Alternative Helsinki
In another post click this link:
https://greencaptours.com/after-free-walking-tour-alternative-helsinki/
All our recommendations in a single googlemap
Places of interest, restaurants, cafes, beaches, saunas etc.
The link to same map in case iframe doesn’t work on your device: shorturl.at/hyY38