The Helsinki Card includes admission to the most popular sights, museums and attractions in Helsinki. In this article, we’ll give a full review of how to save in Helsinki and whether the card is a good choice for you.
Helsinki is famous for its Suomenlinna naval fortress, Helsinki Cathedral and futuristic architecture you won’t see anywhere else. It is a quiet town that forms a gateway to the beautiful Finnish countryside.
On the other hand, Helsinki is not cheap like other Scandinavian cities (e.g. Stockholm). You can calculate the entrance fee from the article Things to do in Helsinki.
One way to save money in Helsinki is with the Helsinki Card, which we’ll take a closer look at today.
How to save in Helsinki: Helsinki Card
Helsinki Card is a tourist card that has been designed in cooperation with Helsinki’s sights, museums and attractions, so you can save on entrance fees or simplify your travel around Helsinki. You can also buy unlimited travel in zones AB or ABC (including the airport).
Advantages and benefits
Free or discounted admission to 30+ top sights, museums and experiences. The price includes Suomenlinna Fortress, the Amos Rex Underground Museum, Temppeliaukion Rock Church, a cruise, the Seurasaari Open Air Museum and the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum.
Discounted admission to 25+ other attractions, experiences and tours in and around Helsinki, including the SkyWheel Ferris wheel, the ferry to Tallinn, Europcar car hire and Helsinki Zoo.
Free one-day Hop On Hop Off sightseeing bus tour of Helsinki (May-September). You can get on and off at any time.
Cruise along the canals, where you can see the waterfront and famous landmarks, fleets of icebreakers or the Suomenlinna sea fortress.
The card is valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours, so you can choose as many days/hours as you need depending on the length of your stay.
Optional: Transport in zones AB or ABC included (metro, trams, buses, suburban trains, ferry to Suomenlinna Island). The AB zone includes Helsinki city centre and the wider area(more here), the ABC zone includes the airport and the region.
90 day money back guarantee without reason
A free comprehensive digital guide to help you plan your trip around Helsinki. Here you will find detailed information about the attractions, including contact details, opening times and how to get there.
How does the Helsinki Card work?
The Helsinki Card can be purchased for a selected number of days, so you can schedule which attractions you want to visit and when. You can purchase a card for 24, 48 or 72 hours. It is valid in hours, so if you activate your card at 4pm in the afternoon and you have it for one day, it will be valid until 4pm the next day.
The card is available in 3 versions:
- Helsinki Card, which includes free admission and discounts on entrance fees (does not include transport) – this card will arrive directly in your email after purchase on the official website. You don’t have to go anywhere.
- Helsinki Card CITY – the CITY version of the card includes extra transport in AB zones for the entire validity period. This card must then be physically picked up in Helsinki – right at the airport. More information below.
- Helsinki Card REGION – the card in the REGION variant differs from the previous version in that it includes unlimited transport in ABC zones, i.e. you can also use it to get to and from the airport. Again, you must collect your card in Helsinki.
The only difference between the cards is whether they include transport or not. to what extent. If transport is included, you will need a physical card, which you can pick up in Helsinki (at the airport, central Market Station, etc. – see below).
You will receive a confirmation email after you purchase your card. You can print the confirmation and show it at one of the pick-up points in Helsinki (for CITY and REGION options). The airport is the most convenient for most people, but other places are easily accessible in the city centre if needed.
- Helsinki Airport, airport services for overweight vehicles in Terminal 2 Arrivals, open Monday to Sunday 05:00-21:00
- Stockmann department store, service in 8. floor, open Monday to Friday 10:00-20:00, Saturday 10:00-19:00, Sunday 12:00-18:00, link to maps
- Hotel Holiday Inn next to the main train station, open 24 hours, link to maps
What places does the Helsinki Card include?
The Helsinki Card includes entry to more than 30 places in and around Helsinki:
- Suomenlinna Fortress
- Church of Temppeliaukio
- Boat cruise
- Amos Rex Museum
- Museum of Finnish Architecture
- Sightseeing bus ride
- Kiasma Museum
- Seurasaari Open Air Museum
- …and many more ( A complete list of attractions can be found here )
What is the price of the Helsinki Card?
The prices for the Helsinki Card vary depending on how many days you buy the card for – 24, 48 or 72 hours. At the same time, the prices differ for the high season (when the cruise is also included) and the low season, when the prices are slightly lower.
Prices in high season from May to the end of September are as follows:
Off-season prices from October to the end of April are as follows:
Prices are valid for everyone over 16 years of age. For children aged 7-16, there is a children’s version that includes the same benefits and is exactly half the price of the full version.
Children up to 7 years old get free transport in Helsinki, plus many places are free to enter until the age of 18. For more information on entrance fees, see What to see in Helsinki.
How much can I save with the Helsinki Card?
The Helsinki Card covers most museums and attractions in Helsinki. Some of them are only discounted, but the card can still save you a lot of money. It depends on what you want to see.
Helsinki is famous for its architecture and art. It would be a shame not to visit the Amos Rex (20 €) and Kaisma (22 €) museums.
If you’re flying to Helsinki in high season, don’t miss a cruise. It’s a great experience because there are lots of smaller islands around Helsinki. The cruises themselves normally cost around 26 €.
We only included 3 places in the itinerary and we are already at the price of the Helsinki Card for 72 hours. Anything you visit in addition is now completely free.
For example, the rock church Temppeliaukio (8 €), a 2 € discount on the Russian SkyWheel or the popular Suomenlinna Fortress. There are several museums at the fortress, which you have to pay for separately (more here), so the final savings depends on what you plan to visit – the Suomenlinna Museum, where you can learn more about the whole area, the Vesikko submarine, the Military Museum is also interesting. There’s a lot to see and if you plan to spend the whole day here and want to see everything, the entrance fee goes up to 41 €.
You can buy the card online through the official website of the retailer. After purchase, you will receive a confirmation email with full instructions. Just download the Helsinki Card without transport to your mobile phone, and pick up the Helsinki Card with transport at the airport.
Best booking resources for visiting Helsinki
Via Booking.com we search for all accommodation. It is the largest accommodation portal in the world and you will find everything from modern hotels, cosy guesthouses to seaside villas.
Get Your Guide is a huge booking system for buying tickets, guided tours and all sorts of activities. In one place you can read other travellers’ experiences and book tickets to the Vatican Museums, a cruise on the Danube or a desert safari in Dubai.
This was our review of the Helsinki Card and real examples of whether the card pays off. Do you have a question? We’ll be happy to answer it in the comments below. Have a safe journey!
More information about Scandinavia
HELSINKI: Get inspired by the things to do in Helsinki. Here’s a detailed guide on how to visit Helsinki without a tour operator.
COPENHAGEN: Read our detailed itinerary of what to see in Copenhagen in 3 days. Get inspired by the things to do in Copenhagen. For more information on public transport, read our detailed guide to transport in Copenhagen.
STOCKHOLM: Stockholm is another beautiful, royal city in Scandinavia. Get inspired with tips on best things to do in Stockholm.
Summary: How to save in Helsinki with the Helsinki Card
The Helsinki Card is a tourist card that has been designed in cooperation with Helsinki’s sights, museums and attractions, so you can save on entrance fees or simplify your travel around Helsinki. You can also buy unlimited travel in zones AB or ABC (including the airport).
You can buy your card online at the official Helsinki Card website . If you purchase a card without shipping, you don’t have to go anywhere – you simply download the card to your mobile phone according to the instructions in the email. If you also buy unlimited transport with the card, you will need to pick up the card at Helsinki Airport, the train station or Stockmann shopping centre.
The price depends on how many hours you plan to visit Helsinki – you can choose a Helsinki card for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
