What's a good 3-day itinerary for Helsinki?

Three days, three neighborhoods. Day 1 covers the granite-and-sea historic core on foot. Start at Café Engel on Senate Square by 9 AM, when the white chairs are still cool from the morning air and the square is mostly yours. Helsinki Cathedral, begun in 1818 and finished in 1852, sits at the top of those famously steep steps. Give it 30 minutes inside. Walk south on Sofiankatu to Kauppatori, the harborside market square, by 10:30. The Old Market Hall, Vanha Kauppahalli, is 50 meters inland. Order salmon soup at Soppakeittiö for about 13 EUR. It comes bright orange in a wide bowl, with dense dark rye bread on the side. Cross east into Katajanokka for Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe, finished in 1868. The red-brick facade feels out of place against Helsinki's pale neoclassical stone. Afternoon at the Ateneum, which has held Finnish art since 1887. The Gallen-Kallela rooms on the second floor are the highlight. Dinner at Juuri on Korkeavuorenkatu, where the sapas plates, a Finnish take on tapas, run 8 to 14 EUR each.

Day 2 shifts west to Kamppi and Töölö. Temppeliaukio Church, carved out of solid bedrock in 1969, opens at 10 AM. Arrive at 9:45. The acoustics under the copper dome are odd. Every cough and whisper bounces off raw stone walls. The National Museum of Finland, founded in 1910, is a 15-minute walk north along Mannerheimintie. The prehistory exhibition on the ground floor takes 90 minutes and covers 10,000 years of Finnish settlement. Lunch at Café Regatta, a tiny red wooden cabin on Merikannontie by the Töölö shore. A korvapuusti and coffee cost about 8 EUR total. You eat sitting on the rocks by the water if the weather cooperates. After lunch, walk south to Kiasma, the Steven Holl-designed contemporary art museum on Mannerheiminaukio. The white walls curve through each gallery and shift the daylight as you move between rooms. Late afternoon, head into the Design District in Punavuori. Fredrikinkatu and Iso Roobertinkatu have the densest stretch of studios and shops. Dinner at Sea Horse on Kapteeninkatu, open since 1934, where fried Baltic herring with mashed potatoes costs about 18 EUR.

Day 3 belongs to Suomenlinna and Kallio. The HSL ferry to Suomenlinna leaves from Kauppatori every 20 minutes. Take the 9 AM boat. The ride is 15 minutes and costs 2.80 EUR with an HSL single ticket. Suomenlinna is a sea fortress across six islands, first built by the Swedes in 1748. About 800 people still live there year-round. The main walking loop through Kustaanmiekka and Susisaari takes 2 to 3 hours. The fortress walls are thick dark granite, and the tunnels smell like damp stone and salt water. The Suomenlinna Museum near the main quay covers the fortress's military history in about 45 minutes. Eat lunch on the island before catching the early afternoon ferry back. The rest of the day goes to Kallio, Helsinki's former working-class district northeast of the center. Tram 9 from Kauppatori takes 12 minutes. Kallio has cheaper beer, secondhand record shops on Vaasankatu, and a rougher feel than the city center. Siltanen on Hämeentie has a back terrace worth a stop. For dinner, Soi Soi on Vaasankatu does northern Thai larb and curries for about 15 EUR.

Helsinki is compact enough that the full three-day route covers about 26 kilometers on foot, plus the Suomenlinna ferry and two tram rides. June daylight runs from roughly 4 AM to 11 PM, so you won't run short on light. Temperatures in early June tend to sit between 15 and 20°C. A light jacket and one warm layer handle it. Single tram tickets cost 2.80 EUR for 80 minutes through the HSL app. Download it before you land at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The I or P train from the airport to Helsinki Central Station takes 32 minutes and costs about 5 EUR. Almost everyone under 50 speaks English well. Finland ranked first in the EF English Proficiency Index in 2024. Tipping is not expected at restaurants, though rounding up by a euro or two is normal.