Reasons Why You Should Live in Helsinki at Some Point in Your Life

Helsinki street
Helsinki street | © Mstyslav Chernov / WikiCommons
Jessica Wood

There aren’t a lot of people who dream about living in Finland, but if they found out more about it, they would be likely to change their minds. The capital city of Helsinki is one of the most liveable cities in Europe due to its low crime rate, strong social rights and the wide range of activities on offer. These are some of the top reasons why you should move to Helsinki at some point, and why you may even want to stay permanently.

It’s the centre of Finnish culture

Being Finland’s largest city, Helsinki has the most cultural opportunities in the country, in every area from photography to sculpture. There are dozens of museums and galleries, including the National Museum and the National Gallery, regular festivals and events and plenty of jobs in the creative industry. It is also a great place to earn a living as a creative, with a large artistic community and plenty of opportunities for creatives to display and promote their work.

Helsinki street art

It has multinational cuisine

Old market hall

There are great travel connections

While Helsinki may be located right at the bottom of Finland, good travel connections make it easy to explore the rest of the country, even the far north of Lapland, by plane, train or bus. Helsinki has plenty of international travel connections as well, with trains to Russia, ferries to Sweden, Germany and Estonia, and more flights to southeast Asia than any airport in Europe.

Cruise ship in Helsinki harbour

Old meets new

Helsinki really shows the world how to combine the traditional with the modern, in every sense. The city’s architecture features stunning Art Nouveau buildings and sleek modern structures, making the entire city pleasant to look at. It is easy to step into Finland’s past at locations such as the Suomenlinna fortress or the Seurasaari open-air museum. You can also experience Finnish traditions such as sailing, using the sauna and ice skating while still enjoying all the amenities of a modern city, such as fast internet speeds, contemporary art and amusement parks.

Helsinki architecture

It’s easy to escape to the country

Despite being a thriving urban centre, it is amazingly easy to head out to the countryside and get some space and peace. The offshore archipelago has hundreds of small islands with summer houses that you can buy or rent for weekend retreats. Charming country towns such as Porvoo and Fiskars are only an hour away by train or bus, and it is easy to drive to the country to enjoy the outdoors. Even within the city itself, there are huge parks and nature reserves where you can hike, cycle, go birdwatching and enjoy almost any rural activity, all without leaving the city.

Helsinki Central Park

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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