Explore the City

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a smart, safe and compact city that is known for its unique combination of urban culture and the calm of nature. A modern city, with 650,000 residents, Helsinki serves as the centre of Finland’s administrative, educational and cultural life, as well as the financial and business centre of the country.

It is a city of fascinating contrasts. You can find extremes of pulse and peace just around the corner from each other and the place is filled with surprises and contrasts, with light summers and dark winters, urban nature, science, and arts.
Pure nature, greenness and proximity to the sea are major assets of the city. Situated on a peninsula in the Baltic, the city is surrounded by sea and more than 300 islands, many of which are open to the public. Some can even be reached by public transport, including Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other cities around the Baltic are also within short reach. Day trips to the Estonian capital, Tallinn, are popular, with several ferries running between the two cities each day, and Stockholm is also easily reached by an overnight ferry.

Helsinki is large enough to provide all the services that a major congress requires, yet small enough to make delegates feel at home during their stay. Getting around is simple too. Most major sites are within walking distance in the city centre and public transport—encompassing trams, busses, metro, trains, and ferries—is easy to use and punctual. The people in Helsinki are friendly, flexible and innovative. Most Finns also master several foreign languages. Helsinki was named the world’s second safest city by human resources consulting firm Mercer in 2019.