Like most of those spectacular northern destinations, you can’t accuse Helsinki of being a budget destination – but there are numerous cheap or free activities if you keep your eyes out. One of my favourite stops in Helsinki was the old Market Hall, easy to find on the harbour, and a great place to visit whether you’re there in the depths of winter or the sunlight of summer.

The Market Hall (Kauppatori if your map is in Finnish) is in a large brick building overlooking the harbour, and once you get inside you’ll quickly be overwhelmed by the range of foods and local products the various stands have on offer. I admit only to buying some locally-made sweets, but there were plenty of more exotic foods to try, with a few reindeer products (I couldn’t get past the Rudolph image to actually eat reindeer, but I’m told it’s good).

You can get more info about the Market Hall at the website but it’s only available in Finnish or Swedish – at a minimum you’ll be able to recognise that it opens every morning at 8.00am, and entry is free.

More Helsinki Tips

There are more tips in our What to do in Helsinki post.

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