Helsinki City Museum
Helsinki City Museum
4
About
The main building of the Helsinki City Museum, just of the Senate Square, explores the history of Helsinki in film in the exhibition Design in Helsinki Films on 15 Feb 2012 - 13 Jan 2012. In the Museum Shop, literature on Helsinki and Finnish history, a good choice of postcards and souveniers are available. It is always free entry to all 7 branches of the Helsinki City Museum.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Vironniemi
How to get there
- Helsingin yliopisto • 6 min walk
- Rautatientori • 10 min walk
Reach out directly
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Restaurants
1,493 within 3 miles
Attractions
469 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- emily bSugar Land, Texas123 contributionsAwesome free city museum/Children’s MuseumFree city museum with excellent children’s museum inside! This was the perfect place for us to warm up and entertain our 3 year old with high quality and educational toys and exhibits. They have special programs from time and time and the museum is adorable! We stumbled across this by accident and were very impressed!!!Visited December 2023Traveled with familyWritten December 2, 2023
- OregonJerryPortland, Oregon451 contributionsFree and amazing history of Helsinki.The museum is relatively small, but very engaging and interactive. Top floor has temporary exhibits…the one we saw was about fitness and gyms with focus upon Finland. I could even do rowing and weights. Interactive. Lower floor had a walking history of Helsinki that was informative and interactive as well. Lowest floor has great photos archive and a “ Time Machine “ exhibition. The floor is also used for prekindergarten classes etc. The staff were excellent.and it’s all free.Visited January 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten January 26, 2024
- Christine BJoplin, Missouri85 contributionsHistoric MuseumIt was interesting in that the museum building is the oldest in Helsinki (built 1757), but the museum offerings were small and not organized very well. Free admission and close to other key Helsinki landmarks, but it won't take long to see the entire museum. Lots of kids with a few small exhibits.Visited February 2024Traveled soloWritten February 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
441 reviews
Excellent
175
Very good
160
Average
81
Poor
17
Terrible
8
OregonJerry
Portland, OR451 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
The museum is relatively small, but very engaging and interactive. Top floor has temporary exhibits…the one we saw was about fitness and gyms with focus upon Finland. I could even do rowing and weights. Interactive. Lower floor had a walking history of Helsinki that was informative and interactive as well. Lowest floor has great photos archive and a “ Time Machine “ exhibition. The floor is also used for prekindergarten classes etc. The staff were excellent.and it’s all free.
Written January 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Todd H
Minneapolis, MN124 contributions
Nov 2022
This is a fun museum just off of Senate Square. It is super kid friendly. When I went, the top two floors were preparing for a new exhibit. The museum gives a good glimpse of life in Helsinki over the years. If you love old photos, on the first floor, they have a room full of photos that you can look through with some great detail.
Written November 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine B
Joplin, MO85 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
It was interesting in that the museum building is the oldest in Helsinki (built 1757), but the museum offerings were small and not organized very well. Free admission and close to other key Helsinki landmarks, but it won't take long to see the entire museum. Lots of kids with a few small exhibits.
Written February 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
emily b
Sugar Land, TX123 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
Free city museum with excellent children’s museum inside! This was the perfect place for us to warm up and entertain our 3 year old with high quality and educational toys and exhibits. They have special programs from time and time and the museum is adorable! We stumbled across this by accident and were very impressed!!!
Written December 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joanne H
London, UK955 contributions
Jan 2020
This is an excellent little museum - definitely worth a visit, especially as it's free. The exhibits aren't enormous but they are well done with lots of interactivity. I particularly liked playing with the old panorama photographs. The 'children's town' area looked brilliant for kids.
They have free lockers and a tap to fill up water bottles.
They have free lockers and a tap to fill up water bottles.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zokirdzonova
Helsinki, Finland20 contributions
Mar 2020
The museum is FREE! This is super nice in expensive city as Helsinki is. Few floors with main exhibition about history of Helsinki and exhibitions what can be changed. Very modern museum where you can feel how is to live in Helsinki century ago. I enjoyed and after visiting was so good emotions.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ExplorerXYZ
Philadelphia, PA1,090 contributions
May 2011
This museum was my favorite in Helsinki.
The museum is located off of Senate Square in the center of the city. It has three floors with a wealth of information on the history of Helsinki and the Finnish people. Follow the struggles of the Finnish people as they establish the city, move it, come under attack several times, and renew the city into a model society for the Olympics.
The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. There are lockers for your personal items and toilet facilities. English, Swedish, Russian, and Finnish languages are on most of the exhibitions.
There is no cafe but many places to eat around the museum.
This museum can take 15 minutes or 2 hours depending on your pace. The admission is free.
The museum is located off of Senate Square in the center of the city. It has three floors with a wealth of information on the history of Helsinki and the Finnish people. Follow the struggles of the Finnish people as they establish the city, move it, come under attack several times, and renew the city into a model society for the Olympics.
The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. There are lockers for your personal items and toilet facilities. English, Swedish, Russian, and Finnish languages are on most of the exhibitions.
There is no cafe but many places to eat around the museum.
This museum can take 15 minutes or 2 hours depending on your pace. The admission is free.
Written May 9, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pnemiller
Kutztown, PA2,187 contributions
This musem was one of the gems of Helsinki. It is in the original Stockman department store and had many of the original store touches. It covers all aspects of the history, politics, food, culture of Helsinki and Finland in a very informative way. All information is in Finnish, Swedish and English. The are artifacts, pictures, paintings, displays, etc. that are well done.
The museum is just north of the Esplanade in the center of the city. Even the street outside has been made into a Street Museum covering differents eras of Helsinki history. The staff was pleasant, helpful and enthusiastic. Lockers for coats, bags, etc. are free with a token from the front desk. Besides being a delightful place, the price is right--FREE.
The museum is just north of the Esplanade in the center of the city. Even the street outside has been made into a Street Museum covering differents eras of Helsinki history. The staff was pleasant, helpful and enthusiastic. Lockers for coats, bags, etc. are free with a token from the front desk. Besides being a delightful place, the price is right--FREE.
Written September 23, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ave Salvante Jr.
Laguna Province, Philippines381 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
I was doing geocaching around the city and there is a cache located right inside this museum. The cache is in plain sight and has a nice log book. Its two birds in one stone for me. First, finding the cache and second having the chance to see the museum's exhibits that will tell you more about Finland. Entry is free and visit is worth it. I would recommend that you drop by when you are also visiting the nearby Senate Square.
Written May 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Galegapolomundo87
37 contributions
Feb 2017 • Solo
In the museum we can find four different areas. The first one is called: Helsinki bites and show us some history about the city and also a miniature model of Helsinki in 1878.
The second area is called: Children's town, this area is more orientated to families with kids and is kind of interactive.
My favourite part is the one called: Smell, and yes, is about smell. Each week they change the smell in 4th floor and there are an area for you to rest and enjoy yourself with the memories/thoughts that the smell brings to your mind.
The last one is the Time machine and in there, you can put a special glasses and enjoy the past of Helsinki.
There are a shop and a café in the building and the entrance is free and is open every day (Mon-Fri: 11-19/Sat-Sun:11-17)
The second area is called: Children's town, this area is more orientated to families with kids and is kind of interactive.
My favourite part is the one called: Smell, and yes, is about smell. Each week they change the smell in 4th floor and there are an area for you to rest and enjoy yourself with the memories/thoughts that the smell brings to your mind.
The last one is the Time machine and in there, you can put a special glasses and enjoy the past of Helsinki.
There are a shop and a café in the building and the entrance is free and is open every day (Mon-Fri: 11-19/Sat-Sun:11-17)
Written February 8, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am going to visit Helsinki City Museum with my luggage. May I know if the locker is free; or otherwise what's the charge? What's the dimension of the lockers? Is it big enough for hand-carry luggage to plane or even bigger?
Many thanks.
Written August 11, 2018
Best to leave your luggage at the train station - it’s done the stairs on the east side of the building
Written August 12, 2018
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