Museums & Markets Walk

Museums & Markets Walk

The orange tents of the Kauppatori market brighten even the coldest snowy winter months with fresh flowers, fish, crafts, and produce. In warm weather, the bazaar fills with shoppers and browsers who stop for the ubiquitous coffee and munkki, the seaborne traffic in Eteläsatama, or South Harbor, a backdrop. From here you can take the local ferry service to Suomenlinna (Finland's Castle), Korkeasaari (Korkea Island), home of the zoo, or take a walk through the neighborhoods of Helsinki, encompassing the harbor; city center shopping district; tree-lined Bulevardi; and the indoor Hietalahden Tori, another marketplace.

Begin your walk at the indoor redbrick market hall, Vanha Kauppahalli,along the South Harbor. From here you can see the orange tents of the outdoor market, the Kauppatori. If you are with children and want to take a jaunt, Helsinki's zoo, Korkeasaari Eläintarha,is accessible by metro or daily ferry from the South Harbor, just east of the market.

Helsinki's oldest public monument, the Obeliski Keisarinnan kivi, stands in Kauppatori along Pohjoisesplanadi. The series of beautiful old buildings along Pohjoisesplanadi includes the pale-blue Kaupungintalo and, at the easternmost end of the street, the well-guarded Presidentinlinna. Walk back west along Pohjoisesplanadi and cross the street to the square with the Havis Amanda statue and fountain. You can stop at the City Tourist Office at Pohjoisesplanadi 19. To your left is the Esplanadi, a tree-lined boulevard park that starts at the harbor.

A few yards west of the City Tourist Office, you'll see the art nouveau Jugendsali. After walking past the Arabian ceramics and the Marimekko clothing stores, you'll see the elephantine Gröngvistin Talo, or Grönqvist's block, on your right: designed by architect Theodor Höijer and built in 1883, this was Scandinavia's largest apartment building in its day. Continue west, and you will pass another ornate building, also by Grönqvist, which is the site of the luxurious Kämp Hotel, renowned in Scandinavia at the end of the 19th century and now beautifully restored. Before hitting Mannerheimintie, you'll pass Akateeminen Kirjakauppa and Stockmann's, respectively Finland's largest bookstore and department store. The bookstore was designed by Alvar Aalto, Finland's most famous architect.

At the intersection of Pohjoisesplanadi and Mannerheimintie, the distinctive round Svenska Teatern is sure to catch your eye. Turn left on Mannerheimintie, cross the street, and take a right onto tree-shaded Bulevardi, passing Vanha Kirkkopuisto, or Old Church Park, usually called Ruttopuisto, or Plague Park, for the 18th-century plague victims buried there. Continue southwest on Bulevardi until you reach the Sinebrychoffin Taidemuseo,a former mansion surrounded by a beautiful park. The Hietalahden Tori is just across the street and slightly southeast of the museum, with an indoor food market and a flea market outside.

Timing

It will take about 45 minutes to walk this route from Kauppatori to Hietalahden Tori, stops not included. Head out early if you want to see both markets in action, as they close around 2 PM. In summer the Kauppatori by the South Harbor reopens at 3:30 PM, when the fruit and berry vendors do a brisk trade and local crafts stalls set up shop. Hours can vary, depending on the weather or on how busy the market is. The Sinebrychoffin Taidemuseo is closed on Monday. For a side trip to the zoo, the ferry to Korkeasaari Island takes less than a half hour, but allow time to wait for the ferry coming and going.