Dog-friendly travel in Helsinki, Finland

Helsinki is relatively small for a European capital, and while its buildings don’t have the same level of grandeur that you might see in other cities, it’s still a really is a beautiful part of the world. The city itself is also compact, relatively flat and there isn’t a lot of traffic which makes it easy to navigate and explore by foot.

Due to its remote location its also not a cheap place to visit! Everything costs a little more than you expect, (which makes sense when you consider how isolated the country is from the rest of Europe), so things like accommodation, groceries and eating out can quickly add up. But the good news is that there is lots to see do with your dog that is either free or low cost.

PET ENTRY REQUIREMENT

Before travelling to Finland we saw that there was a requirement for dog’s to have an echinococcosis worming treatment done by a vet between 24 hrs and five days of entering the country (which has to be recorded in your pet passport). While we did do this, we were not asked to show / prove this when entering Finland. However, I do think if you are travelling with a pet you should take responsibility for ensuring you meet the requirements of each country - failure to do this might mean that countries become more strict about allowing the free movement of pets in future, impacting our ability to travel easily around Europe with them.

THINGS TO DO

There is a lot to explore in main centre and the following sections highlight some interesting walks you can do with your dog to see the main sights of Helsinki over a couple of days. Note that while dogs are not allowed in most of the buildings / attractions, I have included those that you can still get great views of from the outside.

Waterfront and Market Square Area

Along the Helsinki waterfront you’ll find a variety of interesting buildings including the indoor Old Market Hall (not dog friendly, but pretty from the outside and worth a walk through if you can take turns). There is also an outdoor market in Market Square which you can walk through with your dog and predominantly sells food and souvenirs (watch out for the birds if you get food as they aren’t messing around)!

Opposite Market Square is the Presidential Palace which is gated, but you can still see from across its courtyard. From here, if you walk two blocks you’ll see the striking white Helsinki Cathedral, which you will need to take turns to go into if with your dog, but it only takes a few minutes to see.

Helsinki Cathedral is pretty impressive and has a big plaza out front

Heading back to the waterfront and following it along towards the Sky Wheel, you’ll spot the impressive Uspenski Cathedral - and it’s definitely worth taking turns to pop in and check out the interior.

Afterwards go back to the waterfront to get close up views and potentially ride the Sky Wheel (which is dog-friendly), as well as see Allas Sea Pools (which are not, but you can still view them from the waterfront area).

The Sky Wheel is 40 meters high and located on the Helsinki Waterfront. It offers great views across the city and out to the nearby islands and has specific gondolas that are pet-friendly if your dog doesn’t have a heights phobia! You get to do three rounds in the wheel and it takes around 12 mins. For more information click here

Leaving the waterfront follow the pretty park called Esplanadin Puisto that runs from Market Square to the centre of town. The park includes lots of grassy areas and gardens as well as statues and small kiosks / eateries.

Helsinki City Centre

While none of the following buildings allow dogs inside, I’ve included them as they are all visually interesting from outside and visiting them is a great way to explore the city with your dog,

From the city centre you can walk to the art gallery of Atmos Rex. If you go into the back courtyard you’ll actually be standing on the very cool roof, which is made up of giant, curved, windowed domes and makes for a great photo op.

Keep heading back behind the gallery and you’ll find an architecturally unusual small Chapel, called Kampin Kappeli. Continue to walk through the courtyard and you’ll come across a couple of really interesting museums. The first is the Science Museum (Luonnontieteellinen Museo) which is quite a striking building from outside. The Helsinki Art Museum (HAM) is a block up and over, and it has a gigantic seagull head on the front of it.

You can also continue walking to the nearby Temppeliaukio Church, known as the Rock Church. There isn’t too much you can see from outside, however you and your dog can walk around it and over the top of it. If you do want to look inside there is a small entry fee and you’ll need to take turns.

Another area that is well worth exploring is the Töölönlahden - a huge park that is only a 10-15 min walk from downtown Helsinki. At the beginning of the park you’ll find the amazing Helsinki Public Library that looks like a giant wooden ark and the building itself is well worth a walk around.

The very impressive Helsinki Public Library

There is also a large open plaza out front which often has different events happening. Opposite here are more interesting buildings, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Music Hall - and both have impressive outdoor art around them. As you walk further into the park (towards the lake) you’ll also come across the Finlandia Convention Centre which has more public art outside it.

Lots of great public art in the Töölönlahden area

The park itself has lots of grassy areas, pathways and places to explore, or you can choose to sit and rest. From here you can also do a bigger walk around the lake area itself.

Heading in the opposite direction of the city, towards the Southern end of the city, explore the suburbs until you reach the waterfront. Here you’ll find Löyly Sauna, a large wooden building that is quite interesting and you can walk around the outside. Then walk back to the ‘prettiest’ street in Helsinki, which is on Huvilakatu. The houses here are in the Art Nouveau style and are very colourful.

From here walk down Korkeavuorenkatu to see the impressive St John’s Church and then onto the Kasarmitori Public Plaza which includes the interesting Talvisodan Kansallinen Muistomerkki sculpture.

Checking out some cool public art in Kasarmitori Public Plaza

Suomenlinna Fortress

One of the best things to do with your dog in Helsinki is to do a half or full day trip by ferry out to Suomenlinna Fortress.

To get to Suomenlinna, the best option is to take the the ferry operated by the Helsinki Region Transport Authority (HSL) which takes 15 mins to reach the islands and departs from the east side of the Market Square, opposite the Presidential Palace.

You can purchase tickets from the self-service machines on at the terminal. As the HSL is part of the public transport system you can take your dog for no charge, provided they do not disturb other passengers.

The Fortress is located within a group of islands close to Helsinki and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its a great place to visit with your dog as there is a lot of space to walk and no traffic. Almost everywhere on the island is dog-friendly and you can take your own food or visit one of the cafes or restaurants on the main island.

Beats loved all the open space and spots to explore on Suomenlinna

Once you exit the ferry there are maps you can use to follow the main walking loop around the islands or just wander whichever way to you fancy. Depending on your energy level there are lots of different options to explore and you can clock up several kilometres if you choose.

Along the way you will see the different areas of the fort, learn more about its interesting history and get to see some pretty amazing views across the water. There is also a Museum on the island, however dogs are not allowed inside, so if you are interested in visiting it you will have to take turns.

Suomenlinna is beautiful and offers some amazing views

Seurasaari Open-Air Museum

Seurasaari is located about an hour’s walk from the city, but is well worth a visit. This large outdoor park / open-air museum is set on an island that is connected to the mainland by a pretty bridge. If the walk is a bit far, you can also take the bus and dogs are allowed to ride free.

The cute bridge from the mainland to Seurasaari

The park is open year-round and you and your dog can walk around the different historical sights and 30+ buildings. It’s really interesting to see how people would have lived and worked so many years ago as you meander through the beautiful paths and trees.

Beats checking out one of the buildings on Seurasaari

About a third of the island's area is an open air museum that is free to explore. However if you want to enter any of the buildings then you will need to purchase an admission ticket - however dog’s are not allowed inside any of the buildings so you would need to take turns to do thi. When we visited nothing was open, so we didn’t have the option to go inside - but we were happy to see everything from the roadways.

There are some amazing buildings to check out on Seurasaari

As there are a number of animals and other people exploring the island, dogs must be kept on leash when visiting.

The walk there from downtown Helsinki takes about an hour (its around 5 kms each way), but if you have the time and energy its worth it in my opinion as you can visit Regatta Cafe and the Sibelius monument along the way, as well as explore the pretty coastline and trails through the trees. However you can also drive (around 25 mins) or catch public transport - as there is a bus that stops right outside the main entrance and dogs travel for free.

For more information click here

Sibelius Monument and Park

We walked here from the City on our way to the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum. The Sibelius Monument is located inside a large park and is dedicated to the famous Finnish composer. There is an interesting story behind this monument and it’s well worth a stop.

The main (original) sculpture is a series of large metal pipes that create sound as the wind goes through (or you talk / sing / yell into them…). However it wasn’t well received, and so a second moment of his face was added later, and is located right next to it.

The rest of the park is large, with lots of trails, but there aren’t really any other attractions in it. However, if you head towards the waterfront, you will get some really pretty views. From here, if you follow the waterfront to the left its only a five min walk to Regatta Cafe, or to the right its a 45 min walk to Seurasaari.

EAT AND SLEEP

Helsinki has a really good attitude towards dogs in cafes and eateries and we saw a lot of places that were dog-friendly (often they will have a sticker on the door which is really helpful). Here is a summary of some of our favourites:

Regatta Cafe. Not only does this show up on many ‘must do’ lists, but it’s also dog-friendly. The cafe itself sits on the waterfront and really beautiful. Regatta is quite small and so the majority of seating, including their famous fire-pit is all located outside. They have a range of food and drinks available to purchase, including yummy hot chocolate for cooler days - but we were there for the sausages which you cook yourself over the open fire. Beatle had to use every inch of her limited willpower to wait patiently for them to be ready, but it was worth it as they were delicious!

Regatta Cafe is super cute and a must do in Helsinki

Woolshed Helsinki - Gastro Pub. This Australian themed pub was only a ten min walk from our hotel and we thought it would be fun to have some familiar food. I saw online that they allowed dogs so we headed there for dinner one night and it was a bustling, busy spot! While they have outdoor seating, Beats was welcome to sit inside as well - where she got lots of attention from the tables around us. The beer and food was good quality and the prices were pretty reasonable.

Being budget conscious, we also visited a number of burger places in Helsinki and all of the following allow dogs; Friends and Brgrs, Bastard Burgers and Naughty BRGR.

We stayed at the Marski by Scandic - this hotel is really central and has beautiful, spacious rooms. The hotel was really dog-friendly and we were gifted a great goodie bag with treats and a toy which Beats thought was pretty darn cool (and she still has the toy!). You can see their pet policy here

Beats really enjoyed her stay at the Marski Scandic

GETTING AROUND

We found Helsinki to be so compact and walkable that we never took public transport, however, they do have a clean and efficient transport network and you can take your dog for no charge, provided they do not disturb other passengers.

Public transport in Helsinki is dog-friendly and they travel for free

On the metro or a commuter trains pets can only travel in some carriages - there will be a sign on the outside indicating which carriages they cannot travel in. You can find their pet policy here

To get to and from Helsinki we sailed overnight with Viking Line from Stockholm as walk-on passengers and had a dog-friendly cabin for the night. It was relatively simple set up with two sets of bunkbeds, but had everything we needed for one night as well as a private bathroom. As the ship departed late afternoon, we were able to have drinks on the outdoor deck with Beatle - and got some beautiful sunset views as we sailed through the archipelago.

The cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki was very scenic

The ship itself was like a mini-cruise ship with plenty of restaurants, bars and shops to check out - and some of the restaurants even had specific areas set aside where you could dine with your dog. There were also decent areas for dogs to go to the toilet, with fake grass and mini fire hydrants, which were located on the same deck as the pet-friendly cabins.

Beats making sure we’re sailing in the right direction!

We could not book a dog ticket online, so had to call the contact centre to do this, but it was a very simple process. You can find more information about their pet policy, sailing times and pet-friendly cabins here

On arrival into Helsinki, we caught a taxi to our hotel and the driver was fine to have Beatle join us. However, if you don’t have a lot of luggage the city is walking distance from the Port or there is a tram line close by.

Departing Helsinki, we used Viking Line again to travel to Tallinn, Estonia. This was a much quicker journey at only around 2.5hrs. But as we had Beatle and a bit of luggage we paid extra to get a dog-friendly cabin. You can read more about this journey in the Estonia section of the site.

IN SUMMARY

Helsinki itself is compact, and we found the people to be really friendly - considering you often hear how reserved they are. We were pleasantly suprised by how many people started conversations with us - and how well they spoke English. There was also plenty to see and do with Beatle, and a lot of variety in the activities we could do which we really enjoyed.

Unless you have a small dog and can fly, you’ll likely need to sail to get here (as a foot passengers or with a vehicle), however there are a few lines departing from different locations to choose from - and the actual journey becomes part of the experience.

I think you could see all of the highlights in three days, which would make Helsinki a great spot to visit for a long weekend. However, do consider the time of year you’ll be travelling as Helsinki does get really cold in winter, so if you want to spend lots of time outdoors with your dog it would be best to visit in the shoulder seasons or warmer months.

Dog-friendly adventures in Helsinki