The stylish southern district that gives Helsinki its reputation — a cluster of design and fashion boutiques, galleries, antique shops and cool cafés and restaurants around Punavuori and Kamppi. Chic, walkable and central; the base for travellers who want the best of Finnish design, shopping and dining, and the city's most fashionable streets on their doorstep.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€230–420
typical per night in Finland
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Helsinki.
Where it sits
The circle is Design District & Punavuori and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- The Old Market Hall12 min walk991 m
- Senate Square & the Cathedral12 min walk1.0 km
- A Finnish sauna12 min walk1.0 km
- Market Square & harbour13 min walk1.1 km
- Temppeliaukio (Rock Church)15 min walk1.2 km
- Oodi Central Library16 min walk1.3 km
- The Sibelius Monument26 min walk2.1 km
- Suomenlinna sea fortress10 min taxi3.4 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 6.The Design District — Helsinki is a UNESCO City of Design, and its Design District — a warren of streets around Punavuori — is where to feel it, packed with design and fashion boutiques, galleries, antique shops and studios, from Marimekko and Iittala to tiny independents. A lovely area to browse, shop for that perfect Finnish object, and admire the city's world-famous eye for clean, functional beauty. The stylish creative heart of Helsinki.
- 10.New Finnish food — Helsinki has quietly become one of Europe's most exciting food cities — a New Nordic scene of foraged berries, mushrooms, reindeer, fish and rye, from Michelin-starred rooms to cosy bistros and the buzzing Hakaniemi and market halls. Try the classics too: creamy salmon soup, Karelian rye pasties, cinnamon 'korvapuusti' buns and a shot of salmiakki liquorice liqueur. Fresh, clean and inventive; a delicious surprise.
- 11.Amos Rex — One of Europe's coolest art museums — an underground gallery of immersive, playful contemporary and digital art, whose curving skylights bubble up into a public square where children clamber over the domes. Innovative, fun and beautifully designed, in the heart of the centre; check what's on (the exhibitions are often blockbuster interactive shows), and enjoy the quirky square above. A brilliant, modern side of design-mad Helsinki.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Design District & Punavuori; flights via Google Flights.