The best hotels in Helsinki in 2025

Picture this: a perfectly silent hotel corridor in soothing shades of grey. It feels like stepping into a black-and-white silent film – which is probably how perfect peace is meant to feel. No unnecessary distractions, just calm serenity. That same atmosphere flows through the entire Hotel St. George, a tranquil sanctuary in the heart of Helsinki’s bustle.

Opposite the much-loved Old Church Park – or Ruttopuisto, as locals call it – this beige Art Nouveau building from the 1800s captures the capital at its best: a beautiful façade housing a luxurious, design-led hotel within. There’s a popular little bakery-café and a carefully curated art collection.

The hotel has 148 rooms and five suites. Most rooms are spacious, bright and elegantly understated, with character added by Turkish-style rugs, Nordic design furniture and a small selection of books nodding to the building’s past as a print house. Beyond the supremely comfortable beds and that wonderful sense of calm, the views are another highlight – glimpses of the neighbouring Torni Hotel, the last golden leaves of the maples, or the atmospheric Yrjönkatu street (incidentally, the filming location for Coldplay and Zerbin’s feelslikeimfallinginlove music video celebrating Helsinki’s summer nights).

The St. George is undeniably one of the city’s priciest stays, but as an experience it’s well worth it – provided you make the most of it: hit the gym, unwind in the spa and linger over a long breakfast. And whatever you do, don’t check out a moment too early.

Time Out tip: If your budget won’t stretch to an overnight stay – or even the St. George breakfast buffet – pop into the Bakery instead, where you can order what we reckon is the best porridge in town, straight from the hotel breakfast menu.

Address: Yrjönkatu 13

Expect to pay: Rooms from €325 per night

Hotel Hanaholmen is like a secret gateway to Narnia – just six kilometres from central Helsinki, yet it feels like another world. Among the pine trees, silence takes over and the cityscape melts into a sea view. And technically, you’re no longer in Helsinki at all, but in Espoo.

A private island this close to the capital is a rare luxury, one that exists here thanks to the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre. When Sweden waived Finland’s war reparations, the funds were instead used to strengthen cultural ties between the two nations – and that’s how Hotel Hanaholmen was built in 1975.

The hotel’s 66 rooms were refurbished in 2017 along with the rest of the building, and it’s been bursting with colour ever since. Svenskt Tenn’s vibrant patterns brighten many of the rooms, offering just a glimpse of the Scandinavian design showcased throughout. The highlight of the décor is Finn Juhl’s classic Chieftain Chair (worth tens of thousands of euros), gifted to Hanaholmen by the Danish government in honour of Finland’s centenary.

The best thing about Hanaholmen is its closeness to nature. Every room has a sea view, and in summer you can cool off in the Baltic straight from the sauna. You can watch the sunset either from your room or the hotel’s grounds.

There’s also a stunning pool with sea views, a brand-new glass sauna by the shore and a restaurant so locally focused that it even has its own fisherman.

Though it’s not exactly a family hotel, my children loved the playful art installations scattered around the property. Their favourites were the musical mushroom and mirrored sculpture along the outdoor art trail, plus the small waterfall and mirror-lined art corridor inside the hotel. You can enjoy these artworks even if you’re not staying overnight.

Time Out tip: The hotel’s auditorium screens Nordic films for free once a month. The screenings are open to everyone and very popular, so it’s worth reserving your seat as soon as the event details appear in the hotel’s calendar.

Address: Hanasaarenranta 5, Espoo

Expect to pay: Standard rooms from €180 per night

When you walk into a hotel room and actually gasp – letting out an involuntary “wow” – you know you’re somewhere special. In front of you is a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the cruise ships moored at both the Katajanokka and Olympia terminals.

Opened in summer 2024, Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 gives both travellers and locals a fresh perspective on Helsinki’s maritime scenery. Though the Finnish capital is surrounded by sea, very few hotels here let you stay right by the water in stylish comfort and without any fuss – but at Pier 4, you can.

Even arriving at the hotel is a curious mix: the lobby is shared by two worlds, with the reception of forest industry giant Stora Enso on one side and the hotel’s front desk on the other. The striking wooden interiors, crafted from Finnish and Swedish spruce, match the rest of the building. The scent of wood and the calming, natural palette fill every corner of the hotel.

There are 164 rooms in total, 43 of them with sea views. The remaining rooms overlook Katajanokka or the building’s wooden façade, offering a completely different stay. Custom birdsong music composed for Pier 4 plays softly in the corridors and in the ground-floor wellbeing area, which brings together a gym, yoga studio and relaxation space.

Time Out tip: Head up high! The rooftop bar Humu is mostly closed outside the summer season, but guests can still go up to take in the views – and snap some superb photos of Helsinki.

Address: Katajanokanlaituri 4

Expect to pay: Double rooms from €170 per night

Right next to Helsinki Central Station stands a striking Art Nouveau building that, for more than a century, was strictly off-limits to the public. In 2021, the former VR (Finnish Railways) offices reopened as Scandic Grand Central Helsinki, and the closed doors finally swung open.

Today, it’s a grand hotel with 491 rooms – plenty of space for everyone. The selection includes lavish suites, accessible rooms and standard doubles – or at least as standard as rooms can be in a century-old Art Nouveau building.

Thanks to its unbeatable location, you could happily spend hours at the window, watching the trains come and go or spotting some of Helsinki’s most famous landmarks. You really can’t get more central than this.

Inside, the atmosphere blends old and new. In the second-floor lobby, huge marble plaques bear the names of VR employees who died in the wars, while a patch of original paintwork has been purposefully left visible beneath the fresh coat. Nothing is perfectly symmetrical – as it shouldn’t be in an early twentieth-century building – yet every modern comfort is in place, as the hotel only opened a few years ago.

A night at the Grand Central feels special. There’s something lovely about waking up in the heart of the city, and if you manage to snag a breakfast spot in the restaurant’s winter garden, the experience is complete. Afterwards, you might just curl up on the wide windowsill and savour the view one last time before checking out.

Time Out tip: Don’t forget to visit the loo! It may sound odd, but the restaurant and meeting room toilets are genuinely worth seeing – with their wild wallpaper and stunning tiles.

Address: Vilhonkatu 13

Expect to pay: Double rooms from €130 per night

When it comes to the best value for money in the city, the compass points straight to Mannerheimintie. Right in the heart of Helsinki, the Marski by Scandic – named after Finland’s fifth president, Marshal Mannerheim – is affordable but a clear step up in quality from your average Scandic.

Everything here feels a notch above standard: from the facilities (yes, there’s both a gym and a sauna) to the Kuusi Palaa restaurant, the varied breakfast and, of course, the rooms. The hotel’s 363 rooms and suites are decorated in dark tones, with peacock-patterned cushions and layouts that let some guests enjoy views of bustling Mannerheimintie. What better way to start the day than with a cup of tea on the sofa, curtains drawn open, watching one of Helsinki’s busiest streets come to life?

Arriving at the Marski feels warmly familiar. Out front, a traditional Finnish garden swing creaks comfortingly against the hum of cars and trams on the main street. Step through the revolving doors, and the mood shifts instantly – calm and composed, even when the hotel is fully booked.

A stay at Marski puts you right in the historical heart of Helsinki. Opened in 2019, the hotel occupies the same building as the original Hotel Marski, which first welcomed guests in 1962. Back then, its nightclubs and bars were a meeting place for the political elite. These days, Marski is everyone’s living room. There’s often a DJ or live act performing in the ground-floor bar, and the basement corridor has been turned into a gallery space with regularly changing exhibitions – a perfect excuse to drop by even if you’re not staying overnight.

Time Out tip: The hotel’s restaurant, Kuusi Palaa, has a brilliantly clever name – and a great conversation starter with both Finns and international guests. It has several different meanings in Finnish, all playfully illustrated on the restaurant’s walls and menu.

Address: Mannerheimintie 10

Expect to pay: Rooms from €140 per night

Tucked away in a peaceful courtyard in Helsinki’s Kaartinkaupunki district, Bob W Kaarti makes a stylish first impression. Even before you step inside, it’s clear this is no ordinary place. Design takes centre stage here – comfort comes with personality.

Bob W is a Finnish start-up founded in 2018, and it’s been growing fast. By autumn 2025, it will have hotels in ten countries and counting. In Helsinki alone, there are six Bob W apartment hotels, all earning consistently high guest ratings. The chain promises a carbon-neutral stay, with all emissions fully offset.

Ever since opening, Bob W Kaarti has been hugely popular – an average occupancy rate of over 90 percent from day one sounds incredible, but it makes sense given the unbeatable value for money. Prices stay reasonable because there’s no reception, restaurant or daily housekeeping. Guests check in with a code and have access to a spotless shared kitchen, laundry facilities and a nearby gym.

The interiors blend bold colours with soft neutrals. The smallest option, the Pocket studio (under 20 square metres), suits solo travellers on a budget, while larger Comfy apartments and the top-floor Penthouse with its own sauna and kitchen offer more space. In total, there are 55 apartments.

Kaartinkaupunki is a maritime neighbourhood on the edge of central Helsinki, surrounded by some of the city’s priciest homes. Staying at Bob W Kaarti lets you experience the area at a fraction of the cost – within walking distance of Esplanadi Park, Senate Square, Market Square, the Old Market Hall and the boutiques and galleries of the Design District.

Time Out tip: Don’t skip the Instax camera included in every room. Snap your own Polaroid keepsakes – and trust us, these are the kind of souvenirs that won’t end up forgotten at the back of a drawer.

Address: Kasarmikatu 40

Expect to pay: Rooms from €70 per night

Finding a family-owned hotel in central Helsinki isn’t easy – but Unioninkatu’s Hotel U14 gets it spot on. It may be part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, but this is still very much a family-run business. You can sense it in the playful touches: while the service is first-class and the setting impeccable, the décor includes whimsical animal motifs and shapes. There are zebra-print cushions, duck-shaped lamps diving into their shades and a hefty stuffed hippo in every room. These little details keep the atmosphere light and inviting.

The hotel has 117 rooms across six categories. The location on Unioninkatu is ideal – right in the city centre, yet blissfully peaceful. You can enjoy the view of beautiful architecture without worrying about losing sleep to street noise.

The interiors are full of contrasts: black and white, hard and soft, serious and playful. Bright animal prints against glossy black marble make for a look that’s both stylish and approachable.

What makes U14 stand out is its cosmopolitan vibe. It’s a great spot for a staycation if you’re craving a dose of travel energy – most guests are visiting from abroad. There’s a sauna, a compact gym and a cosy lobby bar.

Time Out tip: Don’t miss U14’s slow breakfast brunch – the weekend breakfast spread runs from 08.00 to 14.00. Finally, a hotel breakfast you don’t have to rush for, served alongside a bed as soft as a dream.

Address: Unioninkatu 14, Helsinki

Expect to pay: Rooms from around €190 per night

Spending the night in a prison might sound intriguing to some and spine-chilling to others. But it’s not as unusual as you might think – several former prisons around the world have been transformed into hotels, including this one in Helsinki. You might still get a little thrill wondering what stories the walls could tell.

Home Hotel Katajanokka operated as a prison from 1837 to 2002 before being renovated into a hotel. Today it has 106 rooms, with little trace of its former life. Each room combines up to three old cells, so they’re surprisingly spacious, and the only real clues to the past are the extra-thick walls and the small, high-set windows.

Step outside your room, though, and history is everywhere. The building was designed in the Philadelphia style, with an open central atrium, narrow corridors on each level and the former cells – now hotel rooms – arranged in isolation from one another. It once kept prisoners apart; now it gives guests a welcome sense of calm and privacy.

There’s a special atmosphere here – no surprise, really – but what makes it exceptional is the warm, friendly service and homely feel. True to the Home Hotel concept, the room rate includes not just breakfast but also afternoon tea and an evening buffet. The generous buffet, served in the vaulted basement restaurant, is a lively affair and a perfect option if you don’t fancy venturing far.

For lovers of stories, this place is a treasure trove: the staff are happy to share fascinating tales from the building’s past whenever they have a moment. Be sure to ask about the prison’s resident ghosts.

Time Out tip: Head down to the basement to see what a solitary confinement cell looked like in the early 2000s – and a group cell with a dirt floor dating back to the 1800s.

Address: Merikasarminkatu 1A

Expect to pay: Double rooms from €110 per night

Sometimes the best hotel is the one that simply gets the basics right – without charging you for anything extra. At Citybox Helsinki in Hakaniemi, run by the Norwegian budget chain, you can find rooms from as little as €60 a night. Opened in 2024, everything here still feels shiny and new. You know that satisfying feeling when the value for money is so good you can’t help but congratulate yourself on the choice? That’s Citybox.

The hotel operates on a self-service model, but unlike many budget stays, staff are available around the clock. You can find them in the office if you need help. Check-in and check-out are handled easily at the self-service kiosks. There are no TVs or minibars in the rooms, but the beds are comfy, the bathrooms spotless and the desks perfect for a bit of remote work – which, for many, is all you need. The dark-toned rooms are an inviting place to unwind after a busy day. The 178-room hotel also offers family rooms that can sleep four to six people.

There’s no need for an in-house restaurant when you’re surrounded by the vibrant food scene of Kallio and Hakaniemi. The nearest eateries are in the same building, and the market hall is just steps away. The lobby has seating areas, workstations and a simple kitchenette where you can store snacks or heat up a meal. Travellers on longer stays will appreciate the laundry room.

Don’t be put off by the fact that Citybox isn’t right in the city centre. Hakaniemi is a major transport hub, so it’s just as convenient. Helsinki Central Station is only two metro stops away, and bus 600 goes directly to the airport. The Töölönlahti outdoor paths start almost at the doorstep.

Time Out tip: Within a five-to-ten-minute walk, you’ll find some of Helsinki’s best breakfast spots, including Flät no 14, Way Bakery and Green Hippo. Or grab breakfast at the neighbouring café Roasberg – available to book through the hotel.

Address: Kolmas Linja 8 B

Expect to pay: Rooms from €61 per night