7+ cool book stores to visit in Helsinki
Ran out of reading? No worries, book lover. You’re in Helsinki!
The city’s multiple second hand book shops, antiquarian book and comic stores, alternative hideouts and living room like havens of carefully curated literature can be found all around the city, but especially in the city centre and neighbourhoods like Kallio.
The chain stores with the latest best selling paperbacks will keep you well fed too – in multiple languages!
Here’s a selection of 7 stores (and some more) to get you started with. Enjoy!
Second hand classics
Books for design lovers
1. Academic Bookstore
A Helsinki classic. An atrium-like space flooded with natural light and books on two floors. Known for its great service, adept staff and vast selection of genres and titles – in Finnish, English, Swedish, you name it. The Academic Bookstore has been serving Helsinkian book lovers for over 130 years. Since 1969 the store has been situated here, in the Bookhouse, only a stone’s throw away from the Central Railway station. What makes the building even more spectacular – inside and out! – is the fact that it was designed by Finland’s most famous architect Alvar Aalto.
In “Akateeminen” you can also find a selection of Finnish classics (including the Moomins!) translated into multiple languages. The store hosts weekly public events and discussions with various authors and Cafe Aalto on the second floor is a great place to read (and eat!).
Yup, you can easily spend a whole day here.
2. Rosebud Postitalo & Rosebud Sivullinen
These two central Rosebud stores – Postitalo and Sivullinen – are real havens for book lovers. The Postitalo store holds over 24 000 different book titles and Sivullinen over 33 000! Newest releases, timeless classics, lost pearls – from fiction to non-fiction and comics. A great selection of them in English.
Postitalo is located in the lobby of the old post headquarters – a light-filled example of functionalist design from the 1930s – conveniently right by the Central Railway station and Central library Oodi. Sivullinen is in the Kluuvi shopping centre, on the second floor surrounded by multiple restaurants. Handy, in case you’ll get hungry while rummaging through the shelves (oh, you will!).
Both stores host discussions, interviews with authors and book publishing events.
3. C. Hagelstam Antiquarian Bookstore
Scientific out-of-print publications, good quality art and architecture books, modern first editions. Oh yes, and old maps, engravings and Finnish poster art. C. Hagelstam Antiquarian Bookstore has been running in the same place in Punavuori neighbourhood for over 45 years.
The wide selection of second-hand and out-of-print books includes classic literature, philosophy, art history and psychology – for example. About a third of the selection is in English. This is the kind of bookstore that makes your imagination fly! Old books, mysterious maps, forgotten stories… Sounds like a starting point for a novel.
4. Laterna Magica
A gallery and antiquarian bookstore – all in one. Laterna Magica specializes in books on photography and movies, with one of the best selections in the country, most of it in English. In addition it has a whole gallery dedicated to art books. Fiction, poetry and children’s books included, the store holds about 40 000 different titles.
This cultural meeting point in the heart of Kruununhaka district hosts a variety of weekly events from concerts to book discussions and workshops. It has three gallery spaces including a cellar with a 1,8 billion year old natural bedrock floor. Yes, the love for literature and art certainly grows on a steady ground here!
5. Pp (Tekstintalo)
A new book shop at the House of Text – a literary community and multifunctional space (yes, the whole house!) dedicated to text culture and organisations working with it.
You’ll find Pp on the ground floor right next to the entrance. The shop sells both literature and non-fiction titles in English and Finnish. Emphasis is on the margins of literature and theory, especially philosophy and political theory. Next to Pp you’ll find Bar Typo. Stay for a drink, read, check out the House of Text event calendar and connect with the community.
6. Arkadia International Bookshop
Books in Japanese, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, English, Dutch… All under the same roof in Helsinki! Arkadia International Bookshop in Töölö has a thoughtfully curated and diverse collection of titles from various cultures. It offers an exhilarating opportunity to explore global literature of all sorts – classic novels, contemporary works and rare finds.
In addition to selling books Arkadia has also hosted about 2000 events since its opening in 2008. It exhibits art, publishes poetry and essays, and can be rented out as an events space. Yet another Helsinkian book shop serving as a cultural hotspot for the community!
7. Oranssi planeetta + some extra tips
A sympathetic second hand book store on Hämeentie, Hermanni district. Since its start in 2010 Oranssi Planeetta has built a good collection of all genres, but especially sci-fi, fantasy and comic book lovers will enjoy the selection here. The store holds roughly about 40 meters of books in English. And around half of the comics are in English. A haven for comic enthusiasts!
… Still hungry for more comic books? Check out Fennica Comics and Fantasiapelit!
And don’t forget these specialised bookstores:
For the lovers of science: Think Corner Shop with variety of science literature by the Helsinki University campus.
For the lovers of mysticism, esoteric literature, tarot and the otherworldly: Bookshop Unio Mystica is the place to go!
For the lovers of architecture: Architectural bookshop bookm-ark.fi.
For anarchists: The anarchist infoshop and antiquariat Mustan kanin kolo (The Black Rabbit’s hole)!