Things to do in Helsinki – 7 best cycling routes
Seven cycling routes. Seven different Helsinkis. Nature, nurtured. A coastal roll. Kickstand it for Aalto and Art Nouveau. Thoughts untethered on a terrace.
Sauna. Sea. Cycle. Repeat.
1) Kruunuvuorensilta – Cycle Helsinki’s highpoint
Distance: 11 km. Start at: Oodi Helsinki Central Library
Finland’s longest, tallest, newest bridge. No cars, no lorries. Just bikes and feet, and water views the city has never seen before. Trams to start rolling in 2027. Dismount and stand beneath the 135m diamond pylon.
Suomenlinna Church’s onion dome in the distance, ferries arriving at Market Square, permanent artwork on the shore. Or simply sit on a bench. Bird deterrents flapping on the tram wires above. A visit to Korkeasaari Zoo on the way there or back. A bite to eat at Kruunuvuorenranta or Sompasaari. The outdoor gym next to Pitkäsilta if needed. Whatever the reason. Go.
Feeling energetic? Continue north after crossing Kruunuvuorensilta to connect with the Eastern waterfront trail.
2) Lauttasaari – easy to reach, hard to leave
Distance: 10 km. Start at: Koivusaari Metro Station
Nope – Helsinki is not wanting for coast. Try 130 kms worth. Ten of these belong to Lauttasaari, the “island of the happy“. You’ll soon see why they’re smiling. Easily accessible by bridge or metro, happiness may be a mere 3.5 km from Oodi Library, but the feeling is much, much further away. Mutteri Kahvila is your island beacon; a 1927 stalwart of sticky buns, cosy corners and coffee. The 10 km loop is flagged by pink markers. Or simply keep them unpeeled and the sea to your left. Rocks for swimming and sunbaking. Sandy beaches for family time. Kitesurfers. Dog walkers. The sunsets here linger longer.
Feeling energetic? Cycle instead from Oodi Library, adding a mere 7 km to your journey – and a chance to observe central Baana’s wall art (Baana is a former railway, which has been transformed into a pedestrian and cycling path in central Helsinki). See more about Helsinki Baanas here.
3) Seurasaarenselkä – Coffee, culture, islands, coast
Distance: 14 km. Start at: Lapinlahden Lähde
Coffee. Finns consume the most in the world. You can, too. Start at a 180-year-old former psychiatric hospital cum public space for culture, community, mental wellbeing, and, well, caffeine. Anti-clockwise your roll past Hietaranta to Café Regatta – keeping Helsinkians fed with goodies and sausages on a year-round campfire since 1952. Veggie options, too. Paddleboards for hire. Tip your hat to the Sibelius monument opposite. Picnickers on the Meilahti rocks signal it’s downhill to Seurasaari’s open-air museum and cafés. Skinny dipping optional. Didrichsen Art Museum and Villa Gyllenberg offer waterside café terraces. Leapfrog lovely islands south to Lauttasaari. Coffee and creativity at the Cable Factory to cap it off.
Feeling energetic? Continue from the Cable Factory along Ruoholahti canal. A ferry detour to Pihlajasaari Island. Who knows where you end up then.
or a rented one?
City bike
4) Southern seaside – greatest hits, with some deep cuts
Distance: 15 km. Start at: Oodi Library
Drag yourself away from the Oodi Library terrace and head northwards. Töölönlahti Summer Park’s on your right, full of flowers, insects, birds and other city residents. Aalto’s Finlandia Hall stands at the shore of one of the city’s most popular loops. Clockwise a gentle climb to the Blue Villas Café, a wooden 1896 mansion with bay views from a courtyard terrace. Seeking steam? Allas Pool and Löyly sauna are right on the route, with Kulttuurisauna a short detour.
Art Nouveau in Huvilakatu? Gobsmacking. Sauna and pizza just offshore. Naturally. A film with class (and a glass) at Riviera or global eats at Hietalahti market hall. Hot stoves still on the horizon in Lapinlahden Lähde and Rowing Stadium’s sauna. No shame in walking your bike back to Töölönlahti Bay. None whatsoever.
Feeling energetic? Jätkäsaari is an easy addition – home to yet another steamy option, Uusi Sauna.
5) Central Park – forest, swamp, doughnuts (and a farm!)
Distance: 20 km+. Start at: Oodi Library
New York has one too. But not like this. Helsinki’s Central Park starts where the city centre ends and just keeps going. And going.
Forest, bog, duckboards, fields. Urban life disappears fast. 100 km of trails – 100 different ways to use them. Trail runners, cyclists, mountain bikers, orienteers and the occasional horse rider all find their own corner. A pet cemetery houses the city’s best friends. Maunula Hiking Lodge mid-route serves doughnuts and drinks. Forest gives way to fields and to Haltiala, a working farm on the banks of the Vantaanjoki river. Insert bleat here. Count clouds on your back at Palettilampi Beach on your way back.
Feeling energetic? Follow Vantaanjoki River downstream to Vanhakaupunki and route 7 is your birdwatching oyster.
6) Vuosaari – sun, sand and some serious nature
Distance: 12 km. Start at: Vuosaari Metro Station
Helsinki’s east end rewards those who make the trip. Moments from the metro: Aurinkolahti beach, a long sweep of golden-white sand where the city suddenly feels more Miami than Nordic. Two wild areas bookend the beach. Uutela to the east. Dense forest, shoreline and Finland’s only reptile and amphibian nature trail. To the west: Kallahti’s forested peninsula, Kallahdenniemi beach and sweeping archipelago views.
Pitstop at Hotel Rantapuisto. A deer might cross your path in the adjacent forest. Rastila beach definitely will – sandy by summer, icy by winter. That mansion you can see? Inside is Cafe Monami – serving more than enough energy for the five-minute walk to Rastila Metro Station.
Feeling energetic? Keep pedalling the Eastern waterfront trail all the way to Kalasatama (and beyond). Around 25km all up. Worth it.
7) Vanhankaupunginselkä – birds and brew meets Suomi staples
Distance: 18 km. Start at: Kalasatama metro station
Roll off the metro towards Arabiaranta, with a design detour at the Arabia factory museum and Iittala store. Vanhakaupunki for fishing and food trucks by the rapids. Lammasaari: a quiet island birdwatching platform accessed by reedy boardwalk. A detour to CoolHead Brew Taproom for a tour, a taste, and a few travellers for later. Back on track. Serious birders bring binoculars for the towers overlooking coastal meadows. Bliss. Small mammals. Distant skyscrapers. Mustikkamaa island beckons for a swim or a Sompasauna (a free community sauna!) session. Preferably both. The neighbouring zoo is a natural fit. Roll over the bridge back to Kalasatama. A buzzing district is born.
Feeling energetic? Cycle back to the centre along the waterfront. Or scale some cycling heights by connecting with route 1.
