In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Winter in Helsinki means a Christmas market, saunas and a light festival. The Helsinki Christmas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat) runs on Senate Square from 27 November to 22 December, followed by the eight-day Lux Helsinki light festival from 30 December to 6 January. Löyly and Allas Sea Pool are open every day of the year, and Löyly has a hole cut in the sea ice for winter dips. Or book a tour: a 2-hour Christmas walking tour with a market visitad from €55 covers the Christmas market, the landmarks and Finnish Christmas traditions.
⚠️ Most things close from 14:00 on Christmas Eve. Finland celebrates on 24 December, when shops, museums and many restaurants close and Finns go home for dinner and sauna. HSL runs a Sunday schedule that thins out in the late afternoon. If you are staying over 24–25 December, book hotel dining weeks ahead.
Winter daylight and weather conditions
Winter runs roughly from late November to late March:
- Daylight: The shortest days, in late December, have about 5 hours 50 minutes between sunrise (09:24) and sunset (15:13). The sun stays low, so clear days have a long golden twilight.
- Temperatures: Averages run from -3°C to -8°C, falling to -15°C or lower in cold snaps.
- Ice: The city clears snow and spreads crushed granite grit (hiekoitus) on pavements rather than salt, which gives good traction.
Eliel Saarinen’s Art Nouveau Lantern Bearers at Helsinki Central Station stand watch over winter snow flurries. Photo: CGP Grey, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Helsinki Christmas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat)
The Helsinki Christmas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat, named after Saint Thomas) fills Senate Square below the steps of Helsinki Cathedral.
- Dates: 27 November to 22 December.
- Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 19:00; Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 20:00.
- Admission: Free.
Christmas market stalls, Senate Square. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Stalls and crafts
Around 100 timber chalets host independent craftspeople and small workshops from across Finland, selling:
- Hand-knitted woollen mittens and socks.
- Carved wooden kitchenware, birch bark baskets and kuksa drinking cups.
- Beeswax candles, spruce resin balms and handmade soaps.
- Reindeer leather goods and felt slippers.
Food
A covered, heated dining pavilion stands in the middle of the square:
- Riisipuuro (Christmas rice porridge): Cooked in whole milk and served warm with cinnamon sugar, butter and a hidden almond. Whoever finds the almond is said to have good luck in the coming year.
- Glögi (spiced mulled wine): Berry juice simmered with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, served with raisins and almonds, non-alcoholic or with a shot of vodka.
- Lohikeitto (salmon soup): Salmon, potatoes, leeks, allspice and dill, with buttered dark rye bread.
- Joulutorttu: Star-shaped puff pastry tarts filled with spiced plum jam.
The carousel
An antique illuminated carousel with wooden horses stands in the market, with free rides for children throughout the season.
Christmas streetlights and city traditions
- Aleksanterinkatu (the Christmas Street): The main shopping street has been opened as the “Christmas Street” (Joulukatu) every winter since 1949, with overhead garlands of lights from Senate Square to Mannerheimintie.
- Stockmann’s windows: The department store at the corner of Aleksanterinkatu and Mannerheimintie unveils an animated Christmas window display in late November, with mechanical woodland animals.
- Saint Lucia’s Day (13 December): After a crowning ceremony in Helsinki Cathedral, a young woman wearing a wreath of candles walks down the cathedral steps onto Senate Square, leading a torchlit procession through the centre.
Lux Helsinki: the winter festival of light
Lux Helsinki is a light art festival that follows Christmas.
- Dates: Eight evenings from 30 December to 6 January, 17:00 to 22:00.
- Format: A marked walking route through the centre past 15 to 25 light, projection and sound installations by Finnish and international artists.
- Venues: Helsinki Cathedral, the Bank of Finland, the National Library and buildings around Kansalaistori and Töölönlahti become projection screens for video mapping and laser sculptures.
- Admission: Free.
Winter saunas and ice swimming (avanto)
Allas Sea Pool in winter. Photo: Paasikivi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Löyly (Hernesaari): Heat up in the smoke sauna, then walk down the wooden stairs to a maintained ice hole (avanto) in the Baltic.
- Allas Sea Pool (Market Square): For a gentler option, Allas keeps a 25-metre freshwater pool at 27°C all year, with a view across the harbour to Uspenski Cathedral.
- Kotiharjun Sauna (Kallio): A wood-burning bathhouse from 1928. Bathers cool off outside in towels on the pavement of Harjutorinkatu with a cold drink.
Outdoor winter activities in Helsinki
- Ice skating: In freezing weather the city floods public sports grounds to make rinks. The artificial rink at Brahe Sports Field (Brahenkenttä) in Kallio offers skate rental and sharpening.
- Cross-country skiing in Central Park (Keskuspuisto): Groomed ski trails run through the forests. At the Paloheinä outdoor recreation centre in northern Helsinki you can rent skis, boots and poles by the hour, take lessons and ski floodlit loops.
- Suomenlinna in snow: The fortress grounds stay open in winter and the ferry runs all year; see the Suomenlinna guide.
Holiday transport and practical schedules
| Date | Public Transport (HSL) | Public Saunas (Löyly / Allas) | Supermarkets & Restaurants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Dec (Christmas Eve) | Sunday schedule; services thin out after 16:00 | Löyly: 12:00 – 18:00; Allas: 07:00 – 17:30 | Most close by 13:00–14:00. Book dinners well ahead. |
| 25 Dec (Christmas Day) | Sunday service starting from ~11:00 | Löyly: 12:00 – 22:00; Allas: 09:00 – 21:00 | Most shops closed; select hotel restaurants open. |
| 26 Dec (Boxing Day) | Sunday schedule with full night services | Löyly: 13:00 – 23:00; Allas: 08:00 – 21:00 | Major department stores reopen; cinema screenings resume. |
| 31 Dec (New Year’s Eve) | Friday schedule; extended late-night trains/metro | Full daytime and evening hours | Restaurants operate special ticketed gala dinners. |
| 1 Jan (New Year’s Day) | Sunday schedule | Full standard holiday hours | Retail shops closed; museums open on holiday hours. |
Packing essentials for winter in Helsinki
- Thermal base layers: Merino wool or synthetic long underwear.
- Insulated boots with deep rubber treads: Pavements are gritted, but packed snow can leave icy patches, and thick soles keep the cold of the granite out.
- Wool accessories: A windproof woollen hat (pipo), mittens or fleece-lined gloves and a scarf.
- Shoe spikes (liukuesteet): Rubber traction grips that slip over boots, sold at pharmacies, department stores and supermarkets.
- Lip balm and hand cream: Cold air and indoor heating dry out skin.
What to explore next
- Saunas: prices and booking in the Helsinki public saunas guide.
- A winter day trip: Tallinn is a two-hour ferry crossing; see the Tallinn day trip guide.
- Indoor sights: Free things to do in Helsinki.
Common questions
When does the Helsinki Christmas Market (Tuomaan Markkinat) run?
On Senate Square from 27 November to 22 December, 11:00 to 19:00 Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 to 20:00 on Friday and Saturday. Entry to the square, stalls and carousel is free.
What is the Lux Helsinki light festival and when is it held?
Lux Helsinki is a light art festival that runs for eight evenings from 30 December to 6 January. Monuments, squares and facades in the centre host light and sound installations by Finnish and international artists, along free walking routes.
How cold is Helsinki during the winter months?
Averages run from -3°C to -8°C between December and March, and it can drop to -15°C or lower in cold snaps. Snow cover typically forms between late December and early January and lasts through March.
Are public transport and saunas open on Christmas Day in Helsinki?
Yes. HSL runs a reduced, Sunday-level service on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Löyly (12:00 to 22:00) and Allas Sea Pool (09:00 to 21:00) are open on Christmas Day. Restaurants usually need reservations weeks ahead.
How many hours of daylight does Helsinki receive in midwinter?
Just under six hours around the winter solstice on 21 December, with the sun rising at about 09:24 and setting at 15:13.
