Helsinki · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
A sea fortress on an ordinary transit ticket, free museum Fridays and saunas instead of nightlife.
Kallio district
The cheap beds, cheap beer and cheap kitchens are in Kallio, one metro stop or a tram ride north of the station. Hostels also cluster near Kamppi.
What a day costs
EUR 55–90 a day: dorm 30–45, food 15–25 if you shop at the discount supermarkets and eat lunch buffets, a day travel ticket around 9.
HSL day tickets
One ticket covers trams, metro, buses and the Suomenlinna ferry. City bikes run from April to October for a few euros a day and cover the centre.
Free by day
Suomenlinna's ramparts and tunnels, the Chapel of Silence on Kamppi square, Hietaniemi beach, and museums that waive entry on the first Friday of the month.
Vaasankatu, Kallio
A short street of unpretentious bars where the beer costs half what it does on Esplanadi; walking tours and hostel groups both end up here.