Bring your Swimsuit to Helsinki's Christmas Market, there will be a Sauna!

HELSINKI, 2 November 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As Christmas season descends across Europe, Helsinki offers visitors the unique experience to enjoy a traditional wood burning Finnish sauna in the midst of its Christmas Market. As the capital city of Santa Claus' home country, Helsinki is a must visit at Christmas time. Soft glowing lights christen the downtown core, and ice skating rinks weave between historic city facades and monuments. Located at the foot of the iconic Helsinki Cathedral's steps, Helsinki's Christmas Market 'Tuomaan Markkinat' opens from the 27th of November to the 22^nd of December.

The Official Home of Santa Claus, and Sauna!

The EU has officially ruled that Finland is Santa Claus' home country, and UNESCO recognizes the Finnish sauna on its list of intangible cultural heritage. With the Christmas season soon upon us, travelers are eager for destinations that deeply immerse in the coziness of Christmas magic. This year, Helsinki combines Santa and sauna by bringing a traditional wood burning Finnish sauna right in its Christmas market.

In the EU's northernmost capital city embracing the warmth of Christmas magic is not only a celebration, but also a means of survival. Total darkness is nothing new for Helsinkians, and in fact, the winter season is when Helsinki truly comes alive, adorning streets with warm lighting, and embracing the centuries old traditions that have kept Helsinkians going through the darkness. Traditions such as Finland's Lucia bring community together and celebrate light and warmth. Summer hobbies are replaced by winter activities, and it's not uncommon to see cross-country skis on the Helsinki metro.

Every winter, over a million visitors head to the north of Europe, often passing through Helsinki as the host of Finland's busiest airport by far. Popular routes to Lapland either by domestic flight or overnight sleeper trains depart from Helsinki, giving tourists plenty of time to include a few nights in Helsinki before or after heading north. While in Helsinki, tourists can visit various museums or UNESCO world heritage sites such as the home and studio of legendary designer Alvar Aalto. Restaurants set the mood with candlelit meals, and many places offer seasonal Christmas lunches or Christmas tables, a great opportunity to try Finnish delicacies such as cured salmon, reindeer, and various casseroles.

Christmas Sauna

Finland is the birthplace of sauna, and it's no surprise then that Finland has over 3.2 million saunas in a country of just over 5 million. While Finns enjoy sauna year-round, there is a particular coziness to heating up the sauna to around 100 degrees Celsius, while temperatures outside drop below freezing. In fact, having a sauna on Christmas Eve, called 'joulusauna,' has been a tradition in Finnish households for centuries. It's common for families to heat up the sauna right before Christmas dinner, ushering in the holiday spirit with relaxation, wellness, and a clean start.

"One of the nicest ways Finns welcome people into their homes is by inviting them to enjoy a sauna," says Tea Lindberg, owner of Furuvik Saunas, responsible for bringing the authentic Finnish sauna experience to the Helsinki Christmas Market. "When people from all over the world come to Helsinki for Christmas, we want to welcome them with the same warmth and hospitality that we share with our own guests. What better way to do that than by offering them the chance to experience a real Finnish wood-fired sauna? It's a tradition that has been part of Finnish life for centuries, and we're excited to share it with visitors from around the world."

This year, the Helsinki Christmas Market will feature a real wood burning sauna. Between spoonfuls of warm Christmas porridge 'puuro' and sips of mulled wine 'glögi', guests are invited to warm up in the sauna. As tourists enjoy the lively atmosphere of Christmas Markets across Europe, taking a sauna in the middle of one definitely makes Helsinki' Christmas Market unique among the rest.

'Hittipuuro'

Every year, vendors at the Christmas Market have a tradition of aiming to create the hit dish of the market, coined the 'hittipuuro' in Finnish or the 'hit porridge,' as the dish has typically been a take on the classic Finnish Christmas porridge. Vendors might go the route of perfecting the classic and sticking to the basics of cinnamon, bronwed butter, and a lot of sugar - or then adding a spin with modern twists such as a previous year's miso brown butter caramel porridge. Either way, the jury are the visitors, and the long lines show which vendor has succeeded in winning the crowd's palate. Other food vendors might not even attempt to sell porridge, with previous vendors offering unique fusions such as Korean corndogs made of reindeer meat. The variety of dishes and the effort to create something that truly stands out is one of the hallmarks of the Helsinki Christmas market, and a reason large crowds gather year after year.

Notably, many of the vendors at Helsinki's Christmas Market are actually local restaurants. Restaurateurs in Helsinki use the Christmas Market to offer seasonal flavors, or introduce their beloved classics to a new audience. The strong local presence at Helsinki's Christmas Market brings a high level of authenticity and care to the products offered. If you like a particular stand in the Christmas Market, it's worth checking out the vendors' permanent location, for a proper meal from locally loved spots. 

Ice Skating Takes Over

A block away from the Helsinki Christmas Market, lies Helsinki's bustling market square. This year, an ice skating rink will surround the famous 'Havis Amanda' statue. One of Helsinki's most iconic sites, this statue is where Finns gather after Finnish successes internationally, namely when Finland wins gold at the International Hockey Championships or at the Olympics, or when Finland won Eurovision in 2006.

Pedestrians fill this square at the entrance to Helsinki's Esplanade during summer, but will now fill with ice skaters during the winter. Skating rinks pop up across Helsinki neighborhoods in the winter, with one of the most picturesque lying below the soaring twin steeples of Johannes' Church in the Ullanlinna district. For local Helsinkians, ice skating and cross country skiing are great methods to keep up movement outdoors, even when snow covers usual running paths, and temperatures dip below zero. And even when the sea freezes to ice, Helsinkians break holes for ice swimming, in the Finnish tradition of 'avanto'.

When winter comes, Helsinki doesn't shelter, it embraces the darkness and cold. Locals revel at the opportunities to partake in winter activities that aren't possible any other time of the year. Perfecting an atmosphere of coziness becomes a national obsession, and restaurants drown in the soft glow illuminating from candles. Winter in Helsinki is like no other, with a magic that is distinct to the Northernmost capital city in the EU.

Media Contact: 

Gideon Hagström
Specialist, Brand & PR, Helsinki Partners
gideon.hagstrom@helsinkipartners.com
+358 40 190 3994

Helsinki Partners is a city marketing, investment and talent attraction company owned by the City of Helsinki. Their mission is to promote the city's sustainable growth; attract international investment, businesses, talent and visitors, and to conduct international sales and marketing, as well as build Helsinki's brand globally. 

For more information, please visit www.myhelsinki.fi  

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