The capital of the world’s happiest country for the seventh year in a row (according to the 2024 World Happiness Report) must be doing something right. And no, it’s just not Finland’s new NATO membership. For starters, Helsinki doubled down on emergency outdoor placemaking measures during COVID and
has kept the massive, purpose-built outdoor seating areas and other similar communal infrastructure projects largely intact, while city leaders continue to generously fund citizen community improvement projects.
It’s the kind of sensible urban cohesion you’d expect from a city dedicated to its fresh air (ranked second in Europe for Air Quality) and a #15 spot in our Green Space subcategory (both helped by the central cycling tunnel into downtown). The city’s embrace of its natural bounty continues to expand with
new trails, parks and an urban ferry system that are powering its overall #12 Livability ranking. Curious visitors are filling new hotels in repurposed spaces like GLO Hotel’s restored 1920s bank location near the port and the Best Western Premier Hotel Katajanokka’s converted former prison. The recently opened Hotel Maria (housed in four historic city buildings) aspires to be the city’s “first true five-star destination,” according to founder, developer and former three-time Finnish Olympic gold medallist Samppa Lajunen.