Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) Complete Guide

Whether you are dealing with a tight connection, an all-night stop-over or simply popping in for a quick espresso, our HEL guide lays out everything you can expect once you step inside Finland’s flagship airport. From 24-hour dining and free showers to sleep pods, lounges and nearby airport hotels, we cover it all so that your journey continues as smoothly as a Finnish snow-covered highway.

1. Airport Overview

Helsinki-Vantaa operates from one interconnected terminal that splits into a Schengen pier (gates 11-31) and a non-Schengen/long-haul pier (gates 32-55). Way-finding is effortless, English is spoken everywhere, and your boarding gate is rarely more than a ten-minute stroll away. All travelers, regardless of airline or cabin, can access a generous line-up of cafés, duty-free boutiques, pharmacies and paid lounges situated both landside and airside.

2. Operating Hours

The terminal building never closes, yet individual security checkpoints shut for roughly three hours overnight (01:00-04:00). If you arrive airside during that window, you must remain there; otherwise you will be shepherded landside until screening re-opens.

3. Sleeping in HEL

Thanks to modern Nordic design, resting spots abound: padded benches without armrests, reclining chaise-longues near gate 35 and carpeted nooks by gates 14 and 50. Landside seats at the check-in islands vanish first, so claim one early if you plan an overnight camp-out. Airport security is famously laid-back, though they will request ID once or twice through the night.

4. Rest & Relaxation Zones

Aukio – an immersive digital forest lit by 360° LED walls and soft bird-song – is the crown jewel of HEL’s chill-out areas. Located airside (non-Schengen, level 2, gate 40), it remains open around the clock and supplies power outlets beneath almost every seat.

5. Sleep Pods, Day Rooms & Nearby Hotels

• Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge – landside pods rented by the hour.
• Comfort Hotel Xpress Helsinki Airport Terminal – landside, ground-floor; four- to seven-hour blocks from €40.
• Hilton Helsinki Airport – covered walkway to the terminal; day rooms available.
• Clarion Hotel & Scandic Helsinki Airport – 3-minute walk.

More choices (with free shuttles) range from budget to luxury; browse current rates via Travel Code or the hotel’s own site.

6. Lounges

Pay-per-use & Membership Lounges

Aspire Lounge (Schengen pier, gates 13 & 27) welcomes walk-ins from €36 and includes showers at gate 27. Plaza Premium Lounge (non-Schengen mezzanine, gate 40) charges from €45/3 h and boasts Finnish sauna-style showers. Membership cards such as Priority Pass, DragonPass and LoungeKey are accepted in most facilities.

Airline Lounges

Finnair operates separate Business Lounges on both sides and the exclusive Platinum Wing. Qatar Airways, JAL and Turkish Airlines premium flyers share the Plaza Premium Lounge at present.

7. Food & Drink – 24 Hour Options

Night owls can rely on: Alepa grocery (Arrivals, landside); two R-kioski convenience stores (Arrivals & gate 29); Nordic Kitchen (gates 37-39); Richie’s Hot Dogs (gate 19) and a Fizza Pizza robot (gate 40). Numerous vending machines pepper the concourses.

8. Wi-Fi, Charging & Workspaces

Free, unlimited “Helsinki Airport Free Wi-Fi” signals are robust throughout the terminal – no registration required. USB-A, USB-C and universal sockets lie beside almost every second chair, plus mega charging bars at gates 13, 28 & 50. For quiet calls or Zoom meetings, SpaceHub cabins (gate 29, €2.50/15 min) deliver sound-proof privacy.

9. Other Services & Facilities

• Luggage lockers: Excess Baggage Co., T1 Arrivals, €5-10/day.
• Showers: Aspire Lounge (gate 27) or Plaza Premium (gate 40).
• Hydration: bottle-fill fountains landside (level 0) and airside (gates 13, 28, 50).
• Medical: Mehiläinen Clinic next to Arrivals; AEDs by most gates.
• Kids’ playrooms: brightly-coloured zones at gates 16 & 20 (open 24 h).
• SIM cards: R-kioski, Arrivals hall – DNA, Saunalahti, Telia.
• Beauty / barber: Salon Fly Hair – confirm opening hours on-site.

10. Ground Transport

Train

Ring-line commuter trains I & P run every 10-20 min to central Helsinki in 30 min. Buy an ABC-zone ticket (€4.10) from machines or the HSL app.

Bus

HSL bus 600 offers a 40-min ride to the city bus station. Long-distance coaches toward Tampere, Turku and Rovaniemi depart from platforms adjacent to Arrivals.

Taxi & Ride-share

Metered cabs and Uber wait outside the terminal (€50-55 to downtown). Pre-book online via Finavia’s “Airport Taxi” portal for fixed pricing.

Car rental

Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, National and Sixt desks sit in Arrivals; cars are collected in the adjacent P3 garage.

11. Safety & Traveler Tips

• Pick a spot within camera view yet near fellow passengers; petty theft is rare but not unheard of.
• Use your bag as a pillow or loop a strap round an arm/leg. A compact cable lock is inexpensive peace of mind.
• Ear-plugs fend off boarding calls; an eye-mask blocks the constant Nordic summer sunrise.
• Security sweeps around 05:00 wake landside sleepers to allow early check-in lines to form.