What Makes Helsinki an Accessible Destination?
7 tips for family-friendly travel
In early spring, I explored the charming streets of Helsinki, Finland, where thoughtful design enhances everyday life.
Helsinki shows how accessibility can feel natural, not added on. From pram-friendly lifts to intuitive public spaces, the city proves that inclusive design can be simple, human, and quietly brilliant.
Here are seven user experiences (UX) that stood out during my visit, and tips for families visiting in the near future.
1. Museo
Museo, a free local museum, offered more than static exhibits. It allows interactive learning through touch. Visitors could touch toys from the 1900s, sit at a vintage café, or even try on beach clothes from the 1910s. These tactile moments transformed history into an experience, inviting guests to connect physically and emotionally with the city’s past.
Tip: Make accessibility part of the experience. Wide paths, ramps, and interactive displays help parents with prams or visitors using wheelchairs explore freely, ensuring everyone enjoys the space without barriers.
Image: Old classroom.
2. Sustainable Practise
Helsinki makes sustainability second nature. Public bins are clearly labelled across six categories: plastic, paper, bio waste, mixed waste, cardboard, and plastic bottles. This visible system helps residents and visitors contribute easily to a greener city.
Tip: Keep responsible actions effortless. Clear labelling and reachable facilities empower everyone, including those with prams or mobility aids, to take part confidently.
Image: Six recycle bins.
3. Communication through clarity
Shopping centre lifts in Helsinki list shop names and floors beside each button, helping users plan before stepping inside. In the UK we’re used to “G” for ground,whereas Finnish lifts use “E” for exit; a different yet logical choice to show the exit.
Tip: Prioritise clarity at every level. Clear labels, intuitive icons, and logical layouts help parents and wheelchair users move independently and with confidence.
Image: Lift map.
4. Movement in the mundane
Instead of static posters, Helsinki buses display looped video ads that entertain commuters during crowded rides or dark winter mornings. The gentle motion invites engagement without demanding attention.
Tip: Add lightness to waiting moments. For families or wheelchair users, small doses of calm or distraction can make everyday journeys more comfortable.
Image: Interactive advert.
5. Angled lift
Perhaps my favourite discovery was the angled glass lift that runs parallel to escalators. Designed for prams and wheelchairs, it travels at a 45-degree incline, offering an inclusive, and fascinating, view of the moving escalator mechanisms beside it.
Tip: Turn accessibility into attraction. When lifts and ramps feel intentional and engaging, users feel welcomed, not merely accommodated.
Image: Tilted glass lift.
6. Family room
Inside shopping centres, the Lastenhoitohuone (children’s room) is a safe, joyful space equipped for every need, such as microwaves, climbing frames, toddler toilets, and nappy stations. It reflects Finland’s child-centred culture and commitment to inclusive family design and comfort for families.
Tip: Spaces that anticipate family routines and mobility needs reduce stress and support independence for all. A quiet play area too for the little ones.
Image: Family room.
7. Virtual forest
At Helsinki Airport, a virtual Koli National Park experience lets travellers unwind on leather loungers, surrounded by birdsong and soft lighting. You might find yourself stretched out on an open bed in the middle of the airport. An information board explains the park’s location, climate, and story, turning waiting time into mindful escape.
Tip: Create moments of calm for all. Accessible relaxation areas offer comfort to parents juggling prams and travellers navigating in wheelchairs alike.
Image: Airport lounge.
Bringing it all together
In Helsinki, accessibility isn’t a feature… it’s a feeling. Every thoughtful detail invites ease, dignity, and joy for all who explore the city.