Helsinki

Introduction

Helsinki is the capital and biggest city of Finland, situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the southern part of the country.

CouchSurfing in Helsinki

The CouchSurfing situation in Helsinki is generally pretty good. There are a decent ratio of hosts to surfers, especially in the winter months; which means it is relatively easier to find a couch in Helsinki when compared to larger capital cities such as Paris or Berlin. Helsinki has a large and active CouchSurfing, and 'Travelers' community for it's size; with weekly events such as the CS Weekly Meeting, various weekend meetups, large multi-day events, parties and excursions.

Other Hospitality Exchange Networks

Memberships of alternative hospitality networks such as BeWelcome are increasing, however there are still very few BeWelcome hosts in the Helsinki region.

Finding a CouchSurfing Host

Before you start

• Fully fill out your profile and add pictures. Let your potential host see what kind of person you are!
• Optional, but important: get verified. It tells your potential host that you are a real person with a real address and hence are more likely to be trustworthy.

How to Search for a Couch

• In the Where would you like to go? textbox, type your destination. In this case, you will have searched for 'Helsinki'.
• You will end up at the Place page for your destination, in this case you arrive at the Helsinki Region Place page.
• Do not post a couch request onto the place page.

• Why? It is more polite to ask people directly for their hospitality. This community is about people and connecting with them directly. You will be more successful finding a place to stay through personalized messages!

• At the top of the page is it should read: Find a place to stay for __ traveler(s). Select a number or "any" then click GO.
• You will now be taken to the Couch Search results page. Here you can browse hosts who are available in your local area. You can also filter and further refine your search results.
• Find a host you would like to stay with, and click on their picture or username. You are now on a Profile Page. Read their profile.
• By reading a person’s profile you can build up a picture of them and decide if you want to spend time with them.
• Be sure to carefully read your potential host’s profile. For example - What do they like to do in their free time? What experiences did other guests/hosts have with this person? Where have they travelled?
• Once you have read their profile thoroughly, decide if you would like to CouchSurf with them, then send them a Couch Request. For tips on how to read a profile take a look at the official guide.
• For more tips on how to choose your host, and write a good couch request read the official guide or have a look at How_To_Write_A_Couch_Request.
• Lastly, STAY SAFE. Don’t put your personal safety in jeopardy for a free place to stay. If you want to prevent unsolicited messaged from strangers then it is important to not post a couch request onto the place page.

Tips for Finding a Host in Helsinki

• You don't neccesarily need to find your host in the 'center' of the city. Many people, including hosts, live outside the city center. The 'city center' itself is rather small and the bulk of the residential buildings lie to the North, East, and West. Public transport in Helsinki is excellent and will likely be the main way your host travels around the city.
• Consider searching for hosts in the two other cities in the Helsinki metropolitan region: Espoo and Vantaa. In fact, many districts of Espoo (Otaniemi, Tapiola, Leppävaara) are actually closer to Helsinki city center that the furthermost districts in Helsinki itself.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Where can I book a sauna in the Helsinki region?

Where can I go camping in the Helsinki region?