Helsinki Public Transport: HSL App, AB Zones and Scenic Trams 2 and 3

Greater Helsinki's public transport authority, HSL (Helsingin seudun liikenne), unites green-and-yellow city trams, the bright-orange Metro, trunk buses, commuter trains and the municipal Suomenlinna ferry under a single ticketing system. Understanding the simple lettered zone map saves you money from your first hour in town.

Zones AB vs ABC: Which Ticket Do You Actually Need?

• Zone AB covers 99% of your stay: every single neighbourhood, museum, island and attraction in Helsinki, including Senate Square, the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress ferry, Seurasaari, Kallio, Löyly, Lauttasaari and even the architectural districts and EMMA Museum in neighbouring Espoo, sits inside Zones A and B. Because HSL does not sell a standalone "Zone A only" ticket, your default city ticket is always Zone AB (valid for 80 minutes of unlimited transfers).
• When you need Zone ABC: you only need a 3-zone ABC ticket when travelling to or from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre in Vantaa, or Nuuksio National Park.
• How to pay: download the free HSL app, link Apple Pay, Google Pay or a Visa/Mastercard, and buy either single AB tickets or a 1-day to 7-day unlimited AB Day Ticket (a 24-hour AB pass breaks even after just three single rides, and remember to buy it in the app before stepping onto the tram or ferry).

The DIY Sightseeing Tour on Trams 2 and 3

You do not need an expensive open-top tourist bus in Helsinki. City Tram 2 and Tram 3 are actually a single continuous line that switches its route number from 2 to 3 (and vice versa) at the northern loop by the Olympic Stadium and the southern loop at Olympia Terminal, tracing a figure-eight through the entire city in roughly 60 minutes. Board Tram 2 at the Market Square (Kauppatori) and stay on board as it passes Senate Square, Aleksanterinkatu, the Central Station, Oodi Library, the Opera House and the 1952 Olympic Stadium, where the tram automatically becomes Tram 3 and loops through Kallio, Hakaniemi, Eira's seaside villas and the Design District.