Not only has the popularity of flea markets grown tremendously in recent years, but the city government seems to encourage this initiative. In addition to its famous landmarks and activities, Finland's capital is home to two major flea markets that attract hundreds of vendors and tens of thousands of visitors every year from spring to autumn. The Hietalahti Flea Market and the Hakaniemi Kirppis flea market are Helsinki's most anticipated and celebrated flea markets.
The Hietalahti Flea Market is one of the most popular marketplaces in Helsinki during the summer and the largest outdoor flea market in the city! Located on Hietalahti Square in the Design District, the Hietalahti Flea Market (known locally as Hietsu) is well worth a visit.
Open from Monday to Sunday, the Hietalahti flea market has nearly 150 stalls and is especially active on weekends: go first thing in the morning and definitely bargain! As buyers, Finns are rather shy about negotiating the price, but you can be brave and bid. Most sellers are private individuals, but there are also some semi-professionals selling old and new stuff. And even if there are not so many sellers on weekdays, you can still find great bargains.
Last but not least, those who want to take a gourmet break after spending the morning browsing the stalls of the flea market should enjoy "tori kahvit" with a traditional Finnish roll korvapuusti or a munkki.
Ellen Frank
19th May 2015 at 14:28I saw quite a bit of vintage Marimekko here but in small sizes. If you are ready for a break from Nordic flavors, the food hall offers several Asian options.
Lillie Mendez
18th July 2015 at 06:12My family loves flea markets and this was a pretty good one. It was definitely our favorite thing to do in Helsinki. It’s not on par with Dresden or Munich, but it had a lot of hidden treasures. The prices were a little high, but as Americans we expect to be over charged. I would recommend this if you are an avid Flea market shopper.
Cora Blake
11th September 2015 at 00:01We found the market average in terms of goods, and relatively high-priced. Even by European standards, prices were high. A better place for curios would be the Fida charity shops. Head for the ones at Lonnrotinkatu 4 and Tehtaankatu 36 for a good range at better prices. We went twice – it was thin on the weekday but full and buzzing on the Sunday, so suggest going on a weekend if you must.
Julian Pierce
27th May 2016 at 17:51This flea market was brilliant, we all had a great time, unfortunately we only got about an hour too look around, however in my opinion you could quite easily spend the day there, lots of bargains and we even spotted a vintage children’s sewing machine, its a shame we couldn’t bring it home with us. If you go to Helsinki i definitely suggest you visit the flea market.
Essie Klein
6th July 2016 at 08:23This wasn’t the best flea market I have ever been to. More reminiscent of a huge car boot sale, with some of the nice things quite overpriced. Maybe some of the better stuff had been bought earlier in the morning?! Overall a fine afternoon browse around- the food market next door was nice- enjoyed a coffee here.