Finland · Uusimaa · Helsinki
Merihaka, Helsinki — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Merihaka is a coastal quarter of Helsinki whose concrete high-rises stand partly on reclaimed land beside the Baltic Sea, next to Hakaniemi and Kallio.
About Merihaka
Where to stay in Merihaka
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Merihaka trades bar streets for quiet. The quarter is residential rather than commercial, so a stay here means walking into Hakaniemi or Kallio for eating and drinking and returning to a shoreline that keeps its calm after dark. Sea views come with the towers.
You want the Baltic Sea at the window and central Helsinki on foot, rather than restaurants downstairs.
About Merihaka
What are the main landmarks in Merihaka?
The grey towers are the landmark. Merihaka's high-rise blocks rise straight off the shoreline, and the frontage facing the Baltic Sea gives the quarter the open outlook the housing scheme was planned around. Cars stay largely out.
Set-piece monuments are absent, so sightseeing means walking into Hakaniemi, Kallio or Sörnäinen, all within a few streets of the complex.
What is the history of Merihaka?
Reclaimed ground came first. Work began in 1973, and the complex went up through the two decades that followed on a mix of old shoreline and land won back from the Baltic Sea at the edge of Helsinki, in Finland. Concrete set the tone.
What rose was one planned housing scheme rather than a street grid grown over time, which is why Merihaka reads differently from Hakaniemi and Kallio inland of it.
Where is Merihaka?
The Baltic Sea washes one edge of Merihaka, and Hakaniemi, Kallio and Sörnäinen close the others, all of it inside central Helsinki.
More areas in Helsinki
Updated September 2026