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Visit Parliament

​​There are many ways for you to explore the Parliament Building and learn about the activities of the Parliament. Come observe a plenary session or book a visit.  

Public guided tours in English are available on Thursdays at 12 noon.​ ​Sign up for a public guided tour via the reservation service.​

​​In the 2024 autumn season, visitor groups are welcomed between 4 September and 16 December. 

Group bookings can be made via the reservation service​.​​

Guided tours

  • public guided tours
  • group booking
  • remote lesson
  • virtual tour
  • Presentation of the Library of Parliament

Independent visits

  • observe a plenary session from the gallery
  • participate in a parliamentary group event organised at the Visitor’s Centre

​​Instructions for visits

All guided tours and visits are free of charge.

​​The guided tours take about 45 minutes, the library presentation takes 1–2 hours. 

The guided tours are held in Finnish, Swedish or English. Tours in other languages may be offered, where possible.

It is forbidden to use the paternoster elevator. Keep children under supervision near the paternoster elevator.​

Everyone arriving in Parliament will go through a security check that is similar to an airport security check. Time written in the booking confirmation is the exact time for you to enter the security checking area. Make sure that you have the booking confirmation in hand.  

All bags and outerwear clothing mus be left at the security area. ​​

​​Extensive street work began on Mannerheimintie on March 6, 2023 and it will last until December 2025. It will make it difficult to move around the Parliament Building and will increase travel times on Mannerheimintie. Check the latest information before arrival at hel.fi/mannerheimintie​. 

​​Guided tours

Book a guided tour for a group 

The guided tour will take 45 minutes. During the tour, your group will explore the Parliament Building and learn about the activities of the Parliament. The minimum group size is 6 people.  ​​​ Book a guided tour​ 

Sign up for a public guided tour 

​The public guided tour is for individuals and groups of up to five people.​ The public guided tour will take 45 minutes. During the tour, you will explore the Parliament Building and learn about the activities of the Parliament. Guided tours are available in Finnish, Swedish and English. For information on the times and availability of the guided tours, please see booking service. Reserve a place on public guided tour. ​

Book a remote lesson

The remote lesson will take approximately 45 minutes. During the lesson, we will explore the activities of the Parliament, especially the basics of the legislative process and the work that the Members of the Parliament do. In addition, we will visit some of the Parliament Building’s important sights via video. Book a remote lesson​.

The start time of the remote lesson can be adjusted, for example, according to the start of the school lesson. The remote lesson is delivered in Microsoft Teams which is free for students and teachers. 

 To ensure a smooth connection, a maximum of 25 people can participate in remote lessons via their own devices. You can also participate in a lesson by having your group follow the lesson from the same device together. If your group uses one device to follow the lesson, there are no restrictions on the number of participants.  During the lesson, the camera and microphone must be on.​

Take a virtual tour

You can also explore the most important areas of the Parliament Building with a virtual tour. Start a virtual tour 

Book a Presentation for the Library of Parliament

The Library of Parliament is open to everyone. Book a guided visit to the library​ at least two weeks before the day of the visit. The tour lasts 1–2 hours, or the length can be adjusted according to your needs. The maximum number of participants is 30. ​Visit the Library of Parliament​​​

​​Independent visits

Observe a plenary session from the gallery 

Come to observe the Parliament’s plenary sessions from the Plenary Hall gallery. Parliament usually holds plenary sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays at 4 p.m. and Fridays at 1 p.m. The Thursday plenary sessions opens with Question Time. The plenary session on Friday normally lasts 30 minutes at most. There are no plenar​y sessions during the election break.

The doors will open 15 minutes before the plenary session. All bags and outerwear clothing mus be left at the security area. ​​You must not cause any kind of disturbance at the visitor´s gallery.

Please note that from June 24 visitors to the plenary sessions should use the entrance A. Barrier-free access will be arranged when needed. Call 09 432 2241.

In the autumn, access to the visitors' gallery will be from the entrance B as usual. 

Read more about the plenary session.​

Participate in events at the Visitor Centre

Parliamentary groups and Members of Parliament organise public events at the Visitor’s Centre with non-governmental organisations. The Visitor Centre is located in the Parliament’s Little Parliament building. Everyone attending Visitor Centre events will go through a security check. Visitor Centre​  

Participate in a public event

​Open House in the Parliament main building (Eduskuntatalo) provide an opportunity to visit places that are not normally open to the public in the Parliament Building.  

Previous Open House took place on the 4th of September 2023.  ​

​​​Instructions for visits

Group bookings, group size

The minimum group size in the booking service is 6 participants and the maximum size is 25. For larger groups, the booking system will automatically select the required number of consecutive times and guides.​ ​For tour we separate a large group into groups of twenty-five people. After security control each group leaves till tour at 15 minutes intervals. ​​

Group bookings, field trips 

School children and students are welcome to take guided Parliament tours throughout the year. We support the democracy education of schools by reserving the Parliament’s May tours only for schools and educational institutions.

You can book tours in May via the online booking service. A teacher or school representative can request a link to their work email for making school bookings at oppaat(at)eduskunta.fi.

Duration of the guided tour 

The tour lasts for approximately one hour. The first 15 minutes of the visit are reserved for entry and the security check. The guided tour itself takes approximately 45 minutes. The presentation of the library takes 1–2 hours. Guided tours are organised during office hours on weekdays.

​​Entering the Parliament Building 

A security check is conducted on all visitors and visitor groups arriving at Parliament. Guided visits always begin with a security check. If you are coming to the gallery to follow a plenary session, the visitor's entrance will open 15 minutes before the start of the session. You can join the gallery to follow a plenary session at any point during the session. All bags and outerwear clothing mus be left at the security area. ​​You must not cause any kind of disturbance at the visitor´s gallery.​ The public gallery is accessible. 

Video guidence to the security control​​

Matters that you should take into account during your visit 

Guided tours and gallery visits take place during office hours, so please be considerate towards the people working in the building. Mobile phones must be set on silent. 

It is forbidden to use the paternoster elevator. Keep children under supervision near the paternoster elevator.
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Studded shoes are not allowed in the Parliament Building due to sensitive floor materials. If you are wearing studded shoes, always wear protective covers or change into other shoes indoors.

Contact

If you have any questions about visiting Parliament, please send an email to oppaat(at)eduskunta.fi.

The guide services' call centre is closed until 16.8. Kindly contact by email.​

 From 19.8. onwards call centre is ​open on weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m., tel. +358 (0)9 432 2013​. 

Arrival instructions for the Parliament Building and a map of the entrances

The visitor entrance of the Parliament is located on Mannerheimintie, on the right side of the main stairs. The easiest way to get to the Parliament is by public transport. The walking distance to the Parliament Building from the Helsinki Railway Station and Kamppi Bus Terminal is less than a kilometre. There are no parking spaces in front of the Parliament Building. 

On Pohjoinen rautatienkatu, there is a possibility to stop for a maximum of 30 minutes at a tourist traffic stop next to the southern (A) wing of the Parliament Building. 

In addition, there are paid parking spaces provided by the City of Helsinki and private parking garages near Parliament.

​​​​–​ Visitor entrance B (guided tours, plenary sessions, open house)
​– Library of Parliament C 
​​– Little Parliament F (Visitor’s Centre public events)

  

Visitor entrance is in the North East corner of the building on Mannerheimintie side Accessible map of the Parliament Building​​​​