Venue, Helsinki and Finland

Venue: Marina Congress Center

The Marina Congress Center is a modern event venue in the heart of maritime Helsinki, located next to the Scandic Marina Hotel and the Katajanokka cruise ferry terminal by the sea. While it is part of the Scandic Marina Hotel, it is housed in a separate building nearby.

The venue is easily accessible on foot if you are staying in the Katajanokka district. For those staying further away, the public transport option is tram number 4 (or 5), which stops at Kauppiaankatu, near the venue.

Finland and Helsinki

Finland

Finland has been recognized as the world's happiest country by the UN World Happiness Report for seven consecutive years. As a member of the European Union, Finland is welcoming and English-friendly, making communication easy despite the complexity of the Finnish language. Swedish is also a mandatory subject for most students in schools.

Finland is renowned for its nature and clean environment. It is the most forested country in Europe and is often called the "Land of a Thousand Lakes". Finnish summers are marked by daylight, along with numerous events and festivals across the country.

Reaching Finland is convenient, with direct flights available from major European cities, as well as destinations in Asia and North America. Travelers from Central Europe can also reach Finland by ferry (or train + ferry). Ferries from Estonia, Germany, Poland, or Stockholm provide a picturesque journey.

Helsinki

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the northernmost capital in the European Union. It has over 681,000 inhabitants and is nearly 480 years old. The central Helsinki area is compact, making it easy to explore on foot. The city's coastal location offers numerous islands and coastlines to visit, along with greenery and parks, including a large central park that gradually transitions into forested areas as you move farther from the city center.

Katajanokka District

Katajanokka is an island, accessible from Helsinki city center via bridges. The district features a mix of residential buildings, restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and hotels. Major landmarks include Uspenski Cathedral, the Stora Enso headquarters, the Katajanokka terminal, and the old Katajanokka prison.

Katajanokka is principally known for its Jugendstil architecture, but other styles are also present, such as modernism (e.g., Alvar Aalto's Enso-Gutzeit Building) and the red-brick industrial style of former harbor and prison buildings. The EUBS 2025 conference venue is located in Katajanokka.

Other highlights include Torikorttelit, Helsinki’s historic city centre filled with courtyards, restaurants, cafés, and boutiques, as well as the Havis Amanda sculpture and the Helsinki city hall.

Public Transport in Helsinki

While central Helsinki is walkable, public transport is reliable and easy to use. For travel within central Helsinki, trams and the metro are usually sufficient. Tickets can be purchased via the HSL app, with a payment card via contactless payment, or at ticket machines and service points.

Ticket options include AB zone tickets (valid for 80 minutes) covering travel within Helsinki city centre, and ABC zone tickets (valid for 90 minutes) required for trips to or from the airport. Traveling without a valid ticket incurs a penalty fare plus the cost of a single ticket.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is located in Vantaa, about 20 km from the Helsinki city center. The most convenient transportation options to and from the airport are trains or taxis.

Trains (I or P) depart approximately every 10 minutes on weekdays and take 30–40 minutes to reach the city center using an ABC zone ticket. Taxis operate from official taxi lanes at the airport, while services such as Uber and Bolt operate from the P2 parking hall. An airport bus also connects the airport and Helsinki railway station.

Paying in Finland

In Finland, payment can be made with cash or most common debit and credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard. Cashless payments are the most common, with many businesses accepting Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or MobilePay.

Image credits for this site: Helsinki Partners, City of Helsinki, Visit Finland, Flickr: Maija Astikainen, Camilla Bloom, Jussi Hellsten, Julia Kivelä, Ioannis Koulousis, Ling Ouyang, Jenna Pietikäinen, Johannes Siipola, Ville Varumo, Ninni West, Kari Ylitalo, Kim Öhman

More pages: Accommodation · Coastal Architecture and Waterfront Engineering: The Design of Cities on the Water