Rules regarding parking in Helsinki and other major Finnish cities are far more complicated than they need to be. Sometimes the rules are so complicated that even local residents are confused. Combine that with active traffic wardens patrolling the busiest areas, and you have a recipe for a very expensive day.

Whereas in many other European countries, you find free parking, paid parking, and no parking, in Finland, there are area rules, resident parking permits, time-limited parking, weekday-limited parking, day-of-the-month limited parking, etc. And the rules may change every 50 meters, even along the same street. My goal is to get you up to speed with Finnish parking rules and signs so that parking is one less thing to stress about on your trip to Finland.