Ikkunapaikalta näen pilvet hyvin, mutta käytäväpaikalta pääsen helpommin ylös.

They are Finnish compound nouns:

• ikkuna = window
• paikka = place, seat
• ikkunapaikka = window seat

and

• käytävä = aisle
• paikka = place, seat
• käytäväpaikka = aisle seat

Finnish makes compounds very freely, and they are normally written as one word.

-lta is the ablative ending. Its basic idea is from or off/from a place.

So:

• ikkunapaikalta = from the window seat
• käytäväpaikalta = from the aisle seat

In this sentence it expresses the point of view or position you are acting from.

Sometimes yes, but the nuance is different.

• ikkunapaikalla = at/in the window seat, while sitting there
• ikkunapaikalta = from the window seat, from that position

In this sentence, -lta works well because the speaker is comparing what each seat lets them do from that position.

Because Finnish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

• näen = I see / I can see
• pääsen = I get / I can get

The -n ending already tells you the subject is I, so minä is unnecessary unless you want extra emphasis.

Finnish has no articles. There is no direct equivalent of English a/an or the.

So Finnish relies on:

• context
• word order
• case marking
• common sense

That is why pilvet can naturally be understood as the clouds here, even though there is no separate word for the.

This is a very common question.

Here, pilvet is the total object in the plural. In Finnish, the plural total object usually has the same form as the nominative plural.

• pilvet = the clouds, the whole visible set of clouds
• pilviä = clouds / some clouds, an indefinite or partial amount

So:

• näen pilvet hyvin = I can see the clouds well
• näen pilviä = I see some clouds

The sentence uses pilvet because the clouds are treated as a definite, complete thing the speaker can see.

It can mean either, depending on context.

With verbs of perception, Finnish often uses the simple present where English prefers can:

• näen = I see / I can see
• kuulen = I hear / I can hear

So in this sentence, English normally sounds more natural with can:

• I can see the clouds well

Hyvin means well.

It modifies näen:

• näen hyvin = I see well / I can see well
• näen pilvet hyvin = I can see the clouds well

Depending on context, hyvin can also mean very, but not here. Here it is clearly the adverb well.

Helpommin means more easily. It is a comparative adverb.

Compare:

• helposti = easily
• helpommin = more easily

So:

• pääsen helpommin ylös = I can get up more easily

It is comparative because the sentence is comparing two situations:

• from the window seat, one advantage
• from the aisle seat, another advantage

Here pääsen ylös means something like:

• I can get up
• I can get out of my seat and stand up
• I can get up more easily

The verb päästä often has the idea of managing to get somewhere, being able to get somewhere, or gaining access.

So pääsen ylös fits very well with an aisle seat, because the idea is not just the physical motion of rising, but the ease of being able to get out.

By contrast:

• nousen ylös focuses more on the action of rising/standing up itself

Both are possible in some contexts, but pääsen ylös nicely emphasizes convenience.

Ylös literally means up.

In this sentence, it means up from the seat, so in natural English it is often best translated as:

• get up
• stand up

So pääsen helpommin ylös does not just mean moving upward in a literal spatial sense. It means getting up from sitting, especially in a practical situation like being in a row of seats.

Mutta means but, and it is the correct choice here.

The sentence has two positive statements being contrasted:

• from the window seat, I can see the clouds well
• but from the aisle seat, I can get up more easily

Vaan is usually used after a negative, when you mean something like but rather / instead.

For example:

• En ota ikkunapaikkaa vaan käytäväpaikan. = I’m not taking a window seat, but rather an aisle seat.

So in your sentence, mutta is the normal conjunction.

Because Finnish word order is flexible, and sentence-initial position is often used for the topic or for contrast.

This sentence is built as a clear comparison:

• Ikkunapaikalta näen pilvet hyvin,
• mutta käytäväpaikalta pääsen helpommin ylös.

Putting those words first highlights the contrast between the two seat types. It is a very natural Finnish way to structure the sentence.