Tampere
This promontory-set amusement park complex offers dozens of rides, an observation tower, art gallery, aquarium, farm zoo and planetarium. A one-day pass…
Must-see attractions in Finland
Häme
Designed by acclaimed Finnish architects Hannu Tikka and Kimmo Lintula, the spectacular extension to Lahti's main concert venue opened in 2000 and is…
Finland's West Coast
This dynamic, modern regional museum is divided into three sections. Downstairs, Terranova has a brilliant evocation of the region’s natural history –…
Karelia
The 1929 construction of Imatra's hydroelectric complex (Finland’s largest) dammed the river, but the watery wonder lives on with the spectacular 20…
Finland's West Coast
The creation of local artist Alvar Gullichsen, this spoof museum–art installation is a classic display of oddball Finnish humour. In great detail, it…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Porvoo’s historic stone-and-timber cathedral sits atop a hill overlooking the quaint Old Town. This is where Tsar Alexander I convened the first Diet of…
Oulu
Oulu has one of Finland's liveliest market squares, and its position at the waterfront makes it all the more appealing. The square is bordered by several…
Central Finland
If you're interested in the Kalevala or Karelian culture, pay a visit to this excellent resource centre inside a beautiful hand-hewn timber building made…
Lappeenranta
Every summer, around 30 sand artists from Finland and abroad gather to build the Hiekkalinna, a giant themed ‘sandcastle’ made from some 3 million kg of…
Karelia
Themed displays – on the region’s prehistory, its war-torn past, the Karelian evacuation, the importance of the sauna etc – cover both sides of Karelia's…
Oulu
This huge, excellent science museum can occupy kids for the best part of a day with a giant, 35m-high IMAX screen, hands-on interactive exhibits exploring…
Inari
The spectacular wood-and-glass Sámi cultural centre stands proud in the middle of town. It holds the Sámi parliament as well as a library and music…
Northern Lapland
Some of Finland's most breathtaking scenery is within the 712-sq-km Kevo Strict Nature Reserve along the splendid 40km gorge of the Kevojoki (off-limits…
Helsinki
This museum complex spreads over five buildings from different eras, including Sederholmin talo, Helsinki’s oldest central building (dating from 1757 and…
Ekenäs Archipelago National Park
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Almost 90% of the 5200-hectare Ekenäs Archipelago National Park is water, so to explore the 1300 islands you’ll need to take a tour from Ekenäs harbour,…
Finland's West Coast
This lighthouse island, 18km northwest of Kokkola, offered safe passage through tangled waters, starting in 1889. Now it makes a popular day trip for…
Helsinki
Locally known as 'Espa', oblong-shaped Esplanadi stretches for four blocks between the squares Erottaja to the west and the kauppatori to the east…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Towering 52m above the waves 25km offshore from Hanko, the Nordic countries' tallest lighthouse was built in 1906 to protect ships from the perilous…
Punavuori & Ullanlinna
On the waterfront, this sprawling park dating from 1834 is a favourite Helsinki idyll. There are expanses of lawns; numerous sculptures and winding paths;…
Karelia
What looks like an ordinary roadside rest stop adjoins a woodland area with 256 surreal life-size sculptures of figures in yoga poses. They're the work of…
Punavuori & Ullanlinna
One of Helsinki's finest collections of classic European paintings is in these 1842-built former brewery offices, which also contained living quarters for…
Lapland
The highlight of this protected old-growth forest, 80km southeast of Rovaniemi off Rd 81, is the 16m-high Auttiköngäs waterfall. It's reached by a 3.5km…
Central Finland
Stretching from Koillismaa to Lapland and along the Russian border, this superb national park was established in 1956 and covers 27,000 hectares of…
Helsinki
Hewn into solid stone, the Temppeliaukion church, designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1969, feels close to a Finnish ideal of spirituality in nature…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Looming on a high rock overlooking a grassy sward, the late-14th-century Raseborg Castle was strategically crucial in the 15th century, when it protected…
Turku
Partly housed in an old granary, this excellent maritime museum offers a comprehensive look at ships and shipping, from scale models to full-size vessels…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Crossing the bridge from the Old Town to Kailo island takes you into the delightful world of the Moomins. The focus is on hands-on activities and…
Central Finland
Haukipudas, 21km north of Oulu at a scenic spot along the Kiiminkijoki, is renowned for its cream-painted, terracotta-roofed wooden church, one of Finland…
Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Situated 5km north of Kotka amid the salmon-rich Kymijoki's rapids, this rustic wooden lodge was built in 1889 for Tsar Alexander III. Most of the…
Turku
Anchored outside the Forum Marinum is a small fleet of museum ships that you can climb aboard. The mine layer Keihässalmi and the corvette Karjala take…
Museum of Finnish Architecture
Punavuori & Ullanlinna
Finland's architecture museum occupies a neo-Rennaissance building dating from 1899. Exhibitions are its key focus, including the fascinating Decades of…
Åland Archipelago
About 2km north of Storby, Käringsund harbour is delightfully picturesque, with rustic red wooden boathouses reflected in the calm waters. A nature trail…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Örö was long a military island, first containing a defensive fortress built under Russian rule and later serving as training grounds for the Finnish…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Situated 10km offshore from Loviisa, this four-bastion fortress was built in 1748 to protect against further Russian invasion after Swedish losses in…
Helsinki
Perhaps the most interesting of the museums at Suomenlinna, this was once the home of Augustin Ehrensvärd, who designed the fortress, and later the…
Helsinki
One of Carl Ludvig Engel’s finest creations, the chalk-white neoclassical Lutheran cathedral presides over Senaatintori (Senate Sq). Created to serve as a…
Helsinki
A three-storey wooden cottage houses this delightful private collection of hundreds of dolls and nearly as many teddy bears, dating from the early 19th…
Helsinki
Built in 2012 by Helsinki architectural firm K2S, this exquisite, ultracontemporary curvilinear chapel is constructed from wood (wax-treated spruce…
Punavuori & Ullanlinna
This fascinating museum by Kaivopuisto was the home of Baron Gustav Mannerheim, former president, commander in chief of the Finnish army and Finnish Civil…
Inari
At the edge of Myössäjärvi, 16km south of Inari, look out for the Karhunpesäkivi rest stop. From here, a 300m timber boardwalk (mainly comprising steps)…
