Turku & Finland's South Coast
This narrow strait between Tullisaari and Kobben is a protected natural harbour where ships from countries around the Baltic Sea once waited out storms…
Must-see attractions in Finland
Helsinki
Inside the Tennispalatsi, Helsinki's contemporary-art museum oversees 9000 works, including 3500 citywide public artworks. The overwhelming majority of…
Lapland
Attached to the Levi Panorama hotel at the top of the main ski lift, this museum is a Unesco project. The illuminating exhibition gives plenty of good…
Mariehamn
Anchored just behind the Sjöfartsmuseum, this beautifully preserved, four-masted, merchant barque was built in 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland. The ship once…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Original trenches, bunkers and artillery guns remain at the site of some of the worst Winter War fighting, 19km northeast of Hanko. Also here is a…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Rosala isn't just a museum but a Viking village, complete with homestead, chapel and moored Viking ship. An introductory video provides an informative…
Åland Archipelago
It's worth a small purchase to glimpse the fantastic interior of this old-fashioned pharmacy. Inside a red house, the apothecary cabinets are lined with…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Zip up the lift to the top of the 50m-high water tower on Vartiovuori Hill for sweeping views across town and out to sea.
The Finnish Lakeland
Connected to Säynätsalo by bridges, peaceful Muuratsalo islet was the summer retreat of Alvar and Elissa Aalto. Aalto built his Experimental House – a…
Helsinki
The 1938-completed Tennispalatsi (Tennis Palace) cultural and recreation centre was intended for the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were subsequently…
Rovaniemi
Meet reindeer (including adorable calves in season) and find out about their life cycle at this reindeer farm 7km northwest of Rovaniemi. Tours complete…
The Finnish Lakeland
Finland’s only Orthodox convent is particularly lovely in early summer, when the many flowers in its beautifully tended gardens bloom. The order was…
The Finnish Lakeland
Finland’s only Orthodox monastery is idyllically located on an island in Juojävi. Visitors are free to roam the site and enter the churches. The first…
The Finnish Lakeland
Kerimäki may be small (pop 5000), but its Lutheran church certainly isn't. Built in 1847, the building was designed to accommodate 5000 and is commonly…
Karelia
Karelian traditions are celebrated at this little village 2km south of Ilomantsi. It's named for bard and kantele player Jaakko Parppei (1792–1885), whose…
The Finnish Lakeland
A picturesque 19th-century timber parsonage estate 1.3km southwest of the city centre on the shore of Lake Saimaa, Kenkävero is now Mikkeli's most popular…
Central Finland
Paltaniemi's enchantingly weathered wooden church was built in 1726 and contains some of Finland’s most interesting church paintings: rustic 18th-century…
Saariselkä
In 1868 the remote area of Tankavaara on the Ivalojoki, 32km south of Saariselkä, experienced a gold rush, with a community of up to 500 panners seeking…
Åland Archipelago
Designed by German architect CL Engel, Storby’s Post & Customs House is now a hub for local artists, with exhibitions, artisan shops and a terrific cafe…
Finland
The residence of renowned sculptor Emil Wickström (1864–1942), Visavuori consists of three buildings, the oldest of which is Wickström's 1902 house, built…
Lapland
Ranua's excellent zoo focuses almost entirely on Finnish animals, although there are also polar bears and musk oxen. A boardwalk runs past all the…
The Finnish Lakeland
On an island that was once a naval port, this museum housed in a handsome 16th-century granary recounts local history and the importance of water…
Mariehamn
At the northern end of Österhamn, Sjökvarteret has long been devoted to boat building. You can stroll along the atmospheric quay, lined with traditional…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
The smattering of islands off the coast of Kotka are former military outposts, some of which are now open to the public. Several boat trips depart from…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Close enough to Helsinki for a half-day trip, 35km northwest of the city, this 4500-hectare national park gives an immersive introduction to Finnish…
Mariehamn
Since 1862 a beacon has shone out from this island south of Mariehamn. Nowadays, the original pilot cottage is dwarfed by a bigger and better house with…
Helsinki
In a lovely setting on Kuusisaari island, this private gallery in a 1938 villa has works ranging from the Italian Renaissance to an extensive collection…
Kuopio
Even small hills have cachet in flat Finland, and Kuopio was so proud of Puijo that it was crowned with a tower. Views from the top of Puijon Torni are…
Helsinki
On the island of Kuusisaari, this striking villa is filled with elegant objets d'art, including some Mayan and Chinese pieces, Finnish golden-age works…
Finland's West Coast
The lovely 17th-century Vanha Kirkko is one of the highlights of Uusikaupunki. In keeping with the maritime roots of its parishioners, it has a star…
The Finnish Lakeland
The town's most famous son and the subject of this museum was a giant of 20th-century architecture. Schooled in Jyväskylä, Aalto opened his first offices…
Helsinki
Part castle, part studio, this was the home of Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931), one of Finland’s most significant artists. Many of his works are…
Helsinki
By the bridge at Suomenlinna that connects Iso Mustasaari and the main island, Susisaari, is Suomenlinna-Museo, a two-level museum covering the history of…
Helsinki
Reached by a causeway, Tar Island (named for the warehouses that safely stored flammable Finnish tar here prior to export) is now a landscaped park with…
Karelia
The striking wooden Taistelijan Talo was designed by Joensuu architect Erkki Helasvuo in 1988 to symbolise the meeting of East and West. On the ground…
Karelia
Lake Pielinen's largest island, Paalasmaa, is the highest in Finland at 225m above sea level. The best view is from the 18m-high wooden observation tower,…
Helsinki
In the commuter city of Espoo, this museum has a huge collection of mostly Finnish modern art, ranging from the early 20th century to the present. Works…
Hossa National Park Visitor Centre
Central Finland
The visitor centre at Hossa National Park has a detailed exhibition on the Värikallio Stone Age rock paintings. Only discovered in 1977, the paintings of…
Helsinki
While Vantaa (Swedish: Vanda), a satellite suburb of Helsinki, is best known as the location of the airport, it's also home to this fantastic hands-on…
Central Finland
There’s a great backstory to this bear sanctuary 35km south of Kuusamo on the Kajaani road. Rescued as orphans, the bears were nursed by their ‘father’…
