Helsinki
Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…
Must-see attractions in Finland
Helsinki
Occupying a palatial 1887 neo-Renaissance building, Finland’s premier art gallery offers a crash course in the nation’s art. It houses Finnish paintings…
Helsinki
Built in National Romantic art nouveau style and opened in 1916, Finland’s premier historical museum looks a bit like a Gothic church with its heavy…
Tampere
This bright, modern glass-and-steel exhibition space in the renovated Tampella textile mill hosts regularly changing exhibitions on anything from bicycles…
Tampere
An iconic example of National Romantic art nouveau architecture, Tampere's cathedral dates from 1907. Hugo Simberg created the frescoes and stained glass;…
Luostarinmäen Käsityöläismuseo
Turku
When the savage Great Fire of 1827 swept through Turku, the lower-class quarter Luostarinmäki escaped the flames. Set along tiny lanes and around grassy…
Lapland
Few things conjure fairy-tale romance like a snow castle. First built in 1996 as a Unicef project, this is a Lapland winter highlight and a favoured…
Turku
Like the bow of a ship tipped on its end, this unusual structure is perched on a rock and surrounded by forest on Hirvensalo island, 7km south of Turku…
Turku
The ‘mother church’ of Finland’s Lutheran faith, Turku Cathedral towers over Turku. Consecrated in 1300, the colossal brick Gothic building was rebuilt…
Finland
Once the private home of Gösta Serlachius, this world-class art gallery is one of Finland's premier cultural attractions. Situated 2km east of Mänttä's…
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…
Helsinki
Situated 5.5km northwest of the city centre, this excellent island-set museum has a collection of 87 historic wooden buildings transferred here from…
Turku
Founded in 1280 at the mouth of the Aurajoki, mammoth Turku Castle is easily Finland’s largest fortress. Highlights include two dungeons and sumptuous…
Helsinki
One in a series of elegant, contemporary buildings in this part of town, curvaceous, metallic Kiasma, designed by Steven Holl and finished in 1998, is a…
Rovaniemi
With its beautifully designed glass tunnel stretching out to the Ounasjoki, this is one of Finland’s finest museums. One half deals with Lapland, with…
Rovaniemi
Downstairs in the Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest and Park Service) building next to the Arktikum, this is a highly entertaining exhibition on Finnish…
Turku
Art and archaeology unite here under one roof. Aboa Vetus (Old Turku) draws you underground to Turku’s medieval streets, showcasing some of the 37,000…
Tampere
An entire block of wooden houses – including 32 apartments in five residential buildings, a bakery, a shoemaker, a public sauna, two general shops and a…
Helsinki
Set beneath the iconic 1936 Lasipalatsi building, art museum Amos Rex opened in 2018. Sweeping staircases take you below ground to the exhibition halls…
Helsinki
Rambling over 4 hectares in the city centre alongside the north harbour, Töölönlahti, Helsinki's botanic gardens are filled with plants from Finland and…
Helsinki
This museum complex spreads over five buildings from different eras, including Sederholmin talo, Helsinki’s oldest central building (dating from 1757 and…
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…
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…
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
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…
Helsinki
The 1938-completed Tennispalatsi (Tennis Palace) cultural and recreation centre was intended for the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were subsequently…
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…
Helsinki
The heart of central Helsinki is the harbourside kauppatori (market square), where cruises and ferries leave for archipelago islands. It's completely…
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…
Rovaniemi
The ‘official’ Santa Claus Village is built atop the Arctic Circle marker, denoted by a line painted on the pavement (Arctic Circle certificates cost €4…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Rovaniemi
Built inside a cavern in the mountain, this Christmas-themed amusement park features an army of elves baking gingerbread, a magic sleigh ride, a carousel,…
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…
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…
