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…
Must-see attractions in Finland
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’…
Central Finland
This national park is a favourite winter-sports escape 140km northeast of Oulu, with a downhill resort, Iso-Syöte. It covers discrete areas of old-growth…
Helsinki
Finland's imposing parliament building was designed by Finnish architect Johan Sigfrid Sirén and inaugurated in 1931. Its pared-back neoclassicism…
Helsinki
The city’s natural history museum is known for its controversial weathervane of a sperm impregnating an ovum. Modern exhibitions such as Story of the…
Finland
This striking blue Tuusulanjärvi building commemorates the Lotta women’s voluntary defence force, established in 1921 after the independence of Finland…
Finland
Finland's finest composer Jean Sibelius was among the heroes of the National Romantic movement to call the lake region of Tuusulanjärvi home. Sibelius’…
Finland
Keuruu's fascinating wooden church, built between 1756 and 1759, has superb portraits of Bible characters (although the artist didn’t complete the set,…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
The Finnish president’s summer residence is an elaborate stone castle on Luonnonmaa island, its tower visible from Naantali harbour. Designed by Lars…
Tampere
The offbeat spy museum under the Finlayson Centre offers a small but well-assembled display of devices of international espionage, mainly from the Cold…
The Finnish Lakeland
This wonderfully gnarled Unesco-listed wooden church is located in Petäjävesi, 35km west of Jyväskylä. Finished in 1765, it’s a marvellous example of 18th…
Finland
Northwest of Ruovesi, this park’s main attraction is narrow Helvetinkolu Gorge, gouged out by retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. The…
Northern Lapland
Accessed off the Inari–Kittilä road, 70km southwest of Inari, this reindeer round-up site was used by Sámi reindeer herders twice yearly until 1964. Round…
Helsinki
At Suomenlinna, the Vesikko is the only WWII-era submarine remaining in Finland (the rest were scrapped). It saw action against the Russians during the…
Lapland
Also known as the Devil's Cauldrons, these 14 glacial potholes were created some 10,000 years ago by melt water from frozen glaciers and polished smooth…
Finland
Dating from 1757, this wooden roadhouse is the oldest building along Rte 66. The main reason to pause here is the on-site cafe; you can sit at old long…
Helsinki
Helsinki's leafy zoo occupies the entire island of Korkeasaari. Established in 1889 it has 150 animal species and 1000 plant species from Finland and…
Saariselkä
Next door to Tankavaara's gold-panning museum, Kultamuseo, this nature centre has advice on activities and trekking in Urho Kekkonen National Park. Good…
Helsinki
Built by the Russians in 1854 for their garrison on Suomenlinna, this church originally had five onion domes, and served as an Orthodox place of worship…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Medieval Naantali grew up around the Catholic Convent of the Order of St Birgitta, which was dissolved after the 1527 Reformation. Towering above the…
Helsinki
The eye-catching red-brick Uspenski Cathedral towers above Katajanokka island. Built as a Russian Orthodox church in 1868, it features classic golden…
Turku
Finland's most extensive musical museum displays some 350 instruments from accordions to Zimbabwean drums. A separate section is devoted to Finnish…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
On Little Pine Island, 1.5km east of the town centre, is the House of the Four Winds, where locals snuck swigs of ‘hard tea’ during the Finnish…
Åland Archipelago
The Sankta Maria Magdalena Kyrka was first built in the 14th century, but only the nave remains of this original building. Most of the structure was…
Helsinki
Opened late 2018 as a 100th anniversary gift to the people of Finland, the central library is as aesthetically pleasing as it is intellectually…
Northern Lapland
One of the few buildings in Lapland to survive the Nazis' scorched-earth retreat in WWII is this, the region’s oldest church, dating from 1689. It stands…
Lapland
Situated 3km south of Luosto up on the hillside, this amethyst mine focuses on small-scale production for jewellery, using low-impact mining methods…
Åland Archipelago
Åland's rocky coastline doesn't often allow for good swimming beaches, but here's an exception – a long, pristine stretch of fine white sand that has been…
Central Finland
Some of the most bitter fighting of the Winter War took place 88km south of Hossa (23km east of the lakeside town of Suomussalmi) along the Raate road…
Helsinki
This sprawling site once manufactured sea cables and later became Nokia’s main factory until the 1980s. It’s now a cultural complex with design studios,…
Turku
Turku Art Museum is housed in a striking granite building with elaborately carved pilasters and conical turrets, perched on a hill on the north side of…
Central Finland
On the main road 3.5km east of central Kuhmo, this centre has an informative exhibition in various languages on Finland’s quartet of large carnivores,…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
Dating from the 1480s, Lohja's medieval church contains incredible murals, mostly dating from the beginning of the 16th century. Starting from the right…
Lapland
This park's core is the line of fells stretching 35km from Pyhä to beyond Luosto. It preserves old-growth forest with endangered plant species, the…
Central Finland
Within Hossa National Park, this reindeer farm offers the opportunity to get to know these gentle, antlered beasts. You can feed the reindeer (€5 per bag)…
Lapland
Between Pyhä and Luosto (15km northwest of Pyhä and 8km southeast of Luosto), this farm is a good place to meet reindeer. You can go on a short walk that…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
The highlight of the Ekenäs museum is the exhibit on the life and art of Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck, with a rotating display of 30 artworks. Other…
Turku & Finland's South Coast
The ruins of the 18th-century Hamina Bastion include 3km of crumbling stone walls that would have made a star-shaped fortress. The bastion comes alive for…
