Must-see attractions in Central Finland

Founded in 2017 to commemorate Finland's centenary of independence, the country's 40th national park stretches over 11,000 hectares of glittering lakes…

This excellent museum is by the Iijoki, whose banks are riddled with important Stone Age settlements. The informative display zeroes in on a handful of…

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…

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…

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…

Stretching from Koillismaa to Lapland and along the Russian border, this superb national park was established in 1956 and covers 27,000 hectares of…

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…

Paltaniemi's enchantingly weathered wooden church was built in 1726 and contains some of Finland’s most interesting church paintings: rustic 18th-century…

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…

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’…

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…

Set across two river islands on the scenic Oulujoki, this open-air museum is a collection of traditional wooden buildings, from loggers’ cabins to stables…

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…

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,…

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)…

The Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia in the city park has almost too much information to take in at first bite. It covers the earliest habitation of the…

Situated 4.5km southeast of central Kuhmo, by the Hotelli Kalevala, this Winter War museum documents that bitter conflict in the Kuhmo area, mostly…

Consisting of fells and hillside bogs, this 77-sq-km national park 58km northwest of Kuusamo offers spectacular views and rewarding hiking, including…

At this house-museum, traditional Karelian red-painted wooden farm buildings have been fitted out to depict traditional Kuhmo life at the turn of the 20th…

Just north of the city centre on the Hupisaaret Islands, connected by small bridges, this great park has bike paths, museums, greenhouses and a summer…