Opened late 2018 as a 100th anniversary gift to the people of Finland, the central library is as aesthetically pleasing as it is intellectually stimulating, with spaces to read, hang out with friends, sew a garment, do some band practice, and create your own object with 3D printers. There are books to browse – a modest 100,000, but at a mere click of a button you can access the rest of the collection to be delivered to your nearest pick-up point.
Oodi
Helsinki
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.33 MILES
Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…
0.3 MILES
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…
0.76 MILES
An unmissable stop for Finnish design aficionados, Helsinki's Design Museum has a permanent collection that looks at the roots of Finnish design in the…
0.24 MILES
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…
2 MILES
Situated 5.5km northwest of the city centre, this excellent island-set museum has a collection of 87 historic wooden buildings transferred here from…
0.15 MILES
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…
29.4 MILES
One of Finland's most enticing old quarters, this tangle of cobbled alleys and wooden warehouses is entrancing. Once a vibrant port and market, Porvoo now…
29.19 MILES
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…
Nearby Helsinki attractions
0.06 MILES
The gleaming glass headquarters of the main daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, is an iconic modern Helsinki building, designed by Finnish architects Jan…
0.14 MILES
This equestrian statue of Finland's most famous military commander stands next to the Kiasma museum.
0.15 MILES
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…
0.17 MILES
Finland's imposing parliament building was designed by Finnish architect Johan Sigfrid Sirén and inaugurated in 1931. Its pared-back neoclassicism…
0.22 MILES
Rautatientori (Railway Sq) flanks the eastern side of Helsinki's glorious National Romantic art nouveau train station. Designed by Finnish architect Eliel…
0.23 MILES
Set beneath the iconic 1936 Lasipalatsi building, art museum Amos Rex opened in 2018. Sweeping staircases take you below ground to the exhibition halls…
0.24 MILES
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…
0.26 MILES
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…