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 nation’s traditions and nature. Changing exhibitions focus on contemporary design – everything from clothing to household furniture. From June to August, 30-minute tours in English take place at 2pm on Saturday and are included in admission. Combination tickets with the nearby Museum of Finnish Architecture are a great-value way to see the two museums.

In summer the Design Museum and Museum of Finnish Architecture have a shared summer pavilion (free admission), which is built by students from collaborating universities to create a sustainable structure.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Museum of Finnish Architecture

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Finland's architecture museum occupies a neo-Rennaissance building dating from 1899. Exhibitions are its key focus, including the fascinating Decades of…

2. Johanneksenkirkko

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Helsinki’s largest church, with seating for 2600 worshippers, is the soaring neo-Gothic St John’s Lutheran Church. Designed by Swedish architect Adolf…

3. Helsinki Observatory

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Operating as an observatory from 1834 to 2010, this CL Engel–designed building within pretty Observatory Hill Park now contains an astronomy museum with…

4. Observatory Hill Park

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Designed in 1868 by Swedish landscaper Knut Forsberg in the style of a German city park, and completed in 1889 by his compatriot Svante Olsson, this…

5. Esplanadin Puisto

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Locally known as 'Espa', oblong-shaped Esplanadi stretches for four blocks between the squares Erottaja to the west and the kauppatori to the east…

6. Johan Ludvig Runeberg Statue

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Finland's national poet and composer of the Finnish national anthem, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, is commemorated by a statue in the city's central Esplanadin…

7. Vanha Kirkko

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Helsinki’s most venerable church is this white wood 1826 beauty, designed by CL Engel. Opposite the church is a memorial to Elias Lönnrot, compiler of the…

8. Havis Amanda

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Near the kauppatori, this bronze statue is the symbol of the city. Sculpted by Ville Vallgren in 1906 in Paris, and installed here in 1908, the nude…