Must-see attractions in Turku & Finland's South Coast

When Lenin was on the lam from Russia to Stockholm in 1907, he stayed in Pargas under the pseudonym Mr Mueller. The outdoor local-history museum contains…

Towering above Isopuisto Park, the 1801 St Nicholas Orthodox Church is Kotka’s only building to survive the Crimean War. It's believed to be the work of…

About 8km south of Kasnäs, the island of Hitis (Hiittinen) harbours a charming wooden church. The free ferry MS Aura runs up to eight times daily from…

Kotkan kirkko's distinctive steeple is visible throughout town. Inside the neo-Gothic church there’s artful woodcarving, a resounding baroque-style organ…

Near Kimito village, Sagalund is an open-air museum with more than 20 old buildings, including a traditional sauna and a blacksmith. English-speaking…

Lovely Nagu church dates from the 14th century. Look for the mysterious bogeyman sculpture and the primitive paintings on the walls, including the locally…

The centrepiece of Korpo village is its medieval church. Built in the late 13th century, it features naïve paintings on the ceiling and a statue of St…

The Old Town of wooden houses is tucked behind Pargas Church, a beautiful early-14th-century building with whitewashed walls, medieval murals and brick…

Near the lake, Fiskars Museum details the evolution of the ironworks and the village that grew around it, with a different display of arts and crafts each…

Topped by a classic onion dome, the 1837 Orthodox Church of Sts Peter & Paul is the work of architect Louis Visconti, who designed Napoleon’s mausoleum.

Dating from 1755, this yellow wooden church with marine-blue interior is a charmer. The church's oldest artefact is the crucifix, which dates from 1689.

Kustavi’s wooden church, built in 1783, features the cruciform shape and votive miniature ships common in coastal churches.

The gateway to Nuuksio National Park is this atmospheric modern visitor centre in the shape of a nesting duck. Inside, exhibitions evoking the sights and…

Learn all about the history and engineering of mining at this working limestone mine, 500m north of Lohja centre. A new state-of-the-art lift whisks…

Paikkari Cottage is the birthplace of Elias Lönnrot, collector of Finnish folklore and compiler of the Kalevala epic. It’s an endearing cottage set amid…

At the edge of the village, Strömfors Ironworks is one of Finland’s oldest bruks, dating back to 1698. Today its red-stained buildings are an open-air…

Porvoo’s town museum occupies two buildings on the beautiful cobbled square at the heart of the Old Town. The town-hall building (Vanha Raatihuoneentori)…

National poet JL Runeberg’s former home has become a museum, with a period interior including stuffed foxes and muskets that demonstrate the poet’s love…

If you think the artwork of Salvador Dalí is surreal, see what you think when you experience it in the context of a fishing village in the Finnish…

On the riverfront, Qwensel House is Turku’s oldest, built around 1700. It contains the small Pharmacy Museum, with an old laboratorium featuring medicinal…