Haltia

Turku & Finland's South Coast

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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 sounds of the Finnish landscape are backed up by interactive information screens. At its heart is an offbeat installation of two swans playing DNA chess. There's an upstairs restaurant and mountain-bike hire; you can also rent kayaks and snowshoes. From Espoo train station (linked to Helsinki's train station), catch bus 245 to the Solvalla stop.

At 1pm on Thursdays, you can take a one-hour guided tour of the centre in English (€5).

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) Fortress in Helsinki, Finland

    Suomenlinna

    17.81 MILES

    Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…

  • Finland, Helsinki, main entrance of the Ateneum Art Museum

    Ateneum

    15.82 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…

  • Design Museum

    Design Museum

    16.16 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…

  • Kansallismuseo

    Kansallismuseo

    15.3 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…

  • Seurasaaren Ulkomuseo

    Seurasaaren Ulkomuseo

    13.56 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…

  • Kiasma

    Kiasma

    15.56 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…

  • Amos Rex

    Amos Rex

    15.61 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…

  • Kajsaniemi

    Kajsaniemi

    15.68 MILES

    Rambling over 4 hectares in the city centre alongside the north harbour, Töölönlahti, Helsinki's botanic gardens are filled with plants from Finland and…

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Nearby Turku & Finland's South Coast attractions

1. Nuuksio National Park

1.62 MILES

Close enough to Helsinki for a half-day trip, 35km northwest of the city, this 4500-hectare national park gives an immersive introduction to Finnish…

2. Gallen-Kallelan Museo

11.22 MILES

Part castle, part studio, this was the home of Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931), one of Finland’s most significant artists. Many of his works are…

3. Espoo Museum of Modern Art

11.41 MILES

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…

4. Alppiruusupuisto

12.57 MILES

Boardwalks lead you through one of Helsinki’s best-kept secrets. The Rhododendron Park is a wonderland of the eponymous bushes, trees and other flora…

5. Villa Gyllenberg

12.67 MILES

In a lovely setting on Kuusisaari island, this private gallery in a 1938 villa has works ranging from the Italian Renaissance to an extensive collection…

6. Didrichsen Taidemuseo

12.75 MILES

On the island of Kuusisaari, this striking villa is filled with elegant objets d'art, including some Mayan and Chinese pieces, Finnish golden-age works…

7. Seurasaaren Ulkomuseo

13.56 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…

8. Sibelius Monument

14.5 MILES

In the leafy, waterfront Sibelius Park (Sibeliuksen puisto, or just 'Sibban'), this famous, striking sculpture was created by artist Eila Hiltunen in 1967…