With an African elephant greeting you in the lobby, families with kids will particularly enjoy visiting the Finnish Museum of Natural History, or Luonnontieteellinen museo (helsinki.fi/en/luomus). The collection of some 13 million specimens varies from Africa's biggest animals to rocks and fungi. There are exhibits showcasing Finnish nature, as well as rooms dedicated to nature's diversity around the world. Visitors can also familiarize themselves with evolution and climate change.
Modern exhibitions such as Story of the Bones, which puts skeletons in an evolutionary context, bring new life to the University of Helsinki’s extensive collection of mammals, birds and other creatures, including all Finnish species. Download the free audio app from the website.
Apart from all things furry and skeletal, pay attention to the flamboyant architecture. The baroque revival building was originally a Russian-speaking cadet school until the University of Helsinki established its Natural History Museum here in 1923.
