Choose from 53 Fun Things to Do in Finland
Senate Square (Senaatintori)
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Helsinki Music Centre (Musiikkitalo)
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Sibelius Monument
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Tennis Palace (Tennispalatsi)
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Santa Claus Village
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HAM Helsinki Art Museum
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Arctic Circle
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Ateneum Art Museum (Konstmuseet Ateneum)
The Ateneum Art Museum (or Konstmuseet Ateneum) houses Finnish paintings and sculptures from the 18 century to the 1950s. There's also a small, interesting collection of 19th and early-20th century foreign art, including a copy of Auguste Rodin's bronze The Thinker, and paintings by Van Gogh, Gaugin and Cezanne. The building itself dates from 1887. Downstairs is a cafe, good bookshop and reading room.
The list of painters at the Ateneum reads like a 'who's who' of Finnish art, housing paintings and sculptures by Albert Edelfelt, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, the Von Wright brothers and Pekka Halonen. Pride of place goes to the prolific Gallen-Kallela's triptych from the Kalevala depicting Väinämöinen's pursuit of the maiden Aino.
The Finnish National Gallery's other main museum, the Sinebrychoff, contains the largest collection of Italian, Dutch and Flemish paintings in Finland. The museum also features Russian and Karelian icons, silver, porcelain and furniture.
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The museum is very easy to reach by public transport. It is located in the center of town, close to the Central Railway Station. By bus the stop is Railway Station Square.
SantaPark
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SEA LIFE Helsinki
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Cafe Ursula
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Cygnaeus Gallery
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Hotel and Restaurant Museum
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Ehrensvärd Museum
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Amos Anderson Art Museum
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Finnish Museum of Photography
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Seurasaari Open-Air Museum
Not far from the center of Helsinki, Seurasaari Island is an open-air museum of the Finnish traditional way of life. It has 87 buildings, 18th and 19th century traditional houses, manors and outbuildings from around Finland. Guides dressed in traditional costume demonstrate crafts such as spinning, embroidery and troll-making. Shops sell old fashioned treats, and folk-dancing performances are scheduled frequently during the summer. On Midsummer Eve a huge bonfire kicks off the celebrations, and a real wedding takes place in the Karuna Church.
The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum opened in the 1909, when it was only accessible by boat. It's been popular with locals and visitors ever since. On summer nights there are regularly scheduled concerts in Karuna Church. The buildings are closed during the winter, but the park is open for cross-country skiing and invigorating walks.
Practical Info
Bus 24 from Erottaja will take you to the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum, go to the last stop, Seurasaari.