Finland is a harsh northern country. Eco-tourism is popular among travelers who come to this country. Finland is famous for its nature - numerous lakes, water canals, national parks. All this creates an excellent ecology in the country. The country's climate allows tourists to travel all year round. In summer, tourists prefer to visit amusement parks and open-air museums. And in the snowy winter, go to ski resorts or to the residence of Santa Claus.
Many interesting places are located in cities. Museums, fortresses and castles, ancient religious buildings - the choice is incredibly large. Attractions are located not only in the capital. In the historic centers of small towns, such as Rauma and Porvoo, you can see old buildings. Many of them are magnificent examples of Scandinavian architecture.
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What to see and where to go in Finland?
The most interesting and beautiful places to visit, photos and a short description.
Senate Square and Cathedral (Helsinki)
The main square of the capital of the country. Three buildings form the basis of the architectural ensemble of the square. One of them is the building of the State Council, on its facade there is the oldest clock in Finland. Nearby is the building of the University of Helsinki and its library. The Cathedral rises above them. Snow-white walls, five green domes and 12 statues of the apostles on the roof make the cathedral majestic and solemn.
Esplanade Park (Helsinki)
The park is 400 meters long, with linden trees planted around the perimeter. Founded in the 1830s. The undoubted decoration of the park is the beautifully designed luxurious flower beds. The park contains many monuments to famous and historical figures. Cultural entertainment is represented by the Swedish Theater as well as one of the oldest restaurants, Kappeli. Artists of different genres perform on its stage every day.
Sveaborg Fortress (Helsinki)
The impregnable bastions of the fortress city of Sveaborg are located on rocky islands near Helsinki. This place is under the protection of UNESCO. The fortress houses a large number of museums of various subjects - a military museum, a customs museum, a weapon museum, a toy museum. Guided tours of the submarine that took part in the Second World War. On two islands you can see the remains of military fortifications.
Olafsborg Fortress (Savonlinna)
The first fortress in the defense military affairs of Finland, which was built taking into account protection from artillery shelling. Its construction began in 1475. Nowadays, it is a popular tourist destination, there are several museums of different subjects - from the history of the castle to Orthodox icon painting. Opera festivals are held annually within the walls of the fortress. The event lasts about a month and is attended by about 60,000 people.
Abo Castle (Turku)
One of the oldest castles in the country, located in Turku, founded in the 13th century. The impressive size, as well as the solid building material - granite and brick, made it possible to use the castle not only for defense, but also as a prison or storage. The castle looks like a harsh military fortification, it has a medieval atmosphere. But inside its walls, a solemn atmosphere is created; the halls of the castle are often rented for events.
Old Rauma
The historic center of the city of Rauma. The city was founded in the 15th century, but the very first buildings of Old Rauma date back to the 18th century. Most of the old wooden buildings burned down in fires. Interesting wooden buildings are the House of the sailor Christie and the house of the ship owner Marela. They house museum expositions. Rare stone structures are represented by the Church of the Holy Cross and the City Hall.
Porvoo old town
A popular area of the city with buildings from the 18th century. New buildings were erected here after the fire in 1760. Travelers are attracted by the medieval flavor in cozy small courtyards and narrow cobbled streets. Especially interesting is a walk along the embankment of the Porvoonjoka River, surrounded by small brown-red wooden houses. Porvoo Cathedral is one of the most popular religious buildings in Finland.
Monument to Sibelius (Helsinki)
Dedicated to one of the most revered composers in Finland - Jan Sibelius. The sculptor Eila Hiltuten has been working on the project of the monument for almost 10 years. It is a composition of 600 steel pipes. The music created by the wind creates an image of nature, which was often sounded in the compositions of Sibelius. The monument is often criticized for its ambiguity and is one of the most visited tourist destinations.
Temppeliaukio (Helsinki)
One of the most unusual churches in the world. Its interior is carved into the rock, and natural light enters it through glass domes. Rough and untreated rock creates unusual acoustics in the church. The organ of the church has 3001 pipes. One of the church's masses in 2016 was performed with hard rock music. About half a million people visit the church a year.
Kamppi Chapel of Silence (Helsinki)
The shape of the chapel resembles a wooden bowl without a handle. The internal walls are made of black alder, the external facades are made of spruce slats, and the furniture is made of ash. Silver altar cross. There is not a single window in the chapel. It does not hold services, its purpose is meetings and conversations in silence, far from the bustle of the world. Psychological assistance to parishioners is provided by both the ministers of the chapel and employees of social services.
Assumption Cathedral (Helsinki)
The height of the cathedral is 51 meters. Built at the end of the 19th century. The red brick walls are crowned with 13 gilded domes. The interior of the cathedral is made in a traditional Byzantine style. The columns are made of solid blocks of granite, against which the arched vaults, decorated with painting, abut. The main drawing is made on the top of the vault and above the altar. The Holy Spirit is depicted in the middle, the starry sky around.
Turku Cathedral
Lutheran temple built in the 13th century in the Gothic style. The building survived a severe fire, several reconstructions and rebuildings. At present, the height of the vault of the main nave is 24 meters, and the height of the tower of the cathedral is 101 meters. The walls of the cathedral are decorated with frescoes, and the chapels are decorated with stained-glass windows. The main attraction of the cathedral is the organ with 81 registers. The church has a museum dedicated to the history of the Cathedral.
Arktikum (Rovaniemi)
A modern architectural complex, which includes a museum and a science center. A feature of the building is the 172 meter long glass atrium. It is called the “portal to the Arctic”. The tunnel is located on the embankment of the Ounasjoki River. Natural materials typical of the region have been used in its design. Various exhibitions tell visitors about the culture and history of Lapland, the nature and exploration of the Arctic.
Athenaeum (Helsinki)
An art museum with the largest art collection in the country. The museum contains more than 20,000 exhibits of various types of art - sculpture, graphics, paintings. Presented are the works of masters from the middle of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century. In total, more than 4000 paintings and about 700 sculptures are exhibited. The museum's collections contain paintings by famous artists - Repin, Van Gogh, Levitan, Chagall, Shishkin.
Seurasaari (Helsinki)
The island is an open-air museum. The houses and buildings of the museum are designed to acquaint visitors with the way of life and traditions of the Finnish people. 87 buildings were collected from all over the country. Among them there are examples of rural architecture of the 17th century, and the estates of wealthy peasants of the 19th century.The oldest museum building is a wooden church from the village of Karuna built in 1686. Several tens of thousands of visitors visit the museum annually.
National Museum of Finland (Helsinki)
It was built at the beginning of the 19th century in the style of romanticism of national architecture. The building is decorated with a tall cone-shaped tower. The expositions of the museum tell about the history of Finland - from the Stone Age to the present day. Most of the exhibits were found during archaeological excavations. The collections of the museum are extensive in terms of topics - coins, weapons, orders, jewelry, they tell about the culture and traditions of the country.
Kiasma (Helsinki)
Modern Art Museum. It is considered one of the most visited in Finland. Opened in 1998 and to date has collected a collection of works by masters of our time from 4000 exhibits. Pictures, photographs, video installations, spatial art objects are presented. The building itself attracts attention no less than the exhibits within its walls. Its architecture is interesting with curved lines, mirrored windows reflect the sun's rays.
Turku Art Museum
It is located in a Romanic castle with gray walls. The building was built on the Puolalanmäki hill. The museum contains a rich collection of art objects - painting, graphics and sculpture, works of foreign and Finnish masters. There is an exposition of medieval wooden sculptures, a collection of weapons, coins and antique toys. Objects of art belong to different historical periods - from the Stone Age to the present day.
Helsinki Central Station
A world famous example of Finnish architecture. The building was built in the Northern Art Nouveau style, the project was developed by the architect Eliel Saarinen. The station was opened in 1919. The practical architecture of the modern building has been adorned with interesting details. The clock tower, almost 50 meters high. The walls of the restaurant hall are decorated with paintings. At the main entrance, sculptures were installed with lanterns in their hands.
Old Market Hall (Helsinki)
Founded in 1815, it is located on the embankment near the Trade Square. It attracts the attention of not only tourists, but also gourmets of Helsinki. The gastronomic shops offer a wide range of dishes, both traditional products and delicacies from Lapland. In total, there are about 40 retail outlets on the market. Recently, for a large-scale reconstruction, the market was closed for more than a year.
Wood processing factory in Werl
The industrial village of Verla has a unique atmosphere. The woodworking factory in it was founded in 1872, it is protected by UNESCO. Now it is a real industrial museum. In it you can learn the history of the development of the country's timber industry. The original factory buildings, factory machines and workers' houses have been preserved. The cardboard produced at the factory was exported to different parts of the world, even to South America.
Pyynikki Observation Tower (Tampere)
It is located in a nature reserve in the city of Tampere. The tower was built at the top of the ridge in 1929. The height of the tower is 26 meters, so its observation deck is 180 meters above sea level. It offers a beautiful view of the city and two lakes. There is a cafe on the ground floor of the tower. It sells delicious donuts, and local artists organize exhibitions of their paintings.
Lemmenjoki
The largest park in Finland and one of the largest national parks in Europe. Its area is 2850 km². Most of the park is occupied by an impenetrable forest. More than 60 hiking trails have been laid in places accessible to tourists. Trails lead to the main attractions of the park - the Ravadasköngäs waterfall, the Lemmenjoki river valley, Ukonsaari Island. You can also try your hand at gold mining - there are gold mines in the park.
Urho Kekkonen
A picturesque national park in the north of Finland. The main excursions start in the village of Saariselkä. About 180,000 tourists visit the park annually. Including families with children - for them, on the border of the park area, there are resort areas where you can even go skiing. The unofficial attraction of the park is the Korvatunturi hill. As local legends say, Santa Claus lives on this hill.
Coastal islands
National Park, founded in 1938 and is part of a UNESCO nature reserve. Its peculiarity is its unusual landscape - several thousand islets and rocks. The larger islands have a permanent population. Among the fauna, moose are interesting representatives; seals and seals live in the coastal waters. The islands have a number of attractions - stone and wooden churches, lighthouses and defenses.
Lake Saimaa
The largest lake in Finland is formed by eight bodies of water connected to each other. The area of the entire water surface is more than 4000 km². There are about 13,000 islands of various sizes in the waters of the lake. Among the abundance of inhabitants are the rare salmon pitchfork and the endangered Saimaa seal. Dense coniferous forests grow along the banks. This is a great place for outdoor recreation.
Saimaa Canal
A 60 km long water canal connects the Gulf of Finland and Lake Saimaa. It has eight locks, three of which are located in Finland, the rest in Russia. Both river and sea vessels can ply along the channel. A boat trip along the Saimaa Canal is popular with tourists. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the nature of the coast, historical sites, monuments and attractions.
Sapokka Water Park (Kotka)
A picturesque and well-groomed park in the city of Kotka, beautiful at any time of the year. Flowers in it are planted so that their blooms replace each other. The main feature of the park is the use of water as the main element of landscape design. Ponds, streams, waterfalls create a special atmosphere. Natural stone is also used to decorate the park. Original compositions from it have repeatedly received awards at international competitions.
Imatrankoski (Imatra)
The water slide in the city of Imatra. Some admiring tourists call it "Finnish Niagara". Until the 1920s, the waterfall was natural. However, the construction of the hydroelectric power station changed everything. Since then, the water from the reservoir has been released strictly on schedule - twice a day on Sundays in the summer. In honor of the descent of the water, a whole show is sometimes held with fireworks and music concerts. Observation platforms have been set up to monitor the flow of water.
Yuyteri beach (Pori)
The sandy beach in the west of the country is about 6 km long. Popular not only among locals, but also among travelers. Large areas of shallow water warm up well, and entry into the water is smooth. This is especially appreciated by vacationers with small children. For surfers and kitesurfers, Yuyteri Beach is one of the best places in the country. The waves here are not very high, but stable, which is especially valuable for beginners in these sports.
Särkänniemi (Tampere)
An amusement park of incredible size - its area is 50,000 m². There are 34 attractions for any category of visitors. There are small play areas for kids, and 30-meter slides for extreme adults. A separate entertainment area is inspired by the Angry Birds game. In addition to attractions, Särkänniemi Park has a planetarium, an oceanarium, a mini-zoo and the country's tallest observation tower.
Linnanmaki (Helsinki)
An amusement park located in the capital of the country. It has 43 attractions, slot machines, an oceanarium, an observation tower, cafes and restaurants. Popular Finnish artists perform on the open stage in summer. The annual number of visitors to the park is over a million people. The most popular attraction is the wooden roller coaster. The carousel, which was installed in Linnanmäki in 1896, still operates in the park.
Joulupukki village (Rovaniemi)
The village of Joulupukki (Santa Claus, or Ded Moroz) is located in Lapland, inside the Arctic Circle.It is traditionally believed that this is where the Finnish Christmas grandfather resides. This place is one of the most visited by tourists. There is a lot of entertainment at the Joulupukki Residence. There is a fabulous post office, a snowmobile museum, a reindeer farm. Guests are attracted by the "Snowman Ice World" zone with slides and ice sculptures.
Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Park
The park is located in a forest thicket. All 500 concrete sculptures in the park were created by the self-taught master Veijo Rönkkönen. The sculptor spent about 50 years on the creation of the works. He portrayed people, animals and fairy creatures. The cartoon figures evoke different emotions in the visitors. Someone admire them, someone calls them ugly and creepy. But no one remains indifferent. The entrance to the park is free, this is the desire of Veijo Rönkkönen himself.
Moomin country (Naantali)
One of the best theme parks in the world where you can immerse yourself in a fabulous atmosphere. In it, you can meet your favorite characters and look at their lives. The park is located on an island and is an image of the Valley of the Mummy Trolls. It has a Moomin house and houses of other characters, a laboratory, talking trees. Artists play with children in the images of the heroes of the books of Tove Janson. Performances are held on the stage several times a day.
