Find places in Finland

Must-Haves

• Suomenlinna Sea Fortress (Suomenlinna)
  A UNESCO listed island fortress reached by city ferry, perfect for walks and picnics by the sea.
• Helsinki Cathedral (Senate Square)
  The white neoclassical landmark above Senate Square, with wide steps for people watching.
• Uspenski Cathedral (Katajanokka)
  A red brick Orthodox cathedral with golden domes and views over the harbour.
• Temppeliaukio Church (Töölö)
  A church carved into solid rock under a copper dome, with fine acoustics.

Fun for Everyone

• Oodi Helsinki Central Library (Kluuvi)
  A free, playful library with sewing machines, 3D printers, games and a terrace.

Must-Haves

• Market Square (Kauppatori)
  The harbourside market for berries, fish, snacks and the ferries to the islands.
• Design District Helsinki (Punavuori)
  A cluster of design shops, studios and galleries around the Design Museum.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Old Market Hall (Kauppatori)
  A historic covered market for salmon soup, smoked fish and Finnish pastries.
• Hakaniemi Market Hall (Hakaniemi)
  A locals' market hall with food stalls downstairs and crafts and fabrics upstairs.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hietalahti Flea Market (Hietalahti)
  An open air flea market by the shipyard, busiest on summer weekends.

Must-Haves

• Löyly (Hernesaari)
  A modern public sauna and restaurant on the waterfront with a ladder into the sea.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kotiharjun Sauna (Kallio)
  A traditional wood heated neighbourhood public sauna where locals cool off on the street.

Fun for Everyone

• Allas Sea Pool (Katajanokka)
  Heated and sea water pools with saunas right by Market Square.

Fun for Everyone

• Seurasaari Open Air Museum (Seurasaari)
  An island of old wooden houses and forest paths with friendly squirrels.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lonna Island (Lonna)
  A tiny island on the way to Suomenlinna with a sauna and a summer restaurant.
• Vallisaari Island (Vallisaari)
  A former military island reopened as wild nature with trails and coastal views.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kaivopuisto Park (Kaivopuisto)
  A seaside park for sunset walks, picnics and May Day celebrations.

Must-Haves

• Nuuksio National Park (Espoo)
  Forest, lakes and marked trails reachable by public transport from the city.

Must-Haves

• Café Regatta (Töölö)
  A tiny red cottage café by the sea famous for cinnamon buns and outdoor fires.
• Café Engel (Kruununhaka)
  A classic café by Senate Square with homemade cakes and a summer courtyard cinema.

Great for Date Night

• Café Ekberg (Punavuori)
  Finland's oldest bakery café, serving pastries in a classic setting since the nineteenth century.

Great for Date Night

• Savoy (Esplanadi)
  An Alvar Aalto designed dining room with city views, a Helsinki institution.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ravintola Kosmos (Kluuvi)
  A classic Finnish restaurant serving traditional dishes since the 1920s.
• Lappi Restaurant (Kamppi)
  Lapland dishes like sautéed reindeer and cloudberries in a cosy log setting.
• Soppakeittiö (Old Market Hall)
  A soup counter loved for its bouillabaisse and salmon soup.

Must-Haves

• Restaurant Juuri (Punavuori)
  Modern Finnish cooking with small seasonal plates called sapas.

Great for Date Night

• Ateljee Bar (Kluuvi)
  A rooftop bar on the fourteenth floor of the Torni hotel with views across the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Steam Hellsinki (Kamppi)
  A steampunk themed cocktail bar full of curiosities and gin.

Fun for Everyone

• Kaiku (Sörnäinen)
  A popular electronic music club in a former industrial space.

Must-Haves

• Helsinki Festival (Citywide)
  A late summer arts festival with concerts, theatre and the Night of the Arts.

Fun for Everyone

• Vappu on Kaivopuisto (Kaivopuisto)
  May Day picnics where the whole city wears student caps and celebrates spring.
• Flow Festival (Suvilahti)
  A summer music and arts festival in a former power plant.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Baltic Herring Market (Kauppatori)
  An autumn market where archipelago fishers sell pickled herring and dark bread.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Kämp (Esplanadi)
  A grand historic hotel on the Esplanadi, Helsinki's classic address.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel St. George (Kaartinkaupunki)
  An art filled boutique hotel by Old Church Park.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hostel Suomenlinna (Suomenlinna)
  A simple hostel on the fortress island, quiet after the day trippers leave.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hotel Haven (Kaartinkaupunki)
  A refined hotel by the harbour with a well loved whisky bar.

Must-Haves

• Arktikum (Rovaniemi)
  A science centre and museum explaining Arctic nature, the aurora and Lapland's history.

Off the Beaten Path

• Korundi House of Culture (Rovaniemi)
  A former truck depot holding northern art and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra.
• Pilke Science Centre (Rovaniemi)
  A hands on centre about northern forests, good for families.

Fun for Everyone

• Santa Claus Village (Napapiiri)
  The Arctic Circle line and Santa's home, a big hit with young children.

Must-Haves

• Bearhill Husky (Rovaniemi)
  A large husky farm offering sled rides through snowy forest.

Must-Haves

• Ounasvaara (Rovaniemi)
  A forested hill with ski slopes, trails and views over the town and rivers.

Fun for Everyone

• Ranua Wildlife Park (Ranua)
  Arctic animals such as polar bears, wolverines and lynx in large forest enclosures.

Great for Date Night

• Jätkänkynttilä Bridge (Rovaniemi)
  The bridge with a flame on top, lovely for evening walks and aurora watching by the river.

Must-Haves

• Nili Restaurant (Rovaniemi)
  Lapland cooking in a log interior with reindeer, Arctic char and berries.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Café and Bar 21 (Rovaniemi)
  A design minded café known for waffles by day and cocktails by night.

Fun for Everyone

• Arctic SnowHotel Ice Bar (Sinettä)
  An ice bar inside a snow hotel open in winter, a chilly drink to remember.

Great for Date Night

• Arctic TreeHouse Hotel (Napapiiri)
  Forest suites with large windows facing the sky for aurora watching.

Must-Haves

• Apukka Resort (Rovaniemi)
  Glass roofed cabins and winter activities by a frozen lake outside town.

Must-Haves

• Turku Castle (Linnankatu)
  One of Finland's largest medieval buildings, full of halls, towers and stories.
• Turku Cathedral (Old Great Square)
  Finland's national shrine, rising over the river for more than seven centuries.

Off the Beaten Path

• Aboa Vetus and Ars Nova (Itäinen Rantakatu)
  Walk through excavated medieval streets before seeing modern art upstairs.

Fun for Everyone

• Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum (Luostarinmäki)
  Wooden houses that survived the 1827 fire, with crafts shown in summer.
• Forum Marinum (Linnankatu)
  A maritime museum with historic ships moored on the river.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Föri River Ferry (Aura River)
  The little free ferry that has crossed the river for over a century.

Must-Haves

• Turku Market Hall (Eerikinkatu)
  A beautiful old covered market for cheeses, fish and archipelago bread.

Must-Haves

• Ruissalo (Ruissalo)
  An island of oak forest, beaches and botanical gardens at the edge of the city.

Off the Beaten Path

• Archipelago Trail (Nagu and Korpo)
  A ring of bridges and ferries through countless islands, best by bike in summer.

Great for Date Night

• Restaurant Kaskis (Kaskenkatu)
  A small, inventive Nordic restaurant loved by locals.

Must-Haves

• Smör (Läntinen Rantakatu)
  Seasonal Finnish cooking in a vaulted cellar by the river.

Must-Haves

• Café Art (Läntinen Rantakatu)
  A riverside café with home baked cakes and a terrace on the water.

Off the Beaten Path

• Panimoravintola Koulu (Eerikinkatu)
  A brewpub in a former school building with a large beer garden.

Fun for Everyone

• Boat bars on the Aura (Aura River)
  Restaurant boats that fill with people on summer nights.

Fun for Everyone

• Ruisrock (Ruissalo)
  One of Europe's oldest rock festivals, held on the island each July.

Must-Haves

• Declaration of Christmas Peace (Old Great Square)
  A centuries old Christmas Eve tradition broadcast across Finland.

Must-Haves

• Radisson Blu Marina Palace (Linnankatu)
  A riverside hotel close to the castle and the old town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hotel Kakola (Kakola)
  A former prison on a hill converted into a stylish hotel.

Must-Haves

• Moomin Museum (Tampere Hall)
  Original Tove Jansson drawings and handmade tableaux for fans of all ages.
• Vapriikki Museum Centre (Tammerkoski)
  A former mill with natural history, games and hockey museums under one roof.

Off the Beaten Path

• Amuri Museum of Workers' Housing (Amuri)
  Wooden homes showing how mill families lived across a century.
• Tampere Cathedral (Tampere centre)
  A national romantic church with symbolist frescoes that stunned its era.

Fun for Everyone

• Finlayson Area (Tammerkoski)
  A red brick former cotton mill area full of museums, cafés and shops.

Must-Haves

• Rauhaniemi Folk Spa (Lake Näsijärvi)
  A lakeside public sauna with a pier for swimming all year.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Rajaportti Sauna (Pispala)
  Finland's oldest public sauna still in use, simple and wood heated.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kaupinojan Sauna (Kaupinoja)
  A forest sauna by the lake loved by winter swimmers.

Great for Date Night

• Kuuma (Laukontori)
  A harbour sauna and restaurant with a terrace by the water.

Fun for Everyone

• Särkänniemi (Näsijärvi shore)
  An amusement park with rides, an aquarium and an observation tower.

Must-Haves

• Pyynikki Observation Tower (Pyynikki)
  A tower on a high esker ridge with a café famous for sugared doughnuts.

Off the Beaten Path

• Pispala (Pispala)
  A hillside of colourful wooden houses and steep lanes between two lakes.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Tampere Market Hall (Hämeenkatu)
  The place to try black sausage with lingonberry jam.

Must-Haves

• Restaurant C (Rautatienkatu)
  Creative tasting menus from Pirkanmaa produce.

Great for Date Night

• Ravintola Näsinneula (Särkänniemi)
  A revolving restaurant at the top of the observation tower.

Fun for Everyone

• Plevna Brewery (Finlayson)
  A brewpub inside the old Finlayson weaving hall.

Must-Haves

• Tampere Film Festival (Citywide)
  One of Europe's leading short film festivals each March.

Fun for Everyone

• Tammerfest (Citywide)
  A summer city festival of concerts and street events.

Must-Haves

• Lapland Hotels Tampere (Yliopistonkatu)
  A modern hotel near the station with northern touches.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hotel Tammer (Satakunnankatu)
  A historic Art Deco hotel close to the river.

Must-Haves

• Olavinlinna Castle (Savonlinna)
  A fifteenth century castle on a rocky island, best on a guided tour.

Off the Beaten Path

• Riihisaari Lake and Nature Museum (Riihisaari)
  The story of Lake Saimaa and its rare ringed seal.
• Lusto Finnish Forest Museum (Punkaharju)
  A museum about Finland's forests and the people who work in them.

Fun for Everyone

• Kerimäki Church (Kerimäki)
  Often called the largest wooden church in the world.

Must-Haves

• Savonlinna Opera Festival (Olavinlinna)
  Opera in the castle courtyard every July.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Savonlinna Market (Kauppatori)
  Lakeside stalls for fried vendace and lörtsy pastries.

Must-Haves

• Punkaharju Ridge (Punkaharju)
  A pine ridge between two lakes with walking paths and views.

Off the Beaten Path

• Linnansaari National Park (Rantasalmi)
  Lake islands for paddling and possibly a glimpse of the Saimaa seal.

Great for Date Night

• Kolovesi National Park (Enonkoski)
  Quiet waters, cliffs and ancient rock paintings best explored by canoe.

Fun for Everyone

• Lake cruises on old steamers (Savonlinna harbour)
  Historic steamships cruising Lake Saimaa in summer.

Great for Date Night

• Restaurant Huvila (Savonlinna)
  A lakeside brewery restaurant across the water from the town.

Must-Haves

• Spa Hotel Casino (Kylpylaitoksensaari)
  An island spa hotel a short walk from the castle.