In the Kaivopuisto park, this charming dome-topped observatory was built in 1926. During the darker months, it opens of an evening, while on summer Sundays you can view solar phenomena through filters.
Ursa
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.11 MILES
Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…
1.08 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…
0.6 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…
1.56 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…
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3.17 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…
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1.27 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…
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29.57 MILES
One of Finland's most enticing old quarters, this tangle of cobbled alleys and wooden warehouses is entrancing. Once a vibrant port and market, Porvoo now…
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1.19 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…
Nearby attractions
0.02 MILES
On the waterfront, this sprawling park dating from 1834 is a favourite Helsinki idyll. There are expanses of lawns; numerous sculptures and winding paths;…
0.27 MILES
This fascinating museum by Kaivopuisto was the home of Baron Gustav Mannerheim, former president, commander in chief of the Finnish army and Finnish Civil…
0.39 MILES
Designed in 1868 by Swedish landscaper Knut Forsberg in the style of a German city park, and completed in 1889 by his compatriot Svante Olsson, this…
0.47 MILES
Operating as an observatory from 1834 to 2010, this CL Engel–designed building within pretty Observatory Hill Park now contains an astronomy museum with…
0.52 MILES
Helsinki’s largest church, with seating for 2600 worshippers, is the soaring neo-Gothic St John’s Lutheran Church. Designed by Swedish architect Adolf…
6. Museum of Finnish Architecture
0.59 MILES
Finland's architecture museum occupies a neo-Rennaissance building dating from 1899. Exhibitions are its key focus, including the fascinating Decades of…
0.6 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…
0.83 MILES
The heart of central Helsinki is the harbourside kauppatori (market square), where cruises and ferries leave for archipelago islands. It's completely…