Ateneum (National Gallery)
With all the excitement about contemporary Finnish design, it's easy to forget that Finland has a rich history of fine art, showcased at this excellent gallery near the train station. Inside, you can see works by such Finnish icons as Albert Edelfelt, the Von Wright brothers and Akseli Gallen-Kallela, whose famous triptych showing scenes from the Kalevala - the Finnish national epic - is the star attraction.

Kaivokatu 2
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 1733 6401.
Web: www.ateneum.fi
Opening hours: Tues and Fri 1000-1800, Wed-Thurs 1000-2000, Sat-Sun 1100-1700.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Finlandia-Talo (Finlandia Hall)
Built in 1971, Finlandia Hall is one of Alvar Aalto's most iconic works. Stately, angular and unmistakably Modernist, this striking building serves as Helsinki's main conference and concert venue, and is the current home of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, founded by Robert Kajanus in 1882. If you are unable to visit for a performance, guided tours are offered on fixed dates (see the website for details).

Mannerheimintie 13
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 402 4211.
Web: www.finlandiatalo.fi
Opening hours: During events (guided tours by appointment).
Admission Fee: Yes (for tours)
Disabled Access: Yes


Finlands Nationalmuseum (National Museum of Finland)
Located opposite Finlandia Hall, about 10 minutes' walk from Helsinki's city centre, this museum contains rich archaeological and ethnographic collections depicting Finnish life from the earliest times to the present day. The sections on prehistoric Finland and the culture of the Sami people of Lapland are particularly interesting, and the museum building, constructed in 1916, is a Helsinki landmark. Guided tours available.

Mannerheimintie 34
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 4050 9544.
Web: www.nba.fi/en/nmf
Opening hours: Tues 1100-2000, Wed-Sun 1100-1800.
Admission Fee: Yes (free on Tues 1730-2000).
Disabled Access: Yes


Kaapelitehdas (Cable Factory)
Originally owned by Nokia, the defunct Finnish Cable Factory in the Ruoholahti district was leased out to artists in the 1980s, creating one of Finland's most successful artists' colonies. Today, the building is home to around hundreds of artists' studios, design studios, recording studios and offices of dance companies, theatre companies, TV and radio stations, as well as three art museums. The complex is open daily and you can break for lunch at the suitably arty Ravintola Hima & Sali. The Kaapelitehdas lies on tram line 8, or take the metro to Ruoholahti station.

Taliberginkatu 1C
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 4763 8300.
Web: www.kaapelitehdas.fi
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes


Kauppatori (Market Square)
Helsinki's cobbled Market Square is located on the seafront at the northern end of Eteläsatama harbour. Although partly a souvenir market - with lots of carved wooden bowls, Lapp hunting knives, reindeer skins and Finnish woollens on sale - the market is also a bustling produce market, packed full of stalls selling fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables. Late summer and autumn bring huge piles of strawberries, lingonberries, cloudberries and blueberries, and food stalls serve up all sorts of Finnish delicacies, including local sausages, herring and salmon and reindeer meat. Nearby is a covered Market Hall, with stores selling more regional delicacies, including reindeer salami and bear pâté!

Kauppatori
Helsinki
Finland
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0630-1800, Sat 0630-1600 (plus Sun 1000-1700 late May-Sep).
Disabled Access: Yes


Kiasma (Contemporary Art Museum)
Constructed by award-winning architect Steven Holl, this top-class Helsinki museum is a sculpture all by itself. Contained inside this geometric wave are examples of Finnish art and design from the 1960s to the present day, with approximately 4,000 pieces on display at any one time. The museum has an excellent bookshop and the design-savvy café is a popular meeting point for arty locals.

Mannerheiminaukio 2
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 1733 6501.
Web: www.kiasma.fi
Opening hours: Tues 1000-1700, Wed-Fri 1000-2030, Sat-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission Fee: Yes


Kotiharju Sauna
You couldn't ask for a more distinctively Finnish experience than a trip to the last traditional wood-burning sauna in Helsinki. Founded more than 70 years ago, the sauna feels homely and inviting and there are separate areas for women and men. If you feel brave, finish your sauna with a lashing from a birch twig and join the semi-clad locals for a beer on the road in front of the building.

Harjutorinkatu 1
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 753 1535.
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1400-2000, Sat 1300-1900.
Admission Fee: Yes


Mannerheim Museo
This fascinating museum was the home of Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, the Imperial Russian Army officer who led Finland to independence in a bloody civil war that saw 30,000 Finns killed in 108 days. A particular hero for Swedish-speaking Finns, Mannerheim later served as Commander-in-Chief, Regent of Finland and Finland's sixth president. His former home remains much as the great man left it, and inside, visitors can see such heirlooms as Mannerheim's war medals and hunting trophies.

Kaivopuisto Park
Kalliolinnantie 14
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 635 443.
Web: www.mannerheim-museo.fi
Opening hours: Fri-Sun 1100-1600; other times by appointment.
Admission Fee: Yes
Disabled Access: Yes


Sederholm Talo (Sederholm House)
Just near Senate Square, this stone building is the oldest in Helsinki (1757). Built in 18th-century rococo style, Sederholm Talo has been turned into a museum that documents the life of Johan Sederholm, a Counsellor of Commerce who lived in the early part of the 18th century, complete with all the appropriate fixtures and fittings.

Aleksanterinkatu 16-18
Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (09) 3103 6529.
Web: www.hel.fi/wps/portal/kaupunginmuseo_en
Opening hours: Wed and Fri-Sun 1100-1700, Thurs 1100-1900.
Admission Fee: Yes (free on Thurs)
Disabled Access: Yes


Senaatintori (Senate Square)
Dating back to the first half of the 19th century, Helsinki's neoclassical heart was constructed by German architect Carl Ludvig Engel, who was also the official architect of Tallinn in Estonia. Engel was heavily influenced by the architecture of St Petersburg, and the Senaatintori has been used as a stand-in for St Petersburg in numerous Cold War espionage films, including Gorky Park (1983), Reds (1981) and White Nights (1985). Facing a statue of Tsar Alexander II, the white-domed Tuomiokirkko is flanked by the grand neoclassical facades of the Government Palace and Helsinki University.

Senaatintori
Helsinki
Finland
Disabled Access: Yes


Sibelius Monumentti (Sibelius Monument)
Hundreds of steel pipes shaped by sculptor Eila Hiltunen make up the impressive monument to the famous Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). A rebel under oppressive Russian rule, Sibelius wrote tunes that have become synonymous with Finnish patriotism - 'Finlandia' came to symbolise the Finnish struggle for independence. A journey to this monument is a pilgrimage for most Finns.

Sibelius Park, Töölö
Helsinki
Finland
Opening hours: Daily dawn to dusk.
Admission Fee: No
Disabled Access: Yes