Whether you decide to spend a few hours or several days in Helsinki, you can always find something interesting and unique to see and experience. Just in one day, you can enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the Helsinki archipelago, get to know the city's unique architecture and visit the best cultural attractions.
Sights and attractions in Helsinki
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Architectural gems
More about architecture in Helsinki- 1. Oodi, Helsinki Central LibraryOodi is Helsinki's new Central Library and a living meeting place in the city centre on the Kansalaistori Square. Oodi is a venue for events, a house of reading and a diverse urban experience. It will provide its users with knowledge, new skills and stories, and will be an easy place to access for learning, story immersion, work and relaxation. Oodi is a library of a new era, a living and functional meeting place open for all.Sustainable service2. Amos RexAmos Rex is an art museum where the past, present and future meet.Sustainable service3. Helsinki Olympic StadiumThe Helsinki Olympic Stadion, built in 1938, was designed in functionalistic style by the architects Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti.Sustainable service
- 4. LöylyLöyly is a public sauna and restaurant complex in Hernesaari district on the southern tip of Helsinki. The complex includes a traditional Finnish smoke sauna and two other wood-heated saunas, a year-round terrace and a restaurant. The saunas offer direct access to the outdoor seating area and the sea, where it is possible to enjoy a refreshing swim, all year round. There are separate changing rooms and shower facilities for men and women but as the saunas and other public areas are mixed, it means that customers are respectfully asked to wear swimming costumes at all times. The restaurant, favoring ecological and locally produced ingredients, offers lunch, dinner and brunch on Saturdays.5. Helsinki Central railway stationDesigned by Eliel Saarinen, the Central Railway Station is a national pride and is considered one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world.6. National Museum of FinlandThe National Museum of Finland illustrates Finnish history from prehistoric times to the 19th century.Sustainable service
- 7. Temppeliaukio ChurchTemppeliaukio Church is a major sight in Helsinki: an architectural gem, a world famous concert venue and an active Lutheran church.Sustainable service8. Kaisa House, Helsinki University Main LibraryThe Kaisa House functions as the Main Library of Helsinki University. The house has gathered several architectural awards and is a stunning example of modern library architecture. It has an curvilinear brick facade. Architects AOA (2012). There's also a café in the building, WELL Cafe Kaisa-talo.9. LasipalatsiLasipalatsi ("Glass Palace") is a functionalistic building from 1938 designed by at the time architecture students Viljo Revell, Niilo Kokko and Heimo Riihimäki. Originally it was built only to be a temporary building but became an attraction of its time by representing functionalistic architecture as its best with its restaurant and café, cinema with lobby, wintergarden, shops, big glass surfaces etc. As years passed in 1998 it was decided to renovate the building to its 1930's lustre. In autumn 2013 Föreningen Konstsamfundet association suggested that a new art museum should be built in Lasipalatsi and beneath the Lasipalatsi square. The building of the museum and a renovation of the Lasipalatsi building began in the beginnig of year 2016. Opened in autumn 2018 Amos Rex is now a meeting place for art and urban culture, consisting of new underground exhibition spaces, the old Lasipalatsi from 1936 and its cinema Bio Rex, as well as a vibrant event forum on Lasipalatsi Square, which serves as the roof of the exhibition hall. In the building you'll also find eg. restaurant Lasipalatsi and Café Lasipalatsi.
- 10. Museum of Contemporary Art KiasmaKiasma is a museum of contemporary art in the centre of Helsinki. It is a place where people meet art and where everyone is welcome.Sustainable service11. Senate SquareThe Senate Square and its surroundings form a unique and cohesive example of Neoclassical architecture. The square is dominated by four buildings designed by Carl Ludvig Engel (1778-1840): Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, the main building of the University of Helsinki and the National Library of Finland. A statue of Alexander II (1894) stands in the middle of the Senate Square. Helsinki Cathedral is arguably Finland's most famous and photographed building. The oldest stone building in Helsinki is the Sederholm House located on the southeast corner of the square. Today the building hosts the Helsinki City Museum. The Esplanade park and the Market Square are just a block away. The Senate Square also hosts a sound installation called the Sound of the Senate Square. It is a modern version of the European glockenspiel and can be heard every day at 17.49 as it travels from one building to the next. The composition runs for 5 minutes 18 seconds and is composed by Harri Viitanen and Jyrki Alakuijala.12. Musiikkitalo - Helsinki Music CentreMusiikkitalo is an acoustically first-class concert hall as well as other facilities providing a wide range of musical experiences for people of all ages and a place to study music. The residents of Musiikkitalo are Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki. Alongside music and architecture, it is also possible to enjoy visual art during a visit to Helsinki Music Centre. Reijo Hukkanen's Song Trees and Kirsi Kaulanen's Gaia were both specifically commissioned for the building. Works from the Finnish State Art Deposit collection are also on display. The building was designed by LPR-Arkkitehdit. There's also a café, lunch restaurant, a shop specialized in classical music, Fuga, and a sheet music shop, Ostinato, at Musiikkitalo. There are also guided tours in the building during summer, both to architecture and behind the scenes.Sustainable service
- 13. Kamppi ChapelKamppi Chapel is located in a corner of the Narinkkatori square in Helsinki, at the entrance of the Kamppi shopping center. The Chapel offers an opportunity to calm down in the middle of perhaps the busiest area in Finland. The curved shape of the small-scale Chapel building allows the space and views to flow in the urban surroundings. At the same time, the soft shape of the inside of the Chapel embraces the visitor in its safety. Exhibitions are being displayed at the entrance area. Short prayers are offered in the chapel but there is no church service on Sundays. Concerts are occasionally arranged in the chapel. The chapel, from 2012, was designed by architects Mikko Summanen, Niko Sirola and Kimmo Lintula from the Helsinki-based practice K2S Architects.14. Uspenski CathedralCompleted in 1868 in the Katajanokka district of Helsinki, the Uspenski Cathedral is the largest orthodox church in Western Europe. With its golden cupolas and redbrick facade, the church is one of the clearest symbols of the Russian impact on Finnish history.15. ParliamentFinland's 200-seat parliament gathers in this impressive building representing 1920s Classicism. The facade of the building is made of red granite from Kalvola. The main facade includes 14 Corinthian columns. It is possible to visit the parliament by booking a free guided tour. The Plenary sessions, Visitor's Centre, and Parliament Library are also open for public.
- 16. Suomenlinna Sea FortressSuomenlinna sea fortress is a Unesco World Heritage Site located on the coast of Helsinki, and also a suburb of Helsinki with around 800 residents.Sustainable service
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