Kauppatori

The famous fish market at the Kauppatori (market square) sells fish, seasonal fruit and berries, and makkara (sausages); there are also stalls selling local handicrafts, unusual hats, Sami dolls, reindeer-related paraphernalia, gloves, T-shirts and woodwork. There are evening markets in summer.

It is surrounded by graceful 19th-century buildings - some of the few remaining in the city after the devastation of WWII. Havis Amanda, the lovely mermaid statue and fountain just west of the fish market, was designed in 1908 by one of Finland’s most beloved artists, Ville Vallgren. The statue, also known as ‘Manta,’ is commonly regarded as the symbol of Helsinki - if not all of Finland.

Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art

The Kiasma Museum of Modern Art is housed in a curvaceous and quirky chalk-white building. It exhibits a rapidly growing collection of Finnish and international modern art from the 1960s to the 1990s. The focus is definitely on the Finnish penchant for the offbeat. The cafe and beer terrace are very popular in summer.

Leading Finnish artists in the permanent collection include Nina Roos, Susanne Gottberg, Jussi Nivi and the homoerotic illustrator Touko Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland. Some of the international artists represented are Nan Goldin, Richard Serra, Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman. In addition to its impressive collection of visual art, the Kiasma regularly presents performance art, dance, music and films. Innovative and engaging, the Kiasma is not only a world-class museum but also a laboratory for artistic experimentation and expression.

Korkeasaari Zoo

Helsinki’s zoo - one of the northernmost zoos in the world - is on Korkeasaari Island. The most pleasant way to arrive is by boat from the fish market. Established in 1889, the zoo has animals from Finland and around the world housed in large natural enclosures. Renowned for its success in breeding snow leopards, the zoo also specializes in snowy owls and bearded golden vultures.

National Gallery (Ateneum)

The Ateneum houses Finnish paintings and sculptures from the 18th century to the 1950s. There’s also a small, interesting collection of 19th- and early-20th-century foreign art, including Auguste Rodin’s bronze The Thinker, and paintings by Van Gogh, Gaugin and Cezanne. The building itself dates from 1887.

The Finnish National Gallery’s other main museum, the Sinebrychoff, contains the largest collection of Italian, Dutch and Flemish paintings in Finland. The museum also features Russian and Karelian icons, silver, china and furniture.

Senate Square

Senaatintori (Senate Square), is Helsinki’s ‘official’ centre. It was designed after the Finnish capital was moved from Turku in 1812 to be closer to St. Petersberg. Turku holds a grudge to this day. With a clear Russian influence in its design, Senaatintori’s statue of Tsar Alexander II was cast in 1894.

Sibelius Monument

This kinetic modern sculpture was created by artist Eila Hiltunen in 1967 to honor Finland’s most famous composer, Jean Sibelius. Born in 1865 in Hämeenlinna, Sibelius wrote music for the glorification of his own people and in defiance of the oppressor, Russia. His most famous composition, Finlandia, came to represent Finnish patriotism and pride.

Hiltunen’s innovative abstract structure was designed to blend with the natural surroundings. Appropriately for a monument to a composer, the sculpture creates its own music - the hollow stainless-steel pipes echo with the movement of the wind.

Temppeliaukio Church

Temppeliaukio Church (Church in the Rock), designed in 1969, remains a foremost Helsinki attraction. Hewn into solid rock, the church features a stunning 24m (78ft) diameter roof covered in 22km (13.6mi) of copper stripping. There are regular concerts and a service in English at 2pm on Sundays.

Designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1969, the church was originally controversial but is now a source of civic pride. The church is popular with churchgoers and secular Finns alike.

Uspenski Cathedral

This very photogenic red-brick Orthodox cathedral would not look out of place in Moscow. In fact, it’s the largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe. Designed by St Petersburg architect AM Gornostayev, the Byzantine-Slavonic cathedral is topped with a golden onion dome and its interior is lavishly decorated with icons. Completed in 1868, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and remains a testament to the Russian influence on the region. The Uspenski Cathedral is on Katajanokka Island, across from the fish market.

Helsinki

Helsinki retains a small-town feel: there are no high-rise buildings and the market square is still surrounded by 19th-century architecture. Its green parks and waterways, fresh sea winds with seagulls flying over the busy market square, and many open-air cafes make it a perfect summer destination.
Helsinki contains some of the most notable art museums in Finland. The national art foundation’s Ateneum is the principal gallery and covers Finnish and international art from the 19th century. The National Museum, also located in the city centre, has extensive collections of Sami and Finno-Ugric ethnological artefacts. Johnny Head-in-the-airs will notice the Kalevala-inspired frescos on the ceiling of its main hall. The Raitioliikennemuseo, with a dozen old rattlers, is a delightful tram museum. Located in an old depot, it depicts Finnish street life in decades past. The Rock Church, hacked out of solid stone, attracts many visitors seeking a few bars of albino gospel. There are concerts here as well as services. West of the city centre in the dormitory town of Espoo is the magnificent studio of Gallén-Kallela, the notable Finnish painter.

Ferries and motorboats shuttle from Helsinki to Suomenlinna Island, where you can ramble around the ruins of the mighty fortress or look around its several museums. The Ehrensvärd Museum, which covers the history of the fortress from Swedish heyday to Mayday, is the best. If you want to do a boy’s-own battle reenactment, a torch is all you need to squeeze that body through bunkers and caves on either side of the fort.

Helsinki has numerous budget hostels in the city centre, although it isn’t a bad place to unroll your sleeping bag outdoors in summer. There are plenty of hamburger restaurants, kebab joints and grills in the city centre, but those who baulk at using their body as a grease trap can try one of the cafés south of the centre or around the market square. Theatres in Helsinki have shows in Finnish, but you may prefer opera and ballet, as performances will be incomprehensible in any language. Helsinki also has its fair share of good pubs and clubs for midnight ramblers.

Area: 686 sq km
Population: 560,000
Country: Finland
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2
Telephone Area Code: 09