Helsinki's best museums

What is it? Ateneum is Helsinki’s premier art museum, a true treasure trove of Finnish art. Its permanent collection takes you on a tour through the nation’s cultural history, with masterpiece after masterpiece. Expect Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s mythic Kalevala paintings, Helene Schjerfbeck’s haunting self-portraits and Hugo Simberg’s darkly poetic works, including The Wounded Angel, voted Finland's most beloved painting.

Why we love it? This winter brings a once-in-a-lifetime treat: Gustav Klimt’s works are on show in Finland for the very first time. The exhibition Gallen-Kallela, Klimt & Vienna runs until 1 February 2026, highlighting the connections between Finnish national romanticism, Viennese Jugendstil and European modernism.

Kaivokatu 2, 00100 Helsinki. €22. Closed on Mondays.

What is it? Built mostly underground, Amos Rex makes a bold statement above ground. On Lasipalatsi Square, a cluster of UFO-like domes push up from the pavement, flooding the galleries below with natural light. They’ve quickly become new icons of Helsinki – you have probably already spotted them in tourist brochures. And they’re not just for looking: kids play on them, teenagers pose on them and adults can’t resist a cheeky climb when no one’s watching.

Why we love it? Amos Rex consistently pulls in world-class shows. From 8 October 2025 to 6 April 2026, the museum hosts a major solo exhibition by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich. His playful installations toy with the boundaries between reality and illusion, using reflections and skewed perspectives to transform everyday environments into surreal experiences. One of the highlights of the show is a brand-new Helsinki-inspired version of his celebrated Bâtiment (Building) installation, where a block of flats turns into a dreamlike stage and people appear to stroll across the walls.

Mannerheimintie 22–24, 00100 Helsinki. €22. Closed on Tuesdays.

What is it? This compact museum is a near-mandatory stop for anyone curious about Finnish style. Along with its Nordic neighbours, Finland is celebrated worldwide for clean lines and functional design. The permanent exhibition Utopia Now captures the spirit that has long driven Finnish design and architecture: bold experimentation, confidence in one’s own ideas and a knack for inventive problem-solving.

Why we love it? The museum’s current temporary exhibition, Escape to Moomin Valley (from 10 October 2025 to 27 September 2026) explores Tove Jansson’s and the Moomins’ relationship with architecture, the built environment, and design. The museum also offers guided walking tours in English, exploring Helsinki’s architecture through different themes.

Korkeavuorenkatu 23, 00130 Helsinki. €20. Closed on Mondays.

What is it? EMMA, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, sits out in Tapiola, a short metro ride from central Helsinki. The gallery occupies a former print works designed by architect Aarno Ruusuvuori – a striking piece of 1960s concrete modernism where vast open halls give art room to breathe.

Why we love it? Until 23 August 2026, EMMA is showing Helisevä metsä (Resonant Forest) by Antti Laitinen, an immersive installation made from branches, roots and logging debris collected across Finland. These fragments of broken woodland are reimagined as a mechanical, man-made forest. 

At the backyard of the museum, you’ll find one of Finland’s most famous design oddities, the bright yellow Futuro House. This flying saucer-shaped holiday home, designed in 1968 by Matti Suuronen, looks ready to lift off at any moment. 

Ahertajantie 5, 02100 Espoo. €20. Closed on Mondays.

What is it? Helsinki’s contemporary art museum is as much a landmark as it is a gallery. Designed by architect Steven Holl, the building’s sweeping curves look like a giant metallic whale that’s beached itself in the city centre.

Why we love it? The shows here rarely miss the mark, with a strong mix of Finnish and international contemporary art. Out front you’ll find Nina Beier’s eye-catching fountain, where water streams from the eyes of bronze women and children. The sculptures come from different eras and styles, spliced together into something strange, and just a little unsettling.

Mannerheiminaukio 2, 00100 Helsinki. €22. Closed on Mondays.

What is it? Tucked into the oldest building in central Helsinki, right on the corner of Senate Square, this museum tells the story of the city through the people who’ve lived here.

Why we love it? For one thing, it’s free – and there aren’t many free museums in Helsinki. Inside you’ll get a lively, bite-sized look at the city’s past, told through locals’ stories rather than dusty artefacts. Pick up the newspaper-style leaflet called Helsinki Echo from the stands: it serves as the museum brochure and guides you through the exhibits. Downstairs, there’s also a playroom that keeps younger visitors happily occupied.

Aleksanterinkatu 16, 00170 Helsinki. Free. Open daily.

What is it? Urho Kekkonen was Finland’s dominant political figure of the twentieth century, serving as president for a whopping 25 years. He was a skier, a fisherman and a backroom operator with near-absolute power – but was he serving Finland first, or himself? You can ponder that question at Tamminiemi, his former official residence turned museum.

Why we love it? This is where Finland’s recent history comes alive. Step inside Tamminiemi and you’re in the 1970s, complete with period furniture and the aura of political deal-making. The guides tell stories about Kekkonen with just the right amount of humour. While other world leaders were building palaces and stashing fortunes in Swiss banks, Kekkonen’s idea of luxury was a weekly delivery of rye bread baked by an elderly woman from Kainuu, a remote region in the far east of Finland where he grew up.

Seurasaarentie 15, 00250 Helsinki. €15. Open Saturdays and Sundays in winter; Wednesday to Sunday in summer. Check the website for the times for the English language tours.

What is it? Seurasaari is a much-loved outdoor haven for locals and also home to an open-air museum. Reached by a pretty wooden bridge, the island is dotted with more than 80 old buildings brought here from across Finland – from rustic cottages to grand manor houses and wooden churches.

Why we love it? Seurasaari is surely the only museum in town where you can go for a jog. Entry to the island is free, so you can simply come to enjoy the blend of nature and historic architecture – plus the company of its famously friendly squirrels. With a ticket, you can step inside the old buildings, where costumed guides bring the everyday life of past centuries vividly to life.

Seurasaari, 00250 Helsinki. Free entry to the island. Admission to the museum buildings €13.

What is it? Locals still call it by its old name, the Animal Museum – and it fits. This retro-flavoured spot is all about beautifully crafted dioramas of stuffed animals, plus some impressive dinosaur skeletons.

Why we love it? Anyone who grew up in Helsinki remembers the thrill of visiting the old Animal Museum – and kids today seem to get just as much of a kick out of it. The moment the first dinosaur bones come into view, excited voices start shouting ‘dinosaur, dinosaur’. The museum’s most prized exhibit, though, is the skeleton of the extinct Steller’s sea cow – an exceptionally rare specimen, with only a few in existence worldwide. It was recently brought back into the spotlight by Ida Turpeinen’s award-winning novel Beasts of the Sea, now translated into more than 30 languages.

Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13, 00100 Helsinki. €20. Open daily in summer; closed on Mondays in winter.

What is it? Attached to Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium, this museum relives the most memorable moments of Finnish sport, from glorious victories to painful defeats.

Why we love it? The most fascinating artefacts here are often the ones that didn’t go to plan: the swimming goggles that slipped from Jani Sievinen’s face in the 200-metre medley final at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, ruining his race; or the infamous doctor’s bag that exposed Finland’s cross-country skiing doping scandal at the 2001 World Championships in Lahti. You’ll also find ski-jumping legend Matti Nykänen’s Olympic medals, saved for the nation in 1995 when fans raised money to stop him selling them abroad after he’d burned through his fortune. And once you’ve taken it all in, ride the lift to the top of the Olympic Stadium’s 72-metre tower for sweeping city views – for decades it was the tallest structure in Helsinki.

Paavo Nurmen tie 1, 00250 Helsinki. €16. Open daily.