Things to do in Helsinki & the South

The UNESCO-listed Suomenlinna sea fortress spreads over islands about 15 minutes by year-round HSL ferry from Market Square (Kauppatori), the open-air market at the South Harbour with stalls selling market food, handicrafts and souvenirs, while the Old Market Hall next door, Helsinki's oldest, sells cheese, fish, cakes, spices and coffee. On a hill above the harbour stands the red-brick Uspenski Cathedral with its gold onion domes and ornate iconostasis, and the free Helsinki City Museum just off Senate Square tells the city's story through everyday objects, photos and recreated rooms. In Töölö, Temppeliaukio Church is set into bedrock beneath a copper dome ringed by skylights, the Sibelius Monument's over 600 steel pipes stand in Sibelius Park, and the Olympic Stadium Tower lifts visitors to a viewpoint 72 metres above the ground. Around the Central Station, the Ateneum national art museum, Kiasma for contemporary art, Amos Rex on Mannerheimintie, HAM in the Tennispalatsi building and the Oodi Central Library on Kansalaistori Square are all within walking distance, and the Architecture and Design Museum on Korkeavuorenkatu covers the Aaltos' design and has a Moominvalley exhibition for families. Children can meet over 150 species at the Korkeasaari island zoo, walk through SEA LIFE's underwater tunnel in Alppila or try the hands-on exhibits and planetarium at Heureka in Vantaa, and in summer the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum gathers 89 buildings moved from around Finland. Day trips reach the lakes and more than 30 km of marked trails of Nuuksio National Park and the EMMA modern art museum in Espoo, the red-ochre riverside warehouses and cobbled streets of Old Porvoo about an hour by bus from Kamppi, and Fiskars, a former ironworks village now home to designers and craftspeople.

Good to knowAteneum, Kiasma, HAM, the Architecture and Design Museum and Uspenski Cathedral are closed on Mondays and Amos Rex on Tuesdays, so Monday suits Oodi, open seven days a week, Temppeliaukio Church, open every day of the year, or the free City Museum. Visitors under 18 enter Ateneum, Kiasma, HAM and EMMA free, EMMA is free on Fridays from 15:00, and Ateneum and Heureka tickets are cheaper online. The Old Market Hall opens Monday to Saturday, the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum only from mid-May to mid-September, and Korkeasaari's winter hours are worth checking before you go. The Christmas market on Senate Square stays open into the evening, so dress warmly and come after dark, and Market Square's heated café tents serve hot drinks in winter. For Nuuksio take a train to Espoo Centre and then bus 245(A), which terminates at Nuuksionpää in winter, and in Fiskars some places open only at weekends in winter. On rainy days, Oodi, SEA LIFE and Heureka are easy picks.