In the leafy, waterfront Sibelius Park (Sibeliuksen puisto, or just 'Sibban'), this famous, striking sculpture was created by artist Eila Hiltunen in 1967 to honour Finland’s most famous composer. Its 600 steel pipes evoke a sound wave in their formation. Bus 24 runs here, but it's a pleasant walk or cycle.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
3.36 MILES
Suomenlinna, the ‘fortress of Finland’, straddles a cluster of car-free islands connected by bridges. This Unesco World Heritage site was originally built…
1.33 MILES
Occupying a palatial 1887 neo-Renaissance building, Finland’s premier art gallery offers a crash course in the nation’s art. It houses Finnish paintings…
1.73 MILES
An unmissable stop for Finnish design aficionados, Helsinki's Design Museum has a permanent collection that looks at the roots of Finnish design in the…
0.8 MILES
Built in National Romantic art nouveau style and opened in 1916, Finland’s premier historical museum looks a bit like a Gothic church with its heavy…
1.01 MILES
Situated 5.5km northwest of the city centre, this excellent island-set museum has a collection of 87 historic wooden buildings transferred here from…
1.08 MILES
One in a series of elegant, contemporary buildings in this part of town, curvaceous, metallic Kiasma, designed by Steven Holl and finished in 1998, is a…
29.81 MILES
One of Finland's most enticing old quarters, this tangle of cobbled alleys and wooden warehouses is entrancing. Once a vibrant port and market, Porvoo now…
1.15 MILES
Set beneath the iconic 1936 Lasipalatsi building, art museum Amos Rex opened in 2018. Sweeping staircases take you below ground to the exhibition halls…
Nearby Helsinki attractions
0.26 MILES
Transport enthusiasts and kids will especially enjoy checking out the vintage trams at this engaging museum, which depicts daily life in Helsinki’s…
0.57 MILES
Helsinki has several city beaches, but this one is considered the best. It’s a wide stretch of golden sand just west of the city centre, ideal in summer…
0.58 MILES
Host of the 1952 Summer Olympics, this still-attractive functionalist stadium is a city landmark. The complex is closed for major renovations and will…
0.66 MILES
Famous Finns buried at this sprawling 1829-established cemetery include architect Alvar Aalto and military leader and statesman Carl Gustav Emil…
0.76 MILES
Hewn into solid stone, the Temppeliaukion church, designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1969, feels close to a Finnish ideal of spirituality in nature…
0.8 MILES
Built in National Romantic art nouveau style and opened in 1916, Finland’s premier historical museum looks a bit like a Gothic church with its heavy…
0.91 MILES
Housed in a Jugendstil-style building dating back to 1928, Kunsthalle Helsinki hosts up to seven major, mostly contemporary exhibitions every year. Recent…
0.94 MILES
Finland's imposing parliament building was designed by Finnish architect Johan Sigfrid Sirén and inaugurated in 1931. Its pared-back neoclassicism…