4 p.m. See some contemporary sites
Many arrive in Helsinki via the central railway station, which is also an ideal spot to begin a tour of the city’s contemporary architecture. But first, stop to admire the station’s Jugendstil, or Art Nouveau, facade, clad in Finnish granite and designed by Eliel Saarinen with a tall clock tower and stern statues flanking the main entrance. From there, it’s mere steps to Oodi, the new central library in a monumental, three-story, curved-wood building. Head to the top floor — an open-plan, glass-enclosed reading space nicknamed “book heaven.” There, a wide balcony overlooks Kansalaistori Square, a grassy plaza surrounded by other architectural landmarks: the curvilinear Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the boxy glass Musiikkitalo concert hall and, farther away, the Alvar Aalto-designed Finlandia Hall (currently under renovation).
5 p.m. Combine architecture with art
Continue the tour at Amos Rex, a new museum (known as the Amos Anderson Art Museum before it moved to its current location) that opened in a functionalist building from the 1930s on Lasipalatsi Square. Today the square is dominated by futuristic, undulating domes — each with a spherical skylight for the museum’s subterranean galleries below — and a free temporary exhibition of giant, moss-green elfin figures by the Finnish sculptor Kim Simonsson (through Oct. 20). Inside the museum (admission €20, or about $22), current exhibitions include post-Impressionist paintings by the Finnish artist Magnus Enckell and an experiential installation with beds and silicone “wombs” by the European artist collective Keiken. Visitors this fall should also stop at the nearby HAM Helsinki Art Museum to see “Paradise,” an unprecedented exhibition of Tove Jansson’s large-scale public paintings, which is part of the 80th anniversary celebration of the Moomins, the whimsical, hippo-like trolls that Jansson created (Oct. 25 through April 6, 2025; €18). The museum also holds a small permanent collection of her murals.
7:30 p.m. Submit to creative chaos
Fun might not be listed on the menu, but it’s always included with dinner at Luovuus Kukkii Kaaoksesta, which translates to “creativity blooms from chaos.” This downtown restaurant opened in 2022 with eclectic décor foraged from second-hand shops, a colorful mural of sea creatures and a menu of inventive small plates that changes with the seasons. Ask for a table in the main dining room, where the owner Samu Räsänen charms diners with his delightful banter and fantastic wine pairings. A recent meal also included fresh scallop sashimi with pink sesame seeds and nectarine slivers, white asparagus beneath a frothy tomato-spiked Béarnaise sauce (both €13), and a hibiscus-flavored “tuttifrutti parfait” (€10).
10 p.m. Sweat it out in the sauna
After dinner, socialize as Finns do, in the sauna. Sompasauna is a popular, no-frills option in an industrial zone north of the city center with three mixed-gender, clothing-optional saunas steps from the Baltic Sea. There’s no admission fee (or staff) at this community-run locale, so users are expected to pitch in, either by donation or by helping with chores, like chopping firewood. Bring your own towel and a lock to secure your belongings. For a late-night sweat session with more amenities, try Uusi Sauna, which recently opened in Jätkäsaari, a new residential neighborhood along the western harbor that had been a cargo port until 2008. At this modern complex, the saunas are single-gender (admission, €18; towel rental, €5), and there’s an on-site bar serving Nordic craft beers beside an outdoor courtyard where sauna-goers cool off between rounds.
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