The next topic on our list is an essential holiday activity for millions and millions of travelers worldwide. We are, of course, talking about museums. Hop on board and see which museum sites should be included to your next holiday in Finland. 5. National Museum Our list starts at the museum which is hands down the best place to get a good overview on Finland’s history. Located right next to the Parliament House in Helsinki, the National Museum presents Finland’s stages from prehistory in one of their standard exhibitions. Move forward 10,000 years or so, and you’ll arrive to another one of their permanent exhibitions called Suomen tarina (Finland’s story). A special treat for all Moomin fans opened in autumn of 2020. Moomin characters, created by Tove Jansson, are celebrating their 75th anniversary, and the National Museum has an exhibition to celebrate. The exhibition is carried out by Alexander Reichstein's artistic realization. The Moomins have already reached a respectable retirement age, but the thematics of the stories are still topical today. 4. Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova This museum of history and contemporary art on the Turku riverbank has become an integral part of Turku's cultural life. Finland's only archaeological museum originated in the 1990s as a result of extensive archaeological excavations. The excavations revealed an entire district that had residents for centuries. The basements and ruins of stone houses have plenty to explore for kids as well. The museum also has exhibitions of contemporary art, of which Jorma Puranen’s photo exhibition Museum Meditations and Lilli Haapila’s installation Blues are open in autumn 2020. Combine your trip with a stop at the building’s café, one of the most popular places for brunch in Turku on weekends. The café can get a little crowded at times, so we recommend booking a table in advance! 3. Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum Within walking distance of Aboa Vetus in Turku lies another unique site that is a rarity even globally. Luostarinmäki is the only open-air museum on our list. Its speciality is based on the fact that the wooden houses built in the late 18th and early 19th century are still in their original location. It is the only single wooden house area that survived the great fire in Turku in 1827. The authentic old-fashioned atmosphere of Luostarinmäki is enhanced by the museum staff’s wardrobe consisting of clothes typical to the era. In summer, there are artisans working in the area and you can follow a variety of traditional artisan skills, such as pottery, smithing, and book binding. 2. Ateneum Finland’s national gallery Ateneum picks up the number two spot on our list. The art collection of the museum, located opposite the Helsinki Railway Square, is the oldest and largest in Finland. Ateneum is therefore the best choice to gain a comprehensive understanding of the stages of Finnish art until the 1970s. There are numerous masterpieces of Finnish art, such as Hugo Simberg's The Wounded Angel, Eero Järnefelt's Kaski and Ferdinand von Wright's The Fighting Capercaillies. Ateneum also exhibits international art in their base collection and in the changing exhibitions. Their most expected exhibition of 2021 focuses on works of the world-famous Russian painter Ilya Repin. 1. Museum Centre Vapriikki The best museum in Finland is actually a museum centre in Tampere that wins the gold medal on our list. Vapriikki is home to the Finnish Ice Hockey Museum, the largest of its kind in Europe. There you’ll find all kinds of cool old hockey gear and stories of past and present hockey heroes. You can also throw in some exercise, grab a stick, and try out their shot simulator! Other permanent exhibitions include, for example, the one in the Museum of Natural History and in the Finnish Game Museum, which presents the history of digital games and board games. Starting on November 1st, 2020 there will also be a temporary exhibition called Ostia, Gateway to Rome. An exhibition about the life of the ancient Roman port city allows you to admire objects related to the Ostian life, such as jewelry and toys. Vapriikki's strength is precisely its versatility, which means that the museum centre has plenty to see for the whole family. With OnniBus you can reach these and other interesting museum sites in Finland. Book your tickets now and prepare for an educational and fun holiday!
