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All Finland Helsinki

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Helsinki

30 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Helsinki, Finland

Updated April 29, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Helsinki

Helsinki, Finland

Temppeliaukio Church

A subterranean house of worship carved right out of the bedrock.
Booktower Rotunda

Helsinki, Finland

The National Library of Finland

Architecturally stunning library serves as the hub of Finnish scholarly life and culture.

Helsinki, Finland

Götan Maailma

A lovingly curated curio shop in which the taxidermy wear newspaper party hats, and peanut shells are spread across every surface.
Kamppi Chapel

Helsinki, Finland

Kamppi Chapel

An alien church provides much needed silence in the midst of a Finland shopping center.
Original location.

Helsinki, Finland

Bad Bad Boy

This endearingly discomfited urinating statue commemorates the sneaky pees had by us all.
Fortress of Suomenlinna

Helsinki, Finland

Fortress of Suomenlinna

This irregularly shaped sea fortress has defended not one but three different sovereign states.
The Sibelius Monument

Helsinki, Finland

Sibelius Monument

An abstract monument to a symphonic composer.
Seurasaari Open Air Museum.

Helsinki, Finland

Seurasaari Open Air Museum

A small island dotted with old, historic Finnish buildings.
See All 30 Things To Do in Helsinki
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Helsinki, Finland

Architecture 8
Sculptures 6
Statues 5
History & Culture 4
Art 4
Museums 3
Architectural Oddities 3
War History 3
Churches 3

Helsinki Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. stanestane
    6
  2. michelle
    4
  3. katielou106
    3
  4. CoolCrab
    2
  5. ahvenas
    2

Places Edited

  1. hrnick
    9
  2. hana
    7
  3. katielou106
    5
  4. Rachel
    5
  5. daynix
    4

Places Visited

  1. peeter6
    29
  2. Mordorsurfr
    26
  3. Tipa
    25
  4. daynix
    24
  5. hrnick
    24

Recent Helsinki Activity

  • princeofpwn

    wants to go to National Memorial to the Winter War

  • princeofpwn

    wants to go to Fortress of Suomenlinna

  • princeofpwn

    wants to go to Lonna Island

  • Desaparecida

    wants to go to Helsinki University Museum

  • NixOfNowhere

    wants to go to Asemapäällikönhovi Building

Stories About Helsinki

Mafra Palace Library is home to a colony of itty-bitty bats that keep its many historic volumes safe from pests.

5 of Our Favorite Podcast Episodes About Wildlife in Unexpected Places

Life finds a way, from the bats that haunt and hunt in a majestic library to a bird sanctuary in one of the most dangerous places in the world.
by The Podcast Team
January 12, 2024
Russian troops march through Viipuri, Finland (now Vyborg, Russia) in 1939.

How Cold War Fears Helped Create Helsinki's Subterranean Paradise

The Finnish capital's city-within-a-city has a church, a hockey rink, and stockpiles of life-saving supplies.
by Michael Hunt
March 22, 2021
Carpets drying in the Helsinki sun.

Finns Have Special Piers for Washing Their Carpets in Baltic Seawater

“It's the pleasure of being on the coast, and enjoying summer days and the fresh aroma of carpets.”
by Karen Burshtein
September 10, 2019
In 2012, this Cuban restaurant popped up in downtown Helsinki.

On Restaurant Day in Helsinki, Anyone Can Open an Eatery, Anywhere

By making everything from ceviche to ice cream, city residents show off their cooking chops.
by Karen Burshtein
September 6, 2019

Lists Featuring Helsinki

ALMA.
The observatory.
Ulugh Beg Observatory.

20 Out-of-This-World Stargazing Spots

These observatories boast truly stellar views.

20

Including Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), National Observatory of Colombia, and Pic du Midi Observatory

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