Over 360 Ideas for Summer Adventures – Bring a Museum Card as Your Travel Companion!

With the Museum Card, you can visit museums whenever you want – for example, whilst on your way to the countryside. This year-long ticket will take you to the best summer attractions around Finland: castles and outdoor museums, sculpture gardens and artists’ homes, science centres and art museums.

Buy a Museum Card (€69.50 / €76) as a travel companion from a museum or online! You'll have access to more than 360 experiences all over Finland, together with dozens of travel-friendly discounts for restaurants and accommodations.

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Magnificent museums, fascinating castles and mysterious sculpture gardens – see 30 tips for the Finnish summer

The summer season is an ideal time to find new experiences in Finland. We put together 30 tips to help you find perennial favourites, unusual attractions, beautiful gardens and interesting art exhibitions on your summer travels.

The Icebreaker Tarmo in Kotka is a popular destination for families with children. Image: Ella Karttunen / Museum Card.

Visit Finland’s Perennial Summer Favourites

1. Five medieval castles: Turku Castle, Olavinlinna Castle (Savonlinna), Häme Castle, Kastelholm Castle (Åland) and Raasepori Castle are exciting summer destinations for the whole family.

2. Historical Museum ships: The Museumship Pommern (Mariehamn), the full-rigger Suomen Joutsen (Turku), the Icebreaker Tarmo and the lighthouse ship Kemi (Kotka) and many other museum ships around Finland take you on a sea voyage to the past.

3. Luostarinmäki Museum Quarter (Turku): the alleys and courtyards of the over 200-year-old quarter form a unique milieu in the heart of the city.

4. The Verla Mill Museum (Kouvola): A UNESCO World Heritage Site in an atmospheric industrial village combines nature and history.

5. Finland's most impressive yards and gardens: The botanical gardens of Kaisaniemi and Kumpula (Helsinki), J. L. Runeberg´s home (Porvoo), the Voipaala Art Centre (Valkeakoski) and the Laila Pullinen Sculpture Park & Home Museum (Vantaa).

The distinctive Parikkala Sculpture Park is home to Finland's best-known collection of outsider art. Image: Kimmo Heikkilä / Parikkala Sculpture Park

Unusual Experiences: These Attractions Will Surprise Even the most Experienced Travellers

6. Parikkala Sculpture Park (Parikkala): this collection of hundreds of statues in a lush garden is the creation of outsider artist Veijo Rönkkönen.

7. Paateri (Lieksa): sculptor Eva Ryynänen's home, studio and church in the forest.

8. The Prison (Hämeenlinna): This site, which has been transformed from a county prison into a museum, tells an evocative story of prison life and the history of prison administration.

9. Koskenkorva Museum (Ilmajoki): stories about Finland's most famous spirits and the country's history with alcohol.

10. Wasa Graffitilandia (Vaasa): This exhibition, which was moved from an old amusement park to VR's warehouse premises, presents a wide range of street art. Another Graffitilandia exhibition can be found in Seinäjoki.

The Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge is a charming summer destination for trips to Kotka. Image: Ella Karttunen / Museum Card.

Mannerheim, Kekkonen, Sibelius... Peek into the Homes of Celebrities of the Past

11. Historical artist residences around Lake Tuusula: Aino and Jean Sibelius' Ainola, The Halosenniemi Museum of painter Pekka Halonen and other national romantic attractions around Lake Tuusula can be easily explored by bicycle.

12. The Mannerheim Museum (Helsinki): In the Mannerheim Home Museum, you can discover the rich career and life of the cosmopolitan Marshal.

13. Tamminiemi (Helsinki): The Art Nouveau villa, known as the official residence of Finland’s presidents, particularly Urho Kekkonen, is filled with thousands of stories.

14. The Söderlångvik Museum (Kemiönsaari): this magnificent seaside mansion was the summer residence of Amos Anderson, businessman and cultural influencer.

15. Hvitträsk (Kirkkonummi): a unique studio home in a lake landscape designed by the architect trio of Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius and Armas Lindgren.

16. The Gallen-Kallela Museum (Espoo): an atelier castle and café designed by the artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela himself.

17. The Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge (Kotka): A fishing lodge built for Emperor Alexander III in 1889 near the scenic Langinkoski rapids.

18. The Särestöniemi Museum (Kittilä): the homestead, gallery and studio of the artist Reidar Särestöniemi in the remote village of Kaukonen in Lapland.

19. Kuddnäs (Uusikaarlepyy): the birthplace and childhood home of Zacharias Topelius, the storyteller of the nation.

20. Kotkaniemi (Luumäki): A landmark in Finland's independence, President P. E. Svinhufvud and his wife Ellen's lakeside home.

At the Sagalund Open-Air Museum in Kemiönsaari, you can visit dozens of buildings and explore the gardens in a park-like milieu. Image: Marjo Vänttinen.

Summer is at its most beautiful in nostalgic outdoor museums

21. The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum (Helsinki): find a slice of the old-time countryside in the middle of a bustling capital.

22. Stundars Open Air Museum and Centre of Culture and Art (Vaasa): one of Finland’s largest open-air museums, Stundars provides a vivid glimpse of early 20th century Ostrobothnia. The museum is also a home to many animals.

23. The Sagalund Museum (Kemiönsaari): learn about life in different centuries in a lush garden environment. This extensive outdoor museum includes 26 buildings and a charming café.

24. Turkansaari Open-Air Museum (Oulu): enjoy the idyllic countryside and a scenic island near the centre of Oulu.

25. Archipelago Museum Pentala (Espoo): a summer excursion destination that combines sea travel, history, cultural landscape and the island's distinctive nature.

Kustaa Saksi’s exhibition “In the Borderlands” is on display at the Helsinki Design Museum. Image: Paavo Lehtonen / Design Museum.

Five Art Tips: International Top ames, Finnish Classics and an Exhibition Dedicated to Furry Friends

26. Kustaa Saksi: In the Borderlands, Design Museum (Helsinki): the exhibition opens the doors to the world of artists and designers known for their textile works.

27. Tom of Finland – A Bold Journey, Kiasma (Helsinki): One of the most talked-about exhibitions of the year presents the extensive and distinctive work of a well-known Finnish artist.

28. Lorna Simpson – Haze. Serlachius-museum Gösta (Mänttä-Vilppula): The first Nordic exhibition of Lorna Simpson, one of the most influential contemporary artists in the world.

29. Hidden Freedom, Salo Art Museum – Veturitalli: the worlds of British archaeologist, explorer and spy Gertrude Bell (1868–1926) and contemporary Finnish photographer Meeri Koutaniemi meet in this photo exhibition.

30. Überhund – the Fascinating Dogs of Art, Jyväskylä Art Museum: several museums have exhibited this picture exhibition focusing on man's best friend.

Have you ever wondered how many museums you may encounter on your holiday? Let the Museum Card journey planner service help you plan your trip from, for example, Åland to Inari. Image: Krista Ylinen.

A Journey Planner for Road Trip Itineraries

With the help of our handy journey planner, it is easy to find museums for rest stops on long drives, such as on your way to the countryside. In addition to the starting point and destination, you can enter more than one milestone into the journey planner. Museums are a great alternative to traditional gas stations, as they often offer restaurant services in addition to refreshing exhibitions.

Museum Card Journey Planner