Finnish Museum of Natural History

The Finnish Museum of Natural History in Helsinki showcases exhibitions on Finnish and world nature, the history of life, and climate change, offering insights into biodiversity and evolution.

Planning your visit

The Finnish Museum of Natural History occupies a handsome 1913 building near Helsinki's central station, with a life-size bronze elephant outside that generations of Finnish children have been photographed beside. Inside, the permanent exhibitions cover Finnish nature — the forests, wetlands, the Baltic and the Arctic north, with dioramas of Finnish habitats through the seasons — alongside world nature, the history of life with its dinosaur skeletons, and a well-regarded section on bones and skeletal structure.

The Finnish material is the part worth prioritising. This is a country defined by its forests and its extreme seasonal light, and the museum explains how species function under those conditions — hibernation, migration, the ecology of a boreal winter — better than a general natural history collection would.

A climate change exhibition, "Change in the Air", addresses the Arctic warming that is affecting Finland faster than most of Europe.

It is centrally located and easy to reach. Allow two hours; it works well with children. Bookable options include combinations with Fiskars Village, the historic ironworks turned design community west of the city. Current availability is shown below.