The Finnish Museum of Natural History

Location

Helsinki
Finland
60° 10' 16.7916" N, 24° 55' 52.6008" E
FI
General info: 

Finland used to have corals, turqoise waters and palm beaches. Thats before our piece of continent sailed to its current position near the artctic circle. Take journey to the history of Finnish nature from prehistoric times to this day in Finnish Museum of Natural History.

The best part in Finland is the nature, I think. And if you don´t have time to explore the wilderness in Finland during your visit, this is a recommended option for seeing the varieties of Finnish nature in an all in one package.

The Finnish Museum of Natural History has permanent exhibitions of Finnish nature, History of life, World nature and the Story of the bones. The museum displays taxidermed animals, skeletons, remains of prehistoric animals, and minerals. The first floor houses a bone exhibition; in the upper floors there are exhibitions of the Finnish nature, the nature of the world, and the history of life.
The collections include botanical, zoological, geological and paleontological specimens from all over the world and serve research in the fields of biology and geology as well as educational purposes.
The Finnish Museum of Natural History is an independent research institution functioning under the University of Helsinki. It has the largest zoological collection in Finland.

The moose statue in front of the museum is its best known symbol. The lobby hall is dominated by a taxidermed African elephant. The museum also has a cafe and a souvenir shop. The total floor area of the museum is around 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft).

Getting there: 

The museum is very close to the center so it is easiest to come here by foot.

Costs: 

Entrance fee for adults: 6€, for children 3€. Opening times: Tue – Wed & Fri 09:00 – 16:00, Thu 09:00 – 18:00 (from 16:00 free), Sat – Sun 10:00 – 16:00

Interesting places nearby

Idre Fjäll (Idre Mountain) is a ski resort in central Sweden, known for its reliable snow conditions. Idre Fjäll has 34 ski lifts and 42 runs all on one mountain overlooking the town of Idre.

Hurdal ski resort has 4 ski lifts, 10 runs of varying difficulty and 2 snowboard area. The total length of the skiing area is 7 km, and the drop is 285 m.

BASE: 984ft
SUMMIT: 1722ft
VERTICAL DROP: 738ft

BASE: 1266ft
SUMMIT: 1778ft
VERTICAL DROP: 511ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 6
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 5

Tärnaby i located in the Lapland Mountain Range north in Sweden. The ski resort Tärnaby/Hemavan is known as snow-secure area that often has good skiing conditions quite early and late in the season.

BASE: 492ft
SUMMIT: 1509ft
VERTICAL DROP: 1017ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 8
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 0
Surface: 8

A year round sports centre located high above the city of Sollefteå, giving a splendid view of the Ångermälven river valley. Facilities include a biathlon stadium, 70/90 M ski jump and runs up to 1.5 KM long.