1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  Helsinki is the epicenter of Finnish creativity, and the downtown is awash in cutting-edge galleries, stores, hotels, and restaurants eager to herald their design smarts. In 2005, Helsinki even christened a huge swath of the capital as its Design District, with repositories such as the Design Forum Finland, a great place to see the works of both celebrated and up-and-coming Finns. A small, temporary exhibition space showcases new talents, while a store sells works by over 200 Finnish designers and manufacturers. For a crash course on modern Finnish design, visit the stellar Design Museum, set in a 19th-century Beaux Arts building. The permanent collection focuses on the 20th century, with everything from blown glass and ceramics to chairs illustrating the evolution of the Finnish aesthetic over the years.

  To stay with the theme, book a room at Klaus K. The 137-room boutique hotel takes its design seriously, with an ethereal lobby of white modular furniture, a mural of painted glass columns, and an ice-crystal-like sculpture floating over the reception desk. Guests can even stay in one of two special “design suites” amid lush original paintings by important Finnish artists.

  Within the shell of a converted 1920s bank building, the stylish Hotel GLO created an interior of beautiful contemporary rooms and thoughtful extras—including in-room spa treatments and delivery of musical instruments, painting supplies, and gym equipment to your door. Around the corner is GLO’s venerable big sister, the Hotel Kämp, a fin de siècle beauty with a stately marble lobby and rooms furnished with both antiques and contemporary touches. Steps from the hotel, you’ll find superb shopping, including a Marimekko store with a wide array of colorful fashion and housewares.

  The Design District is a hotbed of innovation. See how that translates in the world of gastronomy at Kuurna, whose delectable Nordic dishes are served with a creative twist. The menu changes weekly and features the likes of fried whitefish with saffron potatoes and braised lamb belly with Jerusalem artichoke puree.

  VISITOR INFO: www.designdistrict.fi. DESIGN FORUM: Tel 358/9-622-0810; www.designforum.fi. DESIGN MUSEUM: Tel 358/9-622-0540; www.designmuseum.fi. KLAUS K: Tel 358/20-770-4700; www.klauskhotel.com. Cost: from $180. HOTEL GLO: Tel 358/9-5840-9540; www.hotelglohelsinki.com. Cost: from $200. HOTEL KÄMP: Tel 358/9-576-111; www.hotelkamp.com. Cost: from $225. KUURNA: Tel 358/9-670-849; www.kuurna.fi. Cost: dinner $60. BEST TIMES: Jun–Aug for warm weather; late Aug–early Sep for Helsinki Design Week.

  The Father of Modern Scandinavian Design

  THE WORLD OF ALVAR AALTO

  Helsinki and Jyväskylä, Finland

  Among the greatest 20th-century architects, Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) made seminal contributions to the world of art and design. He was firmly rooted in “organic architecture”—buildings that suited their environment—and often designed not just a building but its interior surfaces, furnishings, and sometimes even lamps, glassware, and other items. Aalto was also one of the first to make good design affordable, and his flowing vases and curved wood chairs became international design collectibles that are still sought after today for their timeless appeal.

  Visitors to Helsinki don’t have to travel far to find iconic works by the great Finnish master. One of the city’s most famous buildings, Aalto’s Finlandia Hall (completed in 1971) looms majestically over the shimmering waters of Töölönlahti Bay; Aalto designed both the interior and exterior. The striking white marble building looks particularly dazzling against a snowy backdrop.

  For a look at another one of Aalto’s visionary interiors, visit the elegant Savoy restaurant. The classic 1937 design is untouched by time: Aalto designed everything here, from the service stations to the lighting fixtures to the undulating flower vases that have become an Aalto trademark. After a decadent meal with sweeping views of the city, head to the flagship store of Artek, which was founded by Alvar, his wife, Aino (also an architect and designer), and two partners in 1935. The now legendary furniture company still carries Aalto’s signature pieces—including the curved wood “Paimio” armchair, elegant brass pendant lamps, and classic birch nesting tables.

  The Aalto pilgrimage continues in the charming university town of Jyväskylä, 3 hours north of Helsinki, where Aalto studied and opened his first offices. Here he produced such structures as the Palladian-inspired Workers Club Building (one of his earliest designs), the Muurame Church with its Italianate influences, and eight buildings of the University of Jyväskylä, which embody Athenian ideals in minimalist fashion.

  Aalto also designed the building that now houses the museum that bears his name. Through furniture and glassware exhibits, video footage and building designs, the museum does a fine job of conveying the great Finn’s philosophy.

  In Jyväskylä, the boutique Hotel Yöpuu has simple but elegant rooms, the best of which has a private sauna. The hotel’s Restaurant Pöllöwaari is among the region’s finest—you might dine on Nordic delicacies such as roe of whitefish with crispy blini or fillet of reindeer with peppered carrots, creamed winter apples, and rosemary sauce.

  WHERE: Jyväskylä is 168 miles/270 km north of Helsinki. FINLANDIA HALL: Tel 358/9-402-4400; www.finlandiatalo.fi. SAVOY: Tel 358/9-6128-5300; www.royalravintolat.com/savoy/en. Cost: dinner $90. ARTEK: Tel 358/10-617-3480; www.artek.fi. ALVAR AALTO MUSEUM: Tel 358/14-266-7113; www.alvaraalto.fi. HOTEL YÖPUU: Tel 358/14-333-900; www.hotelliyopuu.fi. Cost: from $190; dinner $75. BEST TIME: Jun–Aug for warm weather.

  Santa’s Busy Workshop, an Exhilarating Icebreaker Cruise, and a Real-Life Snow Castle

  FINNISH LAPLAND

  Lapland, Finland

  One of the world’s wildest landscapes, Lapland is a region of vast coniferous forests and frozen tundra. It’s home to herds of roaming reindeer as well as the indigenous, formerly nomadic Sami people, who occupy the northern regions of Finland and neighboring Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Despite the subzero temperatures and long, dark nights, winter can be a magical time to be here, when you can head out onto the frozen sea on an otherworldly icebreaker cruise with the aurora borealis lighting up the night sky.

  The village of Rovaniemi is considered the gateway to Finnish Lapland (Sweden also has its own Lapland province; see p. 365) and to Finland’s Arctic Circle. It’s also Santa’s home turf, which is just as every child imagines it: a snowy winter wonderland with a jovial Santa in attendance every day. The post office displays some of the 700,000 letters he receives every year from over 150 countries, and an old-fashioned gift shop stocks a myriad of Yuletide presents that can be shipped back home with a Santa Claus Village postmark. A nearby reindeer farm offers Magic Sleighrides (albeit ones that never leave the ground) drawn by Rudolph and Dasher lookalikes. Rovaniemi was nearly razed by the Germans in 1944 and was largely rebuilt following plans that Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (see p. 348) laid out in the shape of reindeer antlers. Its excellent Arktikum Science Center depicts life above the Arctic Circle.

  To immerse yourself in the shimmering world of white, head half an hour north of Rovaniemi. Overlooking a small lake, the Lapland Hotel Bear’s Lodge is set amid picturesque pine forest and has simple but attractive wood-paneled rooms. Winter days with limited light are spent riding skimobiles, snowshoeing, or taking a reindeer safari through the dazzling white surroundings. In summer, you can hike, mountain bike, boat, or fish under the midnight sun.

  South of Rovaniemi, catch a 4-hour ride on the MV Sampo from the town of Kemi. The former Arctic icebreaker ventures onto Europe’s largest continuous ice field on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia, the northernmost tip of the Baltic Sea. Once out at sea, passengers are invited to don bright-orange watertight survival suits and float amid the newly broken ice, which is sometimes 3 feet thick. They can alight from the vessel onto the rock-hard sea for ice fishing or be whisked away by snowmobiles or husky-hauled sleds. Either way, it is an exhilarating ride through splendid solitude as the midwinter half-light reflects off the white solid surface of the sea.

  You can overnight on land at the “World’s Largest Snow Castle”—preferably in the Honeymoon Suit
e. The 18-room hotel is part of Kemi’s fantastic SnowCastle, the LumiLinna, created every winter since 1996. The three story–tall wintry stronghold includes everything from a café to a chapel, all made of ice, and grows larger and more inventive every year.

  During the Christmas season, Santa Claus Village, including the Elves’ Toy Factory, hosts up to 4,000 visitors a day.

  WHERE: Rovaniemi is 516 miles/830 km north of Helsinki. VISITOR INFO: www.laplandfinland.com. SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE: Tel 358/16-356-2096; www.santaclausvillage.info. ARKTIKUM: Tel 358/16-322-3260; www.arktikum.fi. LAPLAND HOTEL BEAR’S LODGE: Tel 358/16-530-0400; www.laplandhotels.com. Cost: from $205. SAMPO TOURS: Tel 358/16-258-878; www.sampotours.com. Cost: from $365. When: late Dec–mid-Apr. SNOWCASTLE: Tel 358/16-258-878; www.snowcastle.net. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), fom $415 (peak). When: Feb–early Apr. BEST TIME: Oct–Mar for the northern lights; in Jan–Feb the average temperature is around -25°F.

  Wondrous World of Water and a Classic Smoke Sauna

  LAKELAND

  Northern and Southern Savonia, Finland

  Finland is a land of lakes (it has close to 188,000 of them), and with myriad coastal islets and rivers as well, it claims more water by proportion than any other country. From the Saimaa Lake District, near the Russian border, to the Gulf of Bothnia, in the west, it is also one of the most heavily wooded regions on earth—the interlocking network of lakes, surrounded by dense forests of pine and birch trees, creates a vision of pristine nature rarely seen anywhere. Lakeland, or Järve-Suomi, is the heart of Finland’s watery kingdom, home to the biggest lake system in Europe and to Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland, with more than 13,000 islands spread across some 1,700 square miles.

  On three of these lies the town of Savonlinna. Long a spa destination for the Russian czars and their retinues, it is home to one of Northern Europe’s most spectacular citadels, the 15th-century Olavinlinna Castle which stands majestically in the middle of the lake. It’s the evocative setting for one of Finland’s most famous music festivals, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, held in July in the main covered courtyard, inside the castle walls.

  There are many ways to take in the idyllic landscape, from bike rides along country lanes to canoe trips out on the lake. Boat rides provide some of the most memorable journeys including the 11-hour summertime cruise on the MS Puijo between Savonlinna and Kuopio, passing through picturesque waterways, canals, and locks with stops at small lakeside villages along the way. Once you’re in easy-going Kuopio, you can take strolls through spruce forest and sample the famous muikku lakefish at waterfront restaurants. The real reason to come here, though, is to experience the traditional log-hewn, wood-fired Jätkänkämppä smoke sauna on Lake Kallavesi. Finns invented the sauna, and this is the largest of its kind in the world, and in one of Finland’s most gorgeous settings. You can sweat it out, then cool off in the lake—even in winter, when an opening is cut into the ice.

  Back in Savonlinna, the tiny five-room Lossiranta Lodge has small but charming rooms with terraces and a splendid location facing the castle. The best room has its own wood-burning sauna and a Jacuzzi. And you can swim in the lake off the lodge’s dock.

  The island castle of Olavinlinna was originally built to repel attacks from Russian forces.

  WHERE: Savonlinna is 214 miles/344 km northeast of Helsinki. VISITOR INFO: www.visitfinland.com. SAVONLINNA OPERA FESTIVAL: Tel 358/15-476-750; www.operafestival.fi. MS PUIJO: Tel 358/15-250-250; www.mspuijo.fi. Cost: $125. When: late Jun–mid-Aug. LOSSIRANTA LODGE: Tel 358/44-511-2323; www.lossiranta.net. Cost: from $135. BEST TIME: Jun–Aug for nicest weather.

  Cultural Riches and a Historic Road

  TURKU AND THE KING’S ROAD

  Finland

  Finland’s oldest city and its original capital entered the spotlight in 2011, when it was named a European Capital of Culture. Such a designation seemed apt for the historic, free-spirited, and artistically inclined city of Turku. After all, the town has produced some of Finland’s leading artists, many of whom studied at the venerable Turku Arts Academy. It’s also home to the superb Sibelius Museum, where you can gaze at the 300 musical instruments and memorabilia on display and then listen to the moving compositions of Finland’s most famous composer. Wednesday night concerts (September to May) showcase classical, jazz, and folk artists from across the country.

  Turku has a lively festival calendar, and one of its biggest events, Medieval Market, brings the Middle Ages to life in the atmospheric setting of Turku Castle. Strategically set near the mouth of Aurajoki (the Aura River), this imposing citadel dates back to the 13th century and is one of the largest surviving medieval buildings in Scandinavia.

  Near the heart of old Turku looms another landmark, the iconic Tuomiokirkko, called “the mother church” of Finland’s Lutheran faith. Founded in the 1300s, the cathedral was badly damaged in the catastrophic fire of 1827; its soaring Neoclassical tower and the dazzling frescoes of famed Finnish artist Robert Wilhelm Ekman were added in the 19th century. The 18th- and 19th-century houses of Luostarinmäki, an open-air museum, are among the few survivors of the great fire. The period furnishings and craftsmen’s workshops give a sense of what life was like in Turku 2 centuries ago, when the city boasted a flourishing port and served as the national capital.

  Turku is the gateway to an archipelago of 20,000 islands linked by the 118-mile Archipelago Trail for cars and bikes. It is also the beginning of the centuries-old King’s Road, a 293-mile route that travels east to Vyborg, Russia, and continues on through St. Petersburg to Moscow. The route, which has been around since at least the 13th century, was rarely traveled by kings, although it was built and maintained by the king’s royal decree—instead it was used by diplomats, couriers, and everyday travelers. Most of the route winds along idyllic roadways, through pine and birch forests, past old stone churches and sleepy villages, hugging the coast for much of the way. An excellent place to stop is Porvoo, Finland’s best-preserved medieval town. The route bypasses Helsinki (see p. 347), though if time allows, the capital is an easy 13-mile detour that should not be missed.

  WHERE: 102 miles/164 km west of Helsinki. SIBELIUS MUSEUM: Tel 358/02-215-4494; www.sibeliusmuseum.abo.fi. TURKU CASTLE: Tel 358/02-262-0300. LUOSTARINMÄKI HANDICRAFTS MUSEUM: Tel 358/02-262-0350; www.museumcentreturku.fi. WHERE TO STAY: The Art Nouveau Park Hotel is close to everything. Tel 358/2273-2555; www.parkhotelturku.fi. Cost: from $195. BEST TIMES: Jun–Aug for nicest weather; late Jun–early Jul for Medieval Market Festival; early Jul for Ruisrock, Finland’s oldest and biggest rock festival; Aug for Handicraft Days in Luostarinmäki; late Nov–Dec for Turku’s Christmas Fair.

  Waterfalls, Lava Fields, and Canyons

  LAKE MÝVATN AND ICELAND’S GRAND CANYON

  Iceland

  Iceland’s northeast is the gateway to grand adventure and breathtaking scenery. Its centerpiece is the photogenic Mývatn, a shallow lake that’s ringed by extensive lava fields, sulfur springs, craters, and otherworldly rock formations and is home to prolific birdlife. Indeed, in May and September and October, the lake harbors one of the greatest varieties of ducks, geese, swans, and waders found at a single location anywhere on the planet.

  A road loops around the 14-square-mile lake, with several villages that offer pleasant but modest accommodations scattered along the shore. A popular base for exploring the region is tiny Reynihlíd. Not-to-be-missed sights include the wild “black castles” of Dimmuborgir—lava-formed caves, pillars, and arches that resemble the ruins of an ancient citadel. A hike up Hverfjall, a volcano with a massive crater that lies at an elevation of nearly 1,400 feet, provides a fine vantage point. Nearby are several giant fissures in the volcanic rock, including Grjótagjá, a clear, steaming pool with temperatures around 120°F—too hot for soaking, but the scenic Mývatn Nature Baths, outlets of geothermal waters, are much more tolerable at 100°F.

  A short drive northeast of the lake brings you to Jökulsárgljúfur (glacial river canyon) in the northern section of the vas
t Vatnajökull National Park. At over 4,600 square miles, it is Europe’s largest. Jökulsárgljúfur is often described as Iceland’s Grand Canyon, and it offers superb vistas of the winding river Jökulsá á Fjöllum and the rugged landscape all around it. At the southern end of the canyon are several spectacular waterfalls, including thundering 144-foot Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful. The horseshoe-shaped Ásbyrgi Gorge is the most stunning area, with cliff walls descending 300 feet to birch-filled woodlands. The hiking here is excellent, encouraging one to contemplate the region’s mythical origins: Early Norse settlers attributed this unusual formation to the god Odinn’s eight-legged airborne horse, Sleipnir, who allegedly alighted here one night and left behind his hoofprint.

  The force of Dettifoss is so great that the bedrock beneath it trembles as the water hits the ground below.

  WHERE: Mývatn is 292 miles/470 km northeast of Reykjavik. VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK: www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is. WHERE TO STAY: The simple Hótel Reynihlíd is a solid choice. Tel 354/4-64-4170; www.reynihlid.is. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $275 (peak). When: closed Nov–Jan. BEST TIMES: Jun–Aug for warmest weather and maximum sunlight; May and Sep–Oct for best bird-watching.

  Fabled Island of Fire and Ice

  THE RING ROAD

  Iceland