Senaatintori (Senate Square)
Helsinki's neo-classic heart dates from the first half of the nineteenth century and was built by Carl Ludvig Engel, a native of Berlin. As he was also largely responsible for St Petersburg's architecture, the square has doubled up as a backdrop for Cold War spy-espionage films such as Gorky Park, Reds and White Nights. Transport: Tram 1, 3B, 3T, 4 or 7B.

Sederholm Talo (Sederholm House)
Just near Senate Square, this stone building is the oldest in Helsinki (1757). Built in eighteenth-century Rococo style, it has been turned into a museum documenting the life of Johan Sederholm, a Counsellor of Commerce who lived in the early part of the eighteenth century.
Aleksanterinkatu 16-18
Tel: (09) 169 3625. Fax: (09) 169 3526.
Transport: Tram 1, 3B, 3T, 4 or 7B.

Kauppatori (Market Square)
The Market Square (or 'fish market') is located on the seafront and is where the locals lunch on cheap eats, including freshly caught salmon steaks and reindeer meat. It is a great spot to find souvenirs like Russian fur hats, carved wooden bowls, gloves and hats knitted on the spot, reindeer skins and Lapp hunting knives. Transport: Tram 1, 3B or 3T.

Temppeliaukion Kirkko (Temppeliaukio Church)
The 'Church in the Rock', designed by Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, was consecrated in 1969. The church is built into solid rock, with the inner wall left raw and unfinished, and is crowned with a solid copper dome. The wall surrounding the church is made from rock quarried on the site.
Lutherinkatu 3 (entrance is at the end of Fredikinkatu)
Tel: (09) 494 698. Fax: (09) 496 366.
Transport: Tram 3T.

Sibelius Monumentti
Hundreds of steel pipes shaped by sculptor Eila Hiltunen make up the impressive whole of a monument to famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). A rebel under oppressive Russian rule, Sibelius' tunes have become synonymous with Finnish patriotism; his tune 'Finlandia' came to symbolise the Finnish struggle for independence. A journey to this monument is a pilgrimage for most Finns.
Sibelius Park, Töölö, between Topeliuksenkatu and Mechelininkatu
Transport: Bus 18 from Railway Square.

Mannerheim Museo
This fascinating museum was the home of the much-celebrated C G E Mannerheim. Born in 1867, he served for over 30 years in the Russian Imperial Army, leading Finland to independence in a bloody civil war that saw 30,000 Finns killed in 108 days. Mannerheim served as a Commander-in-Chief, a Regent and as President.
Kalliolinnantie 14, Kaivopuisto Park
Tel: (09) 635 443. Fax: (09) 636 736.
Transport: Tram 3B or 3T.

Finlandia-Talo (Finlandia Hall)
Finlandia Hall is Helsinki's conference and concert hub. The hall was built in 1971 and is one of Alvar Aalto's most famous works. It is also home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1882 by Robert Kajanus, and is a great place to hear Finland's finest musicians as well as appreciate the angular architecture of Aalto.
Mannerheimintie 13
Tel: (09) 40241. Fax: (09) 402 4439.

National Museum of Finland
This museum contains rich archaeological and ethnographic collections depicting Finnish life from prehistory to the present day. Some of the most interesting exhibits are those on the culture of the Sami people of Lapland.
Mannerheimintie 34
Tel: (09) 40 501. Fax: (09) 405 0400
Transport: Tram 4, 7B, 7A or 10