World Heritage — treasures of humankind

A World Heritage site is not merely of national importance — it has been recognised as significant to all of humankind. In Finland these places are few, and they could hardly be more different from one another: the Suomenlinna sea fortress still stands guard off Helsinki, the wooden quarters of Old Rauma form the largest surviving wooden town in the Nordic countries, and the quiet cairns of Sammallahdenmäki were stacked stone on stone back in the Bronze Age.

This is a journey to Finland's most exceptional places. The sites lie scattered — you will not see the lighthouse islands of the Kvarken Archipelago on the same outing as the Struve Geodetic Arc measuring point on Mustaviiri — so there is no single day-route to follow. We have gathered some of Finland's World Heritage here so that you can choose your own destination and give it the time a place like this deserves.